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sydms's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
mcribsy13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
open_far's review against another edition
4.0
Wyld says so much through the imagery of Australian landscape and animals, a truthful tale of recovery and finding freedom in self on the land
vague_coffeecup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
greenhej's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book until the end. It left too many unanswered questions. At least for me. That said? The writing is lovely. I like the format of going simultaneously back and forward in time. I get the ending, I think. But what killed the sheep? Who is Lloyd mourning? What happens to Samson? The list goes on...
tildahlia's review against another edition
3.0
For me, Wyld’s book was one of those ones that left me relatively cold while I was actually reading it, but on reflection, I found it very hard to pinpoint any faults.
For me, its highlight was it’s impeccable structure. A+++, Ms Wyld. It is truly the greatest thing about this book and an example of what writing teachers should be pointing students to in order to understand how to balance parallel narratives that slowly unravel and inform each other at precisely the right moments. The book is suspenseful in a subtle way—no gratuitous cliffhangers here—revealing enough to paint the picture but without the ‘look at how clever I’ve been here!’ overreach that befalls many novelists delivering their reveals and the expense of leaving some things to the reader’s imagination.
While I didn’t immediately fall in love with her prose, it is for the most part, very good. There were a few clumsy moments (think: “A fox was being made love to somewhere in the woods and her shrieks cut straight into my room”) but she managed to create authentic, complex characters without resorting to too many ‘Straya cliches.
But, overall I have to say it has still left me pretty meh. The often-confronting content doesn’t make this a pleasant read by any stretch of the imagination, but that has never stopped me from enjoying reading books before (I mean, I loved The End of Alice and it doesn’t get much more dark and creepy than that). For me, this book is the oyster of the book world: I definitely understand why people love it, and can appreciate its quality, but will pass it to someone who will truly enjoy it.
For me, its highlight was it’s impeccable structure. A+++, Ms Wyld. It is truly the greatest thing about this book and an example of what writing teachers should be pointing students to in order to understand how to balance parallel narratives that slowly unravel and inform each other at precisely the right moments. The book is suspenseful in a subtle way—no gratuitous cliffhangers here—revealing enough to paint the picture but without the ‘look at how clever I’ve been here!’ overreach that befalls many novelists delivering their reveals and the expense of leaving some things to the reader’s imagination.
While I didn’t immediately fall in love with her prose, it is for the most part, very good. There were a few clumsy moments (think: “A fox was being made love to somewhere in the woods and her shrieks cut straight into my room”) but she managed to create authentic, complex characters without resorting to too many ‘Straya cliches.
But, overall I have to say it has still left me pretty meh. The often-confronting content doesn’t make this a pleasant read by any stretch of the imagination, but that has never stopped me from enjoying reading books before (I mean, I loved The End of Alice and it doesn’t get much more dark and creepy than that). For me, this book is the oyster of the book world: I definitely understand why people love it, and can appreciate its quality, but will pass it to someone who will truly enjoy it.
charliesolon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jennybpenny's review against another edition
4.0
"Over the other side of the hill, I found a pregnant ewe stuck in the drainage...She was in up to her armpits, and while I wrapped myself around her middle and pulled hard, she shifted only the smallest amount and when I let go the mud sucked her deeper. Her feet had already made holes for themselves and she farted back into them."