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Colleen McCullough’s Followers (3,277)

Colleen McCullough

Born

in Wellington, New South Wales, Australia

June 01, 1937

Died

January 29, 2015

Genre

Historical Fiction, Romance, Memoir

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Colleen Margaretta McCullough was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and Tim.

Raised by her mother in Wellington and then Sydney, McCullough began writing stories at age 5. She flourished at Catholic schools and earned a physiology degree from the University of New South Wales in 1963. Planning become a doctor, she found that she had a violent allergy to hospital soap and turned instead to neurophysiology – the study of the nervous system's functions. She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

After her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. S ...more

Combine Editions
Colleen McCullough’s books

Average rating: 4.19 · 501,008 ratings · 18,046 reviews · 132 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Thorn Birds 4.25 avg rating — 369,054 ratings — published 1977 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome, #1) 4.14 avg rating — 24,814 ratings — published 1990 — 117 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Grass Crown (Masters of Rome, #2) 4.34 avg rating — 13,504 ratings — published 1990 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fortune's Favorites (Masters of Rome, #3) 4.40 avg rating — 8,899 ratings — published 1993 — 75 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caesar (Masters of Rome, #5) 4.40 avg rating — 8,519 ratings — published 1997 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caesar's Women (Masters of Rome, #4) 4.29 avg rating — 7,875 ratings — published 1996 — 60 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bittersweet 3.51 avg rating — 8,570 ratings — published 2013 — 71 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The October Horse (Masters of Rome #6) 4.34 avg rating — 6,692 ratings — published 2002 — 48 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Touch 4.07 avg rating — 7,109 ratings — published 2003 — 96 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Antony and Cleopatra (Masters of Rome, #7) 4.06 avg rating — 6,377 ratings — published 2007 — 71 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Colleen McCullough…

Series by Colleen McCullough

Masters of Rome (7 books)
by

Colleen McCullough

4.26 avg rating — 76,678 ratings

Gospodari Rima (17 books)
by

Colleen McCullough

4.08 avg rating — 6,986 ratings

Carmine Delmonico (5 books)
by

Colleen McCullough

3.48 avg rating — 5,660 ratings

Quotes by Colleen McCullough (?)

“Never forget, Caelius, that a great man makes his luck. Luck is there for everyone to seize. Most of us miss our chances; we're blind to our luck. He never misses a chance because he's never blind to the opportunity of the moment.”
― Colleen McCullough, Caesar

1165 likes

“There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to outcarol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain… Or so says the legend.”
― Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

tags: inspirational, legend

645 likes

“There are no ambitions noble enough to justify breaking someone's heart. ”
― Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

345 likes

See all Colleen McCullough's quotes »

Polls

HISTORICAL FICTION POLL "D"
There will be a series of polls to begin putting together a potential reading list for the "historical fiction folder". I have divided the books into groups of 15 books apiece. Make sure to choose your favorite from each poll and make sure to vote in each of these polls so that we can generate a list according to priorities and interests. You will only receive one notification per poll. There will be simultaneous polls so please make sure to vote in each one.

Colleen McCullough

THE FIRST MAN IN ROME BY COLLEEN MCCULLOUGH

7 votes, 20.6%

Michel Faber

THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE BY MICHEL FABER

5 votes, 14.7%

Jacqueline Winspear

MAISIE DOBBS BY JACQUELINE WINSPEAR

4 votes, 11.8%

Susanna Clarke

JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL BY SUSANNA CLARK

3 votes, 8.8%

Steven Saylor

ROMA: THE NOVEL OF ANCIENT ROME BY STEVEN SAYLOR

3 votes, 8.8%

Jimmy Carter

THE HORNET'S NEST BY JIMMY CARTER

2 votes, 5.9%

William Safire

FREEDOM: A NOVEL OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN BY WILLIAM SAFIRE

2 votes, 5.9%

David Liss

A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER BY DAVID LISS

2 votes, 5.9%

Robert Graves

I. CLAUDIUS BY ROBERT GRAVES

2 votes, 5.9%

Drums Along the Mohawk (New York Classics) by Walter D. Edmonds

Walter D. Edmonds

DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK BY WALTER D. EDMONDS

2 votes, 5.9%

Rosalind Miles

I. ELIZABETH: A NOVEL BY ROSALIND MILES

1 vote, 2.9%

[image error] A.S. Byatt

POSSESSION: A ROMANCE BY A. S. BYATT

1 vote, 2.9%

C.J. Sansom

DISSOLUTION BY C.J SANSOM

0 votes, 0.0%

[image error] Gaynor Arnold

GIRL IN A BLUE DRESS BY GAYNOR ARNOLD

0 votes, 0.0%

Lindsey Davis

THE COURSE OF HONOR BY LINDSEY DAVIS

0 votes, 0.0%

34 total votes

9 comments

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