As I set out from the city's southern end, the sandstone walls beneath
the Central railway line still held the day's heat ... The moon rose
from the invisible harbour into a sky of such a deep royal blue it was
almost hard to believe in. The street smelled of low tide. For all its
beauty, the city could return in an instant to pulp. And that thought
was strangely cheering.
Sydney has always been the sexiest and brashest of our cities, but
perhaps the most misunderstood. In this new edition of Sydney, Delia
Falconer conjures up its sandstone, humidity and jacarandas, its
fireworks, glitz and magic. But she discards lazy stereotypes to reveal
a complex city: beautiful, violent, half-wild, and at times deeply
spiritual.
Beginning with her childhood in a decaying '70s Sydney, caught between a
faded Art Deco age and mega development, Falconer intertwines her own
stories with the wellsprings of the city's history and its literary
past. Melancholic, moving and funny, Sydney is intensely atmospheric and
seductive.
In a new afterward, Falconer ponders the city's twenty-first century
transformations - might it have become a softer, nicer place? Will it be
able to withstand the real presence of climate change?
'Falconer writes beautifully and evocatively in what is a long love
letter to her home town, as she delves deep into its essence.' - The
Age
**'Delia Falconer's Sydney...is like its harbour, brimful with tones,
vivid with contemplation.' - Australian Book Review
'This is a brilliant book. If I were to recommend a book about Sydney
to anyone, it would be this one.' - Louis Nowra, The Australian
'Falconer's Sydney depicts a city of beauty and violence, of pain
and redemption. Whatever your relationship with Sydney, put aside your
entrenched preconceptions and explore this book. It may not change your
opinion of Australia's largest city, but I'm certain this book will give
you a new perspective on our first city' - The Canberra Times
