The Ladies of Missalonghi McCullough, Colleen

Missy Wright is plain, poor, and thirty-three — invisible in the small Australian town of Byron, where the wealthy Hurlingford women rule with iron fists in velvet gloves. She's been living half a life, smothered by her mother and aunt, resigned to spinsterhood and an early grave from mysterious ailments. Then a rakish stranger arrives, and Missy decides she's done being good. What follows is a sharp, subversive tale of a woman claiming her own life through cunning, courage, and a little well-placed rebellion. McCullough — best known for *The Thorn Birds* — delivers something smaller in scale but no less satisfying: a novella about female agency, family tyranny, and the radical act of choosing yourself. Set in 1920s Australia with wit and bite. Perfect for readers who love scrappy heroines and stories where the underdog wins.