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2nd out of 6 books
—
2 voters
The Burial
A breathtakingly brilliant debut novel in the tradition of Cormac McCarthy - inspired by Australia's last bushranger, young woman Jessie Hickman.
It is the dawn of the twentieth century in Australia and a woman has done an unspeakable thing.
Twenty-two-year-old Jessie has served a two-year sentence for horse rustling. As a condition of her release she is apprenticed to Fitzg...more
It is the dawn of the twentieth century in Australia and a woman has done an unspeakable thing.
Twenty-two-year-old Jessie has served a two-year sentence for horse rustling. As a condition of her release she is apprenticed to Fitzg...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 1st 2012
by Allen & Unwin
(first published August 22nd 2012)
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‘If the dirt could speak, whose story would it tell?’
This novel was inspired by the life of Elizabeth Jessie Hickman, a female bushranger born in 1890, who went bush in the 1920s after killing her third husband. This is Courtney Collins’s debut novel and re-imagines aspects of Jessie Hickman’s life. The narrator is Jessie Hickman’s buried child: “I should not have seen the sky turn pink or the day seep in. I should not have seen my mother’s pale arms sweep up and heap wet earth upon me or the wh...more
This novel was inspired by the life of Elizabeth Jessie Hickman, a female bushranger born in 1890, who went bush in the 1920s after killing her third husband. This is Courtney Collins’s debut novel and re-imagines aspects of Jessie Hickman’s life. The narrator is Jessie Hickman’s buried child: “I should not have seen the sky turn pink or the day seep in. I should not have seen my mother’s pale arms sweep up and heap wet earth upon me or the wh...more
I devoured this book, after the slightly awkward opening passages. I was soon swept along by Jessie's story though, and Courtney Collins crafts a well-plotted, beautifully rendered tale of love and loss, justice in many forms, and the seeming inescapability of one's fate. The character of the bush sergeant, addicted to opium and completely out of place in his remote post, is an especially fabulous and interesting component of this book.
It's not without flaws--Jessie's horse turning up in a herd...more
It's not without flaws--Jessie's horse turning up in a herd...more
As I read this book I wondered where Courtney got the idea for this story as it was another unusual story. It took a bit of getting into.
The story is told off and on by Jessie's daughter, who she murdered at birth by cutting her throat. This dead infant tells the story - strange. Later on in the book she even describes the death of another who is buried near her.
Jessie had a good life until her father died when she was 10 then life changed dramically. She went off to join a circus and that was...more
The story is told off and on by Jessie's daughter, who she murdered at birth by cutting her throat. This dead infant tells the story - strange. Later on in the book she even describes the death of another who is buried near her.
Jessie had a good life until her father died when she was 10 then life changed dramically. She went off to join a circus and that was...more
At first I really didn't like this book -it wasn't what I had in mind at all. As it progressed though, I found I did enjoy reading about Jessie and her life. I found that even though I didn't really get to know any character very well at all, their motivations or emotions or why they did what they did (except for maybe Jack Brown), I didn't mind so much in the end and could just think about the events in the book.
I really disliked Jack Brown being called by his whole name for the whole thing, I...more
I really disliked Jack Brown being called by his whole name for the whole thing, I...more
The Burial is a poetic, reimagined tribute to the extraordinary life of legendary Australian 'lady bushranger', Jessie Hickman. Set in the 1920's, as Jessie flees the law after murdering her brutal husband, this is a brooding novel narrated by Jessie's dead newborn child, whose spirit remains tethered to her mother.
I admire the lyrical nature of this novel with it's spare yet evocative phrasing. Collins paints incredible scenes, Jessie lying bleeding by the river barely conscious, the menace and...more
Jessie is 22 when she is released from a 2yo jail sentenced for horse-rustling. As a condition of her release she is required to have secured employment for herself so that the prison can release her to a sort of guardian and let go of its own responsibility of her. Most women list ‘housekeeping’ or the like on their papers but Jessie lists ‘horse-breaking’ and it is for this reason that she is apprenticed to Fitzgerald ‘Fitz’ Henry. Fitz has a cabin deep in a valley and it isn’t long before he’...more
'Australian Gothic' has begun! Another amazing 'first' Australian novel that I found myself looking forward to each night as 'bed-time' approached. It's unusual beginning made me wonder how the narrative voice could be maintained without becoming 'spooky' but Collins carried-it-off extremely well by swapping narrators along the way and by recalling events preceding the starting point and then going beyond it. The ending nicely connected with the start and the characters were consistent. Collins...more
Courtney Collins' first novel is a real page turner! What makes the pages fly so quickly is not only the well crafted story, but the lyrical language in which it is told. Australia being my adopted home, I have very much enjoyed the literature. It is rife with stories of those who heroically overcame the odds, and who survived, not only a brutality and injustice they did not deserve, but also the harsh landscape into which they try to escape. What are the qualities that make this possible? They...more
Wow! This book has truly taken me by surprise. From the shocking events on the first chapter I knew from that moment on that it was going to be an extraordinary piece of storytelling. This story is loosely based on the legendary bush ranger Jessie Hickman.
