Silver Linings

by Katrina Nannestad

A new heartwarming novel set in 1950s Australia from bestselling author Katrina Nannestad

Nettie Sweeney has a dad, three big sisters, a farm full of cows and a cat called Mittens. But it's not enough. She longs for a mother. One with a gentle touch and sparkles in her eyes. Instead, she has Aunty Edith with slappy hands, a sharp tongue and the disturbing belief that peas are proper food.

When Dad marries Alice, all Nettie's dreams come true. The Sweeney home overflows with laughter, love and, in time, a baby brother. Billy. The light of Nettie's life. Then tragedy strikes. The Sweeney family crumbles. Nettie tries to make things right, but has she made everything so much worse?

From multi-award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad comes a heartbreakingly beautiful and uplifting historical novel. Life and death. Weddings and floods. Coronation joy and post-war grief. Nettie Sweeney and her community experience it all. Together. With humour, kindness and love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Family, Childrens, Grief

294 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Katrina Nannestad is an award-winning Australian author. Her books include The Girl Who Brought Mischief, the Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series and Bungaloo Creek.

Katrina grew up in country New South Wales in a neighborhood stuffed full of happy children. Her adult years have been spent teaching, raising boys, perfecting her recipe for chocolate-chip bickies and pursuing her love of stories. She now lives near Bendigo with her family and an exuberant black whippet called Olive.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six year old Lynette Sweeney (Nettie) loved her sisters and dad, her doll, Fancy Nancy, cat Mittens; she wasn't too fond of Aunty Edith though, as she made her eat her peas. Her longing for a mother was fulfilled when their dad married Alice and love, hugs and cuddles filled the house. Going to school each day, Nettie would either catch the bus or ride Beauty, their horse. She'd meet her friend Robyn and they'd have lots of fun at school. When baby Billy arrived to join the Sweeney family, their lives couldn't be better.

When tragedy struck the Sweeney family, sadness was the constant. Gone were the hugs and cuddles and Nettie spent her days trying to think of ways to make things better. When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Lismore, all the school children were there - excitement prevailed and singing was a constant. When the flooding hit from the Cyclone up in Queensland, Nettie wondered why everything kept getting worse...

Silver Linings by Aussie author Katrina Nannestad is a lovely story set in 1950s Australia. Historically significant, heartbreaking and fun, Silver Linings is filled with family, friends and love. And Nettie - although only six - was kindness herself, always trying to help others. Recommended.

[sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

unlike most books that i read, I haven't gotten bored the whole time from start to ending. Its like about family, happiness and grief. The start up to the middle was all about being happy and then the end rlly ANGERED ME! It became sad because the children got a new brother but he died after a while and their usually cheerful mom got all sad and never got out of bed so i thought she was gonna die😰that part was just depressing and it opened like a black hole in my heart but not the kind that you would cry to -- unlike niyx's death in akarnae😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 -- bbut its somehow more sad this way

so the 5 yr old girl decided to STEAL their neibour's newborn BABY so their mom would be happy again LLIKE WHAT??????
:}
So she took the baby to the bathtub that was outside of their house (they owned a farm and so did their neibours)aLikE SHE SEREEEOUSLY HTOUGHT KIDNAPPING A BABY WOULD FIX EVERYTHING😑😫😒like I GIVE UP lkas.m,ad olfklsadjf

THat was REALLY dumb but then agian, I remembered she was only 5...

But she then went back home WITHOUT THE BABY IN THE MIDDLE OF A SMALL FLOOD and took a nap, planning to come back for the baby when everyone was asleep. LIKE HOW WAS SHE SO DUMB DID HER BRAIN RUN AWAY???
so when she came back for the baby.... no suprise suprise, the bathtub got carried away from the flood, most things from their farm got destroyed, their neibour's farm got flooded with their cows and animals all swept away from them.

I was like. Oh. NO! UR GONNA GET IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!!!!

The next day, her family told the little girl that their neigbour (who she had stolen the baby from) was gonna move away because they had nothing left to be around for. She thought it was because of the baby at that time.So when they came to say goodbye for the final time, she saw the neibour holding the baby! It turns out their child had seen her take the baby, so when nobody was looking, the neibour's child had taken the baby back.

The mom soon had another baby and they all lived happily.. ever.. after..

[Danielle McGregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrated from 5 year old Nettie’s POV, this book packs a solid punch. The perspective of the child lessens the load of the truth and grief of many lives on Australian farms in the 1950’s.

