What do you think?
Rate this book
Bluebird
'If Winton is an aria, Knox is early Rolling Stones.' The Guardian
A stunning new novel about longing, regret, redemption and the terrible legacy of decades of secrets buried in an Australian beachside suburb.
A house perched impossibly on a cliff overlooking the stunning, iconic Bluebird Beach. Prime real estate, yet somehow not real estate at all, The Lodge is, like those who live in it, falling apart.
Gordon Grimes has become the accidental keeper of this last relic of an endangered world. He lives in The Lodge with his wife Kelly who is trying to leave him, their son Ben who will do anything to save him, his goddaughter Lou who is hiding from her own troubles, and Leonie, the family matriarch who has trapped them here for their own good.
But Gordon has no money and is running out of time to conserve his homeland. His love for this way of life will drive him, and everyone around him, to increasingly desperate risks. In the end, what will it cost them to hang onto their past?
Acclaimed writer Malcolm Knox has written a classic Australian novel about the myths that come to define families and communities, and the lies that uphold them. It's about a certain kind of Australia that we all recognise, and a certain kind of Australian whose currency is running out. Change is coming to Bluebird, whether they like it or not. And the secrets they've been keeping and the lies they've been telling can't save them now.
Savage, funny, revelatory and brilliant, Bluebird exposes the hollowness of the stories told to glorify a dying culture and shows how those who seek to preserve these myths end up being crushed by them.
A stunning new novel about longing, regret, redemption and the terrible legacy of decades of secrets buried in an Australian beachside suburb.
A house perched impossibly on a cliff overlooking the stunning, iconic Bluebird Beach. Prime real estate, yet somehow not real estate at all, The Lodge is, like those who live in it, falling apart.
Gordon Grimes has become the accidental keeper of this last relic of an endangered world. He lives in The Lodge with his wife Kelly who is trying to leave him, their son Ben who will do anything to save him, his goddaughter Lou who is hiding from her own troubles, and Leonie, the family matriarch who has trapped them here for their own good.
But Gordon has no money and is running out of time to conserve his homeland. His love for this way of life will drive him, and everyone around him, to increasingly desperate risks. In the end, what will it cost them to hang onto their past?
Acclaimed writer Malcolm Knox has written a classic Australian novel about the myths that come to define families and communities, and the lies that uphold them. It's about a certain kind of Australia that we all recognise, and a certain kind of Australian whose currency is running out. Change is coming to Bluebird, whether they like it or not. And the secrets they've been keeping and the lies they've been telling can't save them now.
Savage, funny, revelatory and brilliant, Bluebird exposes the hollowness of the stories told to glorify a dying culture and shows how those who seek to preserve these myths end up being crushed by them.
496 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
54 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
About the author
Malcolm Knox
36 books48 followersMalcolm Knox was born in 1966. He grew up in Sydney and studied in Sydney and Scotland, where his one-act play, POLEMARCHUS, was performed in St Andrews and Edinburgh. He has worked for the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD since 1994 and his journalism has been published in Australia, Britain, India and the West Indies.
His first novel Summerland was published to great acclaim in the UK, US, Australia and Europe in 2000. In 2001 Malcolm was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian novelists. He lives in Sydney with his wife Wenona, son Callum and daughter Lilian. His most recent novel, A Private Man, was critically acclaimed and was shortlisted for the Commomwealth Prize and the Tasmanian Premier’s Award.
His first novel Summerland was published to great acclaim in the UK, US, Australia and Europe in 2000. In 2001 Malcolm was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian novelists. He lives in Sydney with his wife Wenona, son Callum and daughter Lilian. His most recent novel, A Private Man, was critically acclaimed and was shortlisted for the Commomwealth Prize and the Tasmanian Premier’s Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
October 20, 2020
Quintessentially Australian, Bluebird is a Sydney beachside suburb filled with born and bred locals who live in a haze of nostalgia remembering Bluebird before the developers set in.
Gordon Grimes is part owner of The Lodge, as it is affectionately called by locals. He has made it his life ambition to save The Lodge from developers even though it sits precariously on the edge of a cliff and is in desperate need of renovation. The Lodge is always filled with a cast of hangers on, old surfers that spend their mornings chasing waves, their evenings reminiscing about life and their nights sleeping in the spare room of their widowed mothers' house.
Bluebird is a place where talk is overrated and time is expected to heal all wounds. Secrets swirl ominously around its inhabitants and there are plenty of old scores to settle, dodgy dealings, secret development plans and mates looking after mates.
Delivered through multiple POV from a diverse cast of characters, all linked to The Lodge in one way or another, there is never a dull moment in this irreverent, and at times politically incorrect, satire.
A story of love, loss, family, community and belonging; Bluebird is sardonic, perceptive, outrageously funny and deeply moving.
*I received a copy from the publisher
Gordon Grimes is part owner of The Lodge, as it is affectionately called by locals. He has made it his life ambition to save The Lodge from developers even though it sits precariously on the edge of a cliff and is in desperate need of renovation. The Lodge is always filled with a cast of hangers on, old surfers that spend their mornings chasing waves, their evenings reminiscing about life and their nights sleeping in the spare room of their widowed mothers' house.
Bluebird is a place where talk is overrated and time is expected to heal all wounds. Secrets swirl ominously around its inhabitants and there are plenty of old scores to settle, dodgy dealings, secret development plans and mates looking after mates.
Delivered through multiple POV from a diverse cast of characters, all linked to The Lodge in one way or another, there is never a dull moment in this irreverent, and at times politically incorrect, satire.
A story of love, loss, family, community and belonging; Bluebird is sardonic, perceptive, outrageously funny and deeply moving.
*I received a copy from the publisher
August 18, 2020
I really enjoyed this one! Lots of laugh out loud moments and great writing. It’s set in a beachside suburb called Bluebird (fictional but think Northern beaches, Sydney) and the main character, Gordon is a bit of a loser. He’s stuck in the past, and can’t cope with the changes happening around him. The story centres around Gordon, his family, friends and the other long term residents of Bluebird. The main setting is a house on the cliff side known as the Lodge, one of the last remaining old buildings.
It’s a recognisable slice of Australia and Malcolm Knox shines a light on the good and bad points of the old days and current times.
The characters are great, the story moves along at a good pace and I found it hard to put down.
It’s a recognisable slice of Australia and Malcolm Knox shines a light on the good and bad points of the old days and current times.
The characters are great, the story moves along at a good pace and I found it hard to put down.
December 31, 2020
A very Sydney tale. A good, but frustrating, read for the summer holidays. Frustrating as I hated all the characters - beachside wankers who see themselves as superior to those from the burbs.
September 15, 2020
I have a strong feeling this superbly written novel is going to be a polarising one; people will either love it or hate it. I can say that with some confidence as it frequently polarised me within the space of a single chapter from one extreme to the other.
Bluebird is a quintessential little Aussie surf town, it has old timers who remember it before it got fashionable, the creeping prices of fashionable, high priced real estate, the local Surf Life Saving Club and of course the surf and the surfers. Knox does such a staggeringly proficient job at writing Bluebird that I am convinced that anyone who is at all acquainted with an Australian surf town will feel like it has been written about their town. For the first part of the novel I was half way sure he was talking about Coolangatta on the Gold Coast.
Gordon Grimes 'Gordo' is a middle aged man who's life is rather collapsing around him. Part of the original Bluebird inhabitants from before it became fashionable, he clings to the 'old Bluebird' which is not so much gone as probably imaginary. Along with it he loyalty clings to the rest of the clique of old school surfers who have aged along with him. But his full loyalty is really reserved for The Lodge, a decaying old house precariously clinging to the cliff above the beach, the situation of his living there is complicated with his ex wife, teenage son, goddaughter and a full cast of surf layabouts somewhat inhabiting it. Over all looms a step-mother-in-law with the money and a controlling share of The Lodge.
Now, while that is kind of the theme of this novel, the real strengths of it all lie in the characters, the scenarios and the characterisation. Knox has a dark, sarcastic talent for portraying the worst, most ineffectual, least admirable portions of his characters personalities. There is a lot of very subtle Australian humour in it,but it is dark, dark humour. If the humor in this novel were chocolate, it would be %85 with no sugar or milk added. The main characters, those who open the novel, are not likable and this was a bit of a sticking point for me. While I don't need to like all characters I read,I do usually need to identify with them at least .This novel will be better for people who do not need to find characters likable,OR those readers who enjoy emphasising with weakness.
At first I was not really enjoying this novel, though I respected the hell out of it the whole way. The writing is superb and immensely vivid, but every time I picked it up something bad seemed to be happening to someone. If something bad was NOT happening, then someone was remembering bad things that had previously happened. It was also really heavily foreshadowing bad things to come, ALL the time. I struggled.
I am glad I kept reading because the characters and plot all fell into place at some point, the element of ridiculous became enjoyable instead of bitter and once Gordo and Kelly's son Ben started taking more of the center stage I found myself enjoying the reading a lot more. This is definitely a novel that improves as you get into it, the last third especially was where the characters, the scenarios and the Australianisms all fell together in relatable fashion.
Throughout, the writing is almost a visceral experience, very vivid and impressive but almost always disquieting and I feel that book is almost certain to win awards or at LEAST reap a few nominations. It is definitely one of the more impressive novels I have read this year, in terms of the skill of the writing, the amazingly deft portrayals of all the worst in Australian beach side communities and the intricacy of the plot. It has some very convoluted and intertwined plots all of which hinge on the characters.
Now, one thing I did not like about it (aside from the miserable, ineffectual characters and the doom, doom, doom feeling) was the always absent, hovering menace of the step-mother-in-law who was rich, manipulative and kind of owned The Lodge. She is the reason Kelly and Gordo are living there and she is constantly being attributed with various malign plots and evil intents by one person or another, but she barely appears as a character at all. The author seems to be playing some least-in-sight musical chairs with her that as a plot element I didn't get at all. Worse, she seems to have some kind of italicized 'birds eye view' reflective, rumination about Bluebird and the characters at the start of parts of the novel. At least maybe they are her, or maybe they are a seagull, which is what they seemed to me to be for the first couple.
So all in all, purely in terms of reading enjoyment I can't quite say that this was a five star read for me. But I will say that in terms of craft, it certainly deserves five stars more than plenty of other books I have rated higher. I am glad I read it, I may well read it again and I am sure it will provide food for thought for a long, long time. Many thanks to Allen&Unwin who provided me with an Advance Reading Copy in return for an honest review.
Bluebird is a quintessential little Aussie surf town, it has old timers who remember it before it got fashionable, the creeping prices of fashionable, high priced real estate, the local Surf Life Saving Club and of course the surf and the surfers. Knox does such a staggeringly proficient job at writing Bluebird that I am convinced that anyone who is at all acquainted with an Australian surf town will feel like it has been written about their town. For the first part of the novel I was half way sure he was talking about Coolangatta on the Gold Coast.
Gordon Grimes 'Gordo' is a middle aged man who's life is rather collapsing around him. Part of the original Bluebird inhabitants from before it became fashionable, he clings to the 'old Bluebird' which is not so much gone as probably imaginary. Along with it he loyalty clings to the rest of the clique of old school surfers who have aged along with him. But his full loyalty is really reserved for The Lodge, a decaying old house precariously clinging to the cliff above the beach, the situation of his living there is complicated with his ex wife, teenage son, goddaughter and a full cast of surf layabouts somewhat inhabiting it. Over all looms a step-mother-in-law with the money and a controlling share of The Lodge.
Now, while that is kind of the theme of this novel, the real strengths of it all lie in the characters, the scenarios and the characterisation. Knox has a dark, sarcastic talent for portraying the worst, most ineffectual, least admirable portions of his characters personalities. There is a lot of very subtle Australian humour in it,but it is dark, dark humour. If the humor in this novel were chocolate, it would be %85 with no sugar or milk added. The main characters, those who open the novel, are not likable and this was a bit of a sticking point for me. While I don't need to like all characters I read,I do usually need to identify with them at least .This novel will be better for people who do not need to find characters likable,OR those readers who enjoy emphasising with weakness.
At first I was not really enjoying this novel, though I respected the hell out of it the whole way. The writing is superb and immensely vivid, but every time I picked it up something bad seemed to be happening to someone. If something bad was NOT happening, then someone was remembering bad things that had previously happened. It was also really heavily foreshadowing bad things to come, ALL the time. I struggled.
I am glad I kept reading because the characters and plot all fell into place at some point, the element of ridiculous became enjoyable instead of bitter and once Gordo and Kelly's son Ben started taking more of the center stage I found myself enjoying the reading a lot more. This is definitely a novel that improves as you get into it, the last third especially was where the characters, the scenarios and the Australianisms all fell together in relatable fashion.
Throughout, the writing is almost a visceral experience, very vivid and impressive but almost always disquieting and I feel that book is almost certain to win awards or at LEAST reap a few nominations. It is definitely one of the more impressive novels I have read this year, in terms of the skill of the writing, the amazingly deft portrayals of all the worst in Australian beach side communities and the intricacy of the plot. It has some very convoluted and intertwined plots all of which hinge on the characters.
Now, one thing I did not like about it (aside from the miserable, ineffectual characters and the doom, doom, doom feeling) was the always absent, hovering menace of the step-mother-in-law who was rich, manipulative and kind of owned The Lodge. She is the reason Kelly and Gordo are living there and she is constantly being attributed with various malign plots and evil intents by one person or another, but she barely appears as a character at all. The author seems to be playing some least-in-sight musical chairs with her that as a plot element I didn't get at all. Worse, she seems to have some kind of italicized 'birds eye view' reflective, rumination about Bluebird and the characters at the start of parts of the novel. At least maybe they are her, or maybe they are a seagull, which is what they seemed to me to be for the first couple.
So all in all, purely in terms of reading enjoyment I can't quite say that this was a five star read for me. But I will say that in terms of craft, it certainly deserves five stars more than plenty of other books I have rated higher. I am glad I read it, I may well read it again and I am sure it will provide food for thought for a long, long time. Many thanks to Allen&Unwin who provided me with an Advance Reading Copy in return for an honest review.
November 27, 2020
This was a fabulous story that swept me away. I felt like I had been to this beach and met these people, in all their fab F'ed-up glory.
Highly recommended. If this isn't a great beach read then such a thing does not exist.
Highly recommended. If this isn't a great beach read then such a thing does not exist.
October 15, 2020
Boy, I struggled with this one (shown by the 6 weeks it took me to get through it) and nearly gave up so many times. It often takes me 70-100 pages to fully engage, especially coming off a book I have really enjoyed but this one was 150 pages before I actually started mildly enjoying it. The writing style was fine and complex enough to keep me interested but I just found the story dead boring. This won't put me off trying another one of Malcolm Knox's books though as his actual writing was enough to give me hope. Thank you to Allen & Unwin for this copy.
February 15, 2021
Sek invited me to a meeting of her bookclub where the author of this book would be present. I was intrigued. Rarely do I read fiction these days. There has to be a special reason. Well I guess this was a special reason, so I purchased a Kindle copy and commenced reading. Initial impressions: it's a bit sad. The cast of characters is sad, the run down houses, clinging to the cliffs, are sad. It has the same sad kind of feeling that I got from Run Rabbit ...years ago....yet it went on to be a series. So I'll give this the benefit of the doubt and continue. Some nice lines there: "Old Bluebird's was a worker's aristocracy, except for the work part". ........"Josie, who had only a Gideon's bible, six Margaret Fultons and a shelf of completed crossword puzzle books to bequeath"......"Might well be you that gets control of all this', Red Cap went on, casting an eye around the falling-apart furniture, the saloon door, the diagonal pine feature wall below the kitchen bar and the yellowing books........Anyone else'd fuck it right up."........The marriage had been like bushland drying out from lack of rain.
I'm finding the "seagull" narrator a bit cumbersome and annoying...can't figure out who the hell is talking in the "Bird's eye section. Is it Gordon? Is it Leonie? All a bit confusing. Another good line: "Tony's hair, the colour of pissed-on snow".
"The thing about villages inside rapidly changing cities was that you didn't need to move to escape your past. You could stand right where you were, and history would change around you..........Memory was erased by the salt-and sand-bearing-wind that rubbed away the names from the Anzac memorial statue in front of the surf club".
Must confess, I found myself chucking at many of the lines: " As town clerk, Conal had ruled Bluebird and the surrounding beaches with a reinforced concrete fist for twenty-seven years."......"Spotting his Scotch on his bedside table, he proceeded at full shuffle."
"Mate', Frontal said, his misty breath clouding Gordon's eyes, "just think about what you're trying to save. All that shit we grew up with. Old Bluebird. Is it really worth saving?"
And then there are the shocks. Old Tony Eastaugh...perving on Gordon in the shower and Gordon stamping on his foot...apparerntly resulting in Tony eventually losing the foot. And Gordon's brother: "You said he was smiling when he jumped"....."I never said he jumped".
And totally from left-field. Uncle Carl....Kelly's brother. Ben remembered his dad telling him. "We all invested hope in him. The one lobster who would be allowed to climb out of the pot. Dux of our class, popular gentle, gorgeous.....what could possibly go wrong?"
And the terrible grandparents: "Ben's grandparents had never let go of the belief that Gordon's finances were their concern. They always wanted to know how he was paying his bills. No reassurances could stop them. They never offered to help. They just wanted to know".
I'm half way through....it's like watching a slow motion train wreck ...watching Gordon's life, kind of spiralling out of control. The outlook doesn't look too good for Gordon. Still some exquisite word portraits: "At the next table sat Neville Coyte, a buffer in blue blazer and club tie. Every single bloody meal. Above the table, Neville looked every bit the bowling club president and law firm partner Ron had kept at a safe distance for donkey's years. Below the table, Ron Knew, Neville was clad in stained pyjama pants and nappy. Poor old bugger."
He's clearly writing for an Australian Audience...no attempt made to explain the Anzac statue, and similar local references.
...."the all-cleansing properties of golf. Golf was good. Golf might even redeem even Kelly. Golf might turn her into a white woman". The unconscious racism ..."She's not Indian, she's Anglo-Indian".
"Neither of them had given thought to how Gordon would react to their schemes. How had he made himself such a bystander in his own drama that his mother and his wife should decide his fate like the dictators carving up Poland?"
Liked the introduction of Don Quixote into the mix and the parallels with Gordon.
Gordon loves Bluebird so much...they all (well nearly all) clearly consider it the best place in the world ...but they've never experienced anywhere else. (North Coast for a few weeks?) Their view of the world is so circumscribed. "I just love Bluebird", said Gordon. Was the author's view also like this? Doesn't seem to be written for an international readership .....so be interested to know whether it does have an international readership that doesn't mind the "localisms" or whether it's been re-written for American readers etc.?
Why all the emphasis on gay sex, lezzos, paedophiles? Is this the way the beaches were? I remember Manly change rooms in the late 50's early 60's and the guys who used to nude sunbathe...like dried out old leather. Always rather unsavoury to us kids. Knox writes well. Easy to read. Dialogue crisp and believable...generally. Though one exchange between Lou and Principle Oxenford seemed a bit stilted:..."The inherited blindness. The quickness to disown privilege. The pride in the chip on the shoulder. The fetish for underdog-ism. The strident ordinariness."
I wonder where he gets his great on-liners? Are they original: "Only an idiot would keep a second key inside the car". ..."That's why I'm looking" .
"They were almost at the nursing home and Ron was going through Gordon's things with the persistence of a truffle pig."
Kelly does a nice assessment of Gordon's situation: "You're a good man, I get that you feel your obligations, but you're in truly fucked-up shape. You think your'e protecting Ben and staying here to be a good son to your parents and, oh year, preserving Bluebird and the Lodge, but you're not, you're just going crazy in your little cage, walking around in circles like you have been forever".
Loved the bit about Ben learning to drive and getting up his 120 hrs of experience. (Obviously from someone who has lived through it).
And now the secret revealed......Gordon, in terrified survival mode, had jumped from Owen's back on the cliff and in the process pushed his brother off... Finally he had revealed the secret from his 8 year old past. But for Ben? "You think your shared secret is a secret halved? Maybe for you it is, Dad. What about me? Now I've got a secret too. What am i meant to do? ........What do I do with your secret? Did you think about that?" Ok! maybe that could be the reaction but I think it's an over-reaction by Ben ..after 42 years. I think the secret could probably be spread around without too much damage....except maybe for Ron and Norma.
Another nice analysis from Kelly: Bluebirders aren't creatures of the depths. We are in the shallows, brackish little sea-water puddles left in the rocks by the receding tide."......"You might wonder why your dad [Gordon] is the way he is.......Why he makes all these bad decisions........I often think it goes back to your dad's brother".
Australianisms.."two cases of Tooheys Old"; "BSLSC". Even the name "The Lodge" has overtones of a Masonic Lodge...the self-help society ...a bit like life insurance for families. "Tony Eastaugh's funeral was a suitably modest affair. His generation was long gone, in honour, dishonour, or simply unaccounted for.......those men of the past were a figment of the imagination. One poke of a fire stick and they went down in minutes..."
The tangle of human affairs ....the relentless evil of Ron; his hold over the old events...and the manila folders.....reminds me of "A hundred year's of solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The revelation from Sam that "I saw Owen smile when he went. He was smiling at you Gordo.....He wanted to tell you that it wasn't your fault."
So now I've come to the end. Kind of a happy ending. All the loose ends tied down.....well more or less. Did Tony Eastaugh interfere with Owen? Never quite sure. What happened to Jude and Lou? Just drove off into the sunset with the La Marzocco. Is there something of "redeeming social value" in this book? Do I feel better after reading it? Short answer NO. But it did have an intriguing plot ...tangled and layers...like Norm'a conversation. (Which incidentally was brilliant). Found myself quite in awe of Knox's ability to weave the phrases together..and his clever turn of phrase. On the whole I enjoyed it
(Must have, because I've read it within 28 hrs of purchase). I give it 4 stars. (Would have liked to have come away feeling like I was better for reading it but really, feel that I've been entertained more than educated). Does it bring back memories of my own experiences at manly and Freshwater? No, not really. I was always a day-tripper though I do recall going to Freshwater once with my dad ...maybe around 1950 and walking through sand dunes and banksias to get to the surf. And I have a photo from 1929 of my dad in the surf at Freshwater ...on some kind of surfboard.
I'm finding the "seagull" narrator a bit cumbersome and annoying...can't figure out who the hell is talking in the "Bird's eye section. Is it Gordon? Is it Leonie? All a bit confusing. Another good line: "Tony's hair, the colour of pissed-on snow".
"The thing about villages inside rapidly changing cities was that you didn't need to move to escape your past. You could stand right where you were, and history would change around you..........Memory was erased by the salt-and sand-bearing-wind that rubbed away the names from the Anzac memorial statue in front of the surf club".
Must confess, I found myself chucking at many of the lines: " As town clerk, Conal had ruled Bluebird and the surrounding beaches with a reinforced concrete fist for twenty-seven years."......"Spotting his Scotch on his bedside table, he proceeded at full shuffle."
"Mate', Frontal said, his misty breath clouding Gordon's eyes, "just think about what you're trying to save. All that shit we grew up with. Old Bluebird. Is it really worth saving?"
And then there are the shocks. Old Tony Eastaugh...perving on Gordon in the shower and Gordon stamping on his foot...apparerntly resulting in Tony eventually losing the foot. And Gordon's brother: "You said he was smiling when he jumped"....."I never said he jumped".
And totally from left-field. Uncle Carl....Kelly's brother. Ben remembered his dad telling him. "We all invested hope in him. The one lobster who would be allowed to climb out of the pot. Dux of our class, popular gentle, gorgeous.....what could possibly go wrong?"
And the terrible grandparents: "Ben's grandparents had never let go of the belief that Gordon's finances were their concern. They always wanted to know how he was paying his bills. No reassurances could stop them. They never offered to help. They just wanted to know".
I'm half way through....it's like watching a slow motion train wreck ...watching Gordon's life, kind of spiralling out of control. The outlook doesn't look too good for Gordon. Still some exquisite word portraits: "At the next table sat Neville Coyte, a buffer in blue blazer and club tie. Every single bloody meal. Above the table, Neville looked every bit the bowling club president and law firm partner Ron had kept at a safe distance for donkey's years. Below the table, Ron Knew, Neville was clad in stained pyjama pants and nappy. Poor old bugger."
He's clearly writing for an Australian Audience...no attempt made to explain the Anzac statue, and similar local references.
...."the all-cleansing properties of golf. Golf was good. Golf might even redeem even Kelly. Golf might turn her into a white woman". The unconscious racism ..."She's not Indian, she's Anglo-Indian".
"Neither of them had given thought to how Gordon would react to their schemes. How had he made himself such a bystander in his own drama that his mother and his wife should decide his fate like the dictators carving up Poland?"
Liked the introduction of Don Quixote into the mix and the parallels with Gordon.
Gordon loves Bluebird so much...they all (well nearly all) clearly consider it the best place in the world ...but they've never experienced anywhere else. (North Coast for a few weeks?) Their view of the world is so circumscribed. "I just love Bluebird", said Gordon. Was the author's view also like this? Doesn't seem to be written for an international readership .....so be interested to know whether it does have an international readership that doesn't mind the "localisms" or whether it's been re-written for American readers etc.?
Why all the emphasis on gay sex, lezzos, paedophiles? Is this the way the beaches were? I remember Manly change rooms in the late 50's early 60's and the guys who used to nude sunbathe...like dried out old leather. Always rather unsavoury to us kids. Knox writes well. Easy to read. Dialogue crisp and believable...generally. Though one exchange between Lou and Principle Oxenford seemed a bit stilted:..."The inherited blindness. The quickness to disown privilege. The pride in the chip on the shoulder. The fetish for underdog-ism. The strident ordinariness."
I wonder where he gets his great on-liners? Are they original: "Only an idiot would keep a second key inside the car". ..."That's why I'm looking" .
"They were almost at the nursing home and Ron was going through Gordon's things with the persistence of a truffle pig."
Kelly does a nice assessment of Gordon's situation: "You're a good man, I get that you feel your obligations, but you're in truly fucked-up shape. You think your'e protecting Ben and staying here to be a good son to your parents and, oh year, preserving Bluebird and the Lodge, but you're not, you're just going crazy in your little cage, walking around in circles like you have been forever".
Loved the bit about Ben learning to drive and getting up his 120 hrs of experience. (Obviously from someone who has lived through it).
And now the secret revealed......Gordon, in terrified survival mode, had jumped from Owen's back on the cliff and in the process pushed his brother off... Finally he had revealed the secret from his 8 year old past. But for Ben? "You think your shared secret is a secret halved? Maybe for you it is, Dad. What about me? Now I've got a secret too. What am i meant to do? ........What do I do with your secret? Did you think about that?" Ok! maybe that could be the reaction but I think it's an over-reaction by Ben ..after 42 years. I think the secret could probably be spread around without too much damage....except maybe for Ron and Norma.
Another nice analysis from Kelly: Bluebirders aren't creatures of the depths. We are in the shallows, brackish little sea-water puddles left in the rocks by the receding tide."......"You might wonder why your dad [Gordon] is the way he is.......Why he makes all these bad decisions........I often think it goes back to your dad's brother".
