• Published: 1 April 2020

  • ISBN: 978-1-920727-90-1

  • ISBN ePUB: 978-1-920727-89-5

  • Format: Paperback

  • AU: $32.99

  • eBook: $12.99

  • Categories: Historical Fiction

Also available as an ebook from Kobo, Apple and Amazon Kindle

About the Author

Christine Bell is a Melbourne fiction writer. In 2019 she was awarded the inaugural HNSA Colleen McCullough Residency for an Established Author. In 2014, she was awarded a Varuna Retreat Fellowship for her YA novel manuscript, Prison Boy. Her other adult and children’s short stories have won or been commended in national writing competitions and published in various anthologies. Prior to completing her Master of Creative Writing degree, Christine had 35 short fiction titles published for children. When she is not writing, Chris is learning to play the piano or day dreaming of her next research trip to France.

In the media

Listen to Christine chat with Jan Goldsmith about No Small Shame on 3CR’s Published or Not

No Small Shame

By Christine Bell

Australia, 1914. The world is erupting in war. Jobs are scarce and immigrants unwelcome. For young Catholic Mary O’Donnell, this is not the new life she imagined.

When one foolish night of passion leads to an unexpected pregnancy and a loveless marriage, Mary’s reluctant husband Liam escapes to the trenches. With her overbearing mother attempting to control her every decision, Mary flees to Melbourne determined to build a life for herself and her child. There, she forms an unlikely friendship with Protestant army reject Tom Robbins.

But as a shattering betrayal is revealed, Mary must make an impossible choice. Does she embrace the path fate has set for her, or follow the one she longs to take?    

From the harshness of a pit village in Scotland to the upheaval of wartime Australia, No Small Shame tells the moving story of love and duty, loyalty and betrayal, and confronting the past before you can seek a future.

No Small Shame is also available from the Book Depository, Amazon or at your local bookstore

Praise for No SMall shame

‘Once I started reading I could not stop. I was utterly swept up by Mary’s story and her refusal to settle for the life she is expected to lead.’
KATE MILDENHALL, AUTHOR

‘From dust-filled collieries of Scotland to the bustling streets of Melbourne, Mary O’Donnell’s journey to self-awareness will have you turning the pages until the heartbreaking climax.’
LAUREN CHATER, AUTHOR 

‘No Small Shame is an intimate portrait of a life shaped by circumstance; an epic tale of a woman who finds her voice and ultimately, her agency. Meticulously researched, ambitious in scope and compelling in realisation.’
CHRISTINE BALINT, AUTHOR

‘What distinguishes the novel is its rich characterisation. Each character in this carefully drawn work lifts off the page, evoking our enduring interest and empathy.’
NADINE DAVIDOFF, EDITOR

‘Christine Bell arouses our anger and compassion as she vividly depicts Mary’s everyday domestic world. I ached for Mary and grew to love the defiant spirit shining through her doubts, and fears. An absorbing, convincing, and heartbreaking picture of a woman trapped in an impossible marriage.’
JANE SULLIVAN, LITERARY CRITIC AND AUTHOR