'Pumpkin is a sociological study - rather a case study, with all the warmth of the human experience of one family, and especially of one girl growing up in that family…' - Betsy Wearing PhD 'This is a truly beautiful book, a post-war coming of age Sydney memoir…at a time of great societal change…rich in metaphor and life wisdom, very much of its time; lyrical, poetic, sometimes serious, sometimes sad and laugh-out-loud funny…complex, understated, warm-hearted…a highly religious, innocent, left-handed, nerdy girl growing up on Sydney's Lower North Shore, in a non-affluent, stable and loving home.' - Edwin Wilson FRAS