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A heartfelt, sumptuous journey through one of the most fascinating cultures and landscapes on the planet, Five Seasons in Seoul is for armchair travellers and memoir lovers alike.

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FIVE SEASONS IN SEOUL

A life-changing year in South Korea

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Christine thought a year in South Korea would hit the pause button on her messy life. Her dad's death had left her anxious and depressed, and her career in musical theatre had reached a new low of shopping-centre kids' shows. When she found herself pulled over by the side of the road, dressed as a dinosaur and sobbing uncontrollably, it was clear something had to change.

A role with an experimental theatre company based in Seoul seemed the perfect way to put off dealing with her problems, at least for a year. But she soon found there's no running away from yourself. Travelling through South Korea, immersing herself in its culture and shifting her mindset along with the seasons, Christine discovered that sometimes the place you go to escape your life can hold the answers for how to heal it.


 

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Christine chats with 
Tegan Taylor about
Five Seasons in Seoul
on ABC Radio National

Praise for Five Seasons in Seoul
 

'Thoroughly engaging memoir … with admirable ease, [Newell] vividly evokes the sights, tastes and feel of the city, ranging from the exotic to the kinky, incorporating customs, beliefs – and a little romance.'

The Age/Sydney Morning Herald, 22 March 2025

'The travel memoir is fast becoming one of my ­favourite sub-genres, and if you’re keen to enter the same lane as me, Five Seasons in Seoul is a wonderful place to start.'
 
The Weekend Australian Notable Books, 5 April 2025
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'Five Seasons in Seoul is a sensory treat. A skilled storyteller, Newell writes with candour, humour and charm about rejection, grief, anxiety and fear – and finding yourself where you least expected.' 
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Ariane Beeston, author of Because I'm Not Myself,  You See

'There's something so comforting about Christine Newell's memoir, Five Seasons in Seoul. I don't know if it's the coming of age style story, the exotic location so perfect for armchair travel, or the way that Christine's vulnerabilities and joys mirror us all.' 
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Anne Freeman, author of Me That You See and Returning to Adelaide
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'The beauty in this book is in the quiet and simple moments of Christine's memories: the joy of sharing a meal with colleagues turned friends, the lightness of an afternoon cycling in nature, the simplicity of walking around your favourite neighbourhood.' 
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Madeleine Cleary, author of The Butterfly Women

'South Korea comes to life in this story of travel and the ways it can transform us. With disarming vulnerability, Newell has captured both the joy and the pain of searching for your place in a new city.'​

Rachael Coopes, author of Paris for Beginners and The Art of Forgiveness

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© Christine Newell 2026

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