Disgraceful

Quotes

'Come for the laughs, but stay for the heart and wisdom that abounds in Rachel Fox McLeod’s highly entertaining debut, Disgraceful. This is wonderful, car-crash storytelling – just try to look away as Grace Miller’s mid-life implosion takes us from the confines of church to the wild abandon of the sex dungeon and the pure terror of the delivery suite. This is the mid-life rollercoaster in all its glorious mess – and I say Amen to that!' 

'Full of raw honesty and heart, Disgraceful is a wild and dazzling debut. Fox McLeod has knocked it out of the park.'

'A witty yet unflinching exploration of women's sacrifice, desire, and the quiet violence of being a good girl.'

‘Rachel Fox McLeod's warm and witty prose had me hooked from page one. This refreshingly honest debut moves seamlessly from laugh-out-loud funny to quietly devastating before reaching its emotionally satisfying conclusion. With fabulously flawed characters and real emotional resonance, Disgraceful is my favourite kind of read. An exciting new voice in Australian fiction!’

‘A delicious read in every way. Hilarious, heartfelt, raw and real.’ 

'Balls-to-the-wall fearless, funny as hell, and all the feels. This book broke my heart then put it back together again. An unforgettable read.' 

'Rachel Fox McLeod writes with humour and sharp insight, but always with care. It is at different times heartbreaking, horrifying, exciting and genuinely funny. Disgraceful feels lived-in and truthful, not theoretical. Proving that sometimes the so-called bad decisions – the one that crack everything open – are the very choices that save us. Disgraceful is a confident, confronting and emotionally intelligent debut, and a true page-turner.'

'Disgraceful is a wild, witty and expansive novel that thrilled me from the first page to the last. A coming-of-age story for menopausal women, it explodes the mythology surrounding the expectations and opportunities that too often define our lives. It offers a rich, deep and sometimes disturbing examination of what happens when women step outside the bounds of expected behaviour, never once straying into saccharine territory or shying away from difficult truths. Brava, Rachel Fox McLeod.'

‘Wise, funny and unflinchingly honest, Disgraceful asks us to consider the true self we might find if we shed the layers life has asked us to don. Grace’s undulating path back to herself is a lesson in self-reflection and an inspiring reminder that beauty can sprout in the darkest times. A brilliant debut.’ 

‘One of those fearless storytellers with the ability to transport the reader so truthfully into someone else’s life that they can’t help but recognise themselves, or someone they love, in the story – I’m calling it now . . . Rachel Fox McLeod is about to become your new favourite author.'