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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
ohhhhh my GOODNESS i wouldve loved this to pieces when i was 10 this wouldve easily eclipsed literally every other dime novel i read at the time. a GIRL! riding wild by herself!! with boys who unabashedly adore her and don't actively look down on her! this wouldve been a DREAM to horse-obsessed little me who was utterly disgusted by the Lack of Girls in dime novels (not counting the actual girls series). but as it is i am 18 now (and i RIDE horses. what) and this was actually. pretty good i mean - i like this author. as dime novel-y as this is, it has a nice/fun tone i enjoyed and i like Norah and Jim and the friends and of course the normal dime novel things happened - adventure! mysterious person! mystery! mixups! a sudden plot twist that slots everything in PERFECTLY! redemption! reunion!!! it was not nearly as cheesy as every other american dime novel ive read soemhow even though it was like Woagh ok WHAT! well then i guess that's a thing. cool.
australian racism is Fascinating. hm. i wiiillll not say that much because i am unqualified to at all i know zilch about australian history but hoo boy. well!... awkward.
mildly intruiged by the circus scene what was ms bruce getting at i feel like im missing half of it. she's definitely more on the Leave Animals Alone side but what,
anyway i am going to go read as much of this series as i can locate online. good luck to me. also an australian told me this is Classic Australian Kid Lit cool i guess i am being educated in the ways of australia now. i have much more productive things to be doing. billabong is such a funny name
australian racism is Fascinating. hm. i wiiillll not say that much because i am unqualified to at all i know zilch about australian history but hoo boy. well!... awkward.
mildly intruiged by the circus scene what was ms bruce getting at i feel like im missing half of it. she's definitely more on the Leave Animals Alone side but what,
anyway i am going to go read as much of this series as i can locate online. good luck to me. also an australian told me this is Classic Australian Kid Lit cool i guess i am being educated in the ways of australia now. i have much more productive things to be doing. billabong is such a funny name
I was probably nine or ten when I first read this book, followed by the rest of the series. I loved them then and enjoyed reading this again. I have most of the rest of the series available and am really looking forward to them.
I read this sort of as the response to a culture prompt, though it reads pretty much like most other 1900s literature. It was still a fun novel and a good story. I really liked the characters.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book started a little slow but after the first 1/3 I got into it more.
Most of the book is Jim & Norah recalling past adventures to Jim's school pals, Wally and Harry.
Then we have a mystery? plot in the last half.
Honestly it gave nostalgic tones of Australian storytelling. If you know country/outback characteristics, this is very reminiscent of the era of sheep and cattle stations with horses, camping and the aura of rural land. Very old Australian terms and quotes too, might confuse younger readers or overseas audiences a little.
There are a few questionable moments that haven't aged well, but it's a historical feature rather than innate cruelty, this doesn't excuse the attitude of the 1900s but it is accurate for the thinking of the time. It's something we can be thankful is changing with time and a warning of how social attitudes can be widely spread and accepted as the norm despite their twisted nature.
Most of the book is Jim & Norah recalling past adventures to Jim's school pals, Wally and Harry.
Then we have a mystery? plot in the last half.
Honestly it gave nostalgic tones of Australian storytelling. If you know country/outback characteristics, this is very reminiscent of the era of sheep and cattle stations with horses, camping and the aura of rural land. Very old Australian terms and quotes too, might confuse younger readers or overseas audiences a little.
There are a few questionable moments that haven't aged well, but it's a historical feature rather than innate cruelty, this doesn't excuse the attitude of the 1900s but it is accurate for the thinking of the time. It's something we can be thankful is changing with time and a warning of how social attitudes can be widely spread and accepted as the norm despite their twisted nature.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder
I really enjoyed this, though some of the language used has not aged well. The characters were all really fun.
I knew nothing about the Billabong series until I saw this title on Girlebooks.com last year. I downloaded & read it with fascination. It's a period piece, all right, but in spite of the outdated attitudes & language, the book rings true in some ways. An interesting if biased way to learn about the Australia of a century ago.
ETA: this book & the other three Billabong titles I've listed are available from Project Gutenberg & Manybooks. Would like to read others in the series but they don't seem to be available in any format.
ETA: this book & the other three Billabong titles I've listed are available from Project Gutenberg & Manybooks. Would like to read others in the series but they don't seem to be available in any format.
I found this book by complete fluke in 1999. I remember walking through the local bookstore with my mum and bugging her to buy it for me as it had illustrations by a guy called John Lennox, and we had pictures by him at home. My bugging worked as I went home with the book and read it.
It wasn't until highschool (2001-2004) that I realised there were others in the series. I read the ones in the school library so many times I'm surprised they didn't fall apart.
When I was in year 9, my mum found a heap in the local second hand bookstore and doled them out to me one book a week to make them last.
Then in 2004, I was doing work experience in my sister's school library and got very excited when I found books in the series that I hadn't seen before. I immediately borrowed them and read them all in the space of a week and a half. I was very upset when I had to return them.
At the end of the school year, I was asked back to help tidy the library up, and as payment I received the books in the series that I didn't own. I walked them all home that afternoon, excited to find homes for them on my bookshelf.
The books may be seen as outdated now, but they still have all the wonder that they had when I was a young teen. I can pick up any book in the series and start reading it. These books bring me so much joy.
It wasn't until highschool (2001-2004) that I realised there were others in the series. I read the ones in the school library so many times I'm surprised they didn't fall apart.
When I was in year 9, my mum found a heap in the local second hand bookstore and doled them out to me one book a week to make them last.
Then in 2004, I was doing work experience in my sister's school library and got very excited when I found books in the series that I hadn't seen before. I immediately borrowed them and read them all in the space of a week and a half. I was very upset when I had to return them.
At the end of the school year, I was asked back to help tidy the library up, and as payment I received the books in the series that I didn't own. I walked them all home that afternoon, excited to find homes for them on my bookshelf.
The books may be seen as outdated now, but they still have all the wonder that they had when I was a young teen. I can pick up any book in the series and start reading it. These books bring me so much joy.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, Cultural appropriation
Despite the latent racism, this is still an enjoyable book. You have to take it in context
A sweet, though dated, colonial Australian story. I lived vicariously through Norah as a child having always wanted my own Bobs to ride off into the bush.