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alundeberg's review against another edition
3.0
If you have ever read Peter Carey before then you know to buckle up, buttercup, because it's always a wild ride. In "A Long Way From Home" Carey uses Australia's Redex Trial, an endurance car race that circumnavigates the continent, to not only explore the country's often inhospitable territory, but the rocky terrain of its racism and near ethnic cleansing of its Aboriginal people. However, the story-telling is also uneven. Its double-narrative focuses on Irene Bobs, a woman who works tirelessly for her husband Titch, who is overshadowed by his father, to get his own car dealership and serves as his second driver in the Redex; and Willie Bachhuber, their well-learned quiz show winning neighbor who acts as their navigator. Through Irene and Titch, Carey focuses on the inequality between the sexes as women are the unsung heroes while the men claim all of the glory. Through Willie, he explores the various ways whites have destroyed and disenfranchised the Aborigines and how the scars of the past live on into the future. Titch and Irene's plight for autonomy seems to mirror Willie's until the last section of the book titled "A Fork in the Road" and here Carey decided to ditch Titch and Irene and focus on Willie's struggle for identity. Carey's work is always interesting and thought-provoking, and I gained more insight into Australia's history, but the novel did not feel like a unified whole; good, but not his best work.
jandersonkdl's review against another edition
2.0
I forced myself to finish this. But I did not like any of the characters.
canderson179's review against another edition
1.0
I found the narrative hard to follow at times, the narration switching between two people and I was often a bit into the new chapter before I realised it had changed. The first section was pretty boring introducing the characters. The book is set in the 1950s and was trying to address the serious topic of racism in Australia in the middle section but I didn't see what using racial slurs added to the story and it nearly seems like it is looked on with nostalgia when racism is still a very prominent problem across the globe today. The ending was a bit abrupt as well, with no real conclusion.
ichirofakename's review against another edition
1.0
Made it to page 20. Carey writes two kinds of books, those with clever well-spoken narrators, and those more or less in patois. This is one of the latter. I only enjoy the former.
berndm's review against another edition
3.0
Actually 3.5 stars. Not sure I loved this as much as I would have liked to. Admittedly, I have high expectations. It’s Peter Carey, after all - one of my favourite authors. Sure, it’s a page turner and there are all the usual Peter Carey elements. It’s an enjoyable read, but ultimately I didn’t feel the book had very much to give. The indigenous story line was trapped between authenticity and quirky characters and ultimately didn’t gel. One of the ways I measure what a book means to me is how long I remember it. I’m pretty sure I won’t remember much of this one three years down the track. Much in contrast to other Peter Carey’s book which I will cherish for the rest of my life.
theoreads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
12roxy's review against another edition
3.0
An odd story with eccentric characters plus a bit of Australian slang, geography, and social history
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Andrea. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sa%20long%20way%20from%20home%20peter%20carey__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold