The Quiet Spectacular

Book excerpt: Funny and moving, this novel subverts notions of 'man vs. wild' while showcasing female experience through encounters with family, friends and the natural world. Loretta is a school librarian, who embarks on compiling The Dangerous Book for Menopausal Women while waiting to collect her son from after-school activities. Chance is a teenager, who discovers an unusual creative outlet to offset the strain of her controlling mother. Riva is the founder of a wetlands sanctuary, who is seeking a way to fulfil her promise to her dying sister to do something 'absolutely spectacular'. Within a clearing in the woods by a lake stands a den, a secret sanctuary and eventual meeting place for all three women . . .