Scan barcode
thomas_foolery's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lachiedunq's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fureverlove's review
2.0
This book was so appealing to me, what with its promise of a great story, poignant and powerful. I didn’t find it any of these things. Whilst the preface and plot underneath was good, I found the writing clunky and difficult to connect to and really struggled to get through it. The protagonist was so I likeable it was hard to even stay invested in his story, and I don’t feel as if he was redeemed by the end which may have made it worthwhile.
mickie_l's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cransuz's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
4.0
stephcranstoun's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.25
spirallingshape4385's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
casstell's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
mandi_m's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a fictional yet powerful tale of the complexity of working with the Indigenous people in Western Australia at a time when missionaries or anthropologists were the main points of contact. We follow a fictional character who lives with and tries to protect “the people” but he is a flawed individual with complex motives. His grandson is the modern-day protagonist and he must face his own disgrace as well as investigating the legacy of his famous grandfather. An engaging and though-provoking read.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘How does it feel to lose the three people you love the most?’
Australian historian Patrick Renmark flees London in disgrace after the accidental death of his infant son. With his marriage destroyed and his career as a self-styled story-ist looking shaky, Patrick reluctantly accepts a commission to write a biography of his legendary grandfather, the adventurer and anthropologist, Nathaniel Renmark.
Patrick travels to Jesustown, a former mission town in a remote (fictional) part of Australia four hours flight from Sydney known as Arcadia.
‘WELCOME TO JESUSTOWN, ART HUB OF THE REMOTE ARCADIAN COAST.’
Patrick has not been to Jesustown since a confrontation with his grandfather as a teenager. Nathaniel Renmark is dead now but is remembered for brokering a ‘peace’ between the Indigenous custodians and the white constabulary. Going back is hard for Patrick, even with the chemical assistance of drugs and alcohol. Patrick is wracked with guilt over the death of his son and the failure of his marriage. And what was the legacy of his grandfather? How is he remembered, and what did he achieve? Revisiting the past is difficult for Patrick, especially with the burden of guilt he carries. Hearing his grandfather’s voice on tape and examining his papers and other possessions takes Patrick to some uncomfortable places. His father Luke is a shadowy presence as well, until a confronting truth emerges.
‘What happened? What happened is a bad movie. Recalling it is like sitting in the front row of a cinema, watching a film about a foolish man who understands the scale of the disaster about to befall him but can’t stop himself from walking into it regardless.’
Being in Jesustown brings Patrick in contact with others from his past, especially the Indigenous twins Tamar and Jericho. Will Patrick be overwhelmed by the past (his own, and that of his family) or can he find a way through the discomfort and his own failings? Can he face the truth?
This is a complex novel, full of remorse. Three generations of Renmark men: Nathaniel, Luke and Patrick have each done things they regret. We observe Patrick’s actions, hear and read about some of Nathaniel’s actions, and learn of Luke’s. Patrick recalls Luke an emotionally distant father, Nathaniel portrays Luke as a failure. And as this narrative gradually unfolds, we eventually learn how Patrick’s affair led to his son’s death. Patrick realises that his grandfather’s story cannot be told in his ‘story-ist’ way: he needs to move beyond popular storytelling, beyond myth and legend into actions and consequences. If Patrick is to address his grandfather’s biography appropriately, he needs to do so as a serious historian. Can Patrick be that honest?
It took me a little while to get into this novel, to move beyond what I perceived to be Patrick’s superficiality, into recognising and thinking about the issues raised. The future beckons.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Australian historian Patrick Renmark flees London in disgrace after the accidental death of his infant son. With his marriage destroyed and his career as a self-styled story-ist looking shaky, Patrick reluctantly accepts a commission to write a biography of his legendary grandfather, the adventurer and anthropologist, Nathaniel Renmark.
Patrick travels to Jesustown, a former mission town in a remote (fictional) part of Australia four hours flight from Sydney known as Arcadia.
‘WELCOME TO JESUSTOWN, ART HUB OF THE REMOTE ARCADIAN COAST.’
Patrick has not been to Jesustown since a confrontation with his grandfather as a teenager. Nathaniel Renmark is dead now but is remembered for brokering a ‘peace’ between the Indigenous custodians and the white constabulary. Going back is hard for Patrick, even with the chemical assistance of drugs and alcohol. Patrick is wracked with guilt over the death of his son and the failure of his marriage. And what was the legacy of his grandfather? How is he remembered, and what did he achieve? Revisiting the past is difficult for Patrick, especially with the burden of guilt he carries. Hearing his grandfather’s voice on tape and examining his papers and other possessions takes Patrick to some uncomfortable places. His father Luke is a shadowy presence as well, until a confronting truth emerges.
‘What happened? What happened is a bad movie. Recalling it is like sitting in the front row of a cinema, watching a film about a foolish man who understands the scale of the disaster about to befall him but can’t stop himself from walking into it regardless.’
Being in Jesustown brings Patrick in contact with others from his past, especially the Indigenous twins Tamar and Jericho. Will Patrick be overwhelmed by the past (his own, and that of his family) or can he find a way through the discomfort and his own failings? Can he face the truth?
This is a complex novel, full of remorse. Three generations of Renmark men: Nathaniel, Luke and Patrick have each done things they regret. We observe Patrick’s actions, hear and read about some of Nathaniel’s actions, and learn of Luke’s. Patrick recalls Luke an emotionally distant father, Nathaniel portrays Luke as a failure. And as this narrative gradually unfolds, we eventually learn how Patrick’s affair led to his son’s death. Patrick realises that his grandfather’s story cannot be told in his ‘story-ist’ way: he needs to move beyond popular storytelling, beyond myth and legend into actions and consequences. If Patrick is to address his grandfather’s biography appropriately, he needs to do so as a serious historian. Can Patrick be that honest?
It took me a little while to get into this novel, to move beyond what I perceived to be Patrick’s superficiality, into recognising and thinking about the issues raised. The future beckons.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
More...