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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a beautifully written book with wonderful descriptions of everything, especially the places and events. What kept it from being a 5 star read for me was the harder to read portions that were just too much. The way this is written is truly a work of art but that also makes it hard to digest at times.
This book has all the elements I loved about [b:Boy Swallows Universe|37558445|Boy Swallows Universe|Trent Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519792733l/37558445._SY75_.jpg|59168550].
Vivid and larger-than-life characters, an imaginative story like and a main character that still retains some innocence and wonder about the world even if her life has been marked with violence and loss.
It is 1942 and Molly Hook is a gravedigger girl, working with her father and uncle in Darwin’s only graveyard. The men supplement their income by grave robbing because gold fever is almost worse than the desire to drink. But hardship is be expected because there has long been a curse on Molly’s family turning their hearts to stone one by one.
When WW2 Japanese fighter pilots bomb Darwin her whole life shatters and Molly decides to track down the man responsible for this curse. Together with charming Greta and a fallen Japanese fighter pilot they set off into the wilderness. Each needing to fight their own demons along the way.
I have such admiration for this author’s writing, yet this story felt convoluted and it failed to charm me as much as [b:Boy Swallows Universe|37558445|Boy Swallows Universe|Trent Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519792733l/37558445._SY75_.jpg|59168550].
I didn’t expect the ending to be as predictable as it turned out to be. Some elements were thrown in with the sole purpose of just adding another surreal layer to a story that is already chock full of it.
For anyone not familiar with this author I would rather recommend [b:Boy Swallows Universe|37558445|Boy Swallows Universe|Trent Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519792733l/37558445._SY75_.jpg|59168550].
Vivid and larger-than-life characters, an imaginative story like and a main character that still retains some innocence and wonder about the world even if her life has been marked with violence and loss.
It is 1942 and Molly Hook is a gravedigger girl, working with her father and uncle in Darwin’s only graveyard. The men supplement their income by grave robbing because gold fever is almost worse than the desire to drink. But hardship is be expected because there has long been a curse on Molly’s family turning their hearts to stone one by one.
When WW2 Japanese fighter pilots bomb Darwin her whole life shatters and Molly decides to track down the man responsible for this curse. Together with charming Greta and a fallen Japanese fighter pilot they set off into the wilderness. Each needing to fight their own demons along the way.
I have such admiration for this author’s writing, yet this story felt convoluted and it failed to charm me as much as [b:Boy Swallows Universe|37558445|Boy Swallows Universe|Trent Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519792733l/37558445._SY75_.jpg|59168550].
I didn’t expect the ending to be as predictable as it turned out to be. Some elements were thrown in with the sole purpose of just adding another surreal layer to a story that is already chock full of it.
For anyone not familiar with this author I would rather recommend [b:Boy Swallows Universe|37558445|Boy Swallows Universe|Trent Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519792733l/37558445._SY75_.jpg|59168550].
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Spoilers
The story is set in Australia during world war II. The main character is Molly who is a grave digger's daughter. Her mother has died and her father also. Her uncle wants her dad and so she decides to go find a man who has cursed her family on the way. She takes Greta who is an aspiring actress and also the girlfriend of the uncle. They also find a Japanese bomber named Yukio. Together they set out into the wilderness to find the man and also gold. They do find Kim and the uncle shows up. The uncle is greedy and tries to take too much gold and a bridge falls beneath him. And then Yukio is killed. Pat, Greta and Molly make it back to civilization. The novel is very artistic and meant to make you think of what really matters in your life. Perhaps I was just not in a place for this type of character-driven novel. It really had beautiful language.
The story is set in Australia during world war II. The main character is Molly who is a grave digger's daughter. Her mother has died and her father also. Her uncle wants her dad and so she decides to go find a man who has cursed her family on the way. She takes Greta who is an aspiring actress and also the girlfriend of the uncle. They also find a Japanese bomber named Yukio. Together they set out into the wilderness to find the man and also gold. They do find Kim and the uncle shows up. The uncle is greedy and tries to take too much gold and a bridge falls beneath him. And then Yukio is killed. Pat, Greta and Molly make it back to civilization. The novel is very artistic and meant to make you think of what really matters in your life. Perhaps I was just not in a place for this type of character-driven novel. It really had beautiful language.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This was mesmerising and haunting. It was a bit slower paced at the beginning but I was soon hooked and flipping pages to see how things ended. It was poetic and beautiful as well as confronting and raw.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Ended up enjoying it but had to truly force myself through the first 3/4 of the book
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No