THE ANGEL'S SONG by KAREN SPARNON

Promotional review by Stef on behalf of Coven Press. 

‘I write when a subject means enough to me to want to share it,’ Award-winning author Karen Sparnon tells Coven Press over a Zoom call one autumn afternoon. It is raining, slightly cool, darker than expected for the time of day.

In our chat, Karen details her life, her upbringing, the way university-aged women were told they were more valuable as mothers than educated, bright writers. She reminds us that women-like-her walked so women-like-us could run, could do and be anything they set their minds to – mother, sister, artist, seductress, virgin, priestess – and invest in themselves, their desires, their hobbies and their love as endless sources of inspiration.

For the uninitiated, Karen Sparnon is a multi-award shortlisted and longlisted author and winner of the 2007 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize for her debut novel, Madonna of the Eucalypts (Text Publishing, 2006). In 2026, she releases her much anticipated second novel and self-published debut, The Angel’s Song, produced by Sanctuary Publishing and Coven Press.

Set between the picturesque beauty of regional Australia and the historic opulence of Venice, Italy, The Angel’s Songoffers an introspective search for truth while exploring the connections we build across language, borders and generations. Raised in Australia by her sculptor father, Iris’ mother’s passing has left an indelible mark on her life. In the absence of memories, all Iris has is a grave and a diary written in Italian containing four postcards of Renaissance paintings. When a translation of the diary reveals her mother’s voice for the first time, Iris is torn between maintaining a comfortable life with her father and her longing to understand her mother. Through the labyrinth of secrets and stories, shadows form and Iris must confront whether a lie, once discovered, can hold her family together or tear it apart.

‘I am particularly interested in themes around loss; loss of homeland, connection and family. In The Angel’s Song, Iris loses her mother as a child, leading her on a decades-long search to understand her,’ Sparnon explains. The theme of loss, specifically maternal separation is heavily intertwined with the main character – and author’s – love of Italian Renaissance art. Sparnon expertly mirrors the inner emotional lives of her characters with art storytelling, presenting catalysts for the protagonist to confront her identity and the heavy truths that have plagued her family.

The Angel’s Song will be available at major retailers and online bookstores in paperback and eBook formats. Media, book clubs, schools and reviewers interested in interviews, author talks, or advanced reader copies are encouraged to reach out to Karen Sparnon via www.karensparnon.com.

Karen Sparnon works as a freelance writer, editor, and teacher. Her first novel – Madonna of the Eucalypts – was published by Text Publishing in 2006 and in 2007 won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for writing about Italians in Australia. Madonna of the Eucalypts was sold overseas and translated. She has recently completed The Angel’s Song and is currently working on her third manuscript. Karen has written for major newspapers and magazines and been shortlisted and longlisted for writing awards, most recently the Affirm Press Mentorship Award. Karen lives with her husband, Ken, and canine companion, Ivy, in the Victorian Central Highlands, surrounded by its lush gardens and historic architecture.