Daughters of Batavia

Stefanie Koens

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$34.99

Paperback

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English

HQ
01 August 2025

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Historical adventure; Historical romance; Sagas; Historical fiction; Australian Fiction

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A woman searching for answers in her own life finds them - and much more - in the wreckage and haunting stories of the Batavia shipwreck.

The powerfully moving historical debut from the winner of the Banjo Prize for Fiction. For all fans of Natasha Lester, Lauren Chater and Tea Cooper.

Two women. One shipwreck. And four centuries of secrets.

Shortly before Christmas in 2018, Tess McCarthy, after years as a hard-working English teacher who never did anything out of the ordinary, flies to Western Australia's remote Abrolhos Islands. She is in search of answers - both to the infamous Batavia shipwreck and her personal family crises.

Amsterdam, 1628. Saskia, an orphaned young Dutchwoman, boards Batavia with relatives, bound for a new and potentially dangerous life in the East Indies - only for her world to first collide with Aris Jansz, the ship's taciturn under surgeon.

Tess, Saskia and Aris - their lives linked by secrets that span generations - carry the baggage of past losses and the uncertainty of their futures. And, in the most unlikely circumstances, they may find qualities that echo through centuries: faith, acceptance, and love.

'Evocative and compelling! An immersive and engrossing mystery. This wonderful debut by Stefanie Koens kept me enthralled to the last page. A beautiful synergy between the present and the past, between history and a richly drawn portrayal of the personal stories of those who perished and those who survived the famous shipwreck of the Batavia. Heartbreaking and heartwarming' Tania Blanchard

'A masterfully crafted dual timeline that seamlessly weaves past and present into a rich tapestry, bringing four centuries of secrets vividly to life' Tea Cooper

By: Stefanie Koens
Imprint: HQ
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 476g
ISBN: 9781460766163
ISBN 10: 1460766164
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 01 August 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Stefanie Koens grew up in Perth, reading, writing and dreaming of stories. As a teenager she won prizes in the Mary Durack Young Writers Award, then studied English, History and Education at Notre Dame University. She loves bringing local history to life and capturing family stories.