Australianisms.."two cases of Tooheys Old"; "BSLSC". Even the name "The Lodge" has overtones of a Masonic Lodge...the self-help society ...a bit like life insurance for families. "Tony Eastaugh's funeral was a suitably modest affair. His generation was long gone, in honour, dishonour, or simply unaccounted for.......those men of the past were a figment of the imagination. One poke of a fire stick and they went down in minutes..."
The tangle of human affairs ....the relentless evil of Ron; his hold over the old events...and the manila folders.....reminds me of "A hundred year's of solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The revelation from Sam that "I saw Owen smile when he went. He was smiling at you Gordo.....He wanted to tell you that it wasn't your fault."
So now I've come to the end. Kind of a happy ending. All the loose ends tied down.....well more or less. Did Tony Eastaugh interfere with Owen? Never quite sure. What happened to Jude and Lou? Just drove off into the sunset with the La Marzocco. Is there something of "redeeming social value" in this book? Do I feel better after reading it? Short answer NO. But it did have an intriguing plot ...tangled and layers...like Norm'a conversation. (Which incidentally was brilliant). Found myself quite in awe of Knox's ability to weave the phrases together..and his clever turn of phrase. On the whole I enjoyed it
(Must have, because I've read it within 28 hrs of purchase). I give it 4 stars. (Would have liked to have come away feeling like I was better for reading it but really, feel that I've been entertained more than educated). Does it bring back memories of my own experiences at manly and Freshwater? No, not really. I was always a day-tripper though I do recall going to Freshwater once with my dad ...maybe around 1950 and walking through sand dunes and banksias to get to the surf. And I have a photo from 1929 of my dad in the surf at Freshwater ...on some kind of surfboard.
September 13, 2020
Bluebird (Allen and Unwin 2020), the new novel by Australian author Malcolm Knox, is a sharp, keenly observed, brilliantly funny tour-de-force that unpacks masculinity and the complicated relationships of families through the examination of long-held secrets, complex loyalties and the shifting dynamics of decades-long friendships and bitter enmities.
The Lodge is a ramshackle, decaying once-grand manor of a house that sits precariously on top of the cliff overlooking the iconic and beautiful Bluebird Beach. Clinging stubbornly to its space, while its neighbours are all redeveloped and gentrified, The Lodge has become a faux community centre for those who live in it and the many more who treat it as a second home, a club house, an escape, a right of passage, a sacred and unassailable anchor of everything the area of Bluebird used to represent.
To Gordon Grimes, the house represents a part of himself, a legacy of his family and the last connection to someone he lost long ago in traumatic circumstances. But Gordon is drowning in debt and no amount of band-aid solutions can fix The Lodge’s terminal problems. Gordon’s almost ex-wife Kelly has also returned to live at The Lodge, even while still trying to leave her husband. Their son Ben, with too many of his own problems and issues, is nevertheless doing everything he can to save the house and his father. And Gordon’s god-daughter Lou is also a permanent fixture, the only one who can make a decent coffee. The family matriarch, Leonie, is playing her own long end game, and keeping her family members trapped in the house is all part of her plan. And Gordon’s parents, Ron and Norma, are deeply flawed characters who never cease to cause trouble, but who have had their own share of grief.
As Gordon becomes increasingly desperate to hold onto The Lodge, a huge cast of characters walk on and off stage: his old surfing buddies Snake, Red Cap, Firie Sam (who has his own complicated history with Gordon), Tonsure Man, Cnut, Japan Ned, Dog (who’d had an affair with Gordon’s wife Kelly), and of course there’s a Macca and a Chook and ‘and an interchangeable posse of Maccalikes and Chookalikes’. All past their prime, all fixated on the next wave, all having seemingly endless time to hang around The Lodge like it’s their personal club.
Gordon is a man for whom we feel immense empathy and sympathy. We can relate to his bumbling attempts to keep fiddling even while the ship is going down; we can understand his tangled messes of relations with those in his life; we can see where he’s going wrong, and how, but it’s like watching a train derailing in slow motion – there is nothing we can do about it. He is fundamentally flawed, embarrassed, embarrassing, inadequate, self-loathing, weak, inept and cowardly, but he is also an underdog, the loser we want to cheer on, the quiet acceptor of insults and injuries, a man that we hope will one day rise up and strike back.
The characterisations in this novel are witty, cruel, frank and disarmingly recognisable. These are flawed characters who fail themselves and others at every turn; sometimes people who mean well but cause endless harm and chaos, and sometimes people who absolutely plan every bit of destruction and hate and ignominy and jealousy they create. Knox describes them with dark accuracy and cunning, his words painting pictures that are impossible to forget. The dialogue is authentic and caustic.
The plot is every bit as complex and thorny as the characters. The linking thread is The Lodge: what is to become of it, how it is falling apart, whether it can be saved. But there are so many other subplots going on in this narrative: subterfuge, ambition, thwarted desire, romance, greed, manipulation, historical secrets, divided loyalties, cherished friendships, blood ties that are thicker than water and ties between mates that are thicker still. I’m sure this novel will be touted as a great Australian classic, a familiar landscape of place and community that will be recognised and embraced.
The dichotomy of the new replacing the old and the young displacing the established is captured in every page, as the nailed-down residents of Bluebird are confronted by redevelopments, progress, baristas with accents and man-buns, youngsters with obscene amounts of renovation cash, hipsters who think they own the place and youngsters who claim the beach and the surf without a thought to the hierarchy and the established pecking order.
This is a book that will totally appeal to male readers, with its self-deprecating humour and pitch-perfect characters, (and also an abundance of surfing and cricket…) but its sensitivity and emotional baggage, its depth and thought-provoking pokes at human nature will appeal to all readers who enjoy a rich, complicated, multi-layered story with many facets waiting to be polished. It is savage and then tender, hilarious and then heart-breaking. It’s about myths, getting older, becoming irrelevant, growing up, being brave, sacrifice, dying, making mistakes, forgiveness, longing, irascibility, corruption, compassion, regret, redemption, lies and truths.
Knox’s previous book The Wonder Lover gained a lot of critical acclaim, but I enjoyed this one much more. This is a book that speaks to modern society and those of us who play a part in it. It is a novel that captures the Australian beachside community and its many caricatured individuals; a story that cleverly reveals long-held secrets and accidental conspiracies. The many threads of resolution are delivered with an inevitability that feels resoundingly real.
The Lodge is a ramshackle, decaying once-grand manor of a house that sits precariously on top of the cliff overlooking the iconic and beautiful Bluebird Beach. Clinging stubbornly to its space, while its neighbours are all redeveloped and gentrified, The Lodge has become a faux community centre for those who live in it and the many more who treat it as a second home, a club house, an escape, a right of passage, a sacred and unassailable anchor of everything the area of Bluebird used to represent.