Jessie, 22 year old, is serving a sentence of 2 year in prison for horse rustling. Upon her release she is placed in the hands of a guardian, Fitz, to work on his remote property in the Hunter Valley, to ‘break in’ and training wild horses. Be...more
Jessie, 22 year old, is serving a sentence of 2 year in prison for horse rustling. Upon her release she is placed in the hands of a guardian, Fitz, to work on his remote property in the Hunter Valley, to ‘break in’ and training wild horses. Be...more
I bought this book because it seemed to be a frontrunner for the Stella Prize for Australian women's writing. I can't say that I'm an avid reader of bushranger tales, but this novel had some distinct things that I enjoy in my fiction. I loved the female protagonist Jessie - the story is loosely based on real life bushranger Jessie Hickman - and was intrigued by the sheer bile and determination she possessed. The unusual narration was what kept me reading initially; from the point of view of her...more
It’s hard to believe that Courtney Collins is a debut novelist. Her first work, The Burial, looks at one of Australia’s most renowned female bushrangers, Jessie Hickman. It’s lyrical, vicious, beautiful and stark, examining Australia’s history, but not trapped by it.
The Burial was our book of the month for November 2012, and we broadcast Sky's interview with Courtney Collins as part of the discussion.
The Burial was our book of the month for November 2012, and we broadcast Sky's interview with Courtney Collins as part of the discussion.
A gently hypnotic and metaphysical western which, once it gets going, tells its story well and with a sparse and beautiful drawl. Occasionally teeters on the edge of the faux poetic, which could make it feel like an exercise in style, but i was won over by how patient Courtney Collins' storytelling was, allowing the tale to slowly unfurl and the characters to breathe. And she's cute.
Inspired by legendary female bushranger Jessie Hickman, The Burial is a masterful and multilayered tale of birth, death and survival. Combining artfully structured narrative with a unique voice, a highly visceral setting and a dark undertone, this is a novel to savour. A stunning debut; haunting and lyrical.
Its hard to believe that this is a debut novel for Courtney Collins it is just so darn good. That said, I started it a few weeks back and got distracted. Silly me. The subject of The Burial is Jessie, whose chequered career as a circus performer, rustler, convict, and more is interuppted by a fateful relationship with Fitz, a violent drunk, who eventually pays for ill treatment of Jessie with his life. From there Jessie is on the run, having lost the almost full term baby she was carrying. The s...more
I loved this novel and made it the subject of my guest post at Meanjin: http://meanjin.com.au/blog/post/what-...
An intriguing story narrated from such a unique perspective, couldn't put it down!
Excellent read, sparse but real characters, I could almost smell the horses and mud.
A tale of an Australian female bushranger - this novel is history reimagined through the eyes of the main characters daughter. The story was beautifully told and in a way that was quite unique. There were a few points that didn't quite work fluently, but a very impressive debut.
A book club read, and not typically being a big fan of Australian fiction, this was reasonably enjoyable. Pacy and readable, though with a somewhat unconventional choice of narrator, this book is a fine example of life in the early 20th century.
Not my usual cup of tea, but the pace and style were more than enough to keep me interested from start to finish. The opening hooked me immediately, absolutely not what I expected. Check this out if you enjoy a gritty Australian story told from a unique perspective.
This book was AWESOME!!! Historical theme, kick-ass heroine, and a theme of the dead communing while unheard by us all. Amazing. Looking forward to more by Courtney COllins.
A good read , Australian of old & the characters were so believable .Clever with the baby orating.
May 17, 2013
Ellen
marked it as to-read
May 17, 2013
Cathy
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Lauren
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
Denise
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Emma Chapman
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| The Stella Prize ...: The Burial review | 1 | 3 | Apr 04, 2013 08:34pm | |
| The Stella Prize ...: The Burial | 1 | 1 | Apr 04, 2013 03:01pm |
Mar 09, 2013 01:19pm