A review by chandranolynne
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

2.0

 I read Dirt Music by Tim Winton a couple years ago and didn’t like it one bit. When I posted my review, a pile of people told me that I should not write off Tim Winton without first reading Cloudstreet. “Go read Cloudstreet!” they said. “It’s wonderful!” they shouted. “Cloudstreet will definitely change your mind about Tim Winton!” they told me time and time again. So now I’ve read Cloudstreet, and guess what? 

 

I just don’t like Tim Winton. I don’t like his characters and I don’t like the stories about them. I do think that he’s a talented writer and that his imagery is superb, but that is not enough to save his books for me. Also, I really can’t stand his reckless abandon for narratives and tenses. It bothered me in Dirt Music and it bothered me here. 

 

I will add, at the very least, that this book was in fact better than Dirt Music. We’re going to go with two stars instead of the one I gave DM because in this end, I was at least glad that I finished this one. I didn’t like it, but I’m not actively upset that I spent my time on it. There were a few laughs woven in there and one or two characters who weren’t completely intolerable and got me just the slightest bit vested in how things ended.