To Gordon Grimes, the house represents a part of himself, a legacy of his family and the last connection to someone he lost long ago in traumatic circumstances. But Gordon is drowning in debt and no amount of band-aid solutions can fix The Lodge’s terminal problems. Gordon’s almost ex-wife Kelly has also returned to live at The Lodge, even while still trying to leave her husband. Their son Ben, with too many of his own problems and issues, is nevertheless doing everything he can to save the house and his father. And Gordon’s god-daughter Lou is also a permanent fixture, the only one who can make a decent coffee. The family matriarch, Leonie, is playing her own long end game, and keeping her family members trapped in the house is all part of her plan. And Gordon’s parents, Ron and Norma, are deeply flawed characters who never cease to cause trouble, but who have had their own share of grief.
As Gordon becomes increasingly desperate to hold onto The Lodge, a huge cast of characters walk on and off stage: his old surfing buddies Snake, Red Cap, Firie Sam (who has his own complicated history with Gordon), Tonsure Man, Cnut, Japan Ned, Dog (who’d had an affair with Gordon’s wife Kelly), and of course there’s a Macca and a Chook and ‘and an interchangeable posse of Maccalikes and Chookalikes’. All past their prime, all fixated on the next wave, all having seemingly endless time to hang around The Lodge like it’s their personal club.
Gordon is a man for whom we feel immense empathy and sympathy. We can relate to his bumbling attempts to keep fiddling even while the ship is going down; we can understand his tangled messes of relations with those in his life; we can see where he’s going wrong, and how, but it’s like watching a train derailing in slow motion – there is nothing we can do about it. He is fundamentally flawed, embarrassed, embarrassing, inadequate, self-loathing, weak, inept and cowardly, but he is also an underdog, the loser we want to cheer on, the quiet acceptor of insults and injuries, a man that we hope will one day rise up and strike back.
The characterisations in this novel are witty, cruel, frank and disarmingly recognisable. These are flawed characters who fail themselves and others at every turn; sometimes people who mean well but cause endless harm and chaos, and sometimes people who absolutely plan every bit of destruction and hate and ignominy and jealousy they create. Knox describes them with dark accuracy and cunning, his words painting pictures that are impossible to forget. The dialogue is authentic and caustic.
The plot is every bit as complex and thorny as the characters. The linking thread is The Lodge: what is to become of it, how it is falling apart, whether it can be saved. But there are so many other subplots going on in this narrative: subterfuge, ambition, thwarted desire, romance, greed, manipulation, historical secrets, divided loyalties, cherished friendships, blood ties that are thicker than water and ties between mates that are thicker still. I’m sure this novel will be touted as a great Australian classic, a familiar landscape of place and community that will be recognised and embraced.
The dichotomy of the new replacing the old and the young displacing the established is captured in every page, as the nailed-down residents of Bluebird are confronted by redevelopments, progress, baristas with accents and man-buns, youngsters with obscene amounts of renovation cash, hipsters who think they own the place and youngsters who claim the beach and the surf without a thought to the hierarchy and the established pecking order.
This is a book that will totally appeal to male readers, with its self-deprecating humour and pitch-perfect characters, (and also an abundance of surfing and cricket…) but its sensitivity and emotional baggage, its depth and thought-provoking pokes at human nature will appeal to all readers who enjoy a rich, complicated, multi-layered story with many facets waiting to be polished. It is savage and then tender, hilarious and then heart-breaking. It’s about myths, getting older, becoming irrelevant, growing up, being brave, sacrifice, dying, making mistakes, forgiveness, longing, irascibility, corruption, compassion, regret, redemption, lies and truths.
Knox’s previous book The Wonder Lover gained a lot of critical acclaim, but I enjoyed this one much more. This is a book that speaks to modern society and those of us who play a part in it. It is a novel that captures the Australian beachside community and its many caricatured individuals; a story that cleverly reveals long-held secrets and accidental conspiracies. The many threads of resolution are delivered with an inevitability that feels resoundingly real.
December 3, 2020
4 1/2 rounded up because I was sad when it ended!. WHAT FUN, once you 'know' all the people. Like watching a stunning Australian movie. I really had quite a few genuine laughs! LOVED it!🌸🌈🌹😀
November 23, 2020
From clubbies to budgy smugglers, this book makes no apologies for being distinctly and untranslatably Australian. Knox unapologetically trusts the reader to keep up or stop reading which deserves commendation. Too often, literature is embedded within unfamiliar neighbourhoods so Bluebird offers a refreshing reprieve for Australian readers, particularly those growing up in beachside towns.
However, too much time was spent getting to know too many characters which were incidental to Bluebird’s story. While the writing was witty and evocative, the book lacked momentum at times.
However, too much time was spent getting to know too many characters which were incidental to Bluebird’s story. While the writing was witty and evocative, the book lacked momentum at times.
May 5, 2021
Just couldn’t get on board with this one. The characters were all unlikeable and you didn’t know much about their motivations. The plot was confusing. The reveals were nothing special. I enjoyed the setting, but didn’t like much else.
November 16, 2020
Did not finish! I did love the writing, particularly, the descriptions of settings and characters. But not the characters, nor did I get into the plot so gave up to try something else.
July 19, 2021
This was a sharply witty story with classic characters and a setting I could definitely picture. To my mind Bluebird is a thinly disguised Freshwater, with its swankier neighbour Capri being Manly. I know those leathery old 50-something surfers, gee I’m even married to one. Poor old Gordon, living in the past, complaining about the crowds, being swamped by rampant development and yet relying on soaring property prices for funds as his journalism career goes down the drain. His ageing parents, teenage son, ex-wife and cast of similarly tragic mates all add to Gordon’s woes, creating a story that’s not really funny at all but is underscored with a piercing dark humour.
I really enjoyed Knox’s writing. I loved his pithy observations, simple and yet very poignant. There were elements of Trent Dalton there in the style. I could imagine a bit younger Richard Roxburgh playing Gordon, that would be excellent.
I really enjoyed Knox’s writing. I loved his pithy observations, simple and yet very poignant. There were elements of Trent Dalton there in the style. I could imagine a bit younger Richard Roxburgh playing Gordon, that would be excellent.
December 21, 2020
This is a very Australian book. I listened to a lot of this book (set in a beachside community) and wasn't till today I actually read it. A minor character appears every so often. I was hearing the nickname See Nut but when I actually read it, cnut! Only an Australian. Lots of characters in this book talk about not living in the past and gradually I came to realize why. Guilt is based on the past. Secrets are a thing of the past. Shame, or lack of, is also related to the past. Plus the biggie memory, which is unreliable, is a creation of past events. "A stunning new novel about longing, regret, redemption and the terrible legacy of decades of secrets buried in an Australian beachside suburb." say the publishers but isn't the bluebird a thing of happiness? Good holiday read.
December 23, 2020
A fabulous read! I have nothing more to say, this is one book where you can trust the comments on the covers. The third book of Malcolm Knox I have read, hurry up with the next one please.
