Reviews

All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton

zozosbooks's review against another edition

2.0

Sad because I wanted this to be as good as Boy Swallows Universe but it ended up just feeling like a book that was written by that kid in highschool that talks like they’re on broadway all the time

ebonykriewaldt's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

marandi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

dbrhplcd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

I can't tell if I loved the narration style or if I thought it was a self-indulgent pretentious pseudo-deep drawl

It felt like a very long way to tell us "maybe the real treasure is the friends we met along the way ❤️"

Still – couldn't put this one down

I enjoyed the simplicity and repetition of the voice, it suited Molly the protagonist very well. Also the descriptions of the Top End landscape !!!!! stunning !!!!!

Minor issue with Yukio's characterisation. Were the ellipses between all his words necessary? Felt like a bad stereotype honestly.

kat7890erina's review against another edition

5.0

Just like Boy Swallows Universe, All Our Shimmering Skies gets off to a slow start. Stick with it.

stelhan's review against another edition

5.0

A brilliant ode to my greatest love - Australia

nicolemctye's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

taryncharlotte's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.5

cnolz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

Adventure & magic. Heartbreaking and hopeful. Trent Dalton 🙏🏼

seclement's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful sad slow-paced

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

2.5

After having read 2 Trent Dalton books that I loved, I was pretty disappointed in this. It had a lot of Australian stereotypes in it, which isn't necessarily unique for him, but it really didn't land for me this time, especially with the Aboriginal characters and the Japanese pilot who drops from the sky. There's the usual mix of magic and reality, and the young, naive central character, which you see in his other books. But when you combine it with WWII Australia (and the Australian mythos around what it was like then), a mix of stereotypical characters who were difficult to connect to, and an account of Australian landscapes seemingly written by someone who doesn't seem to have spent much time there; I just struggled to even get through the story. Although the stereotypes might have aligned with the time at which the story takes place, he doesn't really nail the narrative to make that work. I have said a few times that I think Dalton is one of Australia's best modern fiction authors, but I think I have to put a caveat on that now to say he is at his best when he writes more in line with his own experience, with characters who have tough lives and weird, wonderful, and sometimes tragic coping methods, in Australian cities and suburbs. This book had its moments, but don't start here if you are new to his work. 

Also, this was far longer than it needed to be, given the story 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and War