A review by sminismoni
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

3.0

The first third was brilliant: fabulous descriptions of Australia, deep character development, lots of feeling, emotional struggle. Then it was downhill from there. The pace became erratic, and previously whole characters (Meggie, Ralph, Fee) seemed to fade into transparency. The newer generation of Justine and Dane never seemed more than cardboard cut-outs, and the deep emotion and conflict of the earlier parts was gone, replaced by simplistic plot that limped home to its foreshadowed conclusion.