Noah's Ark

by Barbara Trapido

Published 1 October 1984
Ali Bobrow is an other-worldly single parent with a fraught nine-year-old daughter, a malevolent 'ex' with a grabby new wife, and an underused artistic talent. A pushover when it comes to needy neighbours and uninvited children, she allows her house to be the local drop-in centre, until she collides with Noah Glazer, who falls for her pale red hair. A solid man of science, Noah walks into her over-populated life bringing good sense, order and security. But ten years on, Ali is drawn back into the complexities of her past: an old lover, two ex-spouses, a colleague from clown school and a small smuggled cat all help to rock the boat.

Stylish, suburban Katherine is eighteen when she is propelled into the heart of Professor Jacob Goldman's home and his large eccentric family. As his enchanting if sharp-tongued wife Jane gives birth to her sixth child, Katherine meets beautiful, sulky Roger and his volatile younger brother Jonathan. Inevitable heartbreak sends her fleeing to Rome but ten years on, older and wiser, she returns to find the Goldmans again. Brother of the More Famous Jack is the highly acclaimed classic that redefined the coming-of-age genre, featuring Trapido's much-loved Goldman family and most enchanting heroine.