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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a beautiful Australian story. It was emotional and heartbreaking. I teared up so many times I lost count, and when I finished it, I just had to stop and absorb it all for a long moment. The writing was so immersive and I really loved how each flower tied into the chapter. Thoroughly enjoyed this!
challenging
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Yes
This is a story of not just what is told, but what is untold. Everyone had a story, and we didn't learn everything, because that is simply just not what happens. Every character told their story in their own way, each the protagonist in the story that is their life, and each is in the language they know best.
Personally, I related a lot to Alice. I grew up in Australia, near the sea, and as bad things happened to me, I found myself learning a language of sorts, something only I and people like me knew. Alice has gone through so much, and will go through so much, but it is stories like these that make you believe that everything will be alright. It has to.
Personally, I related a lot to Alice. I grew up in Australia, near the sea, and as bad things happened to me, I found myself learning a language of sorts, something only I and people like me knew. Alice has gone through so much, and will go through so much, but it is stories like these that make you believe that everything will be alright. It has to.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Beautiful sense of place and interesting characters. Not as emotionally engaging as The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding but well worth a read if only for it's tender descriptions of the Australian outback.
I wanted to love this book, and it does contain many admirable elements - some beautiful lines, and striking evocations of landscape. But the second half of the book was less convincing. The flower motifs began to feel heavy-handed and lacking in nuance, and characters behaved in ways I did not find believable. It's been said that the male characters here are somewhat short-changed, but I actually felt the women characters were at times under-realised or lacking compelling motivation. Finally, although I support the author's attempt to examine the impacts of generational trauma, this just did not feel grounded in reality (though it was apparent she had researched the topic). I think Ringland will nevertheless have a bright future, given the sheer readability of her prose and the topical and important subject matter.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I greatly enjoyed this book, and the exploration around generational trauma and the Australian identity. I loved what it did with the language of flowers, and the symbolism around water and fire which fed into each other (a flood of fire, water that burns, etc).
I watched the series before reading the book, and it's interesting to see the ways that it chose to change the story, particularly major changes around the character of June. While I respect the original text, I do think that the depiction of June in the series had more emotional depth. I think both are amazing works of art.
I watched the series before reading the book, and it's interesting to see the ways that it chose to change the story, particularly major changes around the character of June. While I respect the original text, I do think that the depiction of June in the series had more emotional depth. I think both are amazing works of art.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Rape, Colonisation
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent