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The Thorn Birds (平装)
by Colleen McCullough
| Category:
Classics, Fiction, Australian literature, Family saga |
| Market price: ¥ 108.00
MSL price:
¥ 98.00
[ Shop incentives ]
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A heart-rending, elegant, thrilling and enthralling story that would span the lives of a family over three generations. |
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AllReviews |
  1 2 Total 2 pages 12 items |
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Susan Bolton (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-08 00:00>
The book starts with the legend of the thornbird - a bird who searches all his life for a thorn bush and once he finds it, impales himself on the thorn and while doing so sings the most beautiful song, even better that that of a lark or a nightingale and the song is so beautiful that even God smiles.
For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain.
This single sentence seems to sum up the common element binding the entire book.
The Thornbirds is the story of the Cleary family, and their journey from their unpretentious roots in New Zealand where they worked as sheep shearers, to the huge Australian sheep farm Drogheda, owned by Paddy Cleary's autocratic sister. The family being Irish, the land is in their blood and from the time that they arrive on Drogheda the land plays a unmistakeable part in their fortunes and destinies. The story spans 3 generations from Paddy Cleary and his wife Fiona, their sons and only daughter Meggie and the Catholic priest Ralph De Bricassart, to Meggie's children - the exotic actress Justine and priest Dane.
But we see all this mostly through the interaction of Meggie with her family and her forbidden love for Father Ralph.
The author Colleen McCullough has a wonderful descriptive style of writing. From the the dry dust, heat and flies of the Australian Outback, the relentless forces of nature like storms, drought, wildfires, to the power-hungry corridors of the Vatican all are brought to life in the pages of this book. And the element of love and pain is dealt with in a balanced way and not over excessively.
However, only the main characters are really 3D, and I often found myself skipping through large parts of the book that didn't interest me.
Overall it is a must read as it makes us realize love is not just demanding and wanting its more so about giving and sacrificing.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-08 00:00>
A moving story of a family of all boys from New Zealand who have a young sister named Meggie. They are hardworking lower class people who work the land and shear sheep. When the family moves to Australia to inherit property, young Meggie becomes bonded to the local Priest from the first day she saw him. As she grows up, the friendship blossoms into a school girl crush, then a first kiss. Meggie wants the relationship to go further... but she is not able to get her wish. Young Meggie is in love and is not able to forget Fr. Ralph no matter what she does. She soon moves away from the family homestead by becoming married to Luke O'Neal, a substitute for Fr. Ralph. Her marriage to Luke is terrible and she is extremely miserable. Fr. Ralph, in a moment of weakness and concern for Meggie's health, comes back into the picture. He cannot forget the love he had for Meggie either. Both are not able to say no and their passion overwhelmes them. The consequences of their act plague them for a lifetime... a remarkable story showing the vunerability, yet obedience to the priesthood.
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1 2 Total 2 pages 12 items |
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