xi 404 pages, indexed, illustrated with black and white photos. The pages are tanned and the corners very lightly bumped, else clean, unmarked and solid. "Margaret Whitlam was in the public eye for over forty years.Controversial wife of Gough Whitlam, Margaret is a household name and an Australian identity in her own right. Many people already feel as if they know her and they do, in a sense. However this biography reveals, for the first time, the private life behind the public events to which she was both a witness and a participant. Susan Mitchell first interviewed Margaret Whitlam for her book The Matriarchs, after which they became friends. She reveals what lies behind the descriptions of 'icon' and 'national treasure'. She was given access to Margaret's collection of private papers, press cuttings and diaries, and she shares insights from these as she documents Margaret's journey from a semi-detached in Bondi to the Lodge, from her husband's accession to Prime Minister to his dismissal, and all the full years beyond." (Publisher)