Join our host Fiona Taylor as she chats with author Madeleine Cleary about her debut historical novel The Butterfly Women in this SPOILER-FREE episode. 

The Butterfly Women is Madeleine’s first novel and was published in April 2025 with Affirm Press. Rich in story, dark in tone and meticulously researched, this is a story that is at its heart about women’s friendships as much as being a historical murder thriller. I loved the descriptions of Melbourne in 1863, especially Little Lon, and the hunt for the killer, but most of all I loved the women themselves, fighting to survive and thrive in what was essentially a man’s world.

📖 Have you read it yet? Join the conversation in the 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑦 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 Book Club on Facebook!

'Reading by Candlelight' is a book subscription that celebrates up-and-coming Australian authors, delicious beverages, and incredible creations. Each month features a different novel paired with a handmade scented candle, a seed paper bookmark, a beverage (choice of alcoholic/nonalcoholic), a surprise, and an invitation to join the RBC Facebook Community.