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The Shiralee
A shiralee is a swag, a burden, a bloody millstone - and that's what four-year-old Buster is to her father, Macauley. He takes the child on the road with him to spite his wife, but months pass and still no word comes to ask for the little girl back. Strangers to each other at first, father and daughter drift aimlessly through the dusty towns of Australia, sleeping rough and relying on odd jobs for food and money. Buster's resilience and trust slowly erode Macauley's resentment, and when he's finally able to get rid of her, he realises he can't let his shiralee go. In evocative prose that vividly conjures images of rural Australia, The Shiralee reveal an understanding of the paradoxical nature of the burdens we carry, creates a moving portrait of fatherhood, told with gruff humour and a gentle pathos.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
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About the author
D'Arcy Niland
20 books15 followersD’Arcy Francis Niland was an Australian author who wrote prolifically during his lifetime. He is well-known for his classic novel The Shiralee, a best-selling book which has never been out of print since its first publication in 1955. His major interest was in the craft of short story writing. He produced over five hundred short stories published in Australia and abroad.
D’Arcy Niland was born in Glen Innes, NSW on 20 October 1917. He was educated at St Joseph’s School in Glen Innes and it was here, he was encouraged to write by the nuns who saw a literary potential in their young pupil.
Having to leave school by the age of fourteen to help support his large family, he took on varied employment in shearing sheds, potato fields, opal mines, circus tents and boxing shows. He educated himself by reading the dictionary and practised his writing craft when he could.
The Niland family left Glen Innes around 1933, to live in Sydney. D’Arcy Niland worked as a copyboy at the Sun newspaper. He supplemented his small income by working at the railway sheds at Redfern, Sydney.
In 1942 he married Ruth Park, a New Zealander, with whom he had been corresponding for several years about their like-minded goals as writers. Once married, the couple decided to make a concerted effort to pursue their dream to live entirely by writing. They worked in partnership and alone, producing an enormous output of stories, songs, jingles, plays, factual articles, scripts, poems and novels.
In Balgowlah, NSW, they raised their family of five children, whilst juggling writing commitments.
Achieving wider recognition through winning various literary prizes, D’Arcy Niland was awarded £600 by the Commonwealth Literary Fund in 1952 to write a novel.
The result was The Shiralee, published in 1955. It was an international success. There have been over sixty-five editions and many translations. It was made into a film of the same name in 1957, starring Peter Finch, and a cast of well-known Australian actors. The Shiralee was also made into a popular television mini-series in 1987, with Bryan Brown as Macauley.
D’Arcy Niland continued writing to the end of his life, completing his last novel Dead Men Running two days before his death on 29 March 1967.
D’Arcy Niland was born in Glen Innes, NSW on 20 October 1917. He was educated at St Joseph’s School in Glen Innes and it was here, he was encouraged to write by the nuns who saw a literary potential in their young pupil.
Having to leave school by the age of fourteen to help support his large family, he took on varied employment in shearing sheds, potato fields, opal mines, circus tents and boxing shows. He educated himself by reading the dictionary and practised his writing craft when he could.
The Niland family left Glen Innes around 1933, to live in Sydney. D’Arcy Niland worked as a copyboy at the Sun newspaper. He supplemented his small income by working at the railway sheds at Redfern, Sydney.
In 1942 he married Ruth Park, a New Zealander, with whom he had been corresponding for several years about their like-minded goals as writers. Once married, the couple decided to make a concerted effort to pursue their dream to live entirely by writing. They worked in partnership and alone, producing an enormous output of stories, songs, jingles, plays, factual articles, scripts, poems and novels.
In Balgowlah, NSW, they raised their family of five children, whilst juggling writing commitments.
Achieving wider recognition through winning various literary prizes, D’Arcy Niland was awarded £600 by the Commonwealth Literary Fund in 1952 to write a novel.
The result was The Shiralee, published in 1955. It was an international success. There have been over sixty-five editions and many translations. It was made into a film of the same name in 1957, starring Peter Finch, and a cast of well-known Australian actors. The Shiralee was also made into a popular television mini-series in 1987, with Bryan Brown as Macauley.
