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Loading... A Fraction of the Whole (2008)by Steve Toltz
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No current Talk conversations about this book. The term The Great American Novel is often bandied about. But what about The Great Australian Novel ? How come a country so full of fascinating characters has produced so few stories about them? Well this is it. The Great Australian Novel. The fun loving, rebellious, heroic & egalitarian nature of the Australian character is displayed on virtually every page. Every page contains insanely brilliant and incredibly hilarious observations of modern day Australian society. All aspects are covered. And, make no mistake about it, lots of them are attacked quite viciously. The author's favorite targets appear to be The Media, Politicians, Religion, The Penal System,and The Judicial System. This book will teach you all there is to know about the Australian character. At the same time it'll make you think. It'll make you laugh. It'll make you cry. ( ![]() Wonderful. Uproarious. Captivating. Why don’t more people discuss Toltz when they discuss pivotal Australian novelists? absolutely amazing There is a lot one could probably say about this book, but I'll just say that in my humble opinion, while there was plenty of action, twists, turns and laughs amid the incessant philosophising, said philosophising did tend to repeat itself somewhat after a while. For example (mild spoiler): I can no longer even read the phrase "a philosopher who thought himself into a corner" without seething with rage. Damn, I proof-read it just now. I'm going to post this and go take a few deep, calming breaths. Overall it was reasonably entertaining, though, so don't let me turn you off it. I loved these psycho flawed characters so much.
I'm sorry if I'm beginning to make it sound a bit rollicking. The stories, in fact, follow a pattern: they are almost all tales of good intentions with catastrophic results, such as the suggestion box which Martin installs on the town-hall steps and which at first instils a new sense of purpose and confidence in the community, but quickly brings out the worst in everyone and leads to his brother being sectioned. Taken individually, they're funny; taken together, the unbreakability of the pattern and the inevitability of disaster is heartbreaking. AwardsNotable Lists
Meet the Deans. "The fact is, the whole of Australia despises my father more than any other man, just as they adore my uncle more than any other man. I might as well set the story straight about both of them ... " Heroes or criminals? Crackpots or visionaries? Families or enemies? " ... Anyway, you know how it is. Every family has a story like this one." Most of his life, Jasper Dean couldn't decide whether to pity, hate, love, or murder his certifiably paranoid father, Martin, a man who overanalyzed anything and everything and imparted his self-garnered wisdom to his only son. But now that Martin is dead, Jasper can fully reflect on the crackpot who raised him in intellectual captivity, and what he realizes is that, for all its lunacy, theirs was a grand adventure. As he recollects the events that led to his father's demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries--about his infamous outlaw uncle Terry, his mysteriously absent European mother, and Martin's constant losing battle to make a lasting mark on the world he so disdains. It's a story that takes them from the Australian bush to the cafes of bohemian Paris, from the Thai jungle to strip clubs, asylums, labyrinths, and criminal lairs, and from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition. The result is a rollicking rollercoaster ride from obscurity to infamy, and the moving, memorable story of a father and son whose spiritual symmetry transcends all their many shortcomings. No library descriptions found. |
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