Scan barcode
timmytunter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Trent Dalton's "All Our Shimmering Skies" is an absolute gem of a novel that left me thoroughly enchanted and deeply moved. From the very first page, I was drawn into the vibrant and often harrowing world of 12-year-old Molly Hook, a protagonist you can't help but love. Molly is brave, bold, sassy, and honest, but most of all—perhaps unjustifiably so—hopeful. I couldn’t NOT cheer her on earnestly throughout her fantastical journey.
The story's primary antagonist, Molly's cruel uncle, is a proper nasty piece of work. His relentless pursuit of Molly and her unlikely travel companions Yukio and Greta adds a chilling tension to the narrative. Yet, despite the countless harrowing events she witnesses and endures, Molly maintains an inspirationally sunny and pertinacious disposition that lights up the darkest moments of the tale.
Dalton's narrative style is nothing short of magical. His depth of detail breathes vitality into what could become a same-same backdrop of endless Australian bushland. The story reads like something of a myth or legend, with Molly embarking on a treasure hunt guided by the sky itself. The sky "talks" to her and sends her "sky gifts” to aid her along the way. This infusion of wonder and the supernatural into the harsh realities of Molly's life creates a unique and captivating blend that kept me hooked until the very end. Worth noting is that Dalton’s consultation with relevant Aboriginal communities is evident: in weaving the mystical “Longcoat Bob” into his tale, he has demonstrated sensitivity and tact via incorporating aspects of existing Aboriginal lore. Although Dalton’s tale is a work of fiction, and he embellishes his work with flourishes of magical realism, Indigenous culture is referenced respectfully.
"All Our Shimmering Skies" is a beautifully crafted novel that explores themes of hope, resilience, and love. Open your heart to the novel’s protagonists, soak up the arresting imagery, bask in Dalton’s sumptuous language, and lose yourself in a delightful tale. Highly recommended.
The story's primary antagonist, Molly's cruel uncle, is a proper nasty piece of work. His relentless pursuit of Molly and her unlikely travel companions Yukio and Greta adds a chilling tension to the narrative. Yet, despite the countless harrowing events she witnesses and endures, Molly maintains an inspirationally sunny and pertinacious disposition that lights up the darkest moments of the tale.
Dalton's narrative style is nothing short of magical. His depth of detail breathes vitality into what could become a same-same backdrop of endless Australian bushland. The story reads like something of a myth or legend, with Molly embarking on a treasure hunt guided by the sky itself. The sky "talks" to her and sends her "sky gifts” to aid her along the way. This infusion of wonder and the supernatural into the harsh realities of Molly's life creates a unique and captivating blend that kept me hooked until the very end. Worth noting is that Dalton’s consultation with relevant Aboriginal communities is evident: in weaving the mystical “Longcoat Bob” into his tale, he has demonstrated sensitivity and tact via incorporating aspects of existing Aboriginal lore. Although Dalton’s tale is a work of fiction, and he embellishes his work with flourishes of magical realism, Indigenous culture is referenced respectfully.
"All Our Shimmering Skies" is a beautifully crafted novel that explores themes of hope, resilience, and love. Open your heart to the novel’s protagonists, soak up the arresting imagery, bask in Dalton’s sumptuous language, and lose yourself in a delightful tale. Highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Gore, Suicide, Car accident, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
seclement's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
After having read 2 Trent Dalton books that I loved, I was pretty disappointed in this. It had a lot of Australian stereotypes in it, which isn't necessarily unique for him, but it really didn't land for me this time, especially with the Aboriginal characters and the Japanese pilot who drops from the sky. There's the usual mix of magic and reality, and the young, naive central character, which you see in his other books. But when you combine it with WWII Australia (and the Australian mythos around what it was like then), a mix of stereotypical characters who were difficult to connect to, and an account of Australian landscapes seemingly written by someone who doesn't seem to have spent much time there; I just struggled to even get through the story. Although the stereotypes might have aligned with the time at which the story takes place, he doesn't really nail the narrative to make that work. I have said a few times that I think Dalton is one of Australia's best modern fiction authors, but I think I have to put a caveat on that now to say he is at his best when he writes more in line with his own experience, with characters who have tough lives and weird, wonderful, and sometimes tragic coping methods, in Australian cities and suburbs. This book had its moments, but don't start here if you are new to his work.
