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Table of Contents
About The Book
‘There are books you encounter as an adult that you wish you could press into the hands of your younger self. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is one of those books – a novel that turns Australia’s long-mythologised settler history into a raw and resilient heartsong.' – Guardian
***WINNER 2022 NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD INDIGENOUS WRITER'S PRIZE***
***2022 ABIA SHORTLIST***
***2021 ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE SHORTLIST***
***2022 STELLA PRIZE LONGLIST***
***2022 INDIE BOOK AWARDS LONGLIST***
***2022 VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS HIGHLY COMMENDED***
_______________________________________________
Gundagai, 1852
The powerful Murrumbidgee River surges through town leaving death and destruction in its wake. It is a stark reminder that while the river can give life, it can just as easily take it away.
Wagadhaany is one of the lucky ones. She survives. But is her life now better than the fate she escaped? Forced to move away from her miyagan, she walks through each day with no trace of dance in her step, her broken heart forever calling her back home to Gundagai.
When she meets Wiradyuri stockman Yindyamarra, Wagadhaany’s heart slowly begins to heal. But still, she dreams of a better life, away from the degradation of being owned. She longs to set out along the river of her ancestors, in search of lost family and country. Can she find the courage to defy the White man’s law? And if she does, will it bring hope ... or heartache?
Set on timeless Wiradyuri country, where the life-giving waters of the rivers can make or break dreams, and based on devastating true events, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) is an epic story of love, loss and belonging.
Praise for Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams)
'Heiss fuses fiction with realism, conjuring a resonance still felt in Blak struggle today ... packs heart into every page.' – Saturday Paper
'Tells a powerful and affecting tale of Aboriginal people's identity, community and deep connection to country.’ – Canberra Times
'A profoundly moving showcase of Heiss’ skill ... Intimate, reflective, and impossible to put down.’ – AU Review
‘Engrossing and wonderful storytelling. I really loved these strong, brave Wiradyuri characters.’ – Melissa Lucashenko
‘A powerful story of family, place and belonging.’ – Kate Grenville
‘A remarkable story of courage and a love of country ... Anita Heiss writes with heart and energy on every page.’ – Tony Birch
'It is a love story, a story of loss, a hopeful story. The river is a guide, but you have to be open to its spiritual lessons.' – Terri Janke
‘Anita Heiss is at the height of her storytelling powers in this inspiring, heart-breaking, profound tale.’ – Larissa Behrendt
'The novel flows like the great Murrumbidgee River itself, with powerful undercurrents that sweep the reader along - I feel it's a book that all Australians should read, to try and understand why our colonial past still causes so much pain and grievance.’ – Kate Forsyth
***WINNER 2022 NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD INDIGENOUS WRITER'S PRIZE***
***2022 ABIA SHORTLIST***
***2021 ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE SHORTLIST***
***2022 STELLA PRIZE LONGLIST***
***2022 INDIE BOOK AWARDS LONGLIST***
***2022 VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS HIGHLY COMMENDED***
_______________________________________________
Gundagai, 1852
The powerful Murrumbidgee River surges through town leaving death and destruction in its wake. It is a stark reminder that while the river can give life, it can just as easily take it away.
Wagadhaany is one of the lucky ones. She survives. But is her life now better than the fate she escaped? Forced to move away from her miyagan, she walks through each day with no trace of dance in her step, her broken heart forever calling her back home to Gundagai.
When she meets Wiradyuri stockman Yindyamarra, Wagadhaany’s heart slowly begins to heal. But still, she dreams of a better life, away from the degradation of being owned. She longs to set out along the river of her ancestors, in search of lost family and country. Can she find the courage to defy the White man’s law? And if she does, will it bring hope ... or heartache?
Set on timeless Wiradyuri country, where the life-giving waters of the rivers can make or break dreams, and based on devastating true events, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) is an epic story of love, loss and belonging.
