Tony Conabere’s first novel “LAURA” was launched on April 3 at Readings, with Brian Nankervis.  Available at READINGS or via email info@janusconsulting.com.au     RRP $32 incl GST plus postage.

We are taken back to post-war Melbourne, to an era of absolute social change, seen through the eyes of Laura and Matty. Laura is intense, strong, clever, iconoclastic, fascinated by new feminist thinking and careless of her role and reputation in her search for meaning and truth. Matty is more vulnerable and uncertain of his place within her world. Laura is powerful, moving, challenging, and even nostalgic.

Tony will be working on the sequel to “LAURA”, after completing his second novel, “THAT NOTE”, due to be published before December 2025.

The reviews for “LAURA” have been interesting and encouraging:

“I’ve just finished ‘Laura’ and I loved it. A great book for bookclub discussions. I wish that I was as game as Laura standing upo for what I thought were the issues of the ‘fifties and the ‘sixties and especially now: maybe it is not too late! The way the author has woven his love and knowledge of literature throughout this story is impressive. Looking forward to the sequel.” Lyn

“Today I spent most of the day reading ‘Laura’. It was time well spent with this author’s work, intellect and talent.

Descriptions of North Balwyn in those early post-war days were brilliant and so evocative, rekindling memories of the fifties and sixties so clearly. It brought back a much simpler lifestyle and resurrected personal events in my childhood.

The establishment of Matty’s character before Laura’s entrance was compelling. The contrasting relationship with his parents reflected many such marriages at the time, I believe, when one was a true believer and the other not. While I did the protestant thing (Sunday school, altar boy, communion and lay reader) both mum and dad didn’t push anything as hard as many.

The excellence of the author’s writing, including many historical observations of Melbourne and references displaying a characteristic love of the classics, made the novel a joy to read while portraying brilliantly the seismic shift into feminism in that amazing period at Melbourne University.” Gregory

“I could not put ‘Laura’ down. As well as being a fascinating love story in its own right, there are a lot of interesting historical, literary and religious references. Stimulating! Not to mention the many other insights into suburban society in the post-war decades in Melbourne.”
Bruce

“How lovely it was to spend two days of my Easter break sitting on the beach at Phillip Island and enjoying “Laura”. It was a great read and I sincerely enjoyed it – a love story but intertwined with issues of class, religion and education. Yes, I could certainly relate to “Laura” and I found Matty to be most endearing. Am ready for the sequel!! Fabulous achievement. Again, my sincere congratulations!!”
Rosa

“Quite an achievement. I do admire it. Writing a book is fiendishly difficult. Found the thrust of the book very interesting and simply loved Laura. I especially liked the resolution of the book. I think I’ve come to that resolution myself after many long years. Congratulations!”
Di

Hi Tony,
I enjoyed reading your book, a substantial achievement in social commentary.
Melbourne’s religious apartheid of the fifties was more of an issue than I was aware. You wrote from an academic background and, it seems, personal experience. I had to look up some of the early quotations and academic references not taught in my school and not subsequently come across.
By the sixties that conflicted ideology had subsided somewhat, in Sydney at least, according to my own experience. I had my eye on a Catholic girl around my age (14) who lived across the small bay from us. She was number three in a family of nine children, seven of them girls. The family owned Mainline Constructions, one of the three leading Sydney big-time construction companies.
The mother used to cart the girls around in a Mark 10 Jaguar, including to the nun-run Catholic school Kincoppal, a towering mansion on the harbour foreshore two bays west at Potts Point. We had to meet secretly after school halfway between our homes because I was banned by her parents, probably not a religious thing but age. We were both keen and found ways to get together. She was, however, filled with what the school had taught her, ingrained ideas and beliefs without objective foundation, as I saw it. Same for her classmates, to a point. Once during an HSC study day off I cruised around to the school in my boat and loitered below its many multi-story windows. There were soon girls’ faces at every one, to borrow from Dylan. They threw notes in handkerchiefs and lunchboxes, good shots landing in the water right next to me. One landed in the boat. The note it contained, one of many suggesting a meeting, had little hearts as dots on the i’s and was infused not only with popular Coty’s Imprevu but the smell of the decaying apple that had been the healthy but uneaten part of her lunch. A posse of panicked nuns soon made their way down to the foreshore rocks in their sensible nun-shoes and told me with some fear evident to begone, as they might address the devil; or they would call the water police.
A few years back I did some work for Melbourne Company Hufcor, makers of moveable walls. We had worked together when I made complex 3D computer models of the Melbourne Convention Centre when it was under construction. I did the same for them for a Catholic primary school where they were installing moveable walls that could convert it from open-plan to individual classes. The school was called ‘Bethany’, in Julia Gillard’s electorate. I noticed that the Science room was bible-based: the creation was where it all began. God had made everything in seven days. I found that remarkable and could imagine that kids with that early indoctrination would find it hard to shake.
One more: when we first met the Wilson’s in Sydney in the ‘64/’65 summer, Roger met the daughter of the Noumean French Consul Guilleman, (not sure exactly}. Her 2 name was Veronica and she had some Polynesian genes. They were French Catholic by religion. Roger wasn’t really interested but I think liked the fact that she was interested in him, or so Pat Wilson said. She promoted the relationship but to no avail. Anyway Veronica’s older brother Patrick was a softly-spoken boy intent on becoming a priest. It made perfect sense to him. How any male could think of a career as a priest with that enticing surplus of young girls running around in that fantastic summer of innocent sexual awakening, is beyond me.
Well done with the book, it was beautifully put together and I hope it does well for you.
Regards,
Gary

Congratulations Tony.
A very enjoyable read.
Brought back many nostalgic memories from my own childhood.
(A private school Anglican who married a catholic Girl).
The church divide may have been an issue for our parents but to me and my peers it was irrelevant as was the church.
I found your examination of the gender divide both enlightening and thought provoking.
Can’t wait for the sequel.
Cheers
John

Wow! Very impressive! Tony has such an amazing intellect and is a such a deep thinker. I knew that – but am still in awe!!👏👏👏👏 Sally