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Searching for Charmian

by Suzanne Chick

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Narrator Gina Chick

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Length TBA

Language English

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Summary
About the author
About the narrator

Thirty years ago, Gina Chick’s mother Suzanne wrote a bestselling memoir after discovering that her birth mother was none other than iconic Australian writer Charmian Clift. That book, Searching for Charmian, is now being rereleased for Mothers’ Day 2025 with a new foreword by Gina and an afterword by Suzanne.

When forty-eight-year-old Suzanne Chick discovers the identity of her birth mother, suddenly nothing will satisfy her but knowing everything. Charmian was nineteen when she gave birth to her baby girl and had to give her up for adoption. By the time Suzanne unearthed her birth mother’s name, Charmian was dead, having taken her own life in 1969 at the age of forty-five. By then she was a beloved columnist, novelist and essayist whose name was known to thousands of readers. But for all her talent, intelligence and extraordinary beauty, Charmian's life was marked by deep unhappiness.

As Suzanne learns about the mother she will never meet, she finds herself re-examining the course her own life has taken, gaining insight into the life of the woman who brought her up – her adoptive mother, Marjorie Shaw. More than just a fascinating piece of literary history, this is a moving account of the consequences of adoption and Suzanne's search for identity.

‘My mother’s life changed forever the day she discovered her birth mother was Charmian Clift. In the tsunami of self-discovery that followed this surprising revelation, Mum went on to write her own book, Searching For Charmian, as she turned her life and identity upside down discovering the mother she never knew … Ma, growing up, I never realised what an extraordinary woman you were, because you were just there being amazing in an effortless dance of being yourself. But now I know, and I wonder at my luck, having you as my mother. Every time I look at your face I see a postcard from my future and I’m glad of it. I love that face more than the sun.’ – Gina Chick, bestselling author, inaugural winner of Alone Australia, daughter of Suzanne and granddaughter of Charmian

Biography & Memoir Nonfiction

Suzanne Chick was born in Sydney in 1942 and grew up in Mosman, the same suburb where Charmian Clift and George Johnston settled on their return from Greece in 1964. An adopted child with utterly different talents from those of her new family, Suzanne exhibited an unstoppable creative urge from the earliest age. Educated at North Sydney Girls’ High School, she progressed to the National Art School and Sydney Teachers’ College. After a long career teaching art and bringing up three daughters, she now makes her living as a painter, with occasional forays into the world of words.

Gina Chick is a barefoot nomad who’s happiest sleeping on the ground next to a fire, muddy paws and all. She’s the daughter and granddaughter of bestselling Australian authors Suzanne Chick and Charmian Clift. Writing is in her genes. She recently won the inaugural season of the survival show Alone Australia (produced by iTV for SBS) after spending 67 days completely solo in the Tasmanian winter wilderness, dancing barefoot in the moss and singing to a platypus; which just goes to show she’s a bit bonkers but also never quits. She gives great hugs. Her Instagram is @gigiamazonia, and if you want all her grown-up stuff, check out her website www.ginachick.com.

Gina Chick is a rewilding facilitator, adventurer, writer and speaker. Writing is in Gina Chick's genes. Her grandmother, Charmian Clift, was an author, essayist and Australia's first female columnist in the early 60's. Charmian married George Johnstone (My Brother Jack) and they lived together on Hydra with Leonard Cohen and bohemian expats. Charmian's teenage indiscretion, an illegitimate daughter, was given up for adoption. Gina's mum, Suzanne Chick, who, after finally discovering her mother's identity at 48, wrote her own book, Searching For Charmian, which was shortlisted for the NBC Banjo Award. Gina was one of ten participants of the first series of Alone Australia, made by iTV and screened on SBS in 2023. After 67 days of unforgettable moments of searing vulnerability, Gina was the last person standing, and the second woman to win an Alone solo challenge. Her determination, passion, and love of the natural world endeared her to more than 5.5 million people around Australia. Gina's articles have been published in The Guardian, news.com.au, Mamamia and SBS online.