D’Arcy Niland continued writing to the end of his life, completing his last novel Dead Men Running two days before his death on 29 March 1967.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
November 8, 2019
Do you know what a shiralee is? In colloquial Australian it means a burden, a load. It is this that the title is referring too.
Picture this – a thirty-five-year-old, virile, muscular man walking alone, tramping from one job to another in rural areas of New South Wales. Only he is not alone; he is traipsing the countryside with his young daughter, Buster. She is four. She has been dumped on him. She is his shiralee. He isn’t afraid of a brawl. He cannot help but be physically attracted to at least some of the women he sees. A well rounded rump, a plump breast, of course they arouse him. So, we watch him. We watch as his love for his daughter, with whom he before had had little contact, grows. She is attached to him from the start. With him, his love grows, slowly but surely. He also grows into being a father. This is heartwarming, as are the friendships observed with his buddies, transients, hobos and scruffy friends. The people we meet in this story are the down-and-out. Personally, there are many here I came to like.
His wife? She is part of the story too.
This story is special in its delivering a tale of a particular place and people--the 1950s and the Australian outback, the rough and tumble of such people’s lives. The characters in the story speak using Australian colloquialisms. This is as it should be. What is drawn is realistic. The ending is perfect. The story is at points upsetting, sometimes exciting and at other times heartwarming. The reader gets a good mix. It is a classic that deserves to be read. I am not going to tell you more, just read it.
James Condon narrates the audiobook. He is an Australian actor and thus has no trouble perfectly rendering an Australian accent. When he speaks the words of the story’s narrator, he uses a clear, simple and easily understood English. On these points I have no complaints whatsoever. What I do not like is the intonation used for the little girl of the story. I am talking about Buster! His intonation of her words is terrible, so terrible that listening is simply not pleasant. Think shrill and squeaky. Condon totally fails in his attempt to mimic a little girl. This wrecked the narration for me totally. I have listened to Condon before; previously I had been pleased, but not here. One star for the narration.
Picture this – a thirty-five-year-old, virile, muscular man walking alone, tramping from one job to another in rural areas of New South Wales. Only he is not alone; he is traipsing the countryside with his young daughter, Buster. She is four. She has been dumped on him. She is his shiralee. He isn’t afraid of a brawl. He cannot help but be physically attracted to at least some of the women he sees. A well rounded rump, a plump breast, of course they arouse him. So, we watch him. We watch as his love for his daughter, with whom he before had had little contact, grows. She is attached to him from the start. With him, his love grows, slowly but surely. He also grows into being a father. This is heartwarming, as are the friendships observed with his buddies, transients, hobos and scruffy friends. The people we meet in this story are the down-and-out. Personally, there are many here I came to like.
His wife? She is part of the story too.
This story is special in its delivering a tale of a particular place and people--the 1950s and the Australian outback, the rough and tumble of such people’s lives. The characters in the story speak using Australian colloquialisms. This is as it should be. What is drawn is realistic. The ending is perfect. The story is at points upsetting, sometimes exciting and at other times heartwarming. The reader gets a good mix. It is a classic that deserves to be read. I am not going to tell you more, just read it.
James Condon narrates the audiobook. He is an Australian actor and thus has no trouble perfectly rendering an Australian accent. When he speaks the words of the story’s narrator, he uses a clear, simple and easily understood English. On these points I have no complaints whatsoever. What I do not like is the intonation used for the little girl of the story. I am talking about Buster! His intonation of her words is terrible, so terrible that listening is simply not pleasant. Think shrill and squeaky. Condon totally fails in his attempt to mimic a little girl. This wrecked the narration for me totally. I have listened to Condon before; previously I had been pleased, but not here. One star for the narration.
March 30, 2020
The Shiralee is an Australian classic; the story of a swagman who comes to have his daughter in tow as he roams the continent working transient jobs and living out of a bag. The four year old is the shiralee, an Australian word for “burden”. What transpires between this man and his daughter is as sweet a transformation as I have ever encountered. He is all toughness, and she has inherited her share of it from him, but even a tough nut can be cracked and the love of a child is often the perfect nutcracker.
