Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The Thorn Birds (original 1977; edition 2002)by Colleen McCullough
Work InformationThe Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (1977)
Historical Fiction (37) » 28 more Female Author (55) BBC Big Read (128) Best family sagas (68) Top Five Books of 2014 (515) 1970s (77) Big Jubilee List (11) Favorite Romance Fiction (204) KayStJ's to-read list (185) Swinging Seventies (31) Best Family Stories (203) BBC Top Books (52) Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 2023 - â70âs Immersion Reading Challenge The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (1977, 1st ed.) 533 pages. SETTING: Australia 3-stars. Thatâs it. I wanted to love this book because it has been on my bucket list of books to read ever since I was a senior in high school, 1983. The story started out pretty good, at least a 4-star, then suddenly turned flat about halfway through, with each generation on Draghedo (a sheep ranch) getting progressively worse. I couldnât connect with the characters; therefore, I couldnât care less what happened to them. The dialogue between the characters seemed unnatural at times, and the thought processes of the characters were a bit strange and rambling at times. The Cleary family inherited Drogheda, a 30,000 acre sheep ranch in Australiaâs Outback. It was a struggle, but they did learn, and they did keep it profitable and running strong during some of Australiaâs severest droughts. As the children grew up, Meggie, the only daughter of six, fell in love with the young and handsome Father Ralph de Bricassart. The premise of the story is based on this forbidden love between Meggie and the Priest and the mental repercussions of their decision to move their relationship from friendship to one of a sexual nature. And, Iâm sorry to say, it just wasnât that exciting. In fact, it was kind of strange that the Priest was so attached to Meggie, who was only 4 when she first arrived at Drogheda. He was about 21 years old. Now, nothing became of their relationship until later, but still, it just felt perverted until she was finally of age. This paragraph pretty much explains the meaning of the title of the book, âThe Thorn Birdsâ, and how it relates to the decisions we make in life (p. 390): âEach of us has something within us which wonât be denied, even if it makes us scream aloud to die. We are what we are, thatâs all. Like the old Celtic legend of the bird, with a thorn in its breast, singing, itâs heart out and dying. Because it has to, itâs driven to. We can know what we do wrong even before we do it, but self-knowledge canât affect or change the outcome, can it? Everyone singing his own little song, convinced itâs the most beautiful song the world has ever heard. Donât you see? We create our own thorns, and never stop to count the cost. All we can do is suffer the pain, and tell ourselves it was well worth it.â BOOK-TO-MOVIE The Thorn Birds (1983) â TV mini series, starring Rachel Ward as Meggie Cleary and Richard Chamberlain as Ralph de Bricassart. no reviews | add a review
ContainsHas the adaptationIs abridged inDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Literature.
Romance.
Historical Fiction.
HTML: "Beautiful....Compelling entertainment." â??New York Times One of the most beloved novels of all time, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough's sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback, returns to enthrall a new generation. The Thorn Birds is a chronicle of three generations of Clearysâ??an indomitable clan of ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. It is a poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit. Most of all, it is the story of the Clearys' only daughter, Meggie, and the haunted priest, Father Ralph de Bricassartâ??and the intense joining of two hearts and souls over a lifetime, a relationship that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma. "A heart-rending epic...truly marvelous." â??Chicago Tribune No library descriptions found.
|
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823Literature English & Old English literatures English fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
The Thorn Birds is a chronicle of three generations of Clearys--an indomitable clan of ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. It is a poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit. Most of all, it is the story of the Clearys' only daughter, Meggie, and the haunted priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart--and the intense joining of two hearts and souls over a lifetime, a relationship that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma
I dont know if I would class this as "beloved" but I remember the mini series on the telly when I was growing up. It was one of the reasons I picked up the book. Both the book and the TV series present a wild, harsh and open landscape in Australia. The main memory of the book is the scandalous relationship between Father Ralph and Meggie - the priest already having been ordained and sent out to the parish at the same time as Meggie is born, and after years of resisting, they finally have a sexual relationship which produces a son. The relationship ceases as Father Ralph moves up the ranks in church and ultimately has to confront his past and his feelings as his son follows him into the church.
Rather than "beloved" I would use the word "Iconic", both as a piece of literature, but also as Australian novel, especially since the subsequent child abuse stories that have come out from within the church (I think Meggie was over age of consent before she entered in the sexual relationship with Ralph but it was borderline). ( )