The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
cricca's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
karis_dl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't even know where to begin with this review. This is such a fascinating novel that follows the complicated lives of and relationships between the four Withers siblings. The writing in this book is so captivating as Frame blends poetry and prose. As readers, we get to see from the perspectives of Daphe, Chicks, Toby, and Francie which allows you to see just how tense and complex their relationships to each other are. When looking at the familial narrative we see themes of poverty, disability, grief, and mental illness. There is however a particular focus on Daphne who is placed in an institution because she is believed to be hysterical and is set to undergo a lobotomy. This part of the novel is really fascinating, particularly because Janet Frame pulls from her own life experience. It's a deeply moving novel with some of the most stunning imagery and beautiful prose. I really cannot sum up what goes on in this novel but I really recommend reading it.
link_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jainabee's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Not an easy or light read, yet strangely beautiful and even darkly hilarious in places. The final twist—knowing that the characters were very fictionalized versions of her family— seemed like a vicious cackle to all that had ever tormented the author. It feels like an exorcism and a victory dance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Classism, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Bullying, Alcohol, Confinement, and Dementia
Minor: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Inspired by Janet Frame's family and her experiences in mental institutions. Not factual, but very accurate emotionally.textpublishing's review against another edition
5.0
‘Owls Do Cry glows with the inner light of (Frame’s) human awareness—a cool flame that neither cauterises nor heals but in some mystic ways purifies, substituting an essential beauty for superficial pain and squalor.’
Sunday Herald Tribune
‘When I first read it at 14, the same age as Daphne is in the novel…her dark eloquent song captured my heart.’
Jane Campion
‘Owls Do Cry is a devastating reflection on the character of conventional society and the dangers that await those who reject its narrowness…It is also a vivid social document, capturing the language and texture of the postwar period. It is a heartbreaking evocation of childhood and a child’s vision of the world; and not least, it is a work of considerable lyrical beauty.’
Irish Times
‘The first great New Zealand novel and a modernist masterpiece…Owls Do Cry remains innovative and relevant. Frame’s idiosyncratic and startlingly visual style means that the book’s immense power to unnerve, astonish and impress endures.’
Guardian
Sunday Herald Tribune
‘When I first read it at 14, the same age as Daphne is in the novel…her dark eloquent song captured my heart.’
Jane Campion
‘Owls Do Cry is a devastating reflection on the character of conventional society and the dangers that await those who reject its narrowness…It is also a vivid social document, capturing the language and texture of the postwar period. It is a heartbreaking evocation of childhood and a child’s vision of the world; and not least, it is a work of considerable lyrical beauty.’
Irish Times
‘The first great New Zealand novel and a modernist masterpiece…Owls Do Cry remains innovative and relevant. Frame’s idiosyncratic and startlingly visual style means that the book’s immense power to unnerve, astonish and impress endures.’
Guardian
kjovertherainbow's review against another edition
5.0
Frame was a masterful wordsmith. This is a profoundly compelling work, intricately weaving linguistic lyricism and evocative emotion as she details the life and hardships of the Withers family.
meowsloudlyinyourear's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
tessaays's review against another edition
3.0
I saw some of the appeal, but I think I was saturated with early-1900s New Zealand colonial life by the time I got to this book. Perhaps I’ll return to it some day.
emi_b_12's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Grief, Child death, Death of parent, Sexism, and Confinement
Minor: Misogyny