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hcube3's review against another edition
5.0
I've read this in excerpts before and not gotten it, but I'm so glad I stuck out for the whole thing. You need the prolonged exposure to acclimate to the logic. It's dreamlike, hallucinatory and oppressive, until the ending lands and I'm weeping in a public place.
geekberry's review against another edition
4.0
Listening to this as an audiobook was a bit like a dream. The story would fade in and out of focus. And when the story came back into focus, you'd always find yourself somewhere unexpected. A really interesting experience.
bookswithtessa's review against another edition
2.0
“If you leave here, you know what is going to happen don’t you? People are going to stop and stare at you the very instant they see the colour of your skin, and they will say: She is one of those wild Aboriginals from up North, a terrorist; they will say you are one of those faces kept in the Federal Government’s Book of Suspects."
It is a book that shows us the gloomy future of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It was a difficult reading experience as there are many descriptions and not so many events that move the plot. The main character is Oblivia and she doesn`t speak as the result of being gang-raped as a child. We follow her thoughts and all the things that are going on in her head. And there are a lot!!! She lives inside her head and we see all the thoughts and dialogues that take place in her head. Sometimes I couldn`t understand whether it is happening for real or if it is all in her head.
At first, I didn`t enjoy reading this at all but the second part of the book got better. There are a lot of descriptions and symbolism, so if you are not into it, I wouldn`t recommend reading this book.
However, if you know the background of the novel and why it was written (anti-Intervention) it is quite an interesting read. The book shows that the Intervention is still in progress and the military controls the lives of Aboriginal people.
2 stars
It is a book that shows us the gloomy future of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It was a difficult reading experience as there are many descriptions and not so many events that move the plot. The main character is Oblivia and she doesn`t speak as the result of being gang-raped as a child. We follow her thoughts and all the things that are going on in her head. And there are a lot!!! She lives inside her head and we see all the thoughts and dialogues that take place in her head. Sometimes I couldn`t understand whether it is happening for real or if it is all in her head.
At first, I didn`t enjoy reading this at all but the second part of the book got better. There are a lot of descriptions and symbolism, so if you are not into it, I wouldn`t recommend reading this book.
However, if you know the background of the novel and why it was written (anti-Intervention) it is quite an interesting read. The book shows that the Intervention is still in progress and the military controls the lives of Aboriginal people.
2 stars
heatherpitts's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I don’t understand this book.
I gave up on it halfway a few years ago and decided to try again. The blurb tells you essentially exactly what happens in the story, but I don’t feel like I gained much extra from actually reading the whole book, except some beautiful poetic descriptions of a hot world, getting hotter and more desperate.
It’s pretty weird.
I gave up on it halfway a few years ago and decided to try again. The blurb tells you essentially exactly what happens in the story, but I don’t feel like I gained much extra from actually reading the whole book, except some beautiful poetic descriptions of a hot world, getting hotter and more desperate.
It’s pretty weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Colonisation
_inge_'s review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
moonshinealmanac's review against another edition
2.0
The Swan Book has some moments of insightful commentary on the treatment of Aboriginal people and the disastrous effects of climate change on Australia, but I found the metaphors too heavy-handed and the plot too disjointed to be enjoyable. Maybe that's the point - but I had to keep forcing myself to pick it up, so I don't think this was the book for me.
nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition
4.0
When I just began this book I read a review here that said “This is one of those books that teaches you how to read them, and I am a slow learner.” I am so glad I stumbled across that perfectly-said line, because the slow way this one unfolds and the rhythm it takes is very special, even if its form is challenging.
This book is unlike anything I have read before: it’s a legend, an epic, a ghost story, a call home, a love letter to the possibility of a nation, and a ironic critique to nationalism. Maybe most of all, it’s a warning to be careful with one another. This is the first book I have ever read with an Aboriginal protagonist (or any Aboriginal characters at all, I’m ashamed to say), and what a brilliant glimpse into a multi-faceted existence.
This book is unlike anything I have read before: it’s a legend, an epic, a ghost story, a call home, a love letter to the possibility of a nation, and a ironic critique to nationalism. Maybe most of all, it’s a warning to be careful with one another. This is the first book I have ever read with an Aboriginal protagonist (or any Aboriginal characters at all, I’m ashamed to say), and what a brilliant glimpse into a multi-faceted existence.
thiefofcamorr's review against another edition
4.0
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
gitli57's review against another edition
5.0
This is simply a necessary work of post-colonial speculative fiction by a brilliant Indigenous writer.