claire_melanie's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure I got this book - need to read it again and again I think - but I feel like it's an important read and I'm glad I made it all the way through this time. Also grateful for my classmates insights in my lit subject
whiskyinteacup's review against another edition
3.0
I did it!
I truly believe it is a "it's not you, it's me" kind of book.
I think it is trying to tell so much about Australia and Australian society, but I just clearly don't know enough to fully grasp the meaning of this.
My reading experience was a long journey consisting of me going from 'I don't know what's going on' to 'ooh I get it, I know what's going on'. And this did not go well with short attention span.... took me a while to finish this book.
However, I thought that the use of aboriginal legends/stories/myths/religion (?) really poetic and beautiful (at least for the ones that I caught, probably missed a lot of references there). The veil of mystery left on whether supernatural things happen was really intriguing. Just a thought: if the white man's stories (Christianity) can be true, then so can First Nations Australians'. Maybe all this things truly happened to the Phantom family members.
I'm gonna stick to 3 stars review bc again 'it's not you, it's me', and i feel or even I know that there is more to this book that I don't get yet. I read it for uni so maybe I'll get a better understanding of it after studying it.
I truly believe it is a "it's not you, it's me" kind of book.
I think it is trying to tell so much about Australia and Australian society, but I just clearly don't know enough to fully grasp the meaning of this.
My reading experience was a long journey consisting of me going from 'I don't know what's going on' to 'ooh I get it, I know what's going on'. And this did not go well with short attention span.... took me a while to finish this book.
However, I thought that the use of aboriginal legends/stories/myths/religion (?) really poetic and beautiful (at least for the ones that I caught, probably missed a lot of references there). The veil of mystery left on whether supernatural things happen was really intriguing. Just a thought: if the white man's stories (Christianity) can be true, then so can First Nations Australians'. Maybe all this things truly happened to the Phantom family members.
I'm gonna stick to 3 stars review bc again 'it's not you, it's me', and i feel or even I know that there is more to this book that I don't get yet. I read it for uni so maybe I'll get a better understanding of it after studying it.
thereadingmum's review against another edition
Another book I wish I had listened to the sample before buying. I'm sure this is worthy of all the prizes it's been awarded. However, I just could not focus on listening to it. I went back and relistened to several parts, several times, and still my mind wandered. It reads more like verse in a way and that's really hard to listen to when it goes on and on. I will try and pick up a physical copy and give it another go.
cheapmessandbeauty's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
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
3.0
mushimushi's review against another edition
I want to be the person that can read this book, but I’m just not.
julziez's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? No
3.75
siria's review against another edition
4.0
"One evening in the driest grasses in the world, a child who was no stranger to her people, asked if anyone could find hope. The people of parable and prophecy pondered what was hopeless and finally declared they no longer knew what hope was. The clocks, tick-a-ty tock, looked as though they might run out of time. Luckily, the ghosts in the memories of the old folk were listening, and said anyone can find hope in the stories: the big stories and the little ones in between."
Carpentaria is a stunning novel in all senses of the word: astounding in the complexity and concentrated energy of its prose, and at times almost overwhelmingly challenging to read, given the originality of her prose style. Wright is an Aboriginal Australian, a member of the Waanyi nation, and she draws on the history and the oral tradition of her people to create a novel which is an incredible evocation of their way of life and which is written almost defiantly outside of the conventions of the Western literary canon. This tale of Normal Phantom and Joseph Midnight and their families is terrifying and sad and funny and surreal all at once, embracing everything from the Aboriginal conception of the world around them to the appalling effects of colonialism. Wright's torrent of language demands a lot of the reader, but if you're willing to invest your time in Carpentaria, it's well worth the read.
katepowellshine's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing. The plot takes a bit to kick in, but the slow burn build is very effective, and all the "tangents" are an important part of the world-building. Reading this book was like entering a different universe. The style is also unusual: early on I often had to re-read sentences, in an attempt to locate the meaning, or at the very least the verb! Once I got a feel for the language it was smoother going. Definitely worth the effort.
snoutling's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the talking book version of Carpentaria, narrated by Isaach Drandich. And what a narrator he was - insert list of superlatives here. He did have an amazing text work with. The story is intricate, mesmerising, non-linear and told from multiple perspectives. The subject matter is at times heart-wrenching, and at other times hilarious. Alexis Wright writes about race relations in Australia with a sharp wit.