Dripping in detail, Judith Dring's Pearl: An Australian Story brings to life the complex nature of a small Australian town. The realness of the world Judith Dring creates is truly remarkable and should not be missed. Set during wartime in the 1940s, the country and small towns of Australia still reel with the social issues of sex and race. Sally, innocent but with keen eyes and a sharp mind, is slowly exposed to these ever-present facts of small town life. In a world speckled with abusive husbands and wealthy classmates, Sally must work through the inequity of being a poor female to find a better life. Through much of her youth, her best friend, Pearl, opens her eyes to the world around her. However, as Sally will learn later, Pearl is an outcast herself. When Pearl must leave her, will Sally be able to navigate the path to adulthood and success on her own? About the Author Born and raised in a small town in the southwest of Western Australia, Judith Dring is the youngest of five. Her siblings-all sisters-ranged in age from five to eighteen years her senior. Being the youngest, Judith observed and absorbed the details and intrigues of the world around her. She often noted the details overlooked by the adults of the community in which she lived. This youthful knack for observation, in combination with the stories told of the past by friends and family, has helped Judith create detailed and complex worlds for her characters. This keen eye for detail is evident in the intricate social lives of her character in Pearl: An Australian Story. Judith is a trained teacher. Through her teaching career, she met her husband, Peter, a farmer who loves farming and nature as much as she does herself. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren. Judith has also served as a Pastoral Assistant for the Anglican Church and as a Justice of the Peace. Being a farmer, she participates in the many activities of country and community life. Now retired, Judith has found the time to write fiction grown from the facts of her youth.