Growing up in Australia in the early fifties, Robin is intrigued by the folklore of the pink boto told by her father. A childhood fantasy confirms her belief that like all fairy tales, there will always be a boto somewhere waiting just for her. Robin observes the conflicts of Roman Catholicism and the social changes of the sixties that swept like a tide into her adolescence. It was the age of the pill, the Vietnam War and good girls who still wore their hats to mass on Sundays. When she launches herself into life in the city with a man having a cowlick, she leaves the sea behind. New and old friends bring an awareness of the issues that confront Australia in a new age, when the complexities of feminism and sexuality were a thorn in the side of a country that prided itself on fair play.
Sue Barlow grew up on a popular beach on the east coast of Australia in the 1950s. She lived in Sydney in the late '60s where she made many of her observations of Australian society. She completed a BA in literature before teaching but has reached retirement age, giving her time to write and pursue her other hobbies.
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Sue Barlow has written a wonderful book here. With its intertwining themes of; life in Australia growing up in the 50s, Catholicism, and social and cultural changes within Australia as the years roll into the 60s and onwards. It’s a heady mix of a young woman’s journey through those times as she navigates her way through the changing moral dilemmas and norms of those times while still staying true to herself.
Well worth the cost of purchase. A gem.
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