Disgraceful - by Rachel Fox McLeod (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A hilarious and moving debut novel about a woman who writes a 'f*ck-it' list to reclaim herself after her marriage unexpectedly implodes.

Forty-nine-year-old Grace Miller is the ultimate good girl. Good wife, good mother, good role model. She has to be, she's been married to a notable evangelical Christian pastor for nearly thirty years.

But when Grace's marriage implodes very publicly, she realises she's spent her entire life putting other people's needs first - and she's had enough. Determined to shake things up, Grace writes a 'f*ck-it' list of fifty bad decisions to complete before she turns fifty. But just as she starts to reclaim herself, her family throws her some unexpected curve balls that threaten to derail the plan.

With the emotional heart and complex family dynamics of Marian Keyes and Monica McInerney, combined with the sharp humour of Kathy Lette and Caitlin Moran, Disgraceful tramples the idea that women should grow old gracefully, and posits that sometimes bad decisions are the best ones you can make.

Review Quotes

'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.'--Nina D. Campbell

'A delicious read in every way. Hilarious, heartfelt, raw and real.' --Natalie Bassingthwaighte

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

'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.' --Bianca Dye, radio and TV personality

'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!' --Cassie Hamer

'Full of raw honesty and heart, Disgraceful is a wild and dazzling debut. Fox McLeod has knocked it out of the park.'--Emma Grey, international bestselling author of Pictures of You

'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.'--Rebecca Sparrow, author and co-founder of Birds of a Feather Bookclub

'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.'--Fiona Horne

'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!'--Lisa Ireland

'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.' --Brooke Crawford, author of Better than the Real Thing

About the Author

Rachel Fox McLeod is an award-winning fiction writer and screenwriter. Her film and television credits including Wanted (Matchbox Pictures), Mako Mermaids (Disney/Netflix) and The Bachelor. Rachel has also been awarded the Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize and the Griffith Review Emerging Writers Prize. Her debut novel, Disgraceful, is being developed as a television series and has previously been supported by Screen QLD. Rachel likes tattoos, pop culture, the F word and cheese. Not in that order ... cheese always comes first.