title: Avocado
author: Leov-Lealand, Christine
description: Dawn has retreated to a beach paradise to nurse her wounds from an unhappy relationship. Stuart arrives and changes her mind about men. Rastafarian dreadlocks, smoking hemp, India and an interfering sister cause problems for them both good and bad. Who does Dawn choose when her ex and Stuart fight over her? Plenty of avocados, sensuality and spirituality permeate this lush tropical book.
  Praise for Avocado -
  Report by the NZ Film and Literature Censorship Board of Review 2001.
  “The board saw Avocado as a pioneering New Zealand work of this genre. It has merit and value in respect to the descriptions of New Zealand scenery, its variety of setting and movement back and forward in time. There are some sensitivities shown to women partners by the main male character and there are also some positive social comments about safe sex, social responsibility for partners and children and refraining from use of marijuana during pregnancy as examples. The board considers the book is written for and largely about adults, and that the purpose of the book is for entertainment and exercise of libidinous activity.” They permitted sale of the book with a restriction to age 18.
  “Avocado’s author says her biggest compliment came from someone who said they had put her book in their bookcase next to Anais Nin. ‘I’ve done something I wanted to do, write something as good as she did.’” The Press, Christchurch 2000