Izzy by Moira McAlister is an unusual and compelling story of love, loss, and resilience Izzy’s story is set against iconic events of the 19th Century; the first illegal settlement of Melbourne, the Irish Famine, the Anglo-Sikh Wars and the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. It was a time when women were powerless, when they were legally owned by fathers and husbands, with few rights and limited opportunities for financial independence. Will Izzy trust the men who control her life? Can she trust herself? Izzy, the illegitimate daughter of an Irish peer, is raised in her father’s house. Suddenly, at the age of twelve, she is sent away from home with no experience to navigate the real world. She will make mistakes, but will she learn from them? Based on fact and meticulously researched, this is a story of perseverance and determination, a reflection on human strength and weakness and one woman’s fight to succeed, despite the odds.