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kelseymck's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and War
carlaabra's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Jesus, where to begin.
As some other reviews have echoed: the characters weren’t as fleshed out as they could’ve been. I think the point of the book was the themes, the tragedy and the suffering. It’s not so much who the characters are or even what they do, but what happens to them, what they endure. What follows are some of my takeaways, but for a book of 700 pages these are inevitably limited.
As some other reviews have echoed: the characters weren’t as fleshed out as they could’ve been. I think the point of the book was the themes, the tragedy and the suffering. It’s not so much who the characters are or even what they do, but what happens to them, what they endure. What follows are some of my takeaways, but for a book of 700 pages these are inevitably limited.
- My favorite portion was Meggie as a child and a teenager, pre-Luke. Dane and Justine I could’ve done without, they were very one-note.
- Lengthy descriptions of places and the setting - meant nothing to me, but if you like those they’re quite frequent and well written
- There’s really not as much romance as you would expect; there’s a lot of pining, angst, and unspoken feelings instead.
- I was emotionally invested but I did not cry, probably because the characters never felt quite fully human to me
Themes (spoilers ahead):
- Suffering. Suffering is paramount is this book, which is weird to say. But truly: everyone has good moments, good years, but everyone has deep pain and grief, especially in regards to their romantic partners and children. There’s a lot of death.
- The Catholic Church, her hypocrisies and her priests. We’re told of her opulence, her shameful ambivalence in WWII, her closet politics, and of course her demand for her priests to be solely hers. A demand for them to deny their physical humanity and become not-man. We see this in the struggle of two priests, the imperfect Ralph contrasting with the perfect Dane. I’m more acquainted with Protestant theology, so seeing their conception of God and how His servants should serve Him was interesting.
- The hardships of women. Our story starts in 1915 in a poor New Zealand home with a father an itinerant shearer. We follow our family as they move to a sprawling Australian homestead and become stockmen. Despite the vast improvement in the men’s lots, working for themselves and enjoying the work, the women do much the same as always: take care of the home and the kids with no complaints. Fee does this, and when old “enough” (like 8 or 9) Meggie is drafted to help her, also occasionally helping on the farm. Then fulfilling a young woman’s purpose: waiting to be married, spiting Ralph by choosing Luke and then suffering his abuse and neglect. Only Justine, born in the 30s, could escape or frankly, even wanted to. However the way the women treat their daughters versus their sons is telling, so much harsher, as if they have to prepare them for how the world will treat them.
- Greed and jealousy. Personified in Mary Carson and Luke.
- Ambition, related to greed but for things other than money. Ralph is this through and through, and it ruins him (the will, the church, his son). Frank too (to not be Paddy, to be his own man, to not tell the family of his fate). Jims and Patsy are not as extreme, with their foolhardy rush into the army. Paddy and Meggie are great foils.
- Pride and miscommunication. Fee not appreciating Paddy; Fee favoring Frank and ignoring Meggie, so wrapped up in her long-lost love and his child that she’s locked all her emotions away. Meggie repeating this verbatim with Dane and Justine when she becomes a mother. Meggie wanting to escape Ralph via another man, then not leaving Luke and returning home sooner. The Drogheda men never marrying. And Meggie, always waiting for Ralph because she can neither muster the strength to go after him or to deny him. Her one last defiance, hiding Dane — which strangely she never seems to regret
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault and War
The section with Luke, after their marriage, contains some deeply disturbing marital rape and neglect due to selfishness on the husband’s part. Not out of cruelty per se, but just that Luke has no ability to care for anyone but himself.the_addictt's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and War
askxtine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Epic sweeping tale of three generations of a family. Heartbreaking, lonely, and filled with self doubt. Yet, I still enjoyed this book, wanted to know what happens next. Reminds me of Outlander as it's very much about a specific place and time. I feel like I've been to NSW now. Was this billed as a romance? Because it's only about 5% romance, and even then mostly broken hearts romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual content
afroheaux's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.0
This book was incredibly well written and that's the only reason why the rating is as high as it is. The descriptions of all the locations were amazing. I could feel the wind and rain of Drogheda against my skin. I could see the fires ripping through the plains. The mountains of sheep could've made their own country. Thick hordes of mosquitos pestering the occupants of the house during the summer months. I love how grounded the setting I felt throughout the book and I felt a strange sense of longing once I finished it. I've seen some say that they didn't like Justine when, even though she had her problems, she was the most normal one of the bunch and ended up having the only healthy relationship out of anyone in her entire family. When she and Herr got together, I was genuinely happy for them. However, that does not make up for the content.
I know some people will say that this book was a product of its time and I'm sure there's some argument to be made there, but Meggie and Ralph's relationship was disturbing.The author set Meggie up to be the perfect victim for grooming and throughout the story, used the plot to isolate Meggie more and more. Meggie is barely 10 when they first meet. He is 28. She is emotionally neglected by both of her parents and is made to hold an enormous amount of responsibility at a young age. She is made to care for her siblings, even having to give up her own education when she is pre-pubescent. Her time in Catholic school under the abusive hands of the nuns beat he into awe of Catholicism. Although sometimes throughout the book she seems to question that, she holds her beliefs close to her heart. I'm sure some will claim that they didn't do anything until she was older (she was a breath away from 17 when they first kiss), but Ralph makes it clear throughout the book that he is hyper-focused on her for reasons he claims to not understand, but it's more the fact that he doesn't want to acknowledge them. Even Mary Carson, who dies before Meggie turns 17, chides Ralph on several occasions for his liking of Meggie. Nobody ever explicitly says that it's wrong for him to be liking a child. Mary dislikes his attention for Meggie because she wants him to herself. But every person who disapproves of the relationship, including Paddy, ends up dying before things start getting hot and heavy.
