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6th out of 6 books
—
7 voters
When We Were Two
Dan had to go,
He felt he had no choice,
but leaving home was never
going to be easy . . .
Dan and his brother Eddie take off for the coast, in search of their lost mother, in search of a better life . . . but it's a long road they face and Dan must use all his wits to get them there in one piece.
When they are taken under the wings of a group of would-be soldiers marching ove...more
He felt he had no choice,
but leaving home was never
going to be easy . . .
Dan and his brother Eddie take off for the coast, in search of their lost mother, in search of a better life . . . but it's a long road they face and Dan must use all his wits to get them there in one piece.
When they are taken under the wings of a group of would-be soldiers marching ove...more
Paperback, 193 pages
Published
October 3rd 2011
by Penguin Australia
(first published September 28th 2011)
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I loved this book by Australian Robert Newton. It is a very young adult book, easy to read but packing a punch. Boys from the country run away from their abusive father, heading to the coast. Set around the start of WW1, it's about relationships and, of course, growing up. Tissues are required!
A brief and romanticised dalliance with two brother, joined by family and separated by the injustices of a cruel world.
"When We Were Two" leads us gently, but immediately into the heart of a young, precocious narrative voice- that of Dan. His innocence is punctuated by a series of quizzical issues that arise as he and Eddie, his charming and slow-witted younger brother make their way across the Australian landscape during the first part of the twentieth century. The plot moves quickly, possibly...more
"When We Were Two" leads us gently, but immediately into the heart of a young, precocious narrative voice- that of Dan. His innocence is punctuated by a series of quizzical issues that arise as he and Eddie, his charming and slow-witted younger brother make their way across the Australian landscape during the first part of the twentieth century. The plot moves quickly, possibly...more
When We Were Two is a tender and engrossing Aussie YA novel. At just under 200 pages, the pages seem to slip by, yet the journey that takes place in so few words manages to get completely under your skin. It is story of two brothers, running away, heading towards the unknown.
I loved how I wasn't sure where the story would take me. How I was placed alongside Dan and Eddie, as if I was journeying along with them. I loved the people they met (so varied. I surprisingly found myself so swiftly attac...more
I loved how I wasn't sure where the story would take me. How I was placed alongside Dan and Eddie, as if I was journeying along with them. I loved the people they met (so varied. I surprisingly found myself so swiftly attac...more
When we were two has won a PM Literary Award this year for YP fiction and it is a very deserving winner. Robert Newton has created such endearing characters in Dan and Eddie and these brothers - their relationship, their amazing bond, their Aussie mateship - will draw you into their story. You will walk side by side with them and feel as tho you are with them on their journey, experiencing their hardships and their conquests.
Older brother Dan is fed up with his life and can't take his cruel abus...more
Older brother Dan is fed up with his life and can't take his cruel abus...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When We Were Two is a magnificently written book that only just missed out on getting 5/5. I can happily say that this book is one of the best novels that I have read in the past few years and I would readily recommend it to almost anyone. A warning, though: When We Were Two will break your heart. And then heal it, before breaking it again. The novel starts when brothers Dan and Eddie run away from home, determined to find sanctuary and a new life in Port Macquarie. Nothing has ever been easy fo...more
This is a beautiful book and an effortless read. It is set during the First World War in country New South Wales. Dan has had it. He has to leave home, find his mum, get away from his dad.
But just outside of Gunnedah his little brother, Eddie, and Bess the dog, catch him up, and Dan loses that argument. Then they were two. They are headed to the coast - to Port Macquarie - away from a cruel father and perhaps in search of a mother who took off a couple of years earlier. Intellectually Eddie is...more
But just outside of Gunnedah his little brother, Eddie, and Bess the dog, catch him up, and Dan loses that argument. Then they were two. They are headed to the coast - to Port Macquarie - away from a cruel father and perhaps in search of a mother who took off a couple of years earlier. Intellectually Eddie is...more
Dan’s had enough and takes off from home – the trouble is Eddie, his younger brother has decided to tag along too. What is he to do? Turn around to take him back? Send him back to a cruel and aggressive father – the one he is fleeing from himself?
Eddie is determined and refuses to go back anyway. So to make tracks , Dan has to encourage the marching activity Eddie loves, put up with his incessant chatter and humour him with stories and imaginings. And thus they march away from their old life in...more
Eddie is determined and refuses to go back anyway. So to make tracks , Dan has to encourage the marching activity Eddie loves, put up with his incessant chatter and humour him with stories and imaginings. And thus they march away from their old life in...more
May 19, 2013
theebookiecookie
added it
IT WAS SOOOOOO GOOD I LOVED HOW IT LEFT ME HANGING IN THERE TILL THE VERY END AND HOW I WAS ALWAYS WONDERING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT. I LOVED THE RELATIONSHIP THAT DAN AND EDDIE HAD TOGETHER AND I LOVED HOW EDDIE ASKED SO MANY QUESTIONS AND HOW DAN ALWAYS HAD A ANSWER TO EVERY ONE. IT WAS SUCH A GOOD AND QUICK READ AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT ANY PERSON AGED 12+ WOULD LIKE BECAUSE THERE IS A BIT OF LANGUAGE USED THROUGHOUT IT AND ALSO IT IS A BIT DARK BECAUSE OF WHAT EDDIE AND DAN HAVE BEEN AND GO T...more
A beautifully written and touching story set in New South Wales during World War I. Two brothers embark on a road trip in search of their mother, escaping an abusive father. Their unconditional love for one another is heart-warming as is the help they find in the most unlikely people and places. (The author will be part of this year's Young Readers' Festival in Hong Kong. I wish I could take my students to meet him but his books are more for young adults than younger readers.)
