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We Of The Never Never
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We Of The Never Never
by
Aeneas Gunn
Large Format for easy reading. An Australian classic. Depicts the enduring hardships of life in the Australian outback and the battles against sexist and racial prejudices.
Published
(first published 1908)
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One of the things I tried to do for this challenge was to read a number of books I have been meaning to read for some time. We of the Never Never was one such book. Because it is an Australian classic from the early 20th century, I expected to find parts of it confronting, and in that, I was not disappointed.
A quick precis: the book is a memoir of the author's first year on the Elsey, a station in the Northern Territory, several days' journey (by the modes of transport then available) from Kath...more
A quick precis: the book is a memoir of the author's first year on the Elsey, a station in the Northern Territory, several days' journey (by the modes of transport then available) from Kath...more
The beginning of the book is a little confusing, as the author seems to switch viewpoints, referring to herself as 'I' or 'the missus.' At the beginning, there are also quite a few characters. There is a character list, but all it does is list the characters, not their jobs or importance in the story.
But that's okay. You can slip right into the book anyway. This book is fraught with hilarious stories, like:
- The blocking of 'the missus,' trying to stop her from coming out to the station. (This i...more
But that's okay. You can slip right into the book anyway. This book is fraught with hilarious stories, like:
- The blocking of 'the missus,' trying to stop her from coming out to the station. (This i...more
I picked this up for $1.00 last weekend--the cover drew my eye and I was intrigued by "THE AUSTRALIAN CLASSIC" under the title. I've read plenty of classics, but, so far as I am aware, never an Australian one. So I figured, heck, why not? Anyway, this was written in 1908, so, you know, there are some awkward words in it. But it's a really interesting and entertaining account of a "missus" accompanying her husband (the Maluka) out into the bush of Australia to run a cattle station, and how she is...more
Nov 07, 2012
Gaston
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
australian,
fiction-light
A great book. It gives one a good insight into life in young Australia on an outback cattle station... in the never never. Though you will notice that she sees herself as British, not Australian. I felt I got know the characters and I admired them all. Some of the language used is outdated but the Internet resolved much of that and I ended up learning even more about the past. The racial interaction is interesting and true to that era, you can judge it but what is the point? It is what life was...more
the bookcover image goodreads uploaded here is not We of the Never Never.= have fixed that.
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This book was pretty interesting from a social history perspective. The somewhat racist and sexist attitudes of the time are a natural part of the characters conversations and behaviour. The ‘missus’ writes, ‘until I met Cheon [the cook] I thought the Chinese incapable of affection; but many lessons are learned out bush.’ At the same time, it is a book that emphasises humanity and the equalising nature of the bush. The ‘missus’ perceives the killing of the station cattle by the aboriginal people...more
Dec 23, 2011
Tien
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
australian-author,
classic
A very enjoyable read mostly because of:
A Beautiful description of the Australian bush
"For a moment we waited, spellbound in the brilliant sunshine; then the dogs running down to the water's edge, the gallahs and cockatoos rose with gorgeous sunrise effect: a floating gray-and-pink cloud, backed by sunlit flashing white. Direct to the forest trees they floated and, settling there in their myriads, as by a miracle the gaunt, gnarled old giants of the bush all over blossomed with garlands of grey,...more
A Beautiful description of the Australian bush
"For a moment we waited, spellbound in the brilliant sunshine; then the dogs running down to the water's edge, the gallahs and cockatoos rose with gorgeous sunrise effect: a floating gray-and-pink cloud, backed by sunlit flashing white. Direct to the forest trees they floated and, settling there in their myriads, as by a miracle the gaunt, gnarled old giants of the bush all over blossomed with garlands of grey,...more
It was a slightly interesting little read. The erstwhile author managed to keep a flow of language of the period constant. Which meant of course that in this time not in Australia one was not always sure of the meaning as no translation was given. Unapologetically it is a period piece and there is some cringes to be shaken off if you are to reach the end. No real names are given only nick names acquired in the 'bush' and you do have to be sharp as to remember who is who as no real names are give...more
A cute account of Australian life on a remote cattle station for a young, newly married wife. The are many sweet interactions between the story teller and the indigenous people she encounters and finds companionship with in the lonely days of isolation. One of those books that made me appreciate the beauty of my country.
I read this entirely in the Northern Territory, which helped my appreciation for the book and for Territorians. Not much of a plot, just a historical account of a year in the bush.
I enjoyed this book more than 3 stars worth, BUT it earns the mediocre rating just because of how much I didn't understand. While a lot of the anecdotes defy language issues, there were also many things I didn't get because of local terms or vague nicknames or jokes that didn't age well that I couldn't understand. I think I'd have gotten more out of this book if it had been a guided read in a class or something where some of the background of the time, place, and people could be explained more....more
an Australian classic - glad I read it for that reason. Makes you appreciate a different time in Australia, in comparison with today.
Great account of life as a women in the "outback" of early 19th century Australia.
An Australian classic about surviving in the Top End in 1902.
I love stories of people in their times & places, and this was the 1st time I've encountered a woman's account of living in the Australian wilderness at the turn of the last century.
There was also a wonderful irony for me in that American English is my mother tongue, and I pride myself on my fluency (as a cover for the wounds caused by my floundering French). At times, while reading this, I had absolutely no idea what she was saying, and hoped that I'd figure it out in context. I could've be...more
There was also a wonderful irony for me in that American English is my mother tongue, and I pride myself on my fluency (as a cover for the wounds caused by my floundering French). At times, while reading this, I had absolutely no idea what she was saying, and hoped that I'd figure it out in context. I could've be...more
Captures an era, a place, a people in the wonderful poetic prose of a bygone period. Wonderful reading. Evocative literary magic. Magically evocative literature.
Okay I know this is historically an important Australian novel. I liked a number of parts, mostly the first twenty-five pages and the last two but overwhelmingly this was a dull read.
This is one of my favourite books. Vivid descriptions of life in the Australian bush. Lots of great characters. Whenever I am having a perfect restorative cup of tea I think about how they could live without anything except tea.
Nov 06, 2011
Simone
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
just-couldn-t-finish-it
Even though I loved the story (seen the movie many moons ago) the language was a little bit of struggle for me. (Dare I admit it, but I borrowed the movie on Netflix and rewatched it instead of finishing the book).
Was great to travel through the outback that she writes of, otherwise I don't know if it would be that exciting of a read.
makes you wonder how much 'stuff' you could do without'.
And I agree that tea is a kind of nectar from the gods.
And I agree that tea is a kind of nectar from the gods.
This was a free download or cheap; either way, I wound up loving the story and hated to reach the end.
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