Melting Moments by Anna Goldsworthy | Black Inc.

Melting Moments

Book club notes

Awards for Melting Moments

  • Shortlisted, 2021 Colin Roderick Award

You might also like

Two birds on a branch inside a yellow silhouette of a girls face on a light pink background

About the author

Anna Goldsworthy

Anna Goldsworthy is the author of several books, including the novel Melting Moments and the memoirs Piano Lessons and Welcome to Your New Life. Her writing has appeared in The MonthlyThe …

More about Anna Goldsworthy



Praise for Melting Moments

‘A delightful and beautifully written book, suffused with humour and enquiry into the domestic habits, social expectations and morals of a period and place.’ —Joan London

Melting Moments is a quiet masterpiece. An intimate portrait and celebration of the interior life of a woman who is a dutiful daughter, wife and mother, it is certain to become an Australian classic.’ —Alex Miller

‘A tender evocation of times past, and a subtle, elegant portrait of one woman's life and loves as she grows and adapts to a changing world.’ —Ceridwen Dovey

‘An example of the way in which a work of fiction, which is by its definition made up, can sometimes be nonetheless exquisitely true.’ —Louise Swinn, The Saturday Paper

‘A skilful blend of wit and pathos … There is much to enjoy in this accomplished novel: resonant moments of tenderness or acerbic observations; the contradictions and complexities of character; and a stylistic poise that makes the writing feel uniformly, deceptively effortless.’ —Australian Book Review

‘Goldsworthy is a superb writer and an exceptional observer of human nature … Even as she beautifully renders, with restraint and insight, Ruby’s specific story and era, there is a timelessness to this novel and its concern with women’s lives and desires.’ —Readings

‘[A] charming novel … a sensitive and insightful account of a middle-class woman living in the suburbia of her time.’ —ArtsHub

‘A generous and vivid picture of the microscopic details of so many women’s lives … a feminist document of a particularly penetrating kind.’ —Carmel Bird, The Australian

‘A charming, highly engaging story ... Goldsworthy writes beautifully and has created a memorable character in Ruby. A joy to read.’ —The Sydney Morning Herald

‘This is a wonderful novel to lose yourself in just now, and Anna’s wry wit, deep compassion for her characters and fine social observations make for excellent company.’ —Jo Case, InDaily

‘Within its 230 pages, Goldsworthy captures moments of both sharp wit and crystalline beauty.’ —Gemma Nisbet, The West Weekend

Melting Moments, is a charming, highly engaging story.’ —Nicole Abadee, Saturday Age

More from Anna Goldsworthy