AustLit logo
Meredith Jaffé Meredith Jaffé i(8964891 works by)
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 y separately published work icon The Tricky Art of Forgiveness Meredith Jaffé , Sydney : HarperCollins Australia , 2022 23807377 2022 single work novel

'After thirty years of marriage, can there be any secrets left? The charming new novel from the author of The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison

'Diana Forsyth is in the midst of planning the Big Party, a combined celebration of her husband Will's 60th and their 30th wedding anniversary. The whole family is flying in and unbeknownst to Will, Diana is planning a Big Surprise.

'But then she finds a torn scrap of paper hidden inside the folds of one of his cashmere sweaters, with the words, I forgive you. And all of a sudden, Diana realises she's not the only one keeping Big Secrets.

'As empty nesters who have just downsized from the family home, she and Will are supposed to be embracing a new promise of glorious freedom - not revisiting a past that Diana has worked very hard to leave behind.

'A witty, poignant and insightful exploration of marriage: the choices we make - or don't make, the resentments we hold, the lies we tell and what forgiveness really means.' (Publication summary)  

1 y separately published work icon The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison Meredith Jaffé , Sydney : HarperCollins Australia , 2021 21265863 2021 single work novel

'Can a wedding dress save a bunch of hardened crims? The Full Monty meets Orange is the New Black in a poignantly comic story about a men's prison sewing circle.

'Derek's daughter Debbie is getting married. He's desperate to be there, but he's banged up in Yarrandarrah Correctional Centre for embezzling funds from the golf club, and, thanks to his ex-wife, Lorraine, he hasn't spoken to Debbie in years. He wants to make a grand gesture - to show her how much he loves her. But what?

'Inspiration strikes while he's embroidering a cushion at his weekly prison sewing circle - he'll make her a wedding dress. His fellow stitchers rally around and soon this motley gang of crims is immersed in a joyous whirl of silks, satins and covered buttons.

'But as time runs out and tensions rise both inside and outside the prison, the wedding dress project takes on greater significance. With lives at stake, Derek feels his chance to reconcile with Debbie is slipping through his fingers ...

'A funny, dark and moving novel about finding humanity, friendship and redemption in unexpected places.'

Source : publisher's blurb

1 Emergency Undies Meredith Jaffé , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Funny Bones 2019;
1 y separately published work icon Horse Warrior Meredith Jaffé , Ulladulla : Harbour Publishing House , 2019 15884580 2019 single work children's fiction children's adventure

'Dark plans are afoot for the peaceful and prosperous land of Avenal. Eleven-year-old Maia, daughter of the Lord, must put aside her dreams of competing in the annual tournament and stand up for her realm. Accompanied by her faithful pony and a rag-tag boy named Raven, Maia must undertake a journey far from home and the ones she loves. Along the way she discovered within her the power to change the world. Eleven-year-old Maia is a better rider than her older brother, and a better shot, but her father, the Lord of Avenal, refuses to let her compete in the annual tournament and prove she is as brave a warrior as him. Angry at her father’s decision, Maia rides her pony deep into the valley where she stumbles across a rag-tag boy called Raven. Little does she realise, this strange boy’s friendship will change her life forever. Dark plans are afoot for the peaceful prosperous land of Avenal and Maia is forced to undertake a journey far from home and the ones she loves. With only her pony and the annoying Raven to help her, Maia must find a way to save Avenal. And, along the way, discover within her the power to change the world.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 2 y separately published work icon The Making of Christina Meredith Jaffé , Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia , 2017 11545624 2017 single work novel

'Interior designer Christina Clemente is caught off guard by an intense affair with her charismatic client, Jackson Plummer. He quickly becomes the cure to Christina's loneliness and a surrogate father to her young daughter Bianca.

'When Jackson suggests moving to a rundown farm in the mountains, Christina soon forgets her initial hesitation and absorbs herself in restoring the rambling century-old house, Bartholemews Run, becoming obsessed with solving its mysterious history.

'But while living on the isolated farm, her once effervescent child transforms into a quiet sullen teenager and Christina increasingly struggles to connect with her.

'Because Bianca has a secret.

'And the monstrous truth threatens to destroy them all.' (Publication Summary)

1 First Draft to Final Pages Meredith Jaffé , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Author , December vol. 48 no. 2 2016; (p. 24-27)
'Meredith Jaffe explains what she learnt during the editing process of her debut novel, The Fence...'
1 3 y separately published work icon The Fence Meredith Jaffé , Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia , 2016 10168948 2016 single work single work novel

'Gwen Hill has lived on Green Valley Avenue all her adult life. Here she brought her babies home, nurtured her garden and shared life's ups and downs with her best friend and neighbour, Babs. So when Babs dies and the house next door is sold, Gwen wonders how the new family will fit settle into the quiet life of this cosy community.'

'Francesca Desmarchelliers has high hopes for the house on Green Valley Avenue. More than just a new home, it's a clean slate for Frankie, who has moved her brood from Sydney's inner city to the leafy north shore street in a bid to save her marriage and keep her rambunctious family together.'

'To maintain her privacy and corral her wandering children, Frankie proposes a fence between their properties, destroying Gwen's lovingly cultivated front garden.'

'To Gwen, this as an act of war.'

'Soon the neighbours are in an escalating battle that becomes about more than just council approvals, and boundaries aren't the only things at stake.'

1 Clancy of the Undertow by Christopher Currie Review Meredith Jaffé , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 2 December 2015;

— Review of Clancy of the Undertow Chris Currie , 2015 single work novel
1 The Best Australian Stories 2015 Review – Short Sharp Hits of Homegrown Fiction Meredith Jaffé , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 18 November 2015;

— Review of The Best Australian Stories 2015 2015 anthology short story
1 Napoleon’s Last Island by Tom Keneally Review – Australia's Link to an Exiled Emperor Meredith Jaffé , 2015 single work
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 4 November 2015;

— Review of Napoleon's Last Island Thomas Keneally , 2015 single work novel
1 The Women’s Pages by Debra Adelaide Review – Bend It like Brontë and Buttrose Meredith Jaffé , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 28 October 2015;

— Review of The Women's Pages Debra Adelaide , 2015 single work novel
1 Hope Farm by Peggy Frew Review – a Painful Tale of Mother and Daughter Meredith Jaffé , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 14 October 2015;

— Review of Hope Farm Peggy Frew , 2015 single work novel
X