These letters tell a story of devotion- to friendship, to politics, to writing, to intellectual endeavour. The commitment of Dymphna Cusack, Florence James and Miles Franklin to a distinctively Australian literary voice is matched only by their determination to portray 'women as we know them. Thinking, working, loving, desiring . . . full of longing for the wider horizons'. This may seem a tame goal now, but it was a revolutionary one then; for the whole twenty-seven-year period covered by this volume, Australian literature languished in the shadow of England. Though all very different personalities, these three writers shared an intelligence, wit and passion that - along with the intersection and occasional collision of their public and private lives - make these letters a compelling and moving narrative of the writing life. - Debra Adelaide