A beautiful family tale.

The hardcover copy of this book makes it a much purchase!

Actual rating: 4.5 ⭐️

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet with melancholy notes. The narration by a 5/6 year old is a bit different, but adds a sense of innocence and gentle humour.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone get me a lacy hanky 😭

[Ruth Bonetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Katrina Nannestad's books this year and quickly devoured all I could, especially loving her historical novels. I found this book slower in pace, but then it was the 1950s, when I also grew up in the country. So I could relate to much of it. Nannestad, through the voice of a five-year-old depicts the ecstatic joy of having a mother after her own died in childbirth – her own. There's wicked descriptions of the vinegary spinster aunt who cannot bring herself to demystify bodily functions and confuses the child with storks.
A big cast of sisters and friends was confusing, but overall I enjoyed this book. At the end I realised Nannestad wrote from real life.

[Margot Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katrina Nannestad of course my favourite author of all time! The books are set in historical times and are so interesting and just make me want to read for hours! This book “Silver Linings” was a fantastic book and was set in 1954 in Australia, QLD. You can really see the full depth of what it was like living in that time and the characters and storyline of the book was great although the book didn’t end as good as I would’ve expected yet, the book itself was very well written.

[Isabelle Parrot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel a lot of emotions by the end of the book I was crying. It was a mix of sad and happy tears. So much had happened to 1 family but in the end they got what’s they needed. This book obviously deserves a 5 star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a Katrina Nannestad novel is like slipping on a warm, cosy jumper; it is always such an enjoyable, comforting experience. Nettie is a gorgeous narrator for this heartwarming, yet heartbreaking, story set on a Lismore farm in the 1950s. Physically, this is a beautiful book; hardcover with a beautiful cover illustration and exquisite endpapers.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why so long to read?

Chapter 22 had me in tears and I needed a breather.

A lovely story of family beginnings, humble challenges and simple pleasures.

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older readers’ book set in 1950’s country Australia. Nettie Sweeney has a new mum, the young 20 year old Alice who absolutely adores her new family. When a beautiful Bonny baby boy comes along, the family’s joy is a delight. But be prepared for such sadness as this precious baby dies ( we aren’t told exactly why) and Alice goes into very understandable deep depression. Won’t go into Nettie’s rather crazy idea to help out. I found this a very poignant story as the way they tried to ease the pain was to take away any trace of the baby. Gone were all the clothes, blankets, cot and pram. So when Alice came home, it was as if baby Billy never existed. This was exactly the way my poor sister in law was told to survive the death of her newborn son. You would have to be careful who you gave this book to as if the child had experienced a death, the sadness in the story may trigger even more sorrow. I do prefer this author’s historical novels.

[Simone Keegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book in an op shop in Darwin. Five chapters in, I incidentally realised it was a children's fiction book (by noticing "children's fiction" stamped under the barcode). But I read on. As a 30 year old reading a book written from a 5 year old's perspective, I found it truly endearing. It had me on the brink of tears multiple times and chuckling at others. An enjoyable read.

[Clare Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous but also incredibly sad with some mature themes around PTSD and infant death.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This absolutely gorgeous story, narrated joyously by young Nettie, had me hooting with laughter and then later in tears as cruel realities befell her family. It has the feeling of a classic Australian family tale. I LOVED it

[Tammy O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story told by 5 year old “Nettie” about her family and their life in Australia. It started out slow, but then I couldn’t put it down. I loved each character and the life lessons. The author writes at the end that the story is loosely based on real family members and her mom is the original “Nettie”.

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nettie lives on her family’s dairy farm in a small town of New South Wales Australia. She is the youngest of four daughters and has never known a mother figure. Their Aunt Edith has looked after their family since they lost their mother, but she is strict, old-fashioned and doesn’t give smiles, let alone comfort or cuddles.

When their father remarries, life changes on the farm. It is now full of love, laughter and fun, and Aunt Edith is sent packing with a thank you very much, but thank you for leaving feeling from the entire family. She is still in the wings when needed however, especially when their new baby brother becomes sick.

Things seem to go backwards for Nettie as all the love she has become used to and which has transformed her sisters just as much, is suddenly gone overnight. Six year old Nettie tries everything she can think of to put things right again, only to make things worse for herself.

Inadvertently she finds a solution to help her family heal and move forward again.


