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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
[b:Cloudstreet|343881|Cloudstreet|Tim Winton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441969972l/343881._SX50_.jpg|1154594]
Story of 2 poor families that are opposite of each other sharing an old mansion split int 2 halves by a tin wall. One family consists of The Pickles: Gambling Dad, Drunk/Promiscuous Mom, a daughter, and 2 sons - not a farthing to their name but the title of the mansion. The other family, The Lambs: Dad and Mom who start a business out of their half of the house paying rent to The Pickles and their 3 boys and 3 girls - all full of laughter and fun. Neither is all good nor is all bad. Just Us. I will miss them.
Story of 2 poor families that are opposite of each other sharing an old mansion split int 2 halves by a tin wall. One family consists of The Pickles: Gambling Dad, Drunk/Promiscuous Mom, a daughter, and 2 sons - not a farthing to their name but the title of the mansion. The other family, The Lambs: Dad and Mom who start a business out of their half of the house paying rent to The Pickles and their 3 boys and 3 girls - all full of laughter and fun. Neither is all good nor is all bad. Just Us. I will miss them.
Great and epic story of two families who collide in rural Australia.
It ventures a little off the beaten path with some wide thrown spiritual symbolism, but for the most part it is a great tale of family, adventure, suffering, love, and interesting characters.
I def recommend it!
It ventures a little off the beaten path with some wide thrown spiritual symbolism, but for the most part it is a great tale of family, adventure, suffering, love, and interesting characters.
I def recommend it!
Strange and brilliant. Perth family epic based on magical tall tales but saved from the twee bunkum that goes with typical magical realism by being rooted in joyous Aussie mickey taking vernacular. Bonza.
An absolute classic for a reason, this story will keep you wrapped up until the end. And even then, an end is just another sort of beginning.
So many people loved this book, rave reviews. It didn't get to me. So much sadness through the book. Just when there was a light in someone's life, disaster would hit. It was exhausting. I found the writing, while it had its moments, disjointed, events just happened then resolved. I never felt a narrative, I never knew why things happened.
His writing has moments of great beauty, and there are clearly motifs that tie the novel together by the end. I just never felt like I knew what was going on or really cared sometimes, quite frankly.
His writing has moments of great beauty, and there are clearly motifs that tie the novel together by the end. I just never felt like I knew what was going on or really cared sometimes, quite frankly.
i am no review writer but i feel i should review this one.
i wish i could give this 3.5 but limitations of the app. i love the fragmentary feel, it gives you the feeling of looking into a kaleidoscope. i thought each of the more important characters were very well developed, especially Rose! i would loved to have seen a bit more about the siblings: Chub/Ted/Lon/Red/Hat/Elaine (probably missed one) but i recognise that they weren't significant characters.
there were some rather illusive descriptions and short paragraphs/chapters of purely descriptive quality. admittedly i felt that was rather pretentious and didn't serve much purpose for the feeling gained from the book nor the plot. this, in combination to the otherworldly "blackman" who seems half-spirit, half-vagrant, added virtually nothing to the story. for its time i suppose it's common for white writers to have (1) no idea how to write black people; (2) what a black person is; (3) a removed manner of writing about them. it isn't lost on me that this "blackman" is a nameless, suspicious, mysterious entity within the book. while acceptable for the time, i genuinely think he added nothing to the plot.
Fish dying at the end was so weird in my opinion. again, it added nothing to the plot, and it felt lazy that he drowned when Rose finally learns to accept her family. of course, there's the foreshadowing and "the water" is a reoccurring theme throughout the text. however, it feels a clumsy and lazy ending to have Fish die after he was repeatedly referred to as the "[r-slur] kid" for the entire text and didn't have much character progression or development. this, again, is an unthinking and stereotypical characterisation of disabled and mentally ill people. his death at the end may feel inevitable, in that Winton isn't bothered enough to even allow Fish's piano skills to progress, let alone develop as a character, so his only option is to die.
i felt the plot otherwise was thick with material and deeply interesting. i loved to see Dolly progress, Rose finally accept her father, Oriel learn to love the two families living together, and watch them all fumble at life and make mistakes. this book is a reminder that even the kindest people do unthinkable things. Mr Lamb's cheating plot line was a bit unusual, and it's a shame little came of it other than the Beryl leaving their home and becoming a nun. but i think it protrays what 'really happens' effectively. that partners don't always find out, and if they do, some forgive. the perpetrator carries the stain either way.
i wish i could give this 3.5 but limitations of the app. i love the fragmentary feel, it gives you the feeling of looking into a kaleidoscope. i thought each of the more important characters were very well developed, especially Rose! i would loved to have seen a bit more about the siblings: Chub/Ted/Lon/Red/Hat/Elaine (probably missed one) but i recognise that they weren't significant characters.
there were some rather illusive descriptions and short paragraphs/chapters of purely descriptive quality. admittedly i felt that was rather pretentious and didn't serve much purpose for the feeling gained from the book nor the plot. this, in combination to the otherworldly "blackman" who seems half-spirit, half-vagrant, added virtually nothing to the story. for its time i suppose it's common for white writers to have (1) no idea how to write black people; (2) what a black person is; (3) a removed manner of writing about them. it isn't lost on me that this "blackman" is a nameless, suspicious, mysterious entity within the book. while acceptable for the time, i genuinely think he added nothing to the plot.
Fish dying at the end was so weird in my opinion. again, it added nothing to the plot, and it felt lazy that he drowned when Rose finally learns to accept her family. of course, there's the foreshadowing and "the water" is a reoccurring theme throughout the text. however, it feels a clumsy and lazy ending to have Fish die after he was repeatedly referred to as the "[r-slur] kid" for the entire text and didn't have much character progression or development. this, again, is an unthinking and stereotypical characterisation of disabled and mentally ill people. his death at the end may feel inevitable, in that Winton isn't bothered enough to even allow Fish's piano skills to progress, let alone develop as a character, so his only option is to die.
i felt the plot otherwise was thick with material and deeply interesting. i loved to see Dolly progress, Rose finally accept her father, Oriel learn to love the two families living together, and watch them all fumble at life and make mistakes. this book is a reminder that even the kindest people do unthinkable things. Mr Lamb's cheating plot line was a bit unusual, and it's a shame little came of it other than the Beryl leaving their home and becoming a nun. but i think it protrays what 'really happens' effectively. that partners don't always find out, and if they do, some forgive. the perpetrator carries the stain either way.
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I did not like this at all! I wanted to read it cos it's a modern Australian Classic, and was recently voted the top Aussie book to read before you die. Nup - not for me!!!!!
No real plot, but engaging story about the lives of two families living at One Cloudstreet in Australia.