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This was a wonderful character- and voice-driven fictionalization of the Australian outlaw legend (and historical crush of many) Ned Kelly. I had watched a little web documentary about him last year, and some of the details of the story--like the bulletproof armor the gang smithed out of plow moldboards--struck me as so outrageous, I knew I had to get around to reading this book. I liked how the author imagined Ned Kelly's nature and motivations, drawing from the little that is known about him,
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Outlaw Ned Kelly commits the story of his life to paper so that his new born daughter might know her father after he is dead. Carey creates a distinctive voice that captures the poorly-educated narrator, his hard-scrabble existence where violence and survival are synonymous and jail is an expectation from a young age. Maybe Carey conveys this setting too well because reading this story was psychologically uncomfortable.
This book is written in the form of a journal of Ned Kelly from his early teens until his death. It chronicles his family's difficulties as settlers and with a corrupt law enforcement establishment. The author emulates the informal and idiom ladden language that may or may not have been what Ned would have used in his time.
I never connected with this book or its characters. The non standard English kept me from being immersed in the story, which is probably contrary to the author's intent.
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I never connected with this book or its characters. The non standard English kept me from being immersed in the story, which is probably contrary to the author's intent.
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I got through this page turner rather quickly. First time I have read anything regarding the Kelly gang an the settling of Australia.
This was also my first book by Peter Carey, and I loved his prose and style. I was amused by his continued use of the word "adjectival" and his general cleaning up of any bad language. ...more
This was also my first book by Peter Carey, and I loved his prose and style. I was amused by his continued use of the word "adjectival" and his general cleaning up of any bad language. ...more
Aug 22, 2012
Susan
marked it as to-read
Nov 14, 2016
Christopher
marked it as to-read
Mar 20, 2016
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Jul 19, 2020
Pamela
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
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Jul 05, 2025
Yokk
marked it as to-read