A very personal story from this multi-award winning author, Silver Linings came from a family loss. Other family member’s lives and stories have also been addedSilver Linings Book Review Cover within a framework of 1950’s small town Australia.

There is love, loss, and family fun. There is a new stepmother who breaks all the terrible stepmother stereotypes, bringing life and laughter to a man and his daughters. A strict, lonely aunt brings order when required, but her outdated ideas also wreak havoc.

Silver Linings is told from the youngest daughter’s point of view, which holds much humour as she misunderstands words and meanings, but at the same time allows her view of the world around her to be appreciated and understood by the reader. Nettie is five years old, turning six during the story. She is full of energy, curiosity and the need for a mother figure after losing her own when she was born.

Nettie has fights and ongoing feuds with her best friend Robyn, resulting in lessons learned and a terrible guilt. This guilty secret brings tension into the story, but also sparks the healing this family desperately needs.

Key themes are family, sisterhood, loss and love – all stirred into another great read by Katrina Nannestad.

[Dimity Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silver Linings, is a heart tugging, superbly rendered exploration of family ties, love, pain, perseverance and the forces of nature set against a backdrop of Coronation festivities and post war vigour. For me, it resounds of the simplicity and wholesomeness of country life reminding me of my grandparents’ farm and the day-to-day burdens that necessitated survival. Hardships were the daily de rigueur of farming life but the rewards were equally as encompassing.

Readers needn’t be from a rural background though to fully enjoy the humour and disasters that make up Nettie’s world. This novel pulses with at least one recognisable emotion: love. It’s a celebration of tenacity and friendships, of family bonds and of life, in all its forms including death. It reminds us that ‘feeling’ is okay. We are allowed to laugh out loud, so too should we be able to cry out loud with equal voracity. In fact, we might be a whole lot better off for allowing ourselves the freedom of emotional expression.

Thank you, Nettie, (and Katrina) for indulging us with your company and permitting us insight into a childhood that is full of simple sweetness and perfect logic. Yours is a story that I know will appeal to youngsters and resonate with older people, like me, who eventually realise that it is not the age of a person that matters but the size of their character and intestinal fortitude that counts.
Loved it!

Read my full review over at DIM'S re VIEWS: https://dimswritestuff.blogspot.com/2...

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I've read several of Katrina Nannestad's books, and her WWII YA novels have especially stood out to me. Silver Linings, though set in the early 1950s rather than during the war itself, still carries her signature emotional depth and charm. While I didn’t find it quite as powerful as her war-time stories, it was nonetheless a tender and moving read.

Narrated by five-year-old Nettie, Silver Linings follows the Sweeney family, who live on a dairy farm in rural Queensland. Nettie is the youngest of four daughters, and her mother tragically died giving birth to her. Longing for the warmth and affection of a mother, Nettie is overjoyed when her father marries Alice. Suddenly, their home is filled with the love, hugs, and joy she’s always dreamed of - replacing the cold, rigid rules imposed by stern Aunt Edith. But when tragedy strikes, the fragile threads holding the family together begin to unravel.

Nettie’s voice is endearing - full of innocence, imagination, and youthful exuberance. She makes her fair share of mistakes, but her kind heart shines through, making her a loveable and relatable protagonist. Silver Linings made me laugh and made me cry, and it completely drew me in. It's a heartwarming story about family, grief, joy, and resilience, and one that lingers long after the final page.

[Emily Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always a delight to read a @katrina_nannestad book; I always finish my reading feeling as though I have learned something new, or have grown through my connections with her characters. Silver Linings is a sweet, innocent and heartwarming viewpoint from 5 year old Nettie, who lives with her dad, sisters, wicked auntie Edith and the farm full of cows, pigs, horses, cats and Guinea pigs.
Set in an Australian country town, outside Lismore in the 1950s, the novel is an historically accurate account of several events in this time.
The story has many heartbreaking moments of grief, loss & despair you need to make sure you have tissues ready for, but it also has so many joyous moments you will be giggling and cheering Nettie on, as if you’re a family member just ready to pick her up and swing her around.
I cried. I cried a lot! The small community where the Sweeney family live, rally together in all their experiences - joyous & devastating, good fortune & tragedy - getting through it all with love, strength and compassion.
I can’t decide if my favourite part was where Nettie and her schoolmates reenacted the coronation of Queen Elizabeth or the ongoing verbal outbursts of her doll ‘Fancy Nancy’!!
Highly recommend.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katrina Nannestad is on a roll… I’ve loved all of her recent work and I think Silver Linings might be my favourite.

