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crackedchelle's reviews
139 reviews
Ash Mountain by Helen Fitzgerald
3.0
My feelings about this book are about as mixed up as the chapters are.
I chose to read it because my local library was about to get rid of it. 'Last chance to read'. The blurb sounded exciting, and it's just a short story, so why not? I have never read a story about a bushfire before.
I may have given this book four stars, but the editing really let it down. The story as a whole is quite clever. The reader has to really concentrate on who is narrating and at what point in the timeline the narration is occurring, otherwise the story becomes quite jumbled and therefore confusing, but with perseverance, a thoughtful tale emerges which depicts how so much can be lost so quickly. But then there are sentences without context (I know the author knew what she meant, but I didn't..), occurrences of poor grammar, lots of unexplained jargon, etc.... Arrghhh!!
Anyone outside Australia may struggle with terminology which you will constantly be needing to research. You could view it as a great learning opportunity, of course. If bad editing causes you to turn inside out - avoid. If you like disaster stories, this one certainly describes a bushfire and the aftermath in graphic detail. If you want something thought provoking, this story does that.
I chose to read it because my local library was about to get rid of it. 'Last chance to read'. The blurb sounded exciting, and it's just a short story, so why not? I have never read a story about a bushfire before.
I may have given this book four stars, but the editing really let it down. The story as a whole is quite clever. The reader has to really concentrate on who is narrating and at what point in the timeline the narration is occurring, otherwise the story becomes quite jumbled and therefore confusing, but with perseverance, a thoughtful tale emerges which depicts how so much can be lost so quickly. But then there are sentences without context (I know the author knew what she meant, but I didn't..), occurrences of poor grammar, lots of unexplained jargon, etc.... Arrghhh!!
Anyone outside Australia may struggle with terminology which you will constantly be needing to research. You could view it as a great learning opportunity, of course. If bad editing causes you to turn inside out - avoid. If you like disaster stories, this one certainly describes a bushfire and the aftermath in graphic detail. If you want something thought provoking, this story does that.