I loved the very Ausieness of this book. The expressions that are so quaint and foreign to me would no doubt be common fare for an Australian, but they gave it a regional flavor that hooked me immediately. It was difficult to think of this innocent child being dragged through what is so often a brutal and unkind environment, one in which other people are often the worst dangers you encounter, but there was also the camaraderie between the swagmen and the generosity of some of the strangers that proved this world is like any other, both good and bad, both cruel and kind.
Buster is such a resilient little bugger, and Macauley, who does not begin this journey in a very good light, grows on the reader as he realizes what it is to be a father, to accept a responsibility and to truly love. Niland lays out a beautiful case for why self-interest should not always win.
I confess that I sought this book out because I have always remembered seeing a production based on it back in the 1980s. Hallmark? PBS? Just a mini-series? Don’t recall, just remembered that I had loved it, that it starred Bryan Brown, a favorite actor, and that I now retained only a very vague hint of what it was actually about. I’m glad that movie left its impression, because the book was a total joy to read. Now, I want to go find that production if I can and watch it again.
During a time when we are all limited to such a narrow world, it was a delight to read about someone who had the freedom of the road, who could make his own decisions , who could face adversity head-on and win. A trip to Australia was just what I needed.
I loved the very Ausieness of this book. The expressions that are so quaint and foreign to me would no doubt be common fare for an Australian, but they gave it a regional flavor that hooked me immediately. It was difficult to think of this innocent child being dragged through what is so often a brutal and unkind environment, one in which other people are often the worst dangers you encounter, but there was also the camaraderie between the swagmen and the generosity of some of the strangers that proved this world is like any other, both good and bad, both cruel and kind.
Buster is such a resilient little bugger, and Macauley, who does not begin this journey in a very good light, grows on the reader as he realizes what it is to be a father, to accept a responsibility and to truly love. Niland lays out a beautiful case for why self-interest should not always win.
I confess that I sought this book out because I have always remembered seeing a production based on it back in the 1980s. Hallmark? PBS? Just a mini-series? Don’t recall, just remembered that I had loved it, that it starred Bryan Brown, a favorite actor, and that I now retained only a very vague hint of what it was actually about. I’m glad that movie left its impression, because the book was a total joy to read. Now, I want to go find that production if I can and watch it again.
During a time when we are all limited to such a narrow world, it was a delight to read about someone who had the freedom of the road, who could make his own decisions , who could face adversity head-on and win. A trip to Australia was just what I needed.
October 19, 2023
I read this book after watching the TV series with Bryan Brown (Macaulay) and Rebecca Smart (Buster). I developed a taste for Australia's quirky writers - this was a gem of a story about a man who could not stay in one place too long, and the child who was just as tough as he was. The Australians are one tough lot, but Buster has them all beat, as Macaulay would say!
November 11, 2015
Published in 1955, The Shiralee is a classic of Australian literature. I really enjoyed reading it because of its quality. The term 'shiralee' is a vernacular word for a swag, a bundle of possessions and bedding rolled up and secured with a rope or belt, and slung over the shoulders. In the story, the father refers often to his child as a second swag that he has to carry.
The main character, Macauley, is a bit of a rough diamond, and viewed with today's perspective might be seen as a bit of an Ocker stereotype. However, I strongly believe that the characters and values which prevailed in post WW2 outback Australia were very different from what we see today (except, perhaps, in Far North Queensland), and we should not judge them by today's standards. From my early childhood I can recall itinerant workers who used to knock at our door, looking for casual work. My mother would always find a job in the garden or around the house, paying the chap a few shillings for a few hours work (Hmm, that really dates me!!)
Quick to anger and ready with his fists, Macauley is quite a brawler, but he is genuinely conscientious about bringing up his little girl, the 4yo Buster, to the best of his ability. Unable to settle to suburban life in Sydney, his heart is happiest when he is on the road, walking from town to town, picking up casual work where he can. In this book, he's a bit down on his luck, eking out his few pounds in cash, while he looks for a safe place to camp and work, feeding himself and the child with whatever comes his way. Along the roads and in the small towns, he encounters a variety of remarkable characters, some sinister, others delightful, and their stories enrich this tale immensely. There is a lot of gentle humour and some affectionate portrayals of outback folk.
Macauley had snatched Buster from their home after discovering his unfaithful wife in bed with another man. He admits to taking the child out of spite as much as out of concern for the child's welfare. He is candid about the impact on his rambling lifestyle that this young child creates. There is talk of farming her out to a kind widow, or placing her in a children's home. One thing he had not bargained on was the intense bond that Buster formed with her dad. No way would she be parted from him. Then, out of the blue, her mother decides she wants custody and begins legal proceedings, Thus the scene is set for the finale of this enjoyable story.
Many of the characters and episodes in The Shiralee are vividly drawn, and have a feel of authenticity about them. By googling Darcy Niland, I discovered that his background is very similar to that of Macauley and I believe there is a strong autobiographical element to the novel. While on the road he encountered all sorts of ordinary people, living and working either on the land or in the small towns that supplied the farms. It is this respectful, affectionate regard for working folk that gives the book one of its finest qualities.
Another stand-out quality is the actual writing. Niland's prose is a delightful blend of the vernacular and 'proper' English. (Warning for non-Australian readers: some of the slang used is very parochial, and will not be easily understood in other regions of the world.) At the same time as Macauley and Buster are traipsing round the countryside experiencing whatever comes their way, they are also dealing with more profound issues. Despite his casual style, Macauley is actually a bit of a deep thinker. Niland uses Macauley's musings as a way to explore issues like mateship, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, child welfare, unemployment and poverty. And it is this feature which elevates the book from a simple outback story into a substantial piece of quality literature in my opinion. I have great respect for Niland's skills and insights as a writer.
A warning: This book was written in 1955 and reflects the values and mores of its time. There are elements of casual sexism and racism which may shock some modern readers. While we may find the use of pejorative terms about women and Aboriginals highly offensive these days, the book is true to its period. I accept this and can overlook such language, as I believe the author had no intention to be offensive when he wrote the story.
For further information about Darcy Niland, I looked at his entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nilan...
I greatly enjoyed this story and appreciated the qualities of the writing. 4 ★s
The main character, Macauley, is a bit of a rough diamond, and viewed with today's perspective might be seen as a bit of an Ocker stereotype. However, I strongly believe that the characters and values which prevailed in post WW2 outback Australia were very different from what we see today (except, perhaps, in Far North Queensland), and we should not judge them by today's standards. From my early childhood I can recall itinerant workers who used to knock at our door, looking for casual work. My mother would always find a job in the garden or around the house, paying the chap a few shillings for a few hours work (Hmm, that really dates me!!)
Quick to anger and ready with his fists, Macauley is quite a brawler, but he is genuinely conscientious about bringing up his little girl, the 4yo Buster, to the best of his ability. Unable to settle to suburban life in Sydney, his heart is happiest when he is on the road, walking from town to town, picking up casual work where he can. In this book, he's a bit down on his luck, eking out his few pounds in cash, while he looks for a safe place to camp and work, feeding himself and the child with whatever comes his way. Along the roads and in the small towns, he encounters a variety of remarkable characters, some sinister, others delightful, and their stories enrich this tale immensely. There is a lot of gentle humour and some affectionate portrayals of outback folk.
Macauley had snatched Buster from their home after discovering his unfaithful wife in bed with another man. He admits to taking the child out of spite as much as out of concern for the child's welfare. He is candid about the impact on his rambling lifestyle that this young child creates. There is talk of farming her out to a kind widow, or placing her in a children's home. One thing he had not bargained on was the intense bond that Buster formed with her dad. No way would she be parted from him. Then, out of the blue, her mother decides she wants custody and begins legal proceedings, Thus the scene is set for the finale of this enjoyable story.
Many of the characters and episodes in The Shiralee are vividly drawn, and have a feel of authenticity about them. By googling Darcy Niland, I discovered that his background is very similar to that of Macauley and I believe there is a strong autobiographical element to the novel. While on the road he encountered all sorts of ordinary people, living and working either on the land or in the small towns that supplied the farms. It is this respectful, affectionate regard for working folk that gives the book one of its finest qualities.
Another stand-out quality is the actual writing. Niland's prose is a delightful blend of the vernacular and 'proper' English. (Warning for non-Australian readers: some of the slang used is very parochial, and will not be easily understood in other regions of the world.) At the same time as Macauley and Buster are traipsing round the countryside experiencing whatever comes their way, they are also dealing with more profound issues. Despite his casual style, Macauley is actually a bit of a deep thinker. Niland uses Macauley's musings as a way to explore issues like mateship, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, child welfare, unemployment and poverty. And it is this feature which elevates the book from a simple outback story into a substantial piece of quality literature in my opinion. I have great respect for Niland's skills and insights as a writer.
A warning: This book was written in 1955 and reflects the values and mores of its time. There are elements of casual sexism and racism which may shock some modern readers. While we may find the use of pejorative terms about women and Aboriginals highly offensive these days, the book is true to its period. I accept this and can overlook such language, as I believe the author had no intention to be offensive when he wrote the story.
For further information about Darcy Niland, I looked at his entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nilan...
I greatly enjoyed this story and appreciated the qualities of the writing. 4 ★s
March 12, 2024
This one pulled at the heart strings almost constantly. I don’t even like children but this poor child, I wanted to go and cheer her up, or make her happy or adopt her. Anything to get her away from her rotten parents.
Having said that, the child, Buster, was happy as children usually are when they don’t know anything else. Basically, her parents have a fight, and the father who never gave two sh*ts took her merely to punish his wife, not that she wanted the kid either. He was an Aussie battler living his life on the road, walking town to town working different jobs and then moving on again. A free spirit or a nomad. But the going was tough with an add-on. He totally resented having to deal with the child he referred to as, “it”, and was constantly thinking of how he would get rid of her so he could be free again.
Meanwhile, Buster totally adores her dad, god knows why, but she does. Even though she gets yelled at and smacked even when she’s right. Almost every other person Macauley (the dad) meets along the way lectures him about not being a good father and how a life on the road isn’t suitable for a child of five (I think). He has many run ins with people at the pub and cops and lots of people. But he has lots of friends from last time he saw them years prior.
There is a particular scene where Macauley tries to ditch Buster and it was very hard to read. No spoilers.
So it’s well worth the read. The whole time you’re torn between Buster needing better than what her dad offers and but it’s him she wants so…
Randomly, I mostly enjoyed the setting (country New South Wales mostly) and the local lingo. There were so many catchphrases that amused me that are are probably no longer in use. The attitudes were awful: racism, slut-shaming. But somehow they didn’t ruin the book or come close to doing so. I think these attitudes were countered by some deep empathy and insight from the author. Some very good wisdom there. So it wasn’t the author being awful, it was certain characters.
Readers who like the Australian outback setting of yesteryear would enjoy this. This books speaks Australian more than most. And the story is a good one. It felt more tense than sad by the way. It wasn’t an angry read. It was like, “you better not leave her” for prolonged periods.
Having said that, the child, Buster, was happy as children usually are when they don’t know anything else. Basically, her parents have a fight, and the father who never gave two sh*ts took her merely to punish his wife, not that she wanted the kid either. He was an Aussie battler living his life on the road, walking town to town working different jobs and then moving on again. A free spirit or a nomad. But the going was tough with an add-on. He totally resented having to deal with the child he referred to as, “it”, and was constantly thinking of how he would get rid of her so he could be free again.
Meanwhile, Buster totally adores her dad, god knows why, but she does. Even though she gets yelled at and smacked even when she’s right. Almost every other person Macauley (the dad) meets along the way lectures him about not being a good father and how a life on the road isn’t suitable for a child of five (I think). He has many run ins with people at the pub and cops and lots of people. But he has lots of friends from last time he saw them years prior.
There is a particular scene where Macauley tries to ditch Buster and it was very hard to read. No spoilers.
So it’s well worth the read. The whole time you’re torn between Buster needing better than what her dad offers and but it’s him she wants so…
Randomly, I mostly enjoyed the setting (country New South Wales mostly) and the local lingo. There were so many catchphrases that amused me that are are probably no longer in use. The attitudes were awful: racism, slut-shaming. But somehow they didn’t ruin the book or come close to doing so. I think these attitudes were countered by some deep empathy and insight from the author. Some very good wisdom there. So it wasn’t the author being awful, it was certain characters.
Readers who like the Australian outback setting of yesteryear would enjoy this. This books speaks Australian more than most. And the story is a good one. It felt more tense than sad by the way. It wasn’t an angry read. It was like, “you better not leave her” for prolonged periods.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 31, 2020
Read many (many!) years ago, probably in the 1960's.
I can remember that I liked it at the time, but I would need toread listen to it again to contribute to any discussion, so that is my plan!
I can remember that I liked it at the time, but I would need to
December 9, 2023
It’s probably twenty years since I first read The Shiralee which was released in the 1950s but the narrative still captivates and it’s been a joy to re-read. A shiralee is a swag, a burden, and in D’Arcy Niland’s novel, Macauley's is Buster, his four year old daughter. In the novel Macauley takes the child to spite his wife after returning home to find her in bed with another man. Unfortunately for Macauley his expectation of his wife coming after him to beg for the child’s return doesn’t happen. And so months later, Macauley, living a drifter’s life with his daughter in tow finds himself begrudgingly getting used to the child’s company.
Macauley tramps through the outback towns of New South Wales, and Buster follows, loyal and resilient, although her father forces her to walk when she’s exhausted and has no time for her childish antics or complaints. In fact Macauley is harsh to the extreme, characteristics emphasized by his rough bush life and a barely suppressed temper.
During the course of the narrative Macauley searches for work, catches up with old friends and gets into a number of fights, some within his daughter’s presence. But at heart Macauley is an honest man, traits which are played out against the bush characters and places he interacts with. Macauley’s growing affection for his daughter is tested at the novel’s end, but the rough diamond that for me is one of my favourite characters in rural literature doesn’t disappoint. Love, loyalty and survival are powerful themes.
Australian slang is liberally employed and the lesser characters in the novel are well-rounded and seriously flawed. This is the bush in all its beauty and roughness. The bush that I know through my own family’s tenure on the land. The simple arc of the narrative combines with a sense of time and place which you rarely see in works of rural literature today. The Shiralee is simply a wonderful bush yarn.
Macauley tramps through the outback towns of New South Wales, and Buster follows, loyal and resilient, although her father forces her to walk when she’s exhausted and has no time for her childish antics or complaints. In fact Macauley is harsh to the extreme, characteristics emphasized by his rough bush life and a barely suppressed temper.
During the course of the narrative Macauley searches for work, catches up with old friends and gets into a number of fights, some within his daughter’s presence. But at heart Macauley is an honest man, traits which are played out against the bush characters and places he interacts with. Macauley’s growing affection for his daughter is tested at the novel’s end, but the rough diamond that for me is one of my favourite characters in rural literature doesn’t disappoint. Love, loyalty and survival are powerful themes.
Australian slang is liberally employed and the lesser characters in the novel are well-rounded and seriously flawed. This is the bush in all its beauty and roughness. The bush that I know through my own family’s tenure on the land. The simple arc of the narrative combines with a sense of time and place which you rarely see in works of rural literature today. The Shiralee is simply a wonderful bush yarn.
February 13, 2016
I was surprised that I liked this book so much. It was first published in 1955 and it is a real Australian story. I have recently moved to the country and it was interesting to read how it was back then. I picked up some more Aussie slang and read it in two days!
March 22, 2019
Picked this up in Mr. B's Book Emporium, a marvelous bookshop in Bath, England where the store owners have started their own publishing house resurrecting out of print books they have a particular fondness for. Called one of Australia's great novels, The Shiralee is similar to Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men with the lead characters being a vagabond father and his daughter, the Shiralee or "baggage" of the title. Like Steinbeck's novel it presents an authentic view of world most of us will never see, that of the migrant worker, in its native tongue, an interesting slang unique to those engaged in this trade. The latter makes the book a challenging but rewarding read.
