The evocative portrayal of Sydney and her colourful cast of characters during the turn-of-the-century larrikin days. A captivating love story and a fascinating account of the marauding larrikin gangs of the early 1900s,Jonah was also the first great novel of Sydney. First published in 1911, it tells of the unforgettable Jonah, a tough, hunchbacked lad who eventually rises to success in big business; of the Falstaffian Mrs Yabsley; and of the romance between the larrikin Chook and his red-haired Pinkey. No other writer has captured the spirit of the city the heat of its summer and the grey glimmer of its autumn mists, the grime and colour of the slums, the bustle of the streets and markets, the charm of the harbour and its picnic places more richly or sensitively than Louis Stone.