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A review by ori_gina_lity
Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany
2.0
Mateship with Birds centers on Harry, a dairy farmer in rural Australia, and the awkward, yet tender, relationships he has with his neighbor Betty and her children. Depicting a mis-fit bunch and their experiences with love and lust in the 1950s, Tiffany brings to life the small farm and nature’s wonders in her sophomore novel.
I really wanted to like Mateship with Birds. At first I found myself enjoying the clarity and matter-a-fact style of the novel, and then a few pages later I’d be cringing at the abrupt, disjointed narrative. Tiffany had me bouncing between these two reactions until it’s bitter sweet end and I’m still not sure if I want to shake her or thank her for it. It’s a short novel but it’s content is by no means easy reading - graphic moments appeared often and I felt like it was for shock value more than anything else. I get the message and I appreciate what Tiffany’s trying to convey but mostly it made me uncomfortable. The connection between Harry’s diary entries with the kookaburras was admirable but again, it failed to bring everything together.
It’s been a few days since I finished reading and my concluding thoughts still aren’t neatly wrapped up…. I may not have loved this book on a whole but I was compelled to follow through and see these mis-fits to their end. 3/5 stars
I really wanted to like Mateship with Birds. At first I found myself enjoying the clarity and matter-a-fact style of the novel, and then a few pages later I’d be cringing at the abrupt, disjointed narrative. Tiffany had me bouncing between these two reactions until it’s bitter sweet end and I’m still not sure if I want to shake her or thank her for it. It’s a short novel but it’s content is by no means easy reading - graphic moments appeared often and I felt like it was for shock value more than anything else. I get the message and I appreciate what Tiffany’s trying to convey but mostly it made me uncomfortable. The connection between Harry’s diary entries with the kookaburras was admirable but again, it failed to bring everything together.
It’s been a few days since I finished reading and my concluding thoughts still aren’t neatly wrapped up…. I may not have loved this book on a whole but I was compelled to follow through and see these mis-fits to their end. 3/5 stars