Sign in with Facebook
185th out of 199 books
—
479 voters
Big River Little Fish
Big River, Little Fish is the highly anticipated second novel from Belinda Jeffrey. Set in South Australia during the 1956 Murray River flood, it tells the story of Tom Downs, a boy trapped between his way of reading the world and the world's way of seeing him. He lives in the town but likes it best down by Old Mother Murray, talking to his best friend, Hannah, and helping...more
Paperback, 276 pages
Published
August 2010
by University of Queensland Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
80)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book was lovely throughout most of it, there were times when I was a little bored and was tempted to skip ahead. The writing is really quite good but the plot just dragged in some spots (and it is not a long read). I hesitated to give it 4 stars but the last chapter was just superb and elevated it from a solid 3 to a 4.
It is interesting to read this book that is about our great Murray River in a major flood event when I have just lived through the biggest flood in Australia's history. The d...more
It is interesting to read this book that is about our great Murray River in a major flood event when I have just lived through the biggest flood in Australia's history. The d...more
It is the 1950s, and for a boy who was born 'out of wedlock', to a mother that died at his birth, was found by an aboriginal man, grows up with loving but austere foster parents, and has dyslexia - well, let say that Tom has a hard life.
Belinda Jeffrey coaxes this story along, teases out the all the little details, until you are totally immersed in Tom's world.
Set against the life of the tiny town of Swan Reach on the Murray River, Big River Little Fish is a magic tale of a bygone era, when hard...more
Belinda Jeffrey coaxes this story along, teases out the all the little details, until you are totally immersed in Tom's world.
Set against the life of the tiny town of Swan Reach on the Murray River, Big River Little Fish is a magic tale of a bygone era, when hard...more
Fantastic read. With the River Murray currently on flood watch this fact made the story even better as it is about the River Murray in flood in 1956 but also the inspiring story of an adopted boy who struggles to find his niche in the world but who has a special affinity for the River and the people who live by and for it.
Another expertly written novel by Belinda Jeffrey. This defies age classification and sits equally on the shelves in adult and YA lit. A rare talent.
I could not put this book down until I had finished. I love the characters she creates.
Apr 20, 2011
Mitch Cave
marked it as to-read
Awww so getting this! Sounds like it'll be a great read.
I couldn't put this one down. A fantastic read.
It was very interesting and gave an insight into the 1950's and I felt a like I was actually Tom!
Beautifully written coming of age tale with a twist.
This book is great
Hard to get into, but worth the effort. Highly topical in Queensland with the current flooding.
Reads like a river in prose. Targets young adults but enjoyable to all. Some important themes explored. A compelling read. Comparable with Jasper jones.
view 1 comment
May 19, 2013
Jenny
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2013
Ellen Cheney
marked it as to-read
Apr 27, 2013
Kyle Turpin
marked it as to-read
Apr 20, 2013
Catherine
marked it as to-read
Mar 28, 2013
Phi-Uyen Pham
marked it as to-read
Mar 23, 2013
Book Bunny
marked it as to-read
Mar 01, 2013
Rani Schultz
marked it as to-read
Dec 31, 2012
Elz
marked it as to-read
Dec 30, 2012
SelfConfessedGeek
is currently reading it
Nov 06, 2012
Narelle
marked it as to-read
Oct 09, 2012
Becky
marked it as to-read
Oct 06, 2012
Trinity
marked it as to-read
Sep 30, 2012
Victoria
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
