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Anne Vines: Flight

Author Talk

Anne Vines novel Flight is a poignant tale of courage, longing, and connection set against the backdrop of Melbourne society in 1942.

In 1942 the world was at war. Australia was threatened with invasion by the Japanese. American general Douglas Macarthur took up supreme command of the Allies war effort and set up his office right in Collins Street.

Anne Vines was intrigued by what she heard about Australia in wartime from relatives and older friends. Her research in books, newspapers and film gave her fascinating detail on which to base her story. She looks at how fighting affects men, what makes a hero, how wartime affected women’s lives and how the influx of Americans was received by Australians of various social classes and backgrounds. In 1942 Melbourne was fractured along class, race and religious lines. The war was an exciting and dangerous time for young people.

Anne Vines is a Melbourne based fiction writer. Her first novel The Ship Wife was published in 2023.

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