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Friends & Other Strangers Award-winning Short Stories From Downunder
An eclectic collection of, funny, shocking, heart-breaking and distinctly Australian short stories, each with its own message.
- GenresShort Stories
ebook
First published January 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Liza Perrat
19 books244 followersLiza grew up in Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife for fifteen years.
When she met her French husband on a Bangkok bus, she moved to France, where she has been living with her family for twenty years. She works part-time as a French-English medical translator, and as a novelist.
Since completing a creative writing course ten years ago, several of her short stories have won awards, notably the Writers Bureau annual competition of 2004 and her stories have been published widely in anthologies and small press magazines. Her articles on French culture and tradition have been published in international magazines such as France Magazine, France Today and The Good Life France.
Spirit of Lost Angels is the first in the French historical "The Bone Angel" series set against a backdrop of rural France during the French Revolution. The second in the series, Wolfsangel, set during the WWII Nazi Occupation of France, was published in October, 2013. The third, Blood Rose Angel, set during the 14th century Black Plague years was published in November, 2015.
The Silent Kookaburra, a 1970s Australian psychological suspense novel, was published in November, 2016.
The second in this 70s Aussie Family Drama, The Swooping Magpie, was published in October, 2018.
Friends, Family and Other Strangers is a collection of humorous, horrific and entertaining short stories set in Australia.
Liza is a founding member of the Author Collective, Triskele Books and regularly reviews books for Bookmuse.
Sign up for new book releases and receive a FREE copy of Friends & Other Strangers, Liza's award-winning collection of Australian short stories.
When she met her French husband on a Bangkok bus, she moved to France, where she has been living with her family for twenty years. She works part-time as a French-English medical translator, and as a novelist.
Since completing a creative writing course ten years ago, several of her short stories have won awards, notably the Writers Bureau annual competition of 2004 and her stories have been published widely in anthologies and small press magazines. Her articles on French culture and tradition have been published in international magazines such as France Magazine, France Today and The Good Life France.
Spirit of Lost Angels is the first in the French historical "The Bone Angel" series set against a backdrop of rural France during the French Revolution. The second in the series, Wolfsangel, set during the WWII Nazi Occupation of France, was published in October, 2013. The third, Blood Rose Angel, set during the 14th century Black Plague years was published in November, 2015.
The Silent Kookaburra, a 1970s Australian psychological suspense novel, was published in November, 2016.
The second in this 70s Aussie Family Drama, The Swooping Magpie, was published in October, 2018.
Friends, Family and Other Strangers is a collection of humorous, horrific and entertaining short stories set in Australia.
Liza is a founding member of the Author Collective, Triskele Books and regularly reviews books for Bookmuse.
Sign up for new book releases and receive a FREE copy of Friends & Other Strangers, Liza's award-winning collection of Australian short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 23, 2014
Friends, Family, and Other Strangers From Downunder is a fantastic and beautiful collection of short stories. These stories will make you smile and some will touch your heart.
My favorite story was Visiting Rites a very touching tale. Looking forward to reading more by Aussie author Liza Perrat. A very pleasurable read with a lovely assortment for all readers.
My favorite story was Visiting Rites a very touching tale. Looking forward to reading more by Aussie author Liza Perrat. A very pleasurable read with a lovely assortment for all readers.
February 18, 2014
From the very first, Rose Coloured Minute sets the pace – we go along for the ride with Marianne as she spends the most excruciating minute of her life, waiting for the lines on the test to give her the answer she so desperately wants…
Window without Glass tells of Cerisa from Australia who is backpacking around Turkey. After getting lost she comes across Leyla who has never ventured from her village…
Visiting Rites is touching and sad, deep and meaningful.
While Corner of Acacia and Beach Streets really touched a chord with me. Forever stuck in that time, waiting for Paul to pick her up from the corner of Acacia and Beach Streets; telling Tabitha about the past…
Santa Never Made It tells of Darwin, Christmas 1974 - Wendy, surly and fed up; her little brother Jamie who is adopted; their Mum and Dad - what happened that Christmas Day to change them all, especially Wendy?
