170 ratings | 129 reviews | avg rating:4.12

Mary-Lou’s Year In Books

Mary-Lou’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Mary-Lou’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Mary-Lou’s 2024 Year in Books

Mary-Lou Stephens’s Followers (131)

Mary-Lou’s Bookshelves

to-read (5)
currently-reading (0)
read (198)
historical-fiction (7)

Mary-Lou’s Friends (208)

Rowan MacDonald

5,390 books | 4,874 friends

Julie

109 books | 151 friends

Amy

1,410 books | 1,730 friends

Amanda Geard

48 books | 136 friends

Malvina

1,927 books | 163 friends

Nathan

330 books | 136 friends

Josephine Pennicott

543 books | 292 friends

Diane

4,081 books | 49 friends

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Mary-Lou Stephens

Goodreads Author

Born

in Hobart, Australia

January 06

Website

http://maryloustephens.com.au

Twitter

@Mary_Lou_Writer

Genre

Fiction, Memoir, Historical Fiction

Member Since

February 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/maryloustephens

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Mary-Lou Stephens was born in Tasmania, studied acting at The Victorian College of the Arts and played in bands in Melbourne, Hobart and Sydney. Eventually she got a proper job - in radio, where she was a presenter and music director, first with commercial radio and then with the ABC.

She received rave reviews for her memoir Sex, Drugs and Meditation (2013), the true story of how meditation changed her life, saved her job and helped her find a husband.

Mary-Lou has worked and played all over Australia and now travels the world slowly and writes, mostly.

Her debut novel The Last of the Apple Blossom was published by HarperCollins (HQ) in 2021.

The Chocolate Factory (HarperCollins HQ) 2024.

The Jam Maker (HarperCollins HQ) 2025

Praise for The Choco ...more

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Combine Editions
Mary-Lou Stephens’s books

Average rating: 4.21 · 3,943 ratings · 556 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Jam Maker 4.45 avg rating — 1,599 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Chocolate Factory 3.92 avg rating — 1,175 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last of the Apple Blossom 4.19 avg rating — 1,002 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sex, Drugs & Meditation 3.99 avg rating — 158 ratings — published 2013 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How To Stay Married 3.78 avg rating — 9 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	7 Tips For Your Best Relationship Ever 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Hobart Hotel 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Mary-Lou Stephens…

88 posts
Mary-Lou Stephens's Blog

Three Women – without whom The Last of the Apple Blossom book might never have existed.

My heartfelt thanks to these three women without whom The Last of the Apple Blossom might never have existed.

Naomie Clark-Port

Naomie Clark-Port is an orchardist in the Huon Valley, tending the orchard that has been in her family for many generations. I called her, out of the blue, with three pages of questions about apple growing. Even though I was a complete stranger, she responded with overwhelm Read more of this blog post »

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Published on August 01, 2021 17:32 • Tags: fiona-mcintosh, monica-mcinerney

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Mary-Lou’s Recent Updates

Mary-Lou Stephens is now friends with Pauline Reid
Jun 27, 2025 02:49PM · 1 like · like
Mary-Lou Stephens has read The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 02, 2025 09:35PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mary-Lou Stephens and 33 other people liked Helen's review of The Jam Maker: "This is a story that will stay with me for a long time to come, once I picked it up I didn’t want to put it down, it was a story so beautifully told about woman, who lived in times that were far from easy and how they made something with their lives," Read more of this review »
Jan 25, 2025 01:31PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mary-Lou Stephens and 29 other people liked Brenda's review of The Jam Maker: "Harriet Brown was only twelve years old in Wapping, Tasmania, in 1874, when her mother clipped her braid and cut her hair short; immediately Harriet was Harry; a boy to work in the George Peacock & Sons jam factory as a label paster. Beside Harry as " Read more of this review »
Jan 22, 2025 05:05PM · see review
Mary-Lou Stephens rated a book it was amazing The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 08, 2025 05:53AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mary-Lou Stephens has read Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 27, 2024 12:08AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mary-Lou Stephens has read The Ledge by Christian White	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 27, 2024 12:06AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ledge by Christian White. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ledge by Christian White <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mary-Lou Stephens rated a book it was amazing The Lyrebird Lake Ladies Choir by Sandie Docker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful and Heartfelt. One of Sandie's best. ...more
Nov 27, 2024 12:05AM · 1 like · like · see review
Mary-Lou Stephens has read The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison by Meredith Jaffe (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 27, 2024 12:03AM · like
Mary-Lou Stephens rated a book it was amazing The Lyrebird Lake Ladies Choir by Sandie Docker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful and Heartfelt. One of Sandie's best. ...more
Nov 27, 2024 12:02AM · 1 like · like · see review

More of Mary-Lou's books…

Polls

May 2022 Group Read - Set by the sea/Set in the country

The Last of the Apple Blossom by Mary-Lou Stephens

17 votes, 34.0%

The Wattle Island Book Club by Sandie Docker

13 votes, 26.0%

Osprey Reef by Annie Seaton

10 votes, 20.0%

A Home Like Ours by Fiona Lowe

10 votes, 20.0%

50 total votes

4 comments

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