Richard Aidey

I liked her and I liked her more and more as I spent more time with her.

At first I thought, okay, Kate asked me to do it, I'm going to do it.

And gradually I came to enjoy her more and enjoy the story more.

And we won't say what the finish is, but it's a great finish.

Oh, I think it's just about, in retail terms, not quite at the top because we hear allusions to boutiques in Double Bay.

But...

for kind of middle upper middle class australia and especially for the women because the women are seen as the shoppers it's very much seen as the place to go it's seen as a place of occasion we get in this novel um we get christmas we get the sales and you feel and actually it's described beautifully about coming in by train and bus and tram

or heading for goods, let me say.

So I don't think there's any underestimating its importance and its place in Sydney at the time.

Dreaming of poetry.

I have to give a disclaimer straight away.

My girl is in year 12 this year.

She's looking at the end of that period of her life.

And, of course, it made me think of her.

So Lisa's this clever girl.

Her real name is Leslie.

She's decided to call herself Lisa.

We get this bit of reinvention that we just heard about with Magda.

Yeah.

but on a smaller scale, and I'll just read you a tiny bit that gives you a little slice of life from home.