{"product_id":"glass-houses","title":"Glass Houses","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book: \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eRaymond causes a stir in the country town of Glaston when he buys Glastonbridge, a house of vast, neo-Gothic fantasy abandoned for decades. It’s an ambitious project, and all previous renovators have come to grief. Out of the woodwork real estate agents, a jealous sister, the heritage council, prospective tourism operators and journalists, proffering opinions, make his life a misery.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the restoration goes on, Raymond becomes increasingly isolated, unable to trust anyone, alienating his friends and giving courage to his enemies. He believes that unseen forces are trying to remove him from his grand project.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt turns pitied, admired, humoured and loved, Raymond undoubtedly has the knowledge, vision and fortune to make Glastonbridge thrive again, but will he be able to see it through? \u003ci\u003eGlass Houses\u003c\/i\u003e is a gentle satire with a rapier edge, perfectly capturing the socially mobile mid-nineties milieu of city folk with country houses. Anne Coombs’s final novel is about finding your place of refuge and reaching for what you want.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author: \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnne Coombs \u003c\/b\u003ewas a journalist, author, political activist, and philanthropist. She authored five books, including \u003ci\u003eNo Man’s Land\u003c\/i\u003e (Simon \u0026amp; Schuster, 1993), \u003ci\u003eSex and Anarchy: The life and death of the Sydney Push\u003c\/i\u003e (Viking, 1996) and \u003ci\u003eBroometime\u003c\/i\u003e (Hodder Headline, 2001), co-authored with Susan Varga.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnne was one of the founders of Rural Australians for Refugees. She was a board member and chair of GetUp! She shared a passion with her partner for a fairer Australia, advocating for refugees and people seeking asylum. In recent years Anne was a frequent essayist and commentator, and a regular contributor to the Griffith Review.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eShe also wrote a feature film script set in Australia’s far north, currently being developed for production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnne died at her Exeter home in December 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Upswell Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42238583504951,"sku":null,"price":29.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/7771\/2951\/files\/UP_Glass-Houses_Front-coverfinal.jpg?v=1779074733","url":"https:\/\/upswell-publishing.myshopify.com\/products\/glass-houses","provider":"Upswell Publishing","version":"1.0","type":"link"}