Reviews

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

zkaraim's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

msjaquiss's review against another edition

3.0

Wow. I don't know how I feel about this book. I listened to it at a time when I was really distracted by quite a few weighty personal issues so perhaps my state of mind wasn't the right one for this book. But, that being said, I made myself listen to it all the way through and I think it probably was a good book. The ending surprised me in a good way. I would recommend it but with this caveat, the book is unusual and resolves itself in the last chapters. I'm still giving it a three because I had to make myself listen to this story and found it VERY strange until the last few minutes.

astralvirgo25's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Suicide

kayla_jade's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

catladylover94's review against another edition

5.0

really good like the dynamics between the two families, i could picture the characters, and their life styles, i like it

cooeeaus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective sad 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

3.5

The novel includes a lot of long descriptive passages, long narrative passages that I found were sometimes hampering to reading. I found I skimmed over a lot of these.  There were also many speculative passages with ghostly figures and visions, at time nonsensical to me, sometimes hampered my reading.  
I had to re-read passages over to be able to understand the text, which slowed my reading enjoyment and I actually had to read the last few pages of the book before I came to a realisation of the ending of the novel, which ended sadly and abruptly, too abruptly for my liking.
Overall there was a lot to like about this novel but it also had it's flaws.

alisyy's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

morgis's review against another edition

emotional tense

4.75

tessamay156's review against another edition

5.0

This book was so brilliant, so so so sooooo good. From the first few pages I was hooked, the two families were so fun and exciting and sad each person a unique character of their own. It was so relatable, I could see bits of my family everywhere. Even the great looming house at number 1 cloudstreet had its own character. There is no shying away from Australian history in this story, the good and the bad. This book is underlined with sadness and unhappiness for the majority of it. The houses history as a place to reform Indigenous Australians. To Quick and his miserable photos, to Rose and her gambling father and drunken mother.
But the ending oh my goodness. The baby and the joy Harry brought to that house.
It was so brilliantly thought out, Tim Winton is fantastic!

grommit's review against another edition

5.0

Incredible read, ending made me cry but I didn't know why. Super interesting and engaging style.