Reviews

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

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laurasauras's review against another edition

2.0

I don't really understand why this is an Aussie classic. The writing was good and the characters were varied, but it was just really dull slice of life and none of the characters were likeable enough for me to enjoy spending time with them.

The reveal that

Spoiler

the narrative pov is actually not 3rd person but is Fish gaining some kind of omniscience in the seconds before he dies

wasn't a surprise or necessary, and the implications are kind of horrifying if you think about it.

Spoiler

Like, the character with brain damage that reverted him to the intelligence of a three-year-old either had a level of adult awareness the whole time (literally nightmare stuff) or it's just, I don't know, magic. And it is magic, because he is able to narrate everything that happens with everyone, inside and out of the house. But that in itself is horrifying, because what a traumatic last few seconds of life, to be forced inside the heads of everyone around you. Especially Quick, who Fish adores, but who is probably the most uneasy with him. Quick hides that really well for the most part, but Fish gets access to his interiority and learns the truth. Fucking yikes.

Part of me wishes that I'd studied this at school or university so that I could have heard all the ways teachers teach it. The symbolism was pretty heavy-handed at times, but maybe if I'd thought about the themes more, I would have gotten some appreciation for them? I have considered looking into it independently, but I can't really justify spending more mental energy on this book.

I don't know, there were very few moments where I enjoyed the story. I think if I'd been reading it physically, I would have given it up. As it was, audiobooks are a lot easier to stick with, even if the runtime is so long.

jaby89's review against another edition

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I could not get into the story or the characters with the style of writing. The most boring book I’ve ever read.

patkay85's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition

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5.0

Tim Winton's masterpiece. I've read a number of his books but had never gone back to this major piece of work, a family saga soaked with river water and sun. It's amazing, written in the vernacular, through streams of consciousness that let you live in the characters rather than just see them from the outside. I didn't want it to end, I didn't want to leave, and I want to go and find Cloud Street, even though I know it doesn't exist - not anymore anyway.