This book was an unexpected pleasure. A gentle story of two brothers, brave enough to leave a destructive father and search for their mother and the sea.
"Is it blue, Dan?"
"Yeah mate," I say. "It's bluer than anything you've ever seen."
Set during WW1 the boys embark on a journey of 200 miles, most of which is by foot and most of which is also a chance to meet other's who teach them hope and alternatives ways of living and seeing.
"Is it blue, Dan?"
"Yeah mate," I say. "It's bluer than anything you've ever seen."
Set during WW1 the boys embark on a journey of 200 miles, most of which is by foot and most of which is also a chance to meet other's who teach them hope and alternatives ways of living and seeing.
What a fantastic read with a very moving ending. Rob Newton's ability to describe the scene and surroundings actually puts you in the story. Found myself continuously thinking how hard it must have been living back then and how these tough characters just seemed to get on with it. Overall a compelling story about how the love between brothers can override a dysfunctional family life.
I liked this book even though it made me cry.
It is the beginning of World War 1 and Dan leaves home one night, leaving his brother with his abusive father because he thinks he won't make the journey over the mountains. Eddie his little brother, hears him go and follows him with his dog Bess and his billy cart.
Along the way they encounter some adventures. Some of them sad and heart renching and some funny.
A very good read, I recommend it to anyone.
It is the beginning of World War 1 and Dan leaves home one night, leaving his brother with his abusive father because he thinks he won't make the journey over the mountains. Eddie his little brother, hears him go and follows him with his dog Bess and his billy cart.
Along the way they encounter some adventures. Some of them sad and heart renching and some funny.
A very good read, I recommend it to anyone.
Sep 04, 2012
ISLN (Int'l School Library Network) Singapore
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2013-long-list-mature
When we were two would be an easy read for secondary students. It could easily be read by younger students, but be aware that two brief scenes (one where Dan observes Greeves watching his brother without clothes on and the other where Dan imagines putting his hand under Gracie's blouse) might concern some parents of younger children.
While the story is okay, it is not gripping. It is a bit disjointed and the characters that the boys encounter on their journey never have the opportunity to develop...more
While the story is okay, it is not gripping. It is a bit disjointed and the characters that the boys encounter on their journey never have the opportunity to develop...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
What a lovely, lyrical and wonderfully written book - a little bit like Tim Winton in some ways.
Enjoyable characters, funny and awful situations and sad, sad, sad (I was sobbing which is not like me), but ultimately uplifting. I found myself hoping that Dan would be OK after the end of this book. I really want him to have a good and long life.
Beautiful!
Enjoyable characters, funny and awful situations and sad, sad, sad (I was sobbing which is not like me), but ultimately uplifting. I found myself hoping that Dan would be OK after the end of this book. I really want him to have a good and long life.
Beautiful!
Wow. I couldn't put it down. Very moving. Best book I've read in a long time. An intimate portrayal of mateship, a simple story, beautifully written, and perfectly pitched for both adult and young readers.
Beautifully written. Such a heart wrenching finish. I cried reading the last few chapters. Written so 'stripped back' and raw.
Set in Country NSW during world war 1. A touching story about two brothers who hit the road to escape their violent father. Needed tissues. .
What a beautiful story. It was very emotional, honest and made me cry. I am so glad I read it.
A really nice book, in the true context of the word. A very gentle, insightful and touching story of the physical and emotional journey of two young brothers who leave their abusive father to find their mother, who "had to leave" years before. It's a book written for young adults, but with great appeal to everyone. A deserving winner of the 2012 Prime Minister's Award for Youth Fiction.
Heart breaker! Great, fast read but a terrific story for younger young adult.
an easy writing style hides a complex yet eloquent look at human nature and a beautiful glimpse of australia past
Loved it and so will the students.
I don't think I've ever cried so much in a book, it was beautiful it really was.
Although this is a very easy, short read, written for a young adult audience it is a beautifully written story. Set in the NSW countryside, at the beginning of World War I, brothers Dan and Eddie are runnaways, escaping from their violent father. Together they walk the back roads of country NSW, meeting others along the road, both good and evil. With gentle humour, Robert Newton writes a touching story about the search for love.
Warning - You will need tissues. Well, I did.
Warning - You will need tissues. Well, I did.
There's more than a touch of Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men' to this novel. A different coming-of-age meets road trip story, with two brothers marching across Australia to join in the great war, it's a story of mateship, dealing with the past and family issues, all set in an Australian context. Newton's writing is poetic and literary, almost 'old-fashioned' storytelling, yet most suitable for committed thoughtful readers in Years 8 - 10.
Winner of the 2012 Prime Minister's Literary Award for YA fiction, this beautiful,funny and deeply moving novel set at the start of World War One, is about runaway brothers marching towards their future. It deftly deals with the best and worst that men can teach boys as they conquer mountains, prejudice and the pain of their shared past, on their way to enlist. Highly recommended.
Lovely. Not sure what the kids will think though...
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Robert Newton works as a full-time firefighter with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. His first novel, My Name is Will Thompson, was published in 2001. Since then he has written four other novels for young people, including Runner, which was published by Penguin in 2005. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and three daughters.
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