Set in Australia, The Shiralee tells the story of jim Macauley, who steals his daughter Buster from his unfaithful wife and hits the road with no idea what to do with her. Trudging from dusty town to dusty town on the fridges of Australia, the headstrong and independent Macauley sees his feelings for Buster evolve from nuisance baggage to admired companion to daughter he can't live without. While I suspect this novel is not for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth seeking it out. Now to find a copy of the movie version....
Set in Australia, The Shiralee tells the story of jim Macauley, who steals his daughter Buster from his unfaithful wife and hits the road with no idea what to do with her. Trudging from dusty town to dusty town on the fridges of Australia, the headstrong and independent Macauley sees his feelings for Buster evolve from nuisance baggage to admired companion to daughter he can't live without. While I suspect this novel is not for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth seeking it out. Now to find a copy of the movie version....
July 28, 2019
It was curious to listen to this audio book straight after reading Penelope Lively’s analysis of social changes in A House Unlocked…because I might not otherwise have realised with such clarity how The Shiralee (1955) represents a view of fatherhood that had almost become obsolete before I was born.
It is the story of a swagman called Macauley during the Great Depression. He walks the outback looking for work but comes home to find his wife in bed with another man. To revenge himself, he takes their daughter, four year old Buster – not because he loves her nor to rescue her from ‘moral harm’ but because he wants to hurt his wife by taking what he thinks she loves.
Having taken this child for the most reprehensible of reasons, he is then saddled with her in his travels. He knows nothing about the needs of a four year old, and regards Buster as a burden. ‘Shiralee’ means ‘swag’ or burden, but since a swag also holds the basics of survival and is the source of life on the road, Shiralee is also a metaphor for the paradox represented by this little girl. Betrayed by his wife, Macauley’s emotional survival depends on Buster’s love, but she is also his burden. At times he is very hard on the little girl, and his spankings certainly jar a 21st century sensibility, but gradually this man with a tough exterior develops a love for his child that was not there before. (The fight scenes jar too, but in the context of the period, they are used to establish Macauley as a ‘man’s man’.)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2009/05/16/t...
It is the story of a swagman called Macauley during the Great Depression. He walks the outback looking for work but comes home to find his wife in bed with another man. To revenge himself, he takes their daughter, four year old Buster – not because he loves her nor to rescue her from ‘moral harm’ but because he wants to hurt his wife by taking what he thinks she loves.
Having taken this child for the most reprehensible of reasons, he is then saddled with her in his travels. He knows nothing about the needs of a four year old, and regards Buster as a burden. ‘Shiralee’ means ‘swag’ or burden, but since a swag also holds the basics of survival and is the source of life on the road, Shiralee is also a metaphor for the paradox represented by this little girl. Betrayed by his wife, Macauley’s emotional survival depends on Buster’s love, but she is also his burden. At times he is very hard on the little girl, and his spankings certainly jar a 21st century sensibility, but gradually this man with a tough exterior develops a love for his child that was not there before. (The fight scenes jar too, but in the context of the period, they are used to establish Macauley as a ‘man’s man’.)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2009/05/16/t...
July 20, 2011
This is surely one of the best books I have read this year. An Australian classic. It truly captures the warm feeling of the land in Australia and was wonderful to be taken on a journey through so many New South Wales towns I have visited myself. The main character Macauley is a hard character to like, though his thoughts are honest and he always "calls a spade a spade".
I love this passage:
Marriage! What the blazes! Where'd you get the idea I as going to put the bit and bridle on you? God Almighty, I would be a bonehead. Tie myself down to one filly for life when I can have the pick of them from every paddock in Australia.
Macauley finds himself travelling around trying to work and support himself and his little daughter Buster. The story draws on heartstrings as Mac determines the path for the both of them, whether it be conventional or not.
A while back this was made into a telemovie featuring Bryan Brown. I never saw it, though I might have to try an dig up a copy from somewhere.
I love this passage:
Marriage! What the blazes! Where'd you get the idea I as going to put the bit and bridle on you? God Almighty, I would be a bonehead. Tie myself down to one filly for life when I can have the pick of them from every paddock in Australia.
Macauley finds himself travelling around trying to work and support himself and his little daughter Buster. The story draws on heartstrings as Mac determines the path for the both of them, whether it be conventional or not.
