Fridays with Blanche by Derek Rielly

‘What a treat! Brutal truths and bombshells galore. Profound reflections on life, longing and the legacy of Bob. It’s like a long Friday lunch that you never want to end. Your host: a national treasure named Blanche.’ Trent Dalton
What secrets will Blanche d’Alpuget disclose to Derek Rielly over regular Friday lunches in her Sydney apartment? What was it like to once be Australia’s most notorious woman? She discusses the domino effect her seminal biography on Bob Hawke had on the Labor Party and Australians. How vanity led her to spirituality. Surviving breast cancer soon after Hawke’s death.

Her work spans biography, fiction and essays. Blanche’s ideas, in the current climate, are – to put it mildly – dangerous.

Also interviewed are Hawke’s daughter Sue, Blanche’s son Louis, Thomas Keneally and Miriam Margolyes, as well as Blanche’s former husband Tony Pratt and ALP kingmaker Graham Richardson.

Fridays with Blanche is Blanche d’Alpuget at her wise and witty best, matched by Rielly’s curiosity and flair.

Nothing is off limits in these deeply personal and wildly frank conversations. Blanche takes us inside one of Australia’s great partnerships and explores the liberation of life, love and sex at 80.

Blanche d’Alpuget at her wise, sexy and funny best explores the liberation of life, love and sex at 80.

About the Author: Derek Rielly is an editor, writer, magazine and book publisher, columnist, entrepreneur and PR agent. He has launched two magazines, including Stab (in 2003) and the four-language title Surf Europe, acted as a trouble-shooting editor on Australia’s biggest men’s title, created websites and advertising campaigns and consulted on others. His writing has appeared in The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Wish magazine and many other publications. His photography has appeared in The Good Weekend and in advertising campaigns.

Derek’s previous books are Wednesdays with Bob, a bestselling biography of the popular former prime minister Bob Hawke that was rated the number one political biography in The Financial Review, and Gulpilil, a portrait of the late iconic actor, dancer and artist David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu. He lives in Sydney.

04 Nov 2025
 

Fridays with Blanche by Derek Rielly ISBN 9781761472084