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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is well written and engaging. I'm just not a cowboy book kind of person
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a very well written book and I certainly got interested in the characters--so much so that I was motivated to read up on the real events and personalities--the wikipedia entry on [b:Ned Kelly|110090|True History of the Kelly Gang A Novel|Peter Carey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171631392s/110090.jpg|2134852] is quite complete. I'm not so much into books about outlaws, but I bought this on audible for Bill and I to listen to and then we wound up listening to something else.
I liked it OK. Stylistically, it reminded me of Cormac McCarthy some. A little hokey, though. It's told from the point of view of the uneducated [b:Ned Kelly|110090|True History of the Kelly Gang A Novel|Peter Carey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171631392s/110090.jpg|2134852], using his voice and poor grammar, but, somehow, we're supposed to believe that he has these amazing powers of observation and storytelling and had the time and wherewithal to write it all down.
This book took a long time for me to read because at times it can be densely historical but Peter Carey is such a fantastic writer that I was totally engaged even if it wasn't a real page turner (though, by the end it does become so). I deeply cared about Ned Kelly and came to picture his life and family very vividly. I even cried a couple of times. I absolutely loved Ned's very unique voice, I don't think I had ever heard anything like the cadence and vocabulary Peter Carey gave him. He was often very funny and touching. This book is an amazing portrayal of a good person trying to do what is right without ever being sanctimonious, which I think is very hard to do. As well as a very honest portrayal of someone who is considered a folk hero without being grandiose or trying too hard. Ned Kelly really came to life for me, as did the Australian Outback and how brutal and unforgiving life was for those people trying to eek a living out of that land. I thought the themes of the oppression and lack of opportunity for poor people and the often crushing power of the police very timely, actually, which was an interesting surprise. I'm even more impressed by Peter Carey than I already was and have a little bit of a crush on Ned Kelly, tbh.
True history? Perhaps not. But a great story and wonderfully written. Loved it.
