From the Bookshelf of Aussie Readers…

That Deadman Dance

Kim Scott

Why we're reading this: Very Highly Recommended Read!
A marvellously realised meld of the experience of early colonial contact fro…more
[close] Very Highly Recommended Read!
A marvellously realised meld of the experience of early colonial contact from the perspectives and in the voices of all of the participants: the Noongar (ancient Aboriginal custodians of this spectacular coast); the early settlers, predominantly convicts and their wardens, as well as those free men with what we might call the ‘colonial spirit’, of starting anew in ‘virgin’ lands; and the early whalers, who were indeed the initial reference point for the indigenous encounter with the Other.

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What Members Thought

Jul 02, 2012 Marg rated it really liked it

Some times, as a reader, I need a bit of a push to read a specific book. Usually, this happens with books that I wanted enough to buy but then I struggle to fit it in between library reads and review copies.

So it was with this book. I bought it last year when I attended a Melbourne Writers Festival session which featured the author, Kim Scott, along with a couple of other authors talking about writing books from the indigenous perspective. In this case, Kim Scott is an indigenous Australian, a m ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2020 Tien rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australia, australian-author, get-reading-2011, au-lit-award, mm-20

I listened to the audiobook instead of reading the written word and I found it quite difficult to get into the book. Firstly, there were too many names (and 2 of them sounded similar to begin with) and then, I think there was also the timeline because I think (?) this was actually Bobby remembering the past? I dunno... as I said, I'm a tad confused. Will this be better in the written word? According to a review, the author did not employ quotation marks so um, I think I was actually better off w ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 22, 2014 Kira rated it did not like it

Shelves: ugh, historical-fiction, aussie-author

I normally love historical fiction but there were a number of things that ultimately ruined his book for me. These were:

1. The first item on the list, as it was the first thing that annoyed me, is the complete lack of quotation marks. I found it very confusing at first as to when people were speaking or thinking. Not only is it confusing to the reader, it is simply lazy.

2. The time jumps. These were completely unnecessary and I found it diluted the story and upset the flow of it.

3. The complete ...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Blue Eyed Vixen rated it it was ok

Shelves: australian-author, historical-fiction, audiobook-i-own, challenge-aussie-authors-with-a-twi

Found this book a bit of a challenge. Pace, plot and characters were not as developed as I would like.
Historically, the story is engaging, and told well. I also enjoyed Kim's vivid descriptions. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2012 Nicki Markus rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-historical

This was a very interesting read, looking at early contact between the Aboriginal people and the white settlers in Western Australia.

The prose was atmospheric and often poetic; although, I would have liked more speech markers for ease of reading. The characters are varied and many. That gave a good overview of the society of the region, but didn't allow the reader to really indentify with any one character as the main protagonist, perhaps lessening any emotional impact. However, I did wonder if ...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Robin Humphries rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this even though it jumped about a bit. It was an interesting take on settlement in Western Australia and the interaction with white invasion as seen through indigenous eyes.

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Mar 19, 2012 Mish rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-authors

This book was terribly frustrating, a lot of hard work and effort. I had a real struggle with the writing style from the very beginning and couldn’t interpret what the characters were thinking. It became easier though the course of the book. However there were still some shady parts and I couldn’t get a clear picture of the events/plot in my head. Beautiful and vivid description of the landscape but it wasn’t enough to engage me.

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