Oscar & Lucinda | 
pickI spent quite a bit of time listening to the rest of this book while doing random farm jobs the last few days. The story turned out not to be what I was expecting, but I was always curious to know what would happen. I definitely expected more of a journey across Australia in a 20 hour audiobook, but that‘s only a small piece. This is much more a story of some truly unique characters.
#1001books #audiobook #BooksOnTheFarm
The last few days have included plenty of farm work. I haven‘t gotten much reading done, but I‘ve fit in a few hours of listening to Oscar & Lucinda while working and taking a walk with Luthien. I‘m a good ways into this story now, although they haven‘t met yet, and I‘m still not quite sure what I think.
#1001books #FoodAndLit #Australia #audiobook #BooksOnTheFarm
pickCatching up on my reviews—I finished Oscar & Lucinda last weekend. Such a BIG book, if not in length, in scope. Historical fiction set in England, then a ship to Australia, then on an expedition through the wilds of Australia, with quirky, fascinating characters and some laugh-out-loud moments. Carey‘s writing reminded me a lot of Dickens (that‘s a good thing for me). The ending was quite the smack upside the head, though. 😳
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#1001books
“Later, she could smell him make himself a sweet pancake for his lunch. She thought this a childish thing to eat, and selfish, too. If he were a gentleman he would now come to her room and save her from the prison her foolishness had made for her. He did not come.”
A typical sentence for their relationship. Oscar & Lucinda are one of my favourite couples ever. This book is set in and written by an author from #DownUnder. #WanderingJune #1001books
Having just finished the book, I decided to watch the movie staring Ralph Fiennes as Oscar and Cate Blanchett as Lucinda. I loved the movie. This story worked better for me in visual form than in print. I was much more engaged in the relationship of Oscar and Lucinda. Thumbs up for this movie.
Read a book set in Oceania. #ReadingtheWorld #Hunsakermountain
so-soThis book was a bit of a roller coaster. The beginning was a high for me, getting to know Oscar and his strict religious father as well as Lucinda and her mother. These formidable years were probably my favorite part of the book. As the two main characters grew I lost interest, there was so much introspection. I normally like a book that is all about the journey and not the destination but this one had too much of a journey for me. #1001books
pick⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I adored this. Yes, it‘s a love story of sorts, but the scope is much larger than that. Nature, religion, socioeconomic status, colonization, and women‘s rights and place in society are all woven into the backdrop.
Oscar and Lucinda are some of the most well-drawn characters I‘ve ever read. They breathe and sweat and fidget. I knew them, and I loved them. ⬇️
"...but why must she always hold herself back? They would have her tie silk rope between her ankles so she would move in a fettered way...
She would obviously be wise to take his advice, to leash herself in. But she was everywhere leashed in, in any case. It was the condition of her adult life to feel it. She refused the conventions of whalebone and elastic, but still she was squeezed and blistered, pinched and hobbled."
Last night alone in a new (to me) city, so I decided to take myself out for dinner (with Oscar and Lucinda). This is one of those rare times when I really like the movie tie-in cover. They did a good job, I think. Usually I'm staunchly against. Also, I adore this book so far.
"Death came at him like a ghost in a dream, transmogrifying, protoplasmic, embracing, affectionate, was one minute cold and wet like his father's oilskin, so he shrank from it and cried out in his sleep, pushing the tight-bunched flannel sheet into the pit of his stomach, and then sometimes it was warm and soft and wore the unfocused smile of his mother."
My goodness, this writing. I'm enthralled.
#australia #augustisatrip Haven‘t read these either.In fact , was in my local indie to get the photo.
😀
It's been a while since I read a book that is this good and this uncomfortable. 😲
pickI enjoyed this book populated with odd, quirky (by 19th century standards undoubtedly eccentric) characters fueled by passion & obsession. In a world organized by rigid sets of expectations & norms, both Oscar & Lucinda clearly long to be more than what society wants & expects them to be. Needless to say, this leads to trouble. Perhaps a bit long, the book is very well written—loved the ending—and worth a read if you enjoy historical fiction.
“It was not like being in a ship at all, but like the innards of a reveted bridge, a great mechanical beast, the organs of an empire whose chimneys rose high into the Atlantic sky.”
Bummer—not only did I NOT wake up early today, thereby enjoying some quiet reading time before the day really got started, but also I failed to do any reading!!! It was a day of running around and doing everything BUT reading. Fortunately, the day is winding down and better some late in the evening reading than none at all, right? Oscar and Lucinda have just met and I‘m eager to read what happens next.
“It was a bright clear winter day—quite warm when you were sheltered from the wind—with small white clouds like old men‘s faces scudding across the sky.”
The key to avoiding a reading slump—always mix it up. So, from a dark and atmospheric comic to a book that won the Booker Prize. I‘m heading off to 19th c. Australia. Be back soon!
October stats:
3 “paper” books
3 eBooks
4 audiobooks
No bad, given what‘s been going on in my life this month.
pickI'm not sure how to review this novel accurately without spoilers, but I can say that the ending hit me over the head as unexpectedly as Mr. Smith's ax, and yet made perfect sense. Carey's prose is wonderfully quotable, and there's plenty of humor, but all in all it is a dark, dark, book.
"Her mind was dashing along corridors while she kept just ahead of it, slamming doors."
This is on my TBR, so I can't review it, but I would say they are #coverlovers. #awesomeAutumnbooks @Jess7
The awesome, Peter Carey - a favorite #AustralianAuthor
#fiercefeb
Some books I have yet to read that have been made into movies I have yet to see. #somethingforsept #septphotochallenge
Sadly my copy has the dumb movie tie-in cover. That's what happens when you shop the Internet's cheapo grab bag. Ah well.
so-soI'm not sure what to make of this strange tale. #historicalromance #Australia
I had not heard of Prince Rupert's Drops prior to reading this book. After reading this chapter, I have the sense that they will be a significant symbol in the book.
"...that glass is a thing in disguise, an actor, is not solid at all, but a liquid, ...in short, a joyous and paradoxical thing, as good a material as any to build a life from".
#Australia #ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld 2y