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Storyland
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
16 posts | 12 read | 30 to read
An ambitious, remarkable and moving novel about who we are: our past, present and future, and our connection to this land. In 1796, a young cabin boy, Will Martin, goes on a voyage of discovery in the Tom Thumb with Matthew Flinders and Mr Bass: two men and a boy in a tiny boat on an exploratory journey south from Sydney Cove to the Illawarra, full of hope and dreams, daring and fearfulness. Set on the banks of Lake Illawarra and spanning four centuries, Storyland is a unique and compelling novel of people and place - which tells in essence the story of Australia. Told in an unfurling narrative of interlinking stories, in a style reminiscent of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, McKinnon weaves together the stories of Will Martin together with the stories of four others: a desperate ex-convict, Hawker, who commits an act of terrible brutality; Lola, who in 1900 runs a dairy farm on the Illawarra with her brother and sister, when they come under suspicion for a crime they did not commit; Bel, a young girl who goes on a rafting adventure with her friends in 1998 and is unexpectedly caught up in violent events; and in 2033, Nada, who sees her world start to crumble apart. Intriguingly, all these characters are all connected - not only through the same land and water they inhabit over the decades, but also by tendrils of blood, history, memory and property... Compelling, thrilling and ambitious, Storyland is our story, the story of Australia. 'The land is a book waiting to be read' as one of the characters says - and this novel tells us an unforgettable and unputdownable story of our history, our present and our future.
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RinaBrahmbhattBarot
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Pickpick

This one came few weeks ago and I finished it today. It‘s very funny...as I read..I enjoyed and then few hours later..it seemed little off. It just seemed, end was weird and the plot felt too fake! Ratings ~ 2/5

Overall, I‘ve enjoyed all stories but this one seemed too strange, when though it was well written.

Has there been a book where you‘ve had a similar experience?

Rating ~ 2/5

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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Learned about this book recently and really wanted to get my hands on it! Why is it so difficult to get Australian books in the US? Not listed on Amazon, and Bookfinder has it, but it‘s $25 from the UK. Yikes. The only US-based re-sellers are for CD audiobooks.
You‘d think with globalization finding Aussie lit in the US wouldn‘t be that difficult 🙄

Tamra I agree! 5y
45 likes1 comment
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MrsMalaprop
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Pickpick

#ozfiction I‘m pleased to have finished this book that is on my kids‘ reading list for Year 11 English.

All the characters live in the same place in New South Wales, but at different times: starting in 1796 and ending in 2717! An interesting method, used to explore the history and possible future of Australia since first contact.

I really liked it and look forward to helping my boys pull it apart. Neither of them have finished it yet 😏.

Cinfhen Interesting!!! 6y
53 likes1 stack add1 comment
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MrsMalaprop
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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#currentlyreading #lifeart #ozfiction

My son and stepson have been assigned this novel for Year 11 English. Their school has instructed them to read it before school starts in Feb because of the complexity (& the cynic in me thinks because it‘s a new book & so there are no tv or movie adaptations to watch instead of actually reading it 🤣).

I‘m buddy reading it with them, whether they like it or not #raisingreadersNOT 😆.

AmyG I always read the books my kids were assigned. I‘d be curious how this one is. I‘ve never heard of it. And I KNOW one or more of my kids watched the movie for a book they had to read. ;) (edited) 6y
TrishB @AmyG me too! Even if they didn‘t want me too 😁 6y
AmyG @TrishB I don‘t think my son even knew. 🤣 6y
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CarolynM Sounds like an interesting book, and more likely to interest kids than some of the set texts I've encountered. 6y
Rissreads How are you finding it so far Serena? 6y
MrsMalaprop @Rissreads 👍 so far 😊. 6y
46 likes4 stack adds6 comments
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Victoria_Clyne
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Pickpick

A story about place told by five different people in five different times. Five separate stories linked by place and repeating motifs that occurr in the environment. I was invested in each of the stories and wanted to know what became of the people. The structure of the story reminded me of Cloud Atlas. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Redheadrambles
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this as a nice Australian historical novel based in the Lake Illawarra region of NSW and spanning time from 1796 until 2717. It is ambitious in scope with a “nested Russian dolls" structure similar to Cloud Atlas. McKinnon has fun with this setup and it worked well for what she was trying to achieve.
Some stories appeal more than others and ultimately despite a majestic copper cover this was a little forgettable.