October 9, 2020
Bluebird is an amazing novel set in an Australian beachside suburb. It has a super nostalgic feel to it, which I really enjoyed.
This book was emotional, but hilarious at times too. It's written extremely well, and the characters were quite interesting.
Bluebird is a bit of a longer read, but it was definitely worth the amount of pages. It's a novel I'd definitely recommend to those who enjoy Aussie books.
Thank you so much to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of this book to review.
This book was emotional, but hilarious at times too. It's written extremely well, and the characters were quite interesting.
Bluebird is a bit of a longer read, but it was definitely worth the amount of pages. It's a novel I'd definitely recommend to those who enjoy Aussie books.
Thank you so much to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of this book to review.
August 25, 2020
I recently received a copy of Bluebird by Malcom Knox. Gordon Crimes returns to the town of Bluebird after a lengthy absence. He is filled with fond nostalgic memories of the place and people as seen through youthful eyes. It is sometimes hilarious and sometimes disjointed and hard to follow. I don't write this lightly but unfortunately it wasn't one of my favourite reads. It was written in the language style of a larakin surfer dude. He finds life not as he remembers and people are different and filled with ulterior motives. There are secrets which gradually unfold through the book but I found it a bit slow and tedious to follow at length. However I do appreciate the opportunity to read it. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Probably better suited to a teenage male.
March 26, 2021
Reading this was a slog, it’s at least 200 pages too long and I didn’t feel anything for any of the characters. The writing was good at times but the frequent use of juvenile humour, repetitive dialogue and puerile descriptions was extremely annoying. This sentence from toward the end is a great example “He shifts in his seat and unpicks his Okanuis from where they have been wedged between his balls.” The book seems to be getting good reviews but I’m really not sure why.
September 26, 2021
Very Australian book but I didn't really like any of the characters and couldn't get into what little story-line there was.
August 28, 2020
A modern Australian coastal saga of-sorts. A long book, full of detail, intricacy and connections. Familial myths and legends that are no longer standing the test of time. Long and drawn out characters that seem to keep their baggage with them, and in full view. This story mostly takes place within The Lodge, an iconic crumbling house, teetering precariously on a cliff that overlooks Bluebird Beach. This house is part of the life of Gordon Grimes, or is it the other way around? Gordon is trapped here in body and spirit, teetering on the edge of his own life and a direction he needs to find. He is both tormented and trapped by memories, by money (and a lack of it), and by family. The Lodge is unsalvageable, and in a way, Gordon and every other character seems that way too. Sometimes life and families are really the same. They can crumble away behind you, and so much energy is put into savouring the past, without knowing how to keep all the right pieces glued together. Ben, Gordon's son, is caught up in his own dreams he can't break out of. And Ron, Gordon's ailing father, a cantankerous old curmudgeon, shuffles further and further into bitterness, leaving Gordon to continuously clean up the mess he has left behind. Progress can also eat away at memories and nostalgia. Progress means change, and many of the characters, even Gordon's wife and god-daughter didn't cope well with it. The illusion that they were able to move on wasn't strong enough. While reading, the question arose as to whether ever single character needed to be separated from Bluebird Beach and its surrounds in order to find peace.
Sometimes you have to leave the past to appreciate its beauty and its worth.
Thank you @allenandunwin for the ARC.
Sometimes you have to leave the past to appreciate its beauty and its worth.
Thank you @allenandunwin for the ARC.
August 16, 2024
Very Australian, with imagery of the East Coast around Northern NSW and Southern QLD that will lose many Western Australians, let alone international readers. However there were depictions of a lot of those Australian images that many Aussies would prefer to see representing the nation (like sports; golf, cricket, surfing and Volunteer Fire Brigades & Surf Life Saving carnivals). There were too the typical pitfalls of life plagued with local government bureaucracy, racism and small-town bigotry ubiquitous in many western communities. Many of the hardships felt very first world and self-inflicted in nature, making it difficult for me to feel a lot of empathy for some of the protagonists.
It was little wonder that many reviewers put this work in the contemporary satire category: the humour was quite dry; but "There, for the grace of God, go I...".
Not quite up to a Trent Dalton standard of " Ocker" reflection, but you get the picture, a bloody good simulacrum never-the-less.
The basic plots build up thorough working characters for a large stage of players, before coming all together in a big bang of an eventful climax in the last few pages of an otherwise very large novel.
It was little wonder that many reviewers put this work in the contemporary satire category: the humour was quite dry; but "There, for the grace of God, go I...".
Not quite up to a Trent Dalton standard of " Ocker" reflection, but you get the picture, a bloody good simulacrum never-the-less.
The basic plots build up thorough working characters for a large stage of players, before coming all together in a big bang of an eventful climax in the last few pages of an otherwise very large novel.
September 27, 2020
Malcolm Knox is yet another new Australian author to me and Bluebird a compelling read that depicts some very flawed but interesting characters defined by their own distinctive traits and obsessions. The setting of The Lodge in this coastal town is the base for all the events that unfold as the novel explores amongst other things the chequered effects of untamed and rampant nostalgia when left unchallenged and allowed to dictate thinking and behaviour.
I am glad to have read it though I remain a little undecided as to who is the most troubled or damaged character as a result of all that unfolds.
I think I like this novel but the fact I am still uncertain is both bemusing and confusing.
I am glad to have read it though I remain a little undecided as to who is the most troubled or damaged character as a result of all that unfolds.
I think I like this novel but the fact I am still uncertain is both bemusing and confusing.
December 5, 2021
I am sorry I waited so long to read this. Bluebird is a little beachside suburb in what is clearly the Northern Beaches of Sydney (I pictured Avalon), where the old locals are struggling to hold onto their concept of home amongst the astronomical real estate prices and gentrification. Gordon Grimes is a middle-aged man whose life, and the old cliff-top house he lives in, are falling apart, and he desperately tries to hold it all together. It feels a bit like a funnier, masculine version of The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, ruminating on growing older, adapting to change, the enduring power of secrets, friendships, family, and self-determination. I thought I would dislike all the characters, but they were so sensitively drawn that I ended up feeling such affection for them, as well as laughing out loud at the sharp lampooning of modern life. The audiobook was brilliantly done.
November 25, 2020
I imagine that anyone reading this novel will ‘know ‘ at least one character in this novel; a family member, relative or friend. They include the cantankerous, seedy bunch and the misguided misfits who struggle to make decisions.
I loved the image of The Lodge clinging to the Bluebird cliff. Like a metaphor for all our excess baggage that we try to accomodate, repair and make excuses for sometimes the best decision is to move on and let it all go.
This novel captures quintessential Australian moments and all that we hold dear to our way of life. My favourite word of the novel was “shitfuckerbumpoo” which I have actually heard used in real life but made me laugh every time I read it.
I loved the image of The Lodge clinging to the Bluebird cliff. Like a metaphor for all our excess baggage that we try to accomodate, repair and make excuses for sometimes the best decision is to move on and let it all go.
