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UPDATE: I just read an article about David Malouf and the poetry of his prose, and it reminded me how much I loved this book.
5★
This book is impossible to categorise. It is certainly historical fiction—mid-nineteenth century setting—but it’s more a study than a story. The language is so rich and poetic, that I just wanted to read and enjoy every phrase.
When the British colonists (un)settled Australia, it was considered Terra Nullius, belonging to no one. A Scottish mother thinks,
“It was the fea ...more
5★
This book is impossible to categorise. It is certainly historical fiction—mid-nineteenth century setting—but it’s more a study than a story. The language is so rich and poetic, that I just wanted to read and enjoy every phrase.
When the British colonists (un)settled Australia, it was considered Terra Nullius, belonging to no one. A Scottish mother thinks,
“It was the fea ...more
David Malouf does not disappoint with his lyrical style of exposing the beauty of nature. And in juxtaposition, the ugliness of human nature. But there is hope! They are the little things like new green shoots that need nurturing care but yet sometimes the weight of the world can prove too much. It seems that David Malouf has this ability to draw you in to sympathise with his characters but then we are never really told what happened to them… All lives end; we are told that much of his character
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I had to study this one for English . . . so its not surprising that I wasn't love with it by the end of the experience. Don't get me wrong it does address many significant cultural, social and historical issue in Australian history. However I didn't feel a huge connection with the characters (which for me is essential) and didn't deserve a re-read.
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Deathly boring. I understand that some of the most boring books written by Australian Authors dealing with Australian themes and issues are put out as required reading for innocent schoolchildren. I had to read this in year 10. Who knows why? Is it to prepare the youth of today for the tedium of adult life? How well they can google the book and cut and paste a review for their assignment? Well, this abuse has to stop. This sort of mind-numbing pseudophilosophy with endless description has to end
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The author's writing style is definitely not my cup of tea. Which is a shame, because the plot sounds interesting, but the book just didn't do anything for me and the ending was quite wishy-washy and didn't really achieve very much at all, in my opinion. I certainly didn't get swept up in this book and found it quite easy to put down (picking it up to read further was an uninspiring task) - I was reading it for a reading challenge - probably just as well or I may have been reading it for weeks t
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This is a beautifully written book. Surprisingly easy to read but with profound insight into human nature.
Mar 09, 2008
Magdalena
added it
Mar 01, 2009
Kristin
added it
Mar 01, 2012
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
marked it as to-read