ClairesReads Such a beautiful cover! 6y
25 likes1 comment
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Neale
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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@Redheadrambles Hey Storyland in real life! Beautiful. ❤️

Redheadrambles Lovely! 6y
MeikeReads Woooooow!!! 6y
ClairesReads So beautiful! 6y
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Redheadrambles @Neale so do we need to discuss some plot points ? Where and how to do that so as not to ruin others reading ... in the GR group behind a spoiler tag ? I should be finishing this up on Sat morning I think. 6y
Neale Yessss! In the Gr group behind a spoiler tag sounds good, that way others can add to it if they choose to read it. I think ns510 said she had it lined up. 😊 6y
Neale @Redheadrambles Dang it, I keep forgetting to add tags. 😊 6y
8 likes6 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon

#LitsyPSA: StoryBundle has Steampunk and LGBT+ bundles right now.

https://storybundle.com/steampunk

https://storybundle.com/lgbt

StoryBundle allows you to chose a price and you get a certain number of books. It‘s usually $20 to unlock all of the available books. There‘s also usually a way to donate money to a charity.

2BR02B StoryBundle is great. Thanks for posting! 6y
jpmcwisemorgan @2BR02B You‘re welcome! I haven‘t checked HumbleBundle out lately to see what‘s available. That‘s next in my list. 6y
2BR02B @jpmcwisemorgan they had a Boom! bundle going a few weeks ago that I meant to post here and forgot. 6y
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jpmcwisemorgan @2BR02B What was in that one? I miss out on their stuff because it‘s blocked at work. StoryBundle isn‘t though... 6y
2BR02B Tons of great comics. Lumberjanes, Giant Days, Joyride, Lady Castle, and others. Do you subscribe to their mailing list? There's an option to have them send you a reminder when a bundle is about to end. 6y
jpmcwisemorgan @2BR02B I do get their emails, maybe I need to see about the reminder bit. I kind of think I remember the comics now! 6y
jpmcwisemorgan @2BR02B I see what you‘re talking about, I‘ll keep that in mind and pay a bit more attention. 6y
28 likes7 comments
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Neale
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 stars. There is no doubt that McKinnon owes the structure and format of the book to David Mitchell, but she uses this format so well while adding little touches of her own. Like the way she will finish one storyline mid-sentence with the sentence continuing in the next storyline seamlessly. She tackles issues of global warming, domestic violence, and a multi-cultural society within an historically accurate narrative.

Redheadrambles @neale Awww I am sooo getting my hands on this one it sounds perfect 👌. I love these photos of your books with Atwood peeking out. One day you need to do a wide shot of these bookshelves 😀 (edited) 6y
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Neale
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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#indiebuddyreads I really hope this lives up to expectations. 😊

Redheadrambles @Neale your the advanced guard ! 6y
Neale Haha I feel like I‘m expecting too much from this book because of the interwoven stories and Mitchell comparisons. Oh well bout to find out. 😊 6y
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Redheadrambles
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Cool longlist here Miles Franklin people ;) Where to start ;) @Neale Although I was hoping to see my favourite Tim Winton make it ...
#indiebuddyreads we might need to tackle one ☝🏻 @ClairesReads @Redwritinghood @AceOnRoam @mklong

mklong Oooh, these are all new to me. Off to Google I go! 6y
Neale I am reading them all. I think I‘ll start with Storyland, as soon as I finish The Book of Dirt. 😊 6y
Redwritinghood I haven‘t even heard of most of these, so I wouldn‘t know where to begin. They only one I‘ve seen before, and heard good reviews of, is 6y
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Redheadrambles @Neale yeah so keen to see you review the Storyland. How is the “Book of Dirt” going ? 6y
Redheadrambles @Redwritinghood yeah quite a few are new to me as well exciting! 6y
Neale @Redheadrambles I have not had a chance to do any reading for about three days but what I have read is great. There is some very skilful writing and it‘s an intriguing story. 6y
AceOnRoam There is no way we could have guessed them all but we have it a good shot. I think we have had a lot on our plates so that didn't help either. 6y
ClairesReads Yes! I‘m really keen on The Life to Come, Some Test, TheRestorer 6y
24 likes1 stack add8 comments
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vamp
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Marchpane
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Some #Australian reads I've discovered more recently - loved all of these ones 👍

minkyb Love learning about these! 7y
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Marchpane Cheers @minkyb! Hope something catches your eye 😊 (edited) 7y
LeeRHarry Storyland is on my list 😊 7y
llwheeler Went to stack Storyland (that cover!) and found I had already stacked it at some point... don't remember that lol 7y
MyNamesParadise Thank you @Marchpane! Screenshotted this one too! 7y
99 likes4 stack adds7 comments
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awonderinglife
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Pickpick

An amazing Australian novel exploring the connection of people to the land they live in.

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Marchpane
Storyland | Catherine McKinnon
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Pickpick

Spanning centuries, these linked stories are deeply connected to Australia's Lake Illawarra region. The landscape is so vividly rendered that I felt like I was there, sailing the coastline, traipsing through the bush, climbing an ancient fig.

The Cloud Atlas-style structure of nested narratives works well to build suspense. Each story is tinged with menace and portending violence.

This fantastic book had me entranced from start to finish.

christineandbooks Sounds fantastic... 8y
TheBookStacker Got me interested! 8y
LeeRHarry Sounds great! 8y
121 likes14 stack adds3 comments