Praise for Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams)
'Heiss fuses fiction with realism, conjuring a resonance still felt in Blak struggle today ... packs heart into every page.' – Saturday Paper
'Tells a powerful and affecting tale of Aboriginal people's identity, community and deep connection to country.’ – Canberra Times
'A profoundly moving showcase of Heiss’ skill ... Intimate, reflective, and impossible to put down.’ – AU Review
‘Engrossing and wonderful storytelling. I really loved these strong, brave Wiradyuri characters.’ – Melissa Lucashenko
‘A powerful story of family, place and belonging.’ – Kate Grenville
‘A remarkable story of courage and a love of country ... Anita Heiss writes with heart and energy on every page.’ – Tony Birch
'It is a love story, a story of loss, a hopeful story. The river is a guide, but you have to be open to its spiritual lessons.' – Terri Janke
‘Anita Heiss is at the height of her storytelling powers in this inspiring, heart-breaking, profound tale.’ – Larissa Behrendt
'The novel flows like the great Murrumbidgee River itself, with powerful undercurrents that sweep the reader along - I feel it's a book that all Australians should read, to try and understand why our colonial past still causes so much pain and grievance.’ – Kate Forsyth
Reading Group Guide
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About The Author
Photograph © Morgan Roberts
Dr Anita Heiss is an internationally published, award-winning author of 23 books; non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction and children’s novels. She is a proud member of the Wiradyuri Nation of central New South Wales, an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and the GO Foundation, and Professor of Communications at the University of Queensland. Anita is also the Publisher at Large of Bundyi, an imprint of Simon & Schuster cultivating First Nations talent, and a board member of the National Justice Project and Circa Contemporary Circus. As an artist in residence at La Boite Theatre, she adapted her novel Tiddas for the stage. It premiered at the 2022 Brisbane Festival and was produced by Belvoir St for the Sydney Festival in 2024.
Her novel, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, about the Great Flood of Gundagai, won the 2022 NSW Premier’s Indigenous Writer’s Prize and was shortlisted for the 2021 ARA Historical Novel Prize and the 2022 ABIA Awards. Anita’s first children’s picture book is Bidhi Galing (Big Rain), also about the Great Flood of Gundagai. Anita enjoys running, eating chocolate and being a creative disruptor.
Her novel, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, about the Great Flood of Gundagai, won the 2022 NSW Premier’s Indigenous Writer’s Prize and was shortlisted for the 2021 ARA Historical Novel Prize and the 2022 ABIA Awards. Anita’s first children’s picture book is Bidhi Galing (Big Rain), also about the Great Flood of Gundagai. Anita enjoys running, eating chocolate and being a creative disruptor.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia (May 1, 2021)
- Length: 416 pages
- ISBN13: 9781760850456
Raves and Reviews
‘There are books you encounter as an adult that you wish you could press into the hands of your younger self. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is one of those books – a novel that turns Australia’s long-mythologised settler history into a raw and resilient heartsong.’
– Guardian
‘A heartfelt story of colonisation and its negative effects … A powerful and affecting tale of Aboriginal people's identity, community and deep connection to country.’
– Canberra Times
‘Heiss fuses fiction with realism, conjuring a resonance still felt in Blak struggle today … packs heart into every page.’
– Saturday Paper
‘Celebrating family, love, and connection to the land, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is a profoundly moving showcase of Heiss’ skill for crafting stories and relationships … A novel that is intimate, reflective, and impossible to put down.’
– The AU Review
‘A powerful story of family, place and belonging.’
– Kate Grenville, author of A Room Made of Leaves
‘Engrossing and wonderful storytelling. I really loved these strong, brave Wiradyuri characters.’
– Melissa Lucashenko, author of Too Much Lip
‘A remarkable story of courage and a love of country … Anita Heiss writes with heart and energy on every page of this novel.’
– Tony Birch, author of The White Girl
'It is a love story, a story of loss, a hopeful story. The river is a guide, but you have to be open to its spiritual lessons.'
– Dr Terri Janke
‘Lyrical and tender, Anita Heiss’s Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray tells a story of courage, connection and belonging which is both universal and deeply personal, with the river singing through every page. A grand achievement and destined to be read for a long time to come.’
– Meg Keneally, author of Fled and The Wreck.
‘Epic storytelling with a deep warmth at its heart ... This story will stay with me forever.’
– Pamela Hart, author of The Charleston Scandal
‘The warmest invitation to share the space of landscape and language, recovery and love.’
– Ashley Hay, author of A Hundred Small Lessons
‘Anita Heiss is at the height of her storytelling powers in this inspiring, heart-breaking, profound tale.’
– Larissa Behrendt
‘The novel flows like the great Murrumbidgee River itself, with powerful undercurrents that sweep the reader along - I feel it's a book that all Australians should read, to try and understand why our colonial past still causes so much pain and grievance.’
– Kate Forsyth, author of The Blue Rose
‘Anita Heiss is an incredibly masterful stroyteller; weaving song, language and history into an epic tale of love, loss and belonging … my favourite of Heiss' novels!’
– Better Read than Dead
‘Far more relevant than a library bulging with Greenes and Hemmingways, Heiss’s book is as pulsing as the river that runs through it … A romance, a history lesson, a language study and a rollicking read all in one.’
– Courier Mail
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray eBook 9781760850456
- Author Photo (jpg): Anita Heiss Photograph © Morgan Roberts(0.1 MB)
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