This anthology of fourteen short stories by Aussie author Liza Perrat is an enjoyable mixture for everyone and I have no hesitation in recommending Friends, Family and Other Strangers From Downunder to all.
Window without Glass tells of Cerisa from Australia who is backpacking around Turkey. After getting lost she comes across Leyla who has never ventured from her village…
Visiting Rites is touching and sad, deep and meaningful.
While Corner of Acacia and Beach Streets really touched a chord with me. Forever stuck in that time, waiting for Paul to pick her up from the corner of Acacia and Beach Streets; telling Tabitha about the past…
Santa Never Made It tells of Darwin, Christmas 1974 - Wendy, surly and fed up; her little brother Jamie who is adopted; their Mum and Dad - what happened that Christmas Day to change them all, especially Wendy?
This anthology of fourteen short stories by Aussie author Liza Perrat is an enjoyable mixture for everyone and I have no hesitation in recommending Friends, Family and Other Strangers From Downunder to all.
November 19, 2013
A wonderfully eclectic collection of distinctly Australian short stories, each with its own message. The stories are evocative and invoke all the senses.
The heartbreaking tale of Visiting Rites is especially powerful and tugs at the deepest parts of the psyche.
The heartbreaking tale of Visiting Rites is especially powerful and tugs at the deepest parts of the psyche.
April 3, 2017
A very eclectic, and sometimes brutal, selection of short stories by Aussie author Liza Perrat. You never know how the story is going to twist and some of the characters are horrible people. Others seem horrible but are they? Not one story allows you to be complacent.
March 8, 2025
Humans are complex creatures, often with fertile imaginations, turning an experience or an event into something lighter or darker depending on the circumstances. The author takes those traits and creates stories which entertain, haunt or brings tears to the eyes with great skill.
Spanning a period of 75 years we meet some of the eclectic inhabitants of this island continent. Often arriving from distant lands, often as a result of poverty or oppression, seeking a new life for themselves and their children. Adjusting can be challenging with language and customs which are alien and the gradual loss of one’s original identity.
We meet characters from all walks of life from the executive who awaits a test result with trepidation, a husband who cannot give up on his marriage, a son desperate to find a memory of happiness from childhood, a neighbour who finds his new neighbour loud and trashy but strangely alluring, and a daughter who feels she has been overlooked by a new member of the family.
There are some hard-hitting moments and you should expect the unexpected. Tough to highlight any particular story but I could certainly relate to several which were family focused.
I read this collection in one sitting, finding it hard to put down and will certainly explore the other books written by this author… highly recommended.
Spanning a period of 75 years we meet some of the eclectic inhabitants of this island continent. Often arriving from distant lands, often as a result of poverty or oppression, seeking a new life for themselves and their children. Adjusting can be challenging with language and customs which are alien and the gradual loss of one’s original identity.
We meet characters from all walks of life from the executive who awaits a test result with trepidation, a husband who cannot give up on his marriage, a son desperate to find a memory of happiness from childhood, a neighbour who finds his new neighbour loud and trashy but strangely alluring, and a daughter who feels she has been overlooked by a new member of the family.
There are some hard-hitting moments and you should expect the unexpected. Tough to highlight any particular story but I could certainly relate to several which were family focused.
I read this collection in one sitting, finding it hard to put down and will certainly explore the other books written by this author… highly recommended.
December 9, 2018
Short stories and snapshots of life, mostly set in small town from the 1950s to the present day.
These were great; there aren't any weak ones. Many of them were either submitted or shortlisted for various short story awards, or actually won. They're not all stories in the sense of having a beginning middle and end; some are more snapshots of a life lived. They're all beautifully atmospheric, though; a fine collection.
My favourites were Daughter of Atlas, about a Greek family who emigrated to Aus in the 1950s, Corner of Acacia and Beach Streets, a heartrending tale of loss (in more ways than one), and Santa Never Made It, about a Christmas time cyclone in Darwin.
These were great; there aren't any weak ones. Many of them were either submitted or shortlisted for various short story awards, or actually won. They're not all stories in the sense of having a beginning middle and end; some are more snapshots of a life lived. They're all beautifully atmospheric, though; a fine collection.
