Gina Wilkinson

Inspired by her own experiences stationed in Baghdad during Saddam Hussein's rule, former foreign correspondent Gina Wilkinson's evocative, suspenseful debut is told through the eyes of three very different women in Iraq at the turn of the millennium. A secretary, an artist and a diplomat's wife, each must confront the complexities of trust, friendship, and motherhood under the rule of a dictator and his ruthless secret police... At night, in Huda's fragrant garden, a breeze sweeps in from the desert encircling Baghdad, rustling the leaves of her apricot trees and carrying warning of visitors at her gate. Huda, a secretary at the Australian embassy, lives in fear of the mukhabarat--the secret police who watch and listen for any scrap of information that can be used against America and its allies. They have ordered her to befriend Ally Wilson, the deputy ambassador's wife. Huda has no wish to be an informant, but fears for her teenage son, who may be forced to join a deadly militia. Nor does she know that Ally has dangerous secrets of her own. Huda's former friend, Rania, enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the daughter of a sheikh. Now her family's wealth is gone, and Rania too is battling to keep her child safe and a roof over their heads. As the women's lives intersect, their hidden pasts spill into the present. Facing possible betrayal at every turn, all three must trust in a fragile, newfound loyalty, even as they discover how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect their families.

A Novel of Riveting and Evocative Fiction

When the Apricots Bloom

At night, in Huda's fragrant garden, a breeze sweeps in from the desert encircling Baghdad, rustling the leaves of her apricot trees and carrying warning of visitors at her gate. Huda, a secretary at the Australian embassy, lives in fear of the secret police, who have ordered her to befriend Ally, the deputy ambassador's wife. Huda's former friend Rania, an artist, enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the daughter of a sheikh. Now her family's wealth is gone, and Rania is battling to keep her child safe and a roof over their heads. As the women's lives intersect, their hidden pasts spill into the present. Facing possible betrayal at every turn, all three must trust in a fragile, newfound loyalty, even as they discover how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect their families.

When the Apricots Bloom: an Evocative, Unputdownable Novel of Thr

De sterren boven Bagdad van Gina Wilkinson is een roman vol spanning en drama over twee Iraakse vrouwen en een Australische ambassadeursvrouw ten tijde van het regime van Saddam Hussein, voor de liefhebbers van De bijenhouder van Aleppo. Als kinderen waren dorpsmeisje Huda en Rania, dochter van de sjeik, hartsvriendinnen. Nu is Huda secretaresse op de ambassade van Australië. De geheime politie dwingt haar om een vriendschap te sluiten met ambassadeursvrouw Ally. Angst en dreiging nemen steeds meer toe in Bagdad, waar de levenspaden van Huda, Rania en Ally elkaar kruisen. De drie vrouwen beseffen: als ze zichzelf en hun kinderen in veiligheid willen brengen, moeten ze grote risico's nemen en elkaar blindelings vertrouwen. Welke offers zijn ze bereid te brengen om hun geliefden te beschermen? Bron: Flaptekst, uitgeversinformatie.

De sterren boven Bagdad

Când înfloresc caișii

'Thrilling yet heart-wrenching . . . This must-read novel is mesmerizing, captivating, and profound' DEBORAH RODRIGUEZ, internationally bestselling author of The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul 'I truly felt for the memorable women risking their lives to protect themselves and their families . . . Baghdad springs into vivid violent life . . . Outstanding!' DINAH JEFFERIES, internationally bestselling author of The Teaplanter's Wife Readers can't stop talking about this book! 'I felt the warmth of the sun and tasted the sweetness of the lime tea . . . Beautiful' ***** 'Riveting from beginning to end . . . A great read!' ***** 'Atmospheric and suspenseful . . . I read this novel with my heart in my throat' ***** 'All I can say is: WOW - read it. You won't be disappointed' ***** What would you sacrifice to protect your family? As night falls in Huda's fragrant garden of apricot trees, a breeze sweeps in from the desert, warning of visitors at her gate . . . The secret police have ordered Huda to befriend and spy upon her employer's wife. She is in an impossible position - if she refuses her son will be forced to join the regime's deadly militia, and worse. And it soon becomes clear that the Deputy Ambassador's wife, Ally, is keeping dangerous secrets. Meanwhile, Huda's estranged childhood friend Rania - a sheikh's daughter whose wealth is long gone - is battling to keep her daughter safe from the dictator's men. As their connection with Ally brings Huda and Rania reluctantly together again, each of their hidden pasts spill into the present. Facing danger - and betrayal - at every turn, all three women must decide who to trust, even as they discover just how far each is willing to go to protect the people they love . . . Lose yourself in this evocative, emotionally powerful and completely gripping international bestseller, where secrets are precious currency and three courageous women are tested to the limit by a horrifying power seemingly beyond their control. Have you discovered the international bestseller yet? 'Richly drawn characters and high-stakes plot' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY '[A novel] of suspense, intrigue and conspiracy; where female friendship is platformed . . . Although it is set within a backdrop of male power, where human grief is "almost a creature into itself", the power of a woman's intent for the safety of those she loves carries the novel through with a mesmerising pulsating force' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

The evocative and emotionally powerful bestseller of secrets, family and betrayal . . .

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sky is a first-person, narrative non-fiction account of the period the author spent living as a 'dependant spouse' in Baghdad during the final year of the Saddam Hussein regime, and later as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's correspondent in post-war Iraq. It's an account of terror, ambition, and betrayal in Iraq, and how she became the main character in a story she never wanted, or expected, to find. The book looks at the challenges and adjustments she had to make when she decided to abandoned her career, albeit temporarily, in order to support her husband in his new job with the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF. It also focuses on the friendships forged with ordinary Iraqis, despite the enormous hurdles of almost constant government surveillance and the overwhelming atmosphere of fear and suspicion under Saddam Hussein.

Gina Wilkinson

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