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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
loved the Australian gothic aspects of this book and how magical and rich the descriptions of country were. unfortunately the story didn’t really grab me for the most part and I didn’t feel very connected to the characters
Trent Dalton writes about people so well, and then he takes these characters he has created and writes with a type of magical realism that just sweeps you along for the ride. His gift is making us believe in these people, we want them to achieve their hopes and their dreams. A fabulous storyteller with a unique style.
“For we are living treasure
Under all our shimmering skies”
Under all our shimmering skies”
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so excited about this book and I must say, I was a bit disappointed. A second novel after Boy Swallows Universe must be daunting. This novel’s best parts were the lush descriptions of nature in beautiful Australia and the heartbreaking descriptions of the Japanese attack on Darwin. I love the fantasy part but the hero’s journey plot was a bit thin in parts. I think I just didn’t feel attached enough to the characters. I’m still a big Trent Dalton fan!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Daltons writing feels like a gentle pat on the back but with time you realise he’s patting you with sandpaper which tears at your skin. His words are poetic and lyrical but the story beneath is raw and gritty.
I just adored Molly Hook. She really is a character you can easily latch onto right from the beginning.
He captures a moment well but gosh is there a lot of description. Sometimes two pages before returning to the main characters.
Plus the random two chapters from the perspective of a mother Dingo and a crocodile... Why Dalton?! Totally unnecessary.
I just adored Molly Hook. She really is a character you can easily latch onto right from the beginning.
He captures a moment well but gosh is there a lot of description. Sometimes two pages before returning to the main characters.
Plus the random two chapters from the perspective of a mother Dingo and a crocodile... Why Dalton?! Totally unnecessary.
When 7 years old, Molly Hook's mother leaves her with her violent gravedigger father, and even more violent gravedigger uncle, and a treasure map from her grandfather. Five years later, as bombs rain on Darwin during WW2, Molly decides to set out in search of the treasure and to the lift the curse put on her family by Longcoat Bob. She sets off into Australia's remote far north with wannabe movie star, Greta, both in evening dresses, and is soon joined by suicidal Japanese fighter pilot, Yukio. They run into quite a cast of societal outcasts before eventually finding Longcoat Bob's mob.
Something about Trent Dalton's books just don't sit with me. While some parts are completely engrossing, there are other sections that are boring and drawn out. Then there's the whole thing about them not being fantasy but totally fantastical. I really want to like his books but I find myself struggling with motivation to keep reading.
A conflicted 2.5 stars rounded up.
Something about Trent Dalton's books just don't sit with me. While some parts are completely engrossing, there are other sections that are boring and drawn out. Then there's the whole thing about them not being fantasy but totally fantastical. I really want to like his books but I find myself struggling with motivation to keep reading.
A conflicted 2.5 stars rounded up.
Trent Dalton has done it again! This is magical, visceral, heartbreaking, fantastical and joyous. Molly Hook is a beautiful creation, as beautiful as the landscapes she traverses. This is also a love poem to Australia- its amazing flora and fauna as well as the first inhabitants of the land. Trent Dalton has mined through the good and bad of humans and has come up with treasure- this gold nugget of a story!