Meggie goes through so much tragedy that she clings to Ralph because he's the only consistently good thing in her life. Her parents see her infatuation with him and his with her and neither of them says anything until much later in the book. Fee doesn't comment until Meggie gave birth to Ralph's child almost a decade after their first kiss. Specialists in predators often say you should be wary of someone who wants to spend more time with your kids than you do and Ralph spent the majority of his time with Meggie. Even as he cheats the family out of their inheritance, he is hailed throughout the book as a noble man who sacrificed so much. He's a career-driven, power-hungry weirdo. When the time came in WWII to stand up against the Nazis, Ralph much preferred to stay with the status quo to maintain the status that SOLELY the money he stole from Clearys got him than to stand up for what was right.
If the book's purpose was to display how generational trauma spreads, it does a marvelous job at that. I also appreciated the realistic experiences in war. The excitement of young boys at the prospect of being the hero and getting on the battlefield and realizing you hadn't stepped onto a movie set. You can see parents' and grandparents' decisions trickle down throughout the children, having different effects. It's a testament to the failings of a traditional, conservative family structure because barely anyone is happy throughout this book at any time.
Meggie's relationship with Luke was especially disturbing. There are several detailed scenes of marital rape that are uncomfortable to read and the book does not acknowledge it as assault because Meggie doesn't know that it is. Her naivete and ignorance are frequently used against her throughout the book and it makes a woman who only knows how to love one man and that clouds all else.
If you want to see how grooming and manipulation work in slow motion and how people ignorant of the truths of life make horrible decisions, this book is an excellent case study.
I know some people will say that this book was a product of its time and I'm sure there's some argument to be made there, but Meggie and Ralph's relationship was disturbing.
Meggie goes through so much tragedy that she clings to Ralph because he's the only consistently good thing in her life. Her parents see her infatuation with him and his with her and neither of them says anything until much later in the book. Fee doesn't comment until Meggie gave birth to Ralph's child almost a decade after their first kiss. Specialists in predators often say you should be wary of someone who wants to spend more time with your kids than you do and Ralph spent the majority of his time with Meggie. Even as he cheats the family out of their inheritance, he is hailed throughout the book as a noble man who sacrificed so much. He's a career-driven, power-hungry weirdo. When the time came in WWII to stand up against the Nazis, Ralph much preferred to stay with the status quo to maintain the status that SOLELY the money he stole from Clearys got him than to stand up for what was right.
If the book's purpose was to display how generational trauma spreads, it does a marvelous job at that. I also appreciated the realistic experiences in war. The excitement of young boys at the prospect of being the hero and getting on the battlefield and realizing you hadn't stepped onto a movie set. You can see parents' and grandparents' decisions trickle down throughout the children, having different effects. It's a testament to the failings of a traditional, conservative family structure because barely anyone is happy throughout this book at any time.
Meggie's relationship with Luke was especially disturbing. There are several detailed scenes of marital rape that are uncomfortable to read and the book does not acknowledge it as assault because Meggie doesn't know that it is. Her naivete and ignorance are frequently used against her throughout the book and it makes a woman who only knows how to love one man and that clouds all else.
If you want to see how grooming and manipulation work in slow motion and how people ignorant of the truths of life make horrible decisions, this book is an excellent case study.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
zezeki's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
masha__me's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
foreverinastory's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I did not like this. I did not care about the characters one bit. I am going to forget everything I read and continue like I never read this
CWs: Adult/minor relationship, alcohol consumption, blood, child abuse (by a teacher), death, death of parent, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, gun violence, homophobia, infidelity, injury/injury detail, misogyny, pedophilia/grooming, pregnacy, rape specifically marital rape, religious bigotry, sexism, sexual content, toxic relationship. Moderate: war, violence, mental illness (PTSD).
CWs: Adult/minor relationship, alcohol consumption, blood, child abuse (by a teacher), death, death of parent, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, gun violence, homophobia, infidelity, injury/injury detail, misogyny, pedophilia/grooming, pregnacy, rape specifically marital rape, religious bigotry, sexism, sexual content, toxic relationship. Moderate: war, violence, mental illness (PTSD).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, and War
chalkletters's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I picked up The Thorn Birds four years ago because it was mentioned in The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club. I devoured it over the course of a week in a holiday cottage, and it packed an enormous emotional punch. I've been looking forward to rereading it ever since, which might seem odd because almost nothing nice happens in the entire 54-year span of the novel's plot.
The Thorn Birds appeals to the part of me that signed up to take a module on Settler Identity: Fictions of Oz/Nz at university; it starts out as a story about coming to a new place and trying to make a life there. All the characters' lives are limited in some way - by class, by money, by gender. It's not even as if the characters band together to overcome these problems, because most of the relationships in the book are strained to some degree.
Colleen McCullough makes these tragedies cathartic, rather than depressing. The characters and their emotions feel incredibly well-observed and realistic. The prose has just the right balance between descriptions, interior thoughts, action and dialogue. Specific scenes linger in the memory so that, on rereading, I found myself recalling them just before they happened and was able to see the foreshadowing which I missed when I didn't know what was coming. Even though these events no longer came as a surprise, they were still able to bring on a storm of tears.
Reading this so close after Brideshead Revisited, it struck me that Colleen McCullough does a better job at making Catholicism understandable to someone who wasn't brought up with it than Evelyn Waugh does, as well as offering a more sympathetic portrayal.
Though I'm not a reader who loves or goes looking for tragedy, The Thorn Birds is such an incredibly satisfying novel that I know I'll return to it again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, and Pregnancy