Dolly Maunder was born at the end of the nineteenth century, when society's long-locked doors were starting to creak ajar for women. Growing up in a poor farming family in country New South Wales, clever, energetic and determined, Dolly spent her restless life pushing at those doors.

In this compelling new novel, Kate Grenville uses family memories to imagine her way into the life of her grandmother. This is the story of a woman working her way through a world of limits and obstacles, who was able - despite the cost - to make a life she could call her own. Her battles and triumphs helped to open doors for the women who came after.