Add free shipping to your order with these great books
The Rat Catcher : a love story - Kim Kelly

The Rat Catcher

a love story

By: Kim Kelly

Paperback | 5 April 2022

At a Glance

FREE SHIPPING

Paperback


RRP $26.99

$21.75

19%OFF

In Stock and Aims to ship next day
In the sweltering summer of 1900, young wharf labourer Patrick O’Reilly is down on his luck in the slums of Sydney and homesick for Tralee. When a deadly outbreak of plague descends on the city, O’Reilly’s daydreaming mind is miles away – in the golden hair and kindly, confident air of a girl called Rosie Hughes.

Just as he’s wondering why any girl would want a no-hoper like him, opportunity knocks with the offer of a job as a rat catcher working for the city’s Plague Department, containing the spread of disease. But the job will bring him a lot more than a pay rise and a swift education on traps and poisons.

In the Public Lending Library, on the top floor of the Queen Victoria Building, above the bustling centre of Sydney, he comes face-to-face with a legendary rat called Old Scratch who will change the way he understands himself and the world forever.

About the Author

Kim Kelly is the author of eleven novels, including the acclaimed Wild Chicory and bestselling The Blue Mile. With distinctive warmth and lyrical charm, her stories explore Australia, its history, politics and people. Her work has gained shortlistings in The Hope Prize and Australia’s premier short novel award, Viva la Novella. A long-time book editor and sometime reviewer, Kim is a dedicated narrative addict and lover of true love. In fact, she takes love so seriously she once donated a kidney to her husband to prove it, and also to save his life.

Originally from Sydney, today Kim lives in central New South Wales, on Wiradjuri country, with her muse de bloke, two cats and some chickens, and occasionally the kids when they come home to graze.
Industry Reviews
'Drawn from Kim Kelly’s own trove of Irish-Australian family lore, The Rat Catcher is a mischievous, fast-paced fable told with her trademark compassion, a sharp eye on the epic in the ordinary, and an irrepressible love for life, in all its marvellous forms."

‘A charming tale, told with sparkling humour reminiscent of Peter Carey, and a biting commentary on poverty, too – on who bears the costs of plague in pre-federation Sydney.’ – Alison Booth

‘Kim Kelly has captured the eccentricities, poverty and hardships of the tenement and slum dwellers of those times with a deft and respectful touch. The Rat Catcher is a story of hope, love and kindness during the hardest of times. It will charm you, intrigue you and make you smile.’” Mary-Lou Stephens, author of The Last of the Apple Blossom (HarperCollins 2021)

More in Historical Fiction

The Lyrebird Lake Ladies Choir - Sandie Docker

RRP $34.99

$31.75

Imperial Harvest - Bruce Pascoe

RRP $32.99

$30.25

Mary I : Queen of Sorrows - Alison Weir

RRP $32.99

$30.25

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt : The Seven Sisters: Book 8 - Harry Whittaker
The Beauties - Lauren Chater

Paperback

RRP $32.99

$30.25

Beloved : Reading Guide Edition - Toni Morrison

RRP $22.99

$21.90

Maya's Dance - Helen Signy

Paperback

RRP $32.99

$30.25

At the Going Down of the Sun - Mary-Anne O'Connor

RRP $34.99

$31.75

The Bass Rock : Winner of the 2021 Stella Prize - Evie Wyld
At The Foot Of The Cherry Tree - Alli Parker

RRP $32.99

$30.25

Pemulwuy : The Rainbow Warrior - Eric Willmot

RRP $34.99

$27.95

20%
OFF
Deception Bay : Book No.2 - JP Powell

FREE SHIPPING

RRP $29.99

$23.95

20%
OFF
The Brisbane Line - JP Powell

FREE SHIPPING

RRP $29.99

$23.95

20%
OFF
Bone Rites - Natalie Bayley

FREE SHIPPING

Paperback

RRP $21.99

$20.90

The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson - Karen Brooks

RRP $32.99

$30.25

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard - Natasha Lester

RRP $32.99

$30.25

Black Sheep : From the bestselling author of Khaki Town - Judy Nunn
The Vanishing Point - Andrea Hotere

RRP $34.99

$31.75

The Sea Captain's Wife - Jackie French

RRP $32.99

$30.25

The Hidden Storyteller : A Novel - Mandy Robotham

RRP $32.99

$30.25