It tells the story of the Sweeney family, living somewhere in rural Australia not long after WW2.

Narrated by the utterly fabulous 5 year old Nettie (who has become one of my favourite literary characters), it takes a snapshot of family life during a simpler time.

Nettie is the youngest of four girls, who live with their father and the gloriously grumpy Aunt Edith, who is helping out after the death of the girls’ mother.

When dad (Snow) remarries Alice their lives change forever as she brings sunlight, positivity and happiness into their rather austere daily lives. She even brings them a new baby brother… the gorgeous Billy.

But when tragedy strikes the family, Nettie, in her innocent 5 year old way, tries to make everything better… with disastrous consequences.

A beautiful, sad, hopeful, character-driven historical novel which fans of her previous work are sure to adore.

[✨ChloeInReadingLand✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but there was a few things in it that if you buy the book for a Child please check the trigger warnings if you want to there is a death of a baby and it goes on about it for quite some time well actually till the end of the book and a character stealing someone else’s baby cause she lost her brother. I think she should have told someone about that but her friend found the baby in the end I just don’t think you should put into people’s minds about doing that cause the flood happened what would have happened if the baby did get lost in the flood like she thought her writing those letters people would have known it was her surely by the book references she put’s in them.

[Faith Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was enjoying it from the very first chapter. It did take a little while for some actual stuff to start happening, like for some time it was kinda just embellishing all the good stuff in Nettie’s life, but when the bad stuff happened, it really happened. I just felt broken in the second half of the book. Even before the disaster struck, there were still lots of little interesting things slotted into the story that were really engaging, and overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It makes you feel for the character and is such a lovely thing to read before I go to bed. I didn’t love the ending that much though. I kind of felt like Billy was being replaced and it was a bit lazily put together.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Written from the perspective of 5 year old Nettie, we experience the joyful moments of childhood on a farm in 1952. So many chuckles, Nettie is quite a character. Her comments about storks and the Queen were hilarious. But life turns sad when her young brother dies and everyone is sad. The portrayal of grief and the subsequent healing had me reaching for the tissues. Having grown up on a farm a bit later than 1952, I could relate to the life and the fun of siblings, animals and the community.

[Denise Tannock · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! It's so reminiscent of my own childhood and brought back many good memories. Nettie is just gorgeous in the way she thinks and talks and sees the world. Sure, the book had sad moments which the author described well. Alice, 'mum' although only 20, embraced her four stepdaughters as her own and, as they embraced her. Aunt Edith had a tough role in the family and I loved the way she mellowed with the family through their tough times.
I'm not sure if this book is meant for adults or kids but, you know what, it didn't matter!

[ADakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent Nannestad novel that will have you laughing out loud and sobbing. I loved the main protagonist, Nettie, her imagination, wit and wholesome good heart. She's loveable and engaging.

The first half of the book is light, magical and joyous, the second half touches on some pretty heavy subject matter and moved me to tears. Ultimately, as with all of her books, hope is the prevailing thrust.
4.5 stars

[Suzie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Katrina has presented a warm middle grade novel, that also includes some very deep themes. This time the setting is Lismore in the 1950s, and the story is told by a young and often naughty girl Lettie. Whilst she is quite young there are themes of death and PTSD and which makes it more suitable for an upper primary level.

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Katrina has presented a warm middle grade novel, that also includes some very deep themes. This time the setting is Lismore in the 1950s, and the story is told by a young and often naughty girl Lettie. Whilst she is quite young there are themes of death and PTSD and which makes it more suitable for an upper primary level.

Read by Suzie

[Dymocks Indooroopilly]

Australia, 1952: Nettie has a big family with three sisters, her dad, and a new mother, not to mention all the farm animals! Her life is full of love, joy, and friendship. One day tragedy strikes, and Nettie and her family must fight to overcome it. Beautifully joyful and heart-breaking in turn. Ages 9-11.

[Julie Swane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in country Australia in the 1950s, this is a wonderful story full of joy, grief and hope. Nettie is overjoyed when her dad marries bubby Alice. But all is not smooth sailing for the family. This book was a joy to read. Highly recommended and hoping that it will be shortlisted for the CBCA Book Week awards this year.