Ruby-Eyed Coucal

by Bruce Pascoe

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Bruce Pascoe was born of Bunurong and Tasmanian Aboriginal heritage in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond and graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Education. He is a member of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative of southern Victoria and has been the director of the Australian Studies Project for the Commonwealth Schools Commission.

Bruce has had a varied career as a teacher, farmer, fisherman, barman, fencing contractor, lecturer, Aboriginal language researcher, archaeological site worker and editor.

He won the Fellowship of Australian Writers´ Literature Award in 1999 and his novel Fog a Dox (published by Magabala Books in 2012), won the Young Adult category of the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Awards.
Source: http://brucepascoe.com.au/about/

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book captured me the least of the three. I still enjoyed it, but wasn't compelled to read it. There was a lot going on and I sometimes struggled to keep track of characters and storylines. But the writing was sharp and witty, as in the other books.

I think the series is good but Shark, the final installment, can stand on its own. In some ways it was interesting to get the backstory after reading Shark and seeing the conclusions.

[Claire Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me ages to read for some weird reason cause I loved it. It was as brilliant as Pascoe's other work and is the prequel to Shark. It was fascinating to read more about the West Papuan independence struggle and the history of contact between them and ATSI people. Overall a brilliant and engaging story with moments of tragic reality that will take your breath away.