The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Thorn Birds
Book Review: A BEAUTIFUL, BELIEVABLE LOVE STORY
Summary: 5 Stars
This was one of the most beautiful love storys I ever read. Ralph and Meggie's story was portrayed by two fantastic actors in the TV special, and the acting could not be surpassed. The story was very believable - even though it centered around a priest's worldly problems. Every time it is on TV, I make sure I dont't miss it. I highly recommend this book which, in my opinion, is a better read than Gone With The Wind. A book that it's impossible to put down.Book Review: A Fairytale Novel
Summary: 4 Stars
Many other reviewers have described this book as romantic, and indeed it is. Its pituresque rural settings, clear-cut characters, and impossible situtations make the book ripe for drama. And indeed drama does occur and often, making this rather lengthy book a surprisingly quick read. Its characters, as mentioned before, have very defining virtures and flaws, chracteristics to which they cling to adamently, as they bring the readers no surprises by their actions. This does not make their actions boring, however, as McCullough exhausts possibilities (mostly sexual) with each character before killing them off and concentrating on the next generation.
This book's tragic ending (I'm not giving anything away her- the introductory poem alludes to this much) has disappointed many expecting their fairytale romance to end happily. I did not think the ending failed for its depressing nature, however, but moreover because it was an attempt to tack a theme on a story at the last possible moment. The theme did interest me, but I would have appreciated it if it had been more religiously applied throughout the work, instead of only in the title, the introductory poem, and the conclusion. This flaw wasn't a major distraction, however, and on the whole, "The Thorn Birds" is definitely worth a read.
Book Review: A Gripping Story
Summary: 5 Stars
The Thorn Birds is a gripping love story involving two characters that are never able to claim their love for each other. Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph have deep feelings for one another but they are unable to show these feelings because Father Ralph is unable to be involved with a girl in that manner due to his career. The novel is about the life of three generations in the Cleary family. Mainly the novel focuses on the passion between Ralph and Meggie. It shows the enternal heartbreak that can come of loving the unlovable. Along with the heartbreak that Meggie deals with on a daily basis, there are also tramas in her everyday life that keep her spinning in every direction. Yet, somehow she is able to continue on in her life.Meggie is a strong character and from reading this book, I can relate to her struggles. She was just a child when she was thrown into the adult world and was expected to adjust. Throughout the book the reader is able to share her feelings, whether they may be good or bad. Meggie has many strengths in her life. She is able to cope with almost anything that is thrown at her. When she was only a teenager, she held the responsibility of caring for her baby brother because her mother was much to busy to pay any attention to him. Meggie's main weakness is her ever-growing love for Father Ralph. She is unable to let her love for him die, therefore causing her great pain.
Colleen McCullough uses the title The Thorn Birds for a very specific purpose I think. A thorn bird is a symbol of someone who is jabbed many times with problems and dilemmas constantly, but yet is able to come out on top. The bird is singing and gets stuck with a thorn. The bird does not stop singing, but instead sings whole-heartedly until it's dying breath. This is just like Meggie and the other characters in the novel. They get problems upon problems piled on them, but they never complain about any of it. They silently work their way through it accepting any consequences that may come along with it. The live like the thorn birds by never complaining about the bad in their lives, but only working to make it better and dying knowing that there was not much more that could be done.
I really enjoyed this book. I was so interesting that I just couldn't stop reading it. It was a book that I just couldn't put it down. It takes a lot for me to like a book, but this is just one of the books that within the first chapter I loved it. I hope that other people were able to enjoy it as much as I did. I recommend it to anyone looking to read a good book.
Book Review: A Heart-rending Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough, begins in 1915 and spans three generations long. It is a complex story about the Cleary family that leave their home in New Zealand to live and work on a relative's extensive, Australian sheep ranch. At the ranch, the family experiences many tragedies and hardships including fires, floods, droughts, and devastating deaths of loved ones. The main character, Meggie, falls madly in love with a handsome man named Ralph. Unfortunately, Meggie is not able to marry Ralph because he is a priest. Ralph loves Meggie dearly, but has devoted his entire life to God. Throughout the novel, they experience great love and sorrow together. Meggie has children who become the third generation of the novel. The children bring her much happiness, but she still has a deep passion for Ralph in her heart. This forbidden love for Ralph will stay burning inside her soul throughout her entire life.I truly enjoyed how the author used a lot of description and detail in the novel. This description enabled me to paint vivid pictures of the beautiful, Australian land in my mind, as well as clear pictures of the many different characters' inner and outer appearances.
This extraordinary love story was like an emotional rollercoaster. It twisted and turned leaving me feeling many different emotions including love, humor, sadness, anger, hate, and malice. I often found myself crying as well as laughing while I eagerly devoured every word on the page. It kept me reading and reading until the very interesting ending. I would recommend this captivating novel to anyone who is looking for a great story about life and love! I'm sure you will enjoy it just as much as I did!
Book Review: A Heart-rending Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough, begins in 1915 and spans three generations long. It is a complex story about the Cleary family that leave their home in New Zealand to live and work on a relative's extensive, Australian sheep ranch. At the ranch, the family experiences many tragedies and hardships including fires, floods, droughts, and devastating deaths of loved ones. The main character, Meggie, falls madly in love with a handsome man named Ralph. Unfortunately, Meggie is not able to marry Ralph because he is a priest. Ralph loves Meggie dearly, but has devoted his entire life to God. Throughout the novel, they experience great love and sorrow together. Meggie has children who become the third generation of the novel. The children bring her much happiness, but she still has a deep passion for Ralph in her heart. This forbidden love for Ralph will stay burning inside her soul throughout her entire life.I truly enjoyed how the author used a lot of description and detail in the novel. This description enabled me to paint vivid pictures of the beautiful, Australian land in my mind, as well as clear pictures of the many different characters' inner and outer appearances.
This extraordinary love story was like an emotional rollercoaster. It twisted and turned leaving me feeling many different emotions including love, humor, sadness, anger, hate, and malice. I often found myself crying as well as laughing while I eagerly devoured every word on the page. It kept me reading and reading until the very interesting ending. I would recommend this captivating novel to anyone who is looking for a great story about life and love! I'm sure you will enjoy it just as much as I did!