My favourites were Daughter of Atlas, about a Greek family who emigrated to Aus in the 1950s, Corner of Acacia and Beach Streets, a heartrending tale of loss (in more ways than one), and Santa Never Made It, about a Christmas time cyclone in Darwin.
August 19, 2012
This is a lovely collection of insights into Australia, but be warned, you'll be Googling flights when you put it down. The author captures the atmosphere of a young, vast country, with unpredictable weather and huge spaces. The stories are varied; some touching, some thoughtful and some leave you wondering about how we really see one another. The range of perspectives make this collection so special, along with the individual voices recording moments of change. I think my favourite has to be Santa Never Made It. A beautiful piece, in a distinctive tone, about how love can be a sneaky sort of thing.
August 7, 2019
This is a formidable collection of short stories, some sad, some happy, some grotesque, but all felt fully rounded and packed a good punch. Best enjoyed in small increments - I read the stories two or three per day but not consecutively, these are more than well-worth reading.
December 29, 2024
This is a wonderful collection with stories in varying genres but all relating to the human condition. In this book we’ll find various stories that will touch our hearts, make us cringe, make us think, even some that will make us smile. The author knows how to draw a reader’s attention and how to keep it. With richly descript stories we are taken right into the moments of story. The author is Australian so we can expect a few words, slang, or terms reflected within stories, which I found no problem with. Each story kept me turning the pages.
Most of the stories in this book were short-listed and won awards for and the author headlines those stories. Each story is like a snapshot of life expressed through rich characters and settings.
In – A Rose-coloured Minute we’re taken through a story of what goes on in the one minute while Marianne Powell is awaiting a pregnancy test as a world of worry keeps her frantic with worry and demands continue of her at work while her mind is only focused on one thing – results.
Signals – A story about an impoverished couple at a train station making judgement on a single woman waiting on the same train. As the couple share their thoughts about this young girl with each other, really perceptions, and about how entitled this woman may be, while all the while we get inside the other woman’s head only to learn that she is steeped in woe escaping abuse, demonstrating that judgements are quick, but nobody has any idea what anyone else is going through.
Once Everything Gets Back to Normal – Les cannot accept his wife is moving on into a relationship during their separation and we witness his growing ire into wrath.
Visiting Rites – Years after Jason ran away from his home with his single mother he is now visiting his long estranged mother on her death bed as he recycles his relationship with his mother while saying goodbye.
Each story will pull an emotional string in the reader.
Most of the stories in this book were short-listed and won awards for and the author headlines those stories. Each story is like a snapshot of life expressed through rich characters and settings.
In – A Rose-coloured Minute we’re taken through a story of what goes on in the one minute while Marianne Powell is awaiting a pregnancy test as a world of worry keeps her frantic with worry and demands continue of her at work while her mind is only focused on one thing – results.
Signals – A story about an impoverished couple at a train station making judgement on a single woman waiting on the same train. As the couple share their thoughts about this young girl with each other, really perceptions, and about how entitled this woman may be, while all the while we get inside the other woman’s head only to learn that she is steeped in woe escaping abuse, demonstrating that judgements are quick, but nobody has any idea what anyone else is going through.
Once Everything Gets Back to Normal – Les cannot accept his wife is moving on into a relationship during their separation and we witness his growing ire into wrath.
Visiting Rites – Years after Jason ran away from his home with his single mother he is now visiting his long estranged mother on her death bed as he recycles his relationship with his mother while saying goodbye.
Each story will pull an emotional string in the reader.
Read
January 27, 2022Author's Note:
An eclectic collection of award-winning, funny, shocking, heart-breaking and distinctly Australian short stories, each with its own message.
Available at your favourite e-book store: https://books2read.com/u/mleND9
An eclectic collection of award-winning, funny, shocking, heart-breaking and distinctly Australian short stories, each with its own message.
Available at your favourite e-book store: https://books2read.com/u/mleND9
Read
February 25, 2016kindle stories
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews