Colleen McCullough always vowed that she would never write another sweeping family saga in the vein of The Thorn Birds, but luckily for her millions of fans she has now written Bittersweet, an epic novel of love, betrayal, ambition and redemption.

Set in 1920s and 30s Australia, Bittersweet follows the lives of four sisters ? two pairs of twins. Edda, Grace, Kitty and Tufts are the daughters of Reverend Thomas Latimer, about to become the first batch of nurses to be professionally trained in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

For Edda, it is the closest she can come to her dream of being a doctor. For Grace, the hospital is a terrifying place of sickness and mess while Tufts discovers hidden talents. For Kitty, it is a way to escape the suffocating love of her mother, who can see nothing beyond Kitty’s astonishing beauty.

As career dreams clash with romance and the Depression casts its shadow across Australia, each of the sisters will be forced to confront her own secret desires and dreams, and discover the true nature of love.