Status Updates From Cloudstreet

been sitting on my table since mid ‘25 😭

120

I like it, I’m not sure how much. Not much happens in this books but it is more of an exploration of two family’s that are going through their own tragedies. The writing is distinctively of its time and so it’s hard to relate to the characters.

The entire time i’ve been living in Australia, I haven’t been able to wrap my head around it. After finishing Cloudstreet I see it was never mine to understands I’m just grateful to have been part of it, even for a short time.

up to chapter 7

up to chapter 6: this book - in all it's descriptive glory and characters; absolutely gets better every time you dip into it. it's SO GOOD!!

"He likes to eat pork fat before it's cooked, and often casts a hungry eye at the pig across the fence.
The pig grumbles and sh-ts irritably."

middle c

hella wordy but i like most of the characters so im keeping going

Book club select from mister Jim

Already loving Winton’s masterful manipulation of voice! Really looking forward to sinking my teeth into this one!

Halfway through, and loving this book! Realistic details, lout-out-loud humor (there's a Pentecostal pig that speaks in tongues), deep emotions, passages of poetic magical realism. Really good.

“So you do believe.
Lester, I believe in eight hours’ sleep and a big breakfast.”

Excerpt from
Cloudstreet
Tim Winton
This material may be protected by copyright.

What about goodness, lovingkindness, charity?

“They’re just things you do, you try to do. There’s no point believin in em.”

Don’t you believe in … love?
No.
No? Lester bites the ends of his fingers.
I feel love. I’m stuck with the love I’ve got, and I’m tryin to work up the love I haven’t got. Do you believe in love, he says. It’s like sayin Do you believe in babies. They happen.”

“You believe in hard work, love.
Not for its own sake, I don’t. We weren’t born to work. Look at them next door.
There’s always the family, says Lester.
Families aren’t things you believe in, they’re things you work with.”

It's good idk why I never finished it before

This book makes me feel incredibly frustrated and sick to my stomach, not only from the injustices the characters have faced but for how the author has so willingly included unnecessary and degrading passages that bare no relevance or importance to the plot. If this read wasn’t for my book club, I would have DNF’d at page 30.

Previous owner's notations are crazy..
"Stan's wing was never clipped. He could always have flown away" Notation: Bird was free to go, but wants to stay

Not bad

Very boring they did this then they did this no plot so boring stupid characters

Slowing down again now

Liking the character development

Slowly growing on me

The lamb family is pretty cool, their shop sounds cool

Dolly is being a right bitch

Feel bad for fish lamb (the drowned retard), and Sam pickles with his little stump fingers

Getting better, starting to understand characters more.

Poor fish, the drowned retard

Liking the lambs, they have a cool shop

Speeding up a bit, both families living in either half of the house

Pretty slow thus far