The Love of a Bad Man
 | |
| Author | Laura Elizabeth Woollett |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical fiction, Crime fiction |
| Publisher | Scribe |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| ISBN | 1925307786 |
| OCLC | 953367981 |
The Love of a Bad Man is a collection of short stories by Australian writer Laura Elizabeth Woollett.[1] It contains 12 stories, each revolving around a historical woman or group of women intimately involved with a criminal.
Reception
Cameron Woodhead of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the collection "often speaks from inside the criminal mind, and Woollett's pitch-perfect command of narrative voice, period, and psychology creates 12 tales to fascinate and unnerve."[2] Sarah Chandler of Fairfax New Zealand opined: "While skilfully written and quite richly imagined, The Love of a Bad Man is essentially some kind of history-porn."[3] Sam Cooney of The Weekend Australian was more critical, writing that there is a "lack of depth and intensity" and a "lack of complexity" to the stories, and that the appendix, which gives a brief factual overview of the lives of each of the women, is "often the most affecting part of their stories."[4]
Awards
- 2017 Ned Kelly Awards — Best First Novel, shortlisted[5]
- 2017 Davitt Award — Best Adult Crime Novel, longlisted[6]
- 2017 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Fiction, shortlisted[7]
References
- ^ "The Love of a Bad Man by Laura Elizabeth Woollett". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ Woodhead, Cameron (5 December 2016). "The Love of a Bad Man review: Laura Wollett's portrait of women with a weakness". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ Chandler, Sarah (24 September 2016). "The Love of a Bad Man, Laura Elizabeth Woollett, Scribe, $35". The Southland Times. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ Cooney, Sam (5 November 2016). "Fragments of other worlds". The Weekend Australian. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ ""Ned Kelly Awards 2017 shortlists announced"". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Austlit — The Love of a Bad Man by Laura Elizabeth Woollett – Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ ""Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2017 shortlists announced"". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 21 January 2026.