Also, this was far longer than it needed to be, given the story
Also, this was far longer than it needed to be, given the story
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War
story_of_steph's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book felt like homework. I was so excited to read a story about Australia from an Australian author since I moved here but I was honestly bored to tears. Only positive I have to say is you can truly see the love the author has for this country with the colourful descriptions of the scenery. But even that got a bit too much. I think the book had the potential to be a great story but it didn’t reach it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, and Rape
baikiebookie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Abortion
merimyers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don’t think I like Dalton’s writing style, but I enjoyed the telling of this story. I’m not sure I could have read it, though there are some aspects of the narration that I didn’t enjoy either. I feel there is an overuse of descriptive nouns that is unnecessary, but again, think this is Dalton’s style, which I don’t seem to enjoy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity and War
kiwialexa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
carlytenille's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and War
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
I went into this book with minimal knowledge about what I was getting in to. I knew Dalton had got great reviews for previous work, that this was about the bombing of Darwin during WWII, and that was pretty much it. I picked it up in an op-shop, because I needed something to read on a plane, and it looked interesting.
Such a good choice. Despite the fact that there is a laundry list of content warnings (see below) and in the hands of another author this story might have been a psychological thriller, this is a beautifully written story about love and perseverance. There are no 'surprises' of the type I hate in thrillers, and the writing is poetic, veering in to magical realism.
While I'd like to write a nuanced and informative review, I got to the end of the book and went 'wow'. Fabulous characterisation, a careful mix of cultural groups, amazing visceral descriptions of landscape, a plot that meanders coherently and engagingly, beautiful writing. I can see this being a book that gets taught in schools, because there is so much to unpack, so much imagery and interesting parallels.
Such a good choice. Despite the fact that there is a laundry list of content warnings (see below) and in the hands of another author this story might have been a psychological thriller, this is a beautifully written story about love and perseverance. There are no 'surprises' of the type I hate in thrillers, and the writing is poetic, veering in to magical realism.
While I'd like to write a nuanced and informative review, I got to the end of the book and went 'wow'. Fabulous characterisation, a careful mix of cultural groups, amazing visceral descriptions of landscape, a plot that meanders coherently and engagingly, beautiful writing. I can see this being a book that gets taught in schools, because there is so much to unpack, so much imagery and interesting parallels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Murder, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse and Racism
Minor: Drug use, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
My notes while writing this read: death of parent, grave robbing, physical and emotional abuse of child, racism, period typical slurs, implications of sexual violence (not clear if rape), alcoholism, drug use, physical violence between adults, mentions of sex work, being on the ground in a bombing raid plus the aftermath (including dismembered bodies), abandonment of a minor, attempted murder, attempted rape, drowning, murder (graphic), eye damage and other dismemberment due to leprosy plus forced institutionalism of lepers, delirium tremendous, infected wound (graphic description), possible abandonment of child, mentions of suicide,arohaup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In the end I came to like this story but it was very slow through about halfway of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent and War
ashmash's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was very bored reading this book. The whimsical language was really overbearing and the plot seemed to take a back seat to all the unnecessary fanciful vocabulary. I’m fine with novels using this sort of language, but it felt like Trent Dalton was forcing a lot of it in just for the sake of it when it just halted the story. The book begins to pick up when Yukio joins Molly and Greta, however that’s the final third of the book. I’m the type of person who has to complete a book even if I’m not enjoying it. If it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t have even reached the part where the plot begins to become interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Rape and Suicide