Holly Ringland is an award-winning author, arguably best known for her debut novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. This modern fiction follows the story of a young girl who loses her parents in an accident and goes to live with her grandmother on a flower farm, and slowly learns the language of Australian native flowers to help her communicate what she cannot. This moving novel has now been published in 30 countries and has been adapted for television with a seven part series starring Sigourney Weaver.
Ringland’s second novel, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, was published in late 2022 and became an instant bestseller in Australia and New Zealand. The release went on to win Booktopia’s 2022 Book of the Year, and made it into the Better Reading top 100 for 2023.
Holly has also taken a turn writing non-fiction with her 2023 release of The House that Joy Built. This uplifting and inspiring book is all about breaking through fear to find joy.
Meet Holly Ringland
Holly Ringland was born in Australia in 1980, and knew she wanted to be writer from a young age.
She spent most of her childhood growing up in her mother’s tropical garden, and when she was nine, she and her family spent two years exploring North America by camper van. In her 20s, she spent four years working in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park as a Senior Media Ranger.
Holly then moved again, this time to England to earn a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester. Seven years later, she published her first novel, and became an overnight sensation and beloved Australian author.
She has since spent her time between Australia and the UK. In 2020, Holly visited Australia to film Back To Nature, an eight-episode series that she co-hosted with Aaron Pedersen.
What books has Holly Ringland written?
Her published works include the novels The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, plus the non-fiction book The House that Joy Built.
What genres and themes does she write about?
She writes contemporary fiction and non-fiction. Her fiction often explores grief, family, healing and the natural Australian landscape; The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart uses the language of Australian native flowers as a central motif. The House that Joy Built is an uplifting non-fiction book about overcoming fear and finding joy.
In what order should I read her books?
By publication order: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (debut), The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding (2022), then The House that Joy Built (2023). New readers can start with either The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart for the internationally known family drama or The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding for a more recent uplifting contemporary novel.
Have any of her books received awards or been adapted?
Yes. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart has been published in around 30 countries and was adapted as a seven part television series starring Sigourney Weaver. The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding became a bestseller in Australia and New Zealand, won Booktopia's 2022 Book of the Year and was included in Better Reading's top 100 for 2023.
Are her books part of a series or standalone?
Her major titles are standalone works: two novels and a non-fiction book, not part of an ongoing series.
