The Thorn Birds
by Colleen Mccullough
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Book Summary Information
Author: Colleen McculloughEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-09-01
ISBN: 0060837551
Number of pages: 688
Publisher: Avon A
Book Reviews of The Thorn Birds
Book Review: Endearing Family Saga With Unforgettable Characters
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this book in 1977 when it was released and it was the best book I had ever read. It started me on a lifetime of loving multi-generational family sagas with characters I could never forget, characters such as the indomitable Meggie Cleary whose story is the heart of THE THORN BIRDS.
We first meet Meggie on her fourth birthday. She is the daughter of Fee and Paddy and living in New Zealand with her brothers Frank, Bob, Hugh, Jack, and Stuart. Later, more brothers would be born---Hals, Jims, Patsy---but Meggie remained the only girl, a steadfast spirit born to love the land and one unattainable man.
Paddy's older and childless sister, Mary Carson, has the Clearys come live and work on Drogheda, her vast Australian sheep station. It is there they meet Father Ralph de Bricassart, Mary's friend and confidante. He and Meggie are immediately drawn to one another, and though she is merely a child, a lifelong bond between the two begins. A bond both all-encompassing and all-forbidden compromises both their lives and gives the reader a deeply poignant love story that transcends time and conventions. A woman who can love only one man and a priest who can never love a woman more than he does his God makes for a powerful tale that leads from the outback of Australia to the most hollowed halls of Rome, enchanting Greek Islands, and London's bustling streets.
Meggie suffers through a miserable marriage and bears two remarkable children. There is Justine, the headstrong girl who turns her back on Drogheda to pursue the life of an actress in London, and Dane, the perfect son who Meggie loves most, but must give back to God to atone for her sins.
Searing in its dramatic love story and rich with the local color of Australia, THE THORN BIRDS is a remarkable novel, one often compared to GONE WITH THE WIND. Having reread it now after thirty-one years, I am struck again by its beauty, its enduring themes of love, betrayal, and redemption, and can only give it the highest of recommendations.
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