The Tour

Andrew Mackie

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Tr. Paperback

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All the pomp. All the ceremony. All the catastrophe. Meet the Chettle sisters, a royal disaster in waiting.

Nineteen-year-old identical twins Violet and Daisie Chettle can hardly believe their luck when they are recruited as maids to accompany the Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting on the royal tour to Australia in 1954. It’s just the ticket they need away from cold, grey England and the tension that’s been brewing at home since the loss of their parents.

However, life on board the SS Gothic and indeed in the colony is far from the glamorous adventure they expected, and their relationship becomes even more strained when one twin discovers her sister’s unconscionable act of betrayal.

As they travel from the bustling streets of Sydney to the remote sheep stations of Dubbo, they try to make the best of it. Diligent Violet is juggling commands from her superiors with the attentions of handsome Aussie driver Jack, while ambitious Daisie seeks love in all the wrong places while clawing her way to top deck. An opportunity to meet their estranged aunt living in the vast outback promises hope for a new future – but have these girls ventured too far from home to ever find their way back?

Based around one of the biggest true events in Australian history – the 1954 royal tour by the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II – this is a wickedly entertaining novel about the rifts and rivalries that can be found in every family, Royal or not.

'This is a little gem for anyone who loves the pomp, ceremony, gossip, dramas and rivalries of a royal tour.' Herald Sun
'The Tour is good fun - a gossipy, behind-the-scenes romp featuring vivid dialogue and characters, set in a bygone Australia.' The Age

'An entertaining historical read with a royal twist.' New Idea

Published: 2 February 2021
ISBN: 9781760890230
Imprint: Michael Joseph Australia
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 384
RRP: $37.00

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About the author

Andrew Mackie

Andrew Mackie is a film distributor and producer. His company Transmission Films acquired and released such indie hits as The King’s Speech and Lion. His executive producer credits include Ride Like A Girl, Tracks, Candy, Sweet Country, Holding the Man and On Chesil Beach. In 2012 and 2013 The Australian named him one of the twenty-five most influential people in the Australian arts. Andrew has always been fascinated by all things royal and has long felt that the Queen’s tour of Australian in 1954 was ripe with dramatic potential. The Tour is his first novel.

Praise for The Tour

'This is a little gem for anyone who loves the pomp, ceremony, gossip, dramas and rivalries of a royal tour...Australian film producer Andrew Mackie's work of fiction adds spice to the tour with the addition of mismatched twins Violet and Daisy Chettle, who score tickets on the ship to Oz as maids. What follows is a fun and eventful insider's view of the tour as the pair battle conflict, personal issues and ambition while also hoping to catch up with a long-lost aunt. Expect Mackie to turn this engaging yarn into a movie for dedicated royal fans.'
Herald Sun

'The Tour is good fun - a gossipy, behind-the-scenes romp featuring vivid dialogue and characters, set in a bygone Australia.'
The Age

This is little gem for anyone who loves the pomp, ceremony, gossip, dramas and rivalries of a royal tour...Expect Aussie film producer Andrew Mackie to turn this engaging yarn into a movie for dedicated royal fans.
Sunday Tasmanian

An entertaining historical read with a royal twist.
New idea

String out the bunting because this book is oh so good. I loved the author's style of writing which had just the right amount of wit in regards to the characters...I actually laughed out loud at many of the scenarios and sentences, comments and little quips – loved this book, an easy and entertaining read that I was sad to end.
The Sunday Book Club