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shaerikireads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
georgiarybanks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
carleesi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Heart wrenching, poetic, emotional, painful, soft. This book reads like a steadily flowing River, such beautiful prose that it often disguises the sharp rock that’s around the next bend.
This story is moving in a way that left me with a dull ache in my chest and a small flicker of hope. So beautifully written. Tara June Winch is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
This story is moving in a way that left me with a dull ache in my chest and a small flicker of hope. So beautifully written. Tara June Winch is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Racism
Moderate: Rape and Suicide
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Racism
Minor: Sexual violence
apricot_skull's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
erinreadstheworld's review against another edition
4.5
Tara June Winch knows how to write. Her words are lyrical and beautifully descriptive. Her stories are touching and eye-opening. Her characters feel real.
Tara June Winch also knows how to evoke feelings with her writing. Swallow The Air is short but it made me feel sad, disgusted, angry and hopeful - just to name a few.
We see chapters of May's life as she searches for her absent father and as she tries to piece together her Aboriginal heritage. Each chapter reads almost like a short story. They could easily stand alone but together they create a masterpiece.
Swallow The Air is a story of loss, of generational trauma and displacement. We see the deep sorrow of May and of Aboriginal people in Australia, but it's all told with so much tenderness and care.
I love the way Tara June Winch paints such a vivid picture with her writing. The beaches near Wollongong, Redfern, outback NSW and the vastness of the Northern Territory all come to life throughout the book.
Swallow The Air won many awards and it is so deserving of every single one. It's a moving, poignant and stunning coming of age story. If you haven't read any of Tara's books yet, you need to. They are all amazing and I'll be first in line for any future book/s she writes.
Tara June Winch also knows how to evoke feelings with her writing. Swallow The Air is short but it made me feel sad, disgusted, angry and hopeful - just to name a few.
We see chapters of May's life as she searches for her absent father and as she tries to piece together her Aboriginal heritage. Each chapter reads almost like a short story. They could easily stand alone but together they create a masterpiece.
Swallow The Air is a story of loss, of generational trauma and displacement. We see the deep sorrow of May and of Aboriginal people in Australia, but it's all told with so much tenderness and care.
I love the way Tara June Winch paints such a vivid picture with her writing. The beaches near Wollongong, Redfern, outback NSW and the vastness of the Northern Territory all come to life throughout the book.
Swallow The Air won many awards and it is so deserving of every single one. It's a moving, poignant and stunning coming of age story. If you haven't read any of Tara's books yet, you need to. They are all amazing and I'll be first in line for any future book/s she writes.
kateybellew's review against another edition
4.0
I found the first half of this a little slow, but I loved the final few chapters. It’s a very quick read and well worth every moment spent with it. Tara June Winch has such a unique and genuinely beautiful writing style, and her exploration of family, identity and belonging is moving.
“Some things stay with you, even if you manage to prise them out of your history, they somehow come marching back with a slug shotgun to blow away anything you’ve managed to build. To destroy your world, the world that’s not real but you wish it was.”
“Other people don’t understand, when that bad spirit happens to family, it stays in the family, when we born we got all our past people’s pain too. It doesn’t just go away like they think it does.”
“Some things stay with you, even if you manage to prise them out of your history, they somehow come marching back with a slug shotgun to blow away anything you’ve managed to build. To destroy your world, the world that’s not real but you wish it was.”
“Other people don’t understand, when that bad spirit happens to family, it stays in the family, when we born we got all our past people’s pain too. It doesn’t just go away like they think it does.”