The Bay of Noon

Lonely and rootless, Jenny finds herself in war-torn Italy. There, against the fading grandeur of Naples, a larger emotional drama unfolds, and her close friendship with the beautiful and talented Gioconda expands to make room for a dour Scotsman and for Gioconda's lover, Gianni. These newfound friends require of Jenny much more than she had foreseen, while gradually revealing to her the changing face of love. Short-listed for the 2004 Orange Prize, Shirley Hazzard won Australia's biggest literary prize, the 2004 Miles Franklin Literary Award, and the 2003 National Book Award in the United States for The Great Fire. 'Hazzard's mind is a revolving light that picks a scene, holds it in utmost clarity for a moment against the surrounding darkness and moves on' -New York Times.