Miles Franklin undercover. Kerrie Davies. 2025.

She dazzled Australia with her rebellious novel, My Brilliant Career, inspiring generations of young women chafing under conventional expectations. Only 21, Miles Franklin was lauded as the Bronge of the bush, and feted by the rich and influential.

But fame can be deceptive. In reality, the book earned her a pittance. The family farm was sold, her new novels were rejected, and she was broke. Just two years after her debut, Miles disappeared.

In this real-life sequel to My Brilliant Career, author Kerrie Davies uncovers a little-known period in Miles’ life, from the servants’ quarters of Sydney and Melbourne’s wealthy houses to volatile Chicago, in the turbulent years after her early success. Davies draws on a never-before-published manuscript and diary extracts from Miles’ year undercover as a servant, intimate correspondence with poet Banjo Patterson, and archival sources from Australia and Chicago.