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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Like its main character, this book has very few redeeming qualities. A dull, constant stream of laments and fretful bellyaching, with little plot and nastily executed stereotypical characters.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a frustrating ending! This would have been a decent four-star book if not for that! From the beginning, Sybylla is headstrong and at odds with the patriarchal world around her, and while I wouldn't want her passion to be tempered for a moment, there ought to be some allowance for character growth. And if you're writing a romantic arc the entire book, denying the audience this is cruel! Particularly when the man in question is so kind and endearing!
Nonetheless, the book is still a unique look at Australian life in the 19th century, so I won't be surprised if I revisit it later, I'm very interested in writing Australian historical fiction. One of my favourite passages was during Sybylla's stint as a governess, for she decides to try corporal punishment on the children with a switch. It's a standout moment in the book, for the rest of it has aged quite well, but I thought it fantastic because it really gave Sybylla a cruel edge. I don't think many writers would have the guts to make their protagonist do something so despicable, and Miles Franklin certainly does not think this is unreasonable, for she makes no attempt at apology. Also worth noting I did like a lot of the prose; and I am a sucker for the formality of Victorian dialogue. It's so interesting.
I have mixed feelings, but I'm glad I read it. I'd be open to reading the sequel but from the look of the wikipedia page, it seems to be a bit of a mess.
Nonetheless, the book is still a unique look at Australian life in the 19th century, so I won't be surprised if I revisit it later, I'm very interested in writing Australian historical fiction. One of my favourite passages was during Sybylla's stint as a governess, for she decides to try corporal punishment on the children with a switch. It's a standout moment in the book, for the rest of it has aged quite well, but I thought it fantastic because it really gave Sybylla a cruel edge. I don't think many writers would have the guts to make their protagonist do something so despicable, and Miles Franklin certainly does not think this is unreasonable, for she makes no attempt at apology. Also worth noting I did like a lot of the prose; and I am a sucker for the formality of Victorian dialogue. It's so interesting.
I have mixed feelings, but I'm glad I read it. I'd be open to reading the sequel but from the look of the wikipedia page, it seems to be a bit of a mess.
My Brilliant Career is sort of what would happen if Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and the Australian outback and first-wave feminism had a baby.
Miles Franklin, though. Stella Marie Sarah Miles Franklin. She struggled for so long to get this book published - it was a success of sorts in the end, but she was so sick of it, she took it off the market and wanted it published again only after she died.
I wasn't ready to warm to this book - it's quite thick, and I had to read it for a course. But I loved it. It grew on me. Sybylla is a headstrong heroine who can be a little bit irritating, but after a while, I had only absolute affection towards her.
This book, written when Franklin was only a teenager, is a beautiful masterpiece. It's full of early feminist thought and ideas, and although I don't like all the parts of the book, together, as a whole, I love it.
I love the descriptions of the landscape, the stark sunrises, the ring-barked trees.
This book, in all its humble existence, is one of the unsung heroes of early Australian literature and feminism. I'll continue to be its champion till the day I die.
Doesn't matter if you don't love this book, Stella Marie Miles Franklin, because I do.
Miles Franklin, though. Stella Marie Sarah Miles Franklin. She struggled for so long to get this book published - it was a success of sorts in the end, but she was so sick of it, she took it off the market and wanted it published again only after she died.
I wasn't ready to warm to this book - it's quite thick, and I had to read it for a course. But I loved it. It grew on me. Sybylla is a headstrong heroine who can be a little bit irritating, but after a while, I had only absolute affection towards her.
This book, written when Franklin was only a teenager, is a beautiful masterpiece. It's full of early feminist thought and ideas, and although I don't like all the parts of the book, together, as a whole, I love it.
I love the descriptions of the landscape, the stark sunrises, the ring-barked trees.
This book, in all its humble existence, is one of the unsung heroes of early Australian literature and feminism. I'll continue to be its champion till the day I die.
Doesn't matter if you don't love this book, Stella Marie Miles Franklin, because I do.
“life itself is anything beyond a heartless little chimera- it is as real in its weariness and bitter heartache”
I read this book for university and at first, I wasn't that into it but it grew on me a lot as it went on, and I particularly enjoyed the middle section. This is Jane Eyre meets Pride and Prejudice in the Australian bush. Except, Miles Franklin is kind of critical of Jane Eyre and wants to subvert your expectations of romance and the romance genre.
Lots of people seem not to like Sybylla but I did. She's got a lot of flaws and the way she constantly changed her mind frustrated me, but I liked her strength of character. I also liked what Franklin did with her character at the end - it's what I constantly whine about saying Jane Eyre should have been and it's nice to actually see that, happen. Harold Beecham, the love interest, was also actually genuinely sweet which is kind of crazy for a classic.
Franklin also has beautiful writing, the descriptions of the Australian bush were vivid and the emotional language she used allowed you to enter these characters minds with ease.
Overall I really enjoyed this, I could actually see myself rereading it in the future which isn't always the case with classics.
I don't want to pre-empt my book club (where I'll be discussing this book shortly) but I managed to overcome my hatred of Australian rural settings by considering this an antipodean [b:Jane Eyre|10210|Jane Eyre|Charlotte Brontë|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327867269s/10210.jpg|2977639] or [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320399351s/1885.jpg|3060926]. But I found the ending of the book quite abrupt and unsatisfying.
I'll come back to this review.
I'll come back to this review.