This novel captures quintessential Australian moments and all that we hold dear to our way of life. My favourite word of the novel was “shitfuckerbumpoo” which I have actually heard used in real life but made me laugh every time I read it.
March 23, 2021
Can't wait for someone to make this into a miniseries. Great story. Reckon I know every one of the characters.
January 17, 2021
An interesting Australian story with a big cast of characters. For some reason I didn’t really enjoy the book, however.
February 25, 2021
The characters annoyed me greatly in this novel. Felt like a home and away plot.
May 31, 2021
it just DIDN'T work for me. and I grew up on a beach but I was not enamoured with the story nor the characters.
Shit happens !
DNF
Shit happens !
DNF
November 17, 2020
Malcolm Knox has centred his latest novel around a clifftop house overlooking one of Ocean City’s finest beaches. This a world where life centres around the Surf Club and dawn raids on the best breaks nature has to offer for the boardies. Bluebird is an enclave suburb, one of the last bastions of a lifestyle sold off to the highest bidder wanting to buy in on the dream. Dilapidated beach shacks have stealthily been replaced by concrete monoliths and summer dwellers, slowly edging out the diehards who have called Bluebird home for generations.
Gordon Grimes, mid 50s, soon to be divorced from the delectable Kelly is one of Bluebird’s sons. He calls The Lodge home, rolling a marble along its floors to judge the slope and how long it will be before the house falls into the sea. In the meantime, him and his surfie mates treat The Lodge like their private club house.
Trouble is, his mother-in-law Leonie has her own development plans for The Lodge. That’s the only reason she has granted Gordon a third share in the place. It sounds like an amazing gift but Gordon is sharing the Lodge with his ex Kelly and their son Ben. Whilst Gordon tries holding on to the old Bluebird for grim death, nothing he can do will stop progress.
Knox has written a lovesong to the old beachside suburbs of Sydney, intertwined with a sharply observed commentary on the desecration of our coastal suburbs in the name of development. He balances this with a cast of characters whose web of secrets and lies is about to unravel taking them all with it. Bluebird brilliantly captures a bygone era of men with leathery skin still wearing budgie smugglers when they really shouldn’t yet only a ferry ride shy of the city and modern life. The days of suburbs like Bluebird ( “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) are numbered. Knox is only partly mourning the passing of an era because he juxtaposes this nostalgia with the abrupt truths of corrupt councilmen, dodgy property deals and morally bankrupt behaviour that underwote the dream. Bluebird asks questions about familial loyalty and personal redemption. It pays homage to an era that will soon be gone forever but also questions why this aspect of Australian culture continues to be worshipped as if it were a golden age.
Gordon Grimes, mid 50s, soon to be divorced from the delectable Kelly is one of Bluebird’s sons. He calls The Lodge home, rolling a marble along its floors to judge the slope and how long it will be before the house falls into the sea. In the meantime, him and his surfie mates treat The Lodge like their private club house.
Trouble is, his mother-in-law Leonie has her own development plans for The Lodge. That’s the only reason she has granted Gordon a third share in the place. It sounds like an amazing gift but Gordon is sharing the Lodge with his ex Kelly and their son Ben. Whilst Gordon tries holding on to the old Bluebird for grim death, nothing he can do will stop progress.
Knox has written a lovesong to the old beachside suburbs of Sydney, intertwined with a sharply observed commentary on the desecration of our coastal suburbs in the name of development. He balances this with a cast of characters whose web of secrets and lies is about to unravel taking them all with it. Bluebird brilliantly captures a bygone era of men with leathery skin still wearing budgie smugglers when they really shouldn’t yet only a ferry ride shy of the city and modern life. The days of suburbs like Bluebird ( “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) are numbered. Knox is only partly mourning the passing of an era because he juxtaposes this nostalgia with the abrupt truths of corrupt councilmen, dodgy property deals and morally bankrupt behaviour that underwote the dream. Bluebird asks questions about familial loyalty and personal redemption. It pays homage to an era that will soon be gone forever but also questions why this aspect of Australian culture continues to be worshipped as if it were a golden age.
September 21, 2020
It took me a little while to truly get into this novel. To be honest, at first I didn’t think that I’d enjoy it all. I found the lead character, Gordon, a little difficult to feel sympathy for or bond with. But about two chapters in, that all changed. Somehow all of those little moments that made it difficult to feel bonded with Gordon suddenly became the very reasons why I wanted him to find his own happiness and bliss. It was completely unexpected and kind of exciting. Definitely a talented way to make you seriously feel for a character, whilst also highlighting all of their flaws (and who doesn’t love a flawed protagonist?)
Even though I did eventually feel somewhat attached to Gordon, he was still a fairly wishy washy and somewhat whinney feeling protagonist. Personally, I generally prefer my leads to have a bit of a backbone. And even though he does finally manage to do so, it’s still not the backbone that I would have liked to see. Yet, having said that. There is not a thing I would change about him – I feel like that’s a truly wonderful talent – creating a protagonist that I would normally kind of hate, and making me think that he was ultimately perfect.
The part of this story that I enjoyed the most was the constant familiarity throughout the story. There were so many scenes, moments and characters that felt like the people and places that I know in my everyday life. A small town that is stuck in its ways and impossible to forget. Difficult to let go of and hard to move on from? It was definitely the kind of story that plucked all of my nostalgic, Aussie heart strings. I’m not really sure how someone not from Australia would feel about all of this nostalgia, but I’ll certainly be recommending this to my overseas friends as well as my local friends!
This is a great and very intense story that focuses on the things we do for love – whether that’s staying or leaving. Keeping secrets or telling the truth. Love definitely governs all in this story, with a dash of secret keeping and the ties that bind us to family. It was intense and gorgeous. Definitely a book well worth reading!
Even though I did eventually feel somewhat attached to Gordon, he was still a fairly wishy washy and somewhat whinney feeling protagonist. Personally, I generally prefer my leads to have a bit of a backbone. And even though he does finally manage to do so, it’s still not the backbone that I would have liked to see. Yet, having said that. There is not a thing I would change about him – I feel like that’s a truly wonderful talent – creating a protagonist that I would normally kind of hate, and making me think that he was ultimately perfect.
The part of this story that I enjoyed the most was the constant familiarity throughout the story. There were so many scenes, moments and characters that felt like the people and places that I know in my everyday life. A small town that is stuck in its ways and impossible to forget. Difficult to let go of and hard to move on from? It was definitely the kind of story that plucked all of my nostalgic, Aussie heart strings. I’m not really sure how someone not from Australia would feel about all of this nostalgia, but I’ll certainly be recommending this to my overseas friends as well as my local friends!
This is a great and very intense story that focuses on the things we do for love – whether that’s staying or leaving. Keeping secrets or telling the truth. Love definitely governs all in this story, with a dash of secret keeping and the ties that bind us to family. It was intense and gorgeous. Definitely a book well worth reading!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews