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reddresspress's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
4.0
A really witty and fun story of Australian whaling in the early 1900s
hannah_greendale's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
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It is 1908, and nineteen-year-old Mary Davidson must care for her siblings in the wake of her mother's death and support her father's rowdy whaling crew in the midst of the bleakest whaling season in the history of New South Wales. When a mysterious and handsome stranger arrives to join her father's crew, Mary must also navigate the tumultuous desires of her heart.
Rush Oh! gives a well-researched, fascinating account of whaling practices in the port town of Eden, off the coast of Australia. From the 1840s to the 1930s, pods of Killer whales assisted hunters by herding whales into the bay and bullying them into position for men to make a killing blow. In exchange for their aid, hunters gave the Killer whales first shot at feeding off the body while it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Twenty-four hours later, once the carcass had bloated with gas and risen to the surface, the men rowed out and collected the body, towing it back inland to dismember for profit.
The inexperienced oarsmen reared back; their instinct was to flee, but unable to flee, they froze and stared at the sight before them. It was difficult to make sense of what they were seeing. It was huge, unmistakably, though most of its mass was concealed underwater; gray-black in color with a flat broad back. [. . .] It's vast coal-scuttle mouth curved downwards, and at one end of this a tiny eye, rheumy like an old man's, gazed up at them. It was grotesque and prehistoric in appearance, yet not unfriendly.
In terms of story, Rush Oh! delicately balances feminine woes with masculine pursuits, as its divided evenly between Mary's interest in the enigmatic John Beck and tales of her father's crew braving the open sea to hunt for whales.
Every whale hunt evokes a rush of excitement and the thrill of anticipation. These perilous pursuits are rendered with heart-stopping detail. One cannot help but cheer the hunters on, knowing full well their dire need for a good catch.
I awoke suddenly to hear a distant but determined smack! It was a Killer whale flop-tailing, surely? Smack! There it was again, and no doubt about it this time. I jumped out of bed and hurried out to the veranda - my father was running stiff-legged down to the sleeping huts, shouting, "Rush oh! Get up, boys! Rush oh!"
But the hunts also elicit a sense of being conflicted. As the whales thrash and fight for their lives, one cannot hope but wish for the magnificent creatures to break free and return to the safe depths of the ocean.
Nonetheless, this book is charming and unexpectedly funny:
He had none of the dismal, barnacled gray of the humpback: no, he was a portly and dapper fish in white tie and dinner jacket. How homely and dull humpbacks were in comparison, I thought to myself. [. . .] Sometimes, at night, when we heard the anguished cow-like moan of the humpback, my sister Louisa would say: "Listen! A humpback has just seen it's own reflection," which set the younger one's giggling.
Rush Oh! was penned in the modern age but reads like a classic.
Whenever I think of this story, I can almost see my father standing there atop the dead whale, a lean and wiry figure, yet somehow heroic with his bloody hand and his marker buoys and boathook, the sun setting behind him and the Killer whales circling and calling to one another with their high pitched twittering.
It is 1908, and nineteen-year-old Mary Davidson must care for her siblings in the wake of her mother's death and support her father's rowdy whaling crew in the midst of the bleakest whaling season in the history of New South Wales. When a mysterious and handsome stranger arrives to join her father's crew, Mary must also navigate the tumultuous desires of her heart.
Rush Oh! gives a well-researched, fascinating account of whaling practices in the port town of Eden, off the coast of Australia. From the 1840s to the 1930s, pods of Killer whales assisted hunters by herding whales into the bay and bullying them into position for men to make a killing blow. In exchange for their aid, hunters gave the Killer whales first shot at feeding off the body while it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Twenty-four hours later, once the carcass had bloated with gas and risen to the surface, the men rowed out and collected the body, towing it back inland to dismember for profit.
The inexperienced oarsmen reared back; their instinct was to flee, but unable to flee, they froze and stared at the sight before them. It was difficult to make sense of what they were seeing. It was huge, unmistakably, though most of its mass was concealed underwater; gray-black in color with a flat broad back. [. . .] It's vast coal-scuttle mouth curved downwards, and at one end of this a tiny eye, rheumy like an old man's, gazed up at them. It was grotesque and prehistoric in appearance, yet not unfriendly.
In terms of story, Rush Oh! delicately balances feminine woes with masculine pursuits, as its divided evenly between Mary's interest in the enigmatic John Beck and tales of her father's crew braving the open sea to hunt for whales.
Every whale hunt evokes a rush of excitement and the thrill of anticipation. These perilous pursuits are rendered with heart-stopping detail. One cannot help but cheer the hunters on, knowing full well their dire need for a good catch.
I awoke suddenly to hear a distant but determined smack! It was a Killer whale flop-tailing, surely? Smack! There it was again, and no doubt about it this time. I jumped out of bed and hurried out to the veranda - my father was running stiff-legged down to the sleeping huts, shouting, "Rush oh! Get up, boys! Rush oh!"
But the hunts also elicit a sense of being conflicted. As the whales thrash and fight for their lives, one cannot hope but wish for the magnificent creatures to break free and return to the safe depths of the ocean.
Nonetheless, this book is charming and unexpectedly funny:
He had none of the dismal, barnacled gray of the humpback: no, he was a portly and dapper fish in white tie and dinner jacket. How homely and dull humpbacks were in comparison, I thought to myself. [. . .] Sometimes, at night, when we heard the anguished cow-like moan of the humpback, my sister Louisa would say: "Listen! A humpback has just seen it's own reflection," which set the younger one's giggling.
Rush Oh! was penned in the modern age but reads like a classic.
Whenever I think of this story, I can almost see my father standing there atop the dead whale, a lean and wiry figure, yet somehow heroic with his bloody hand and his marker buoys and boathook, the sun setting behind him and the Killer whales circling and calling to one another with their high pitched twittering.
krobart's review against another edition
5.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/day-961-rush-oh/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/day-961-rush-oh/
jwrosenberg69's review against another edition
4.0
Never thought I'd enjoy a book centered on whaling based in the early 1900's in a small town in Australia, but I did.
lisawreading's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I never would have guessed that a novel about whaling in Australia in 1908 would make my list of favorites, but Rush Oh! absolutely does.
The book has an almost Austen-esque feel at times, as narrator Mary takes us through the ups and downs of her family fortune, and with a serious tone explains the local chatter and gossip and her own talents and attractions, not necessarily without some heaping teaspoons of self-interest and self-deception along the way.
The tales of the whaling crews' adventures are harrowing and humorous, and it's fascinating to read in the author's notes that the Davidson family really existed. Even more amazing is the story of the Killers, the orcas who participated in the whale hunts almost like a pack of border collies herding sheep, helping the whale crews chase and corral the humpback and other lucrative whales that wandered into the bay.
I realize this may sound like an odd subject for a 21st century novel, but trust me -- it's such a great read, and so worth the time! I read it all in one day, and only wish that I'd slowed down and savored it a bit more along the way.
The book has an almost Austen-esque feel at times, as narrator Mary takes us through the ups and downs of her family fortune, and with a serious tone explains the local chatter and gossip and her own talents and attractions, not necessarily without some heaping teaspoons of self-interest and self-deception along the way.
The tales of the whaling crews' adventures are harrowing and humorous, and it's fascinating to read in the author's notes that the Davidson family really existed. Even more amazing is the story of the Killers, the orcas who participated in the whale hunts almost like a pack of border collies herding sheep, helping the whale crews chase and corral the humpback and other lucrative whales that wandered into the bay.
I realize this may sound like an odd subject for a 21st century novel, but trust me -- it's such a great read, and so worth the time! I read it all in one day, and only wish that I'd slowed down and savored it a bit more along the way.
secreteeyore's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I have read in quite some time. So humorous I laughed out loud often, and about a subject I had little knowledge about. I will be recommending this frequently.
camilleisreading24's review against another edition
4.0
This little gem of a book was a lovely surprise. The setting is 1908 Australia— in a small village in SE Australia, the Davidson family’s livelihood revolves around the whaling season. Mary Davidson recounts the whaling season of 1908, which was formative in her life for several reasons. That season was unusually hard and whales were scarce. That was also the season when the former Methodist minister, John Beck, joined the whaling crew and captured Mary’s heart. By turns romantic and funny, nostalgic and frankly gross (lots of descriptions of rendering whale oil), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about whaling and living in rural Australia in the early 20th century. It was interesting to contrast this book with the other novels I’ve read that are set in Australia in this time period (see Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Light Between Oceans). I would definitely recommend this lovely book!
Note on killer whales-
I had no clue that this was a thing! The killer whales were essential to the whalers; it was the killers who helped round up a larger whale and bring it into harpoon range. When the whale was dead, the killers got to feed on it first, and then the whalers would haul in the carcass for rendering and trying the blubber and oil. Without the killers, the whalers has almost no hope of capturing a whale.
Note on killer whales-
I had no clue that this was a thing! The killer whales were essential to the whalers; it was the killers who helped round up a larger whale and bring it into harpoon range. When the whale was dead, the killers got to feed on it first, and then the whalers would haul in the carcass for rendering and trying the blubber and oil. Without the killers, the whalers has almost no hope of capturing a whale.
desterman's review against another edition
3.0
Shirley Barrett’s 2016 novel Rush Oh! combines fiction and non-fiction in the story of the Davidson family. While based on aspects of the life of master whaler George Davidson and his relationship with a pod of killer whales or orcas, much of this story has been fictionalised. The novel is mostly set in 1908 and is narrated by Mary, the eldest of the Davidson children. Her mother has been dead for several years and Mary oversees running the home, especially during the whaling season, as her father owns the local whaling station at Eden on the southeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. Mary is not only responsible for her younger siblings, but also preparing meals for the whaling crew, often with what she can garner from local animal traps and the garden, and limited provisions she is allowed on credit from the local grocer. Whilst the novel shifts between anecdotes from the past and flash forwards to what eventually becomes of the Davidson siblings, the story focuses on one whaling season. Everyone is nervous as the previous year’s was a failure with very few whales captured. The arrival of a new crew member in self-proclaimed former Methodist minister John Beck also arouses Mary’s interest and gets her thinking about her own future.
The novel takes us inside the life of the family and the crew, surveying what happens at home and on the water. The men search from the shore for any sign of whales and await the cry of ‘Rush Oh!’ when a whale is spotted offshore, causing the crews to dash to their boats to follow, no matter how rough the conditions. There is much drama on the ocean as the behaviour of the whales is unpredictable, as is that of the pod of killer whales – leader Tom, Hooky, Humpy, Jackson and Typee – who assist the whalers in trapping and killing the whales, only wanting the tongues and lips from the carcasses to eat. Much of this is based on historical documents that Barrett weaves into the story and gives as an afterward at the end. Likewise, as a coming-of-age story, we gain an understanding of Mary and her quest to forge her own identity while trying to be all things to all people.
The most exciting and confronting aspects of the novel is the violence towards the poor whales, particularly if you consider how we view the slaughter of whales now. That said, Barrett captures this experience through her imagery and the second-hand narrative point of view of Mary, in a way that makes us empathise with both the whales and the whalers themselves as they fight for both financial and physical survival. The moral complexities of this are heightened by the seemingly gleeful involvement of the orcas and their role in the killing. There is much here about nature’s interdependence and our shared animalistic tendencies. What is also explored is our unthinking, unbridled destruction of nature and how robbed we feel when we lose to it in battle.
Mary is an interesting narrator for her ability to offer a female perspective of a very male dominated time and domain. She has such a strong moral core and sense of loyalty to those around her that often sees her get into difficult situations, particularly in relation to her father and Beck. She speaks to us with a great deal of warmth and humour, but also melancholy. While Mary’s voice and characterisation is consistent, there are aspects of the telling of the narrative that aren’t. It’s unclear whether Mary is telling us things she has heard or imagined in terms of conversations and situations to which she was never privy. This could have been more carefully sorted out in the editing process.
Much of the novel meanders along rather than following any clear narrative structure. While there are exciting scenes in the story, it’s more like a memoir – a simple retelling of a life story. Perhaps that was Barrett’s intention, but it all falls a little flat.
The novel takes us inside the life of the family and the crew, surveying what happens at home and on the water. The men search from the shore for any sign of whales and await the cry of ‘Rush Oh!’ when a whale is spotted offshore, causing the crews to dash to their boats to follow, no matter how rough the conditions. There is much drama on the ocean as the behaviour of the whales is unpredictable, as is that of the pod of killer whales – leader Tom, Hooky, Humpy, Jackson and Typee – who assist the whalers in trapping and killing the whales, only wanting the tongues and lips from the carcasses to eat. Much of this is based on historical documents that Barrett weaves into the story and gives as an afterward at the end. Likewise, as a coming-of-age story, we gain an understanding of Mary and her quest to forge her own identity while trying to be all things to all people.
The most exciting and confronting aspects of the novel is the violence towards the poor whales, particularly if you consider how we view the slaughter of whales now. That said, Barrett captures this experience through her imagery and the second-hand narrative point of view of Mary, in a way that makes us empathise with both the whales and the whalers themselves as they fight for both financial and physical survival. The moral complexities of this are heightened by the seemingly gleeful involvement of the orcas and their role in the killing. There is much here about nature’s interdependence and our shared animalistic tendencies. What is also explored is our unthinking, unbridled destruction of nature and how robbed we feel when we lose to it in battle.
Mary is an interesting narrator for her ability to offer a female perspective of a very male dominated time and domain. She has such a strong moral core and sense of loyalty to those around her that often sees her get into difficult situations, particularly in relation to her father and Beck. She speaks to us with a great deal of warmth and humour, but also melancholy. While Mary’s voice and characterisation is consistent, there are aspects of the telling of the narrative that aren’t. It’s unclear whether Mary is telling us things she has heard or imagined in terms of conversations and situations to which she was never privy. This could have been more carefully sorted out in the editing process.
Much of the novel meanders along rather than following any clear narrative structure. While there are exciting scenes in the story, it’s more like a memoir – a simple retelling of a life story. Perhaps that was Barrett’s intention, but it all falls a little flat.
evenormandinc's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0