![Cover of “Disorderly Conduct” by Marilyn Duckworth, featuring an unmade bed in a chaotic bedroom with rumpled clothes and protest posters on the wall. A witty, subversive novel about domestic life in 1980s Wellington. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Marilyn-Duckworth-Disorderly-Conduct-The-Gravy-NZ-Secondhand-bookstore-2.jpg)
![Back cover of “Disorderly Conduct” by Marilyn Duckworth, describing the life of Sophie, a solo mother navigating chaos and societal unrest during the Springbok Tour era. A sharp, urban colonial comedy of manners. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Marilyn-Duckworth-Disorderly-Conduct-The-Gravy-NZ-Secondhand-bookstore-1.jpg)
Disorderly Conduct – Marilyn Duckworth
$18.00
A woman with children at her side by day, but driven by different cravings at night. Surrounded by ex-boyfriends, co-workers, and classmates, she reflects on life, love, and loneliness. A quietly fierce novel that captures the contradictions of 1980s New Zealand society.
1984 First Edition (Softcover)
Condition: Good vintage condition. Cover illustration by Vivien Ward, with classic 1980s colour tones and print textures. Minor signs of shelfwear.
Description
Title: Disorderly Conduct
Author: Marilyn Duckworth
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Published: 1984
ISBN: 0-340-35817-3
Pages: 144 (estimated)
Format: Paperback
Description:
Set in early-1980s Wellington, Disorderly Conduct explores the uneasy domesticity of suburban life. Sophia, a recently separated woman raising two children, navigates the competing pressures of financial strain, personal disappointment, and societal judgment. Duckworth’s spare, direct prose pulls the reader into a New Zealand household riddled with quiet turmoil and sudden jolts of insight.
Back Cover Blurb:
A woman with children at her side by day, but driven by different cravings at night. Surrounded by ex-boyfriends, co-workers, and classmates, she reflects on life, love, and loneliness. A quietly fierce novel that captures the contradictions of 1980s New Zealand society.
Condition: Good vintage condition. Cover illustration by Vivien Ward, with classic 1980s colour tones and print textures. Minor signs of shelfwear.
![Back cover of “Book Book” by Fiona Farrell, reflecting on a woman in Otago immersed in literature during times of global conflict. A witty, layered story about the meaning of books in shaping life and identity. Published by Vintage. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Fiona-Farrell-Book-Book-NZ-Bookstore-The-Gravy-2-300x450.jpg)
![Cover of “Book Book” by Fiona Farrell, featuring a quirky split design with a stack of vintage books above and four chickens below on a teal background. A New Zealand novel blending memoir, fiction, and literary homage. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Fiona-Farrell-Book-Book-NZ-Bookstore-The-Gravy-1-300x450.jpg)
![Back cover of “As It Is on Telly” by Jill Marshall, outlining Bunty McKenna’s journey from betrayed housewife to self-discovery via a luxury dating agency and a trip to New Zealand. A humorous and warm women’s fiction title from Penguin. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jill-Marshall-As-It-Is-On-Telly-at-The-Gravy-NZ-Seconndhand-bookstore-1-300x450.jpg)
![Cover of “As It Is on Telly” by Jill Marshall, with a photo of a thoughtful woman overlaid with bold pink and white title text. A witty, heartfelt novel about reinvention, relationships, and reality beyond romance clichés. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jill-Marshall-As-It-Is-On-Telly-at-The-Gravy-NZ-Seconndhand-bookstore-2-300x450.jpg)
![Cover of “Disorderly Conduct” by Marilyn Duckworth, featuring an unmade bed in a chaotic bedroom with rumpled clothes and protest posters on the wall. A witty, subversive novel about domestic life in 1980s Wellington. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Marilyn-Duckworth-Disorderly-Conduct-The-Gravy-NZ-Secondhand-bookstore-2-150x150.jpg)
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.