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ciaratheworm's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
Made me very uncomfortable
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual harassment
babblingbooks's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexism, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Sexual violence
Beastialityamotisse's review
4.0
longing, desire, hesitation, growing pains, expectations, human story, bird story, simple and beautiful.
essjay1's review
3.0
I liked the style of the book, with the long passages from Harry about his family of kookaburras and the atypical story arc. It can be overly detailed about practical farm details (although I grew up in the country so perhaps someone who has no idea how a dairy farm runs might find this useful background information). But this kind of adds to the charm of the book - a book about desire, about ordinary people. Probably 3.5 stars is a fairer rating for me, although I am sure the judges of the Stella prize would disagree!
macfarla's review
3.0
An interesting combination of a story of rural Australian life with poems, technical farming language, birdwatching, and the reality of birds and bees events on the farm.
ori_gina_lity's review against another edition
2.0
Mateship with Birds centers on Harry, a dairy farmer in rural Australia, and the awkward, yet tender, relationships he has with his neighbor Betty and her children. Depicting a mis-fit bunch and their experiences with love and lust in the 1950s, Tiffany brings to life the small farm and nature’s wonders in her sophomore novel.
I really wanted to like Mateship with Birds. At first I found myself enjoying the clarity and matter-a-fact style of the novel, and then a few pages later I’d be cringing at the abrupt, disjointed narrative. Tiffany had me bouncing between these two reactions until it’s bitter sweet end and I’m still not sure if I want to shake her or thank her for it. It’s a short novel but it’s content is by no means easy reading - graphic moments appeared often and I felt like it was for shock value more than anything else. I get the message and I appreciate what Tiffany’s trying to convey but mostly it made me uncomfortable. The connection between Harry’s diary entries with the kookaburras was admirable but again, it failed to bring everything together.
It’s been a few days since I finished reading and my concluding thoughts still aren’t neatly wrapped up…. I may not have loved this book on a whole but I was compelled to follow through and see these mis-fits to their end. 3/5 stars
I really wanted to like Mateship with Birds. At first I found myself enjoying the clarity and matter-a-fact style of the novel, and then a few pages later I’d be cringing at the abrupt, disjointed narrative. Tiffany had me bouncing between these two reactions until it’s bitter sweet end and I’m still not sure if I want to shake her or thank her for it. It’s a short novel but it’s content is by no means easy reading - graphic moments appeared often and I felt like it was for shock value more than anything else. I get the message and I appreciate what Tiffany’s trying to convey but mostly it made me uncomfortable. The connection between Harry’s diary entries with the kookaburras was admirable but again, it failed to bring everything together.
It’s been a few days since I finished reading and my concluding thoughts still aren’t neatly wrapped up…. I may not have loved this book on a whole but I was compelled to follow through and see these mis-fits to their end. 3/5 stars
margaret21's review against another edition
2.0
I'm struggling to rate this book. There is much to be savoured. Lonely farmer Harry's loving and detailed accounts of the kookaburras he can see from his home. The odd, dependent relationship he has with neighbour Betty and her two children. Lonely childhoods. Sex, actual and imagined.
Somehow however, for me the story never gets off the ground. I love Tiffany's descriptive powers, her rich use of vocabulary. I may read more of her work. But this one? I shan't open it again.
Somehow however, for me the story never gets off the ground. I love Tiffany's descriptive powers, her rich use of vocabulary. I may read more of her work. But this one? I shan't open it again.
cupkate147's review
2.0
beautiful writing but it just went nowhere. i love character studies, but this one was trying too hard to be clever and controversial. boring
limeywesty's review
4.0
Deserving winner of the Stella Prize. Congratulations Carrie for your role model victory and on writing an intricate and aware novel of desire, birds and country Victoria.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
I was enjoying the different types of text included as well as the ornithological angle. But I got too tired and icked out by Harry’s communications with Michael about sex.