A while back this was made into a telemovie featuring Bryan Brown. I never saw it, though I might have to try an dig up a copy from somewhere.
July 11, 2017
A very good novelette about Macauley, a 35 year old wanderer and his relationship with his 4 - 5 year old daughter. A quick read. The descriptions of life in outback Australia in the 1950s are a pleasure to read. Whilst he is a wanderer, he is a stable character with some very good friendships formed over the years. His wife, Marge, only saw him for six months out of their five year marriage and ends up with another man. Macauley takes their daughter initially out of spite but grows to wanting to bringing her up himself. A truly great Australian novel. Four and a half stars.
February 28, 2016
An easy to read story. It was really a story about revenge. He took the child to spite his wife and then made her trudge around the country like a man. He certainly didn't deserve the devotion he got from her. Then again out of spite, after he had started to become attached to the child the wife took her even though she didn't even want her. What a crew, Social Services would have a field day. That little girl would surely grow up to be one tough woman.
February 24, 2013
Masterpiece.
October 3, 2020
What an absolute gem this book has proved to be. It’s littered with brilliant Aussie colloquialisms (including the ‘shiralee’ itself, which is a burden that must be shouldered on the road and refers, in this case, to our protagonist’s four-year-old daughter Buster). Having swiped the girl from his adulterous wife, Macauley is an unlikely hero and is, in the first half of the book, quite difficult to like. It’s doubly tough, because little Buster loves him devotedly and we, the reader, feel he isn’t quite worthy of her love. This is because the decision to take the girl wasn’t made to ‘save her’ from a neglectful mother, but rather, to spite the mother and hurt her in the way that she’s hurt him. This revenge plan backfires, though, because the mother is glad to be shot of the girl and Macauley is stuck with her trailing after him - a burden, a millstone, a shiralee.
Life on the road is equal measures tough and beautiful. There’s a real taste of freedom in Macauley’s way of life, and as I’ve said before, the wanderlust feelings I got from this story were pretty serious! And of course, Buster proves herself to be a ‘tough little bugger’, and one that’s ultimately difficult not to love. Watching Macauley soften and, importantly, to learn what it is to be a father is a really gratifying reading experience. I really really recommend this cracking 1950s Aussie read. 5 / 5!
Life on the road is equal measures tough and beautiful. There’s a real taste of freedom in Macauley’s way of life, and as I’ve said before, the wanderlust feelings I got from this story were pretty serious! And of course, Buster proves herself to be a ‘tough little bugger’, and one that’s ultimately difficult not to love. Watching Macauley soften and, importantly, to learn what it is to be a father is a really gratifying reading experience. I really really recommend this cracking 1950s Aussie read. 5 / 5!
December 29, 2022
3.5 stars - I attempted to read this a little while ago and DNF because it's a bit of a slog. There are no chapter breaks, which made it difficult for me to find good stopping places. But I was able to finish it this time around, for which I am proud of myself.
The plot, however, was not very impressive to me. I wish the story had been written from Buster's perspective rather than Macauley's. In the year 2023, I no longer want to applaud any man for making the bare minimum effort to be a decent person or father.
The plot, however, was not very impressive to me. I wish the story had been written from Buster's perspective rather than Macauley's. In the year 2023, I no longer want to applaud any man for making the bare minimum effort to be a decent person or father.
March 19, 2021
The story of a father and his 4-year-old daughter Buster as they travel around Australia and he searches for work. She is his shiralee - his burden.
April 29, 2025
my kingdom for a single chapter break damn
At its most beautiful when the crisp prose is sketching out scenes, landscapes, and characters as it moves across the Australian countryside, which was particularly poignant given I first picked this book to read on a hike. And Buster's feral love for her Dad is delightful.
Still, you can't help but cringe at the casual racism and sexism of the time. Genuinely vile. Probably accurate though.
At its most beautiful when the crisp prose is sketching out scenes, landscapes, and characters as it moves across the Australian countryside, which was particularly poignant given I first picked this book to read on a hike. And Buster's feral love for her Dad is delightful.
Still, you can't help but cringe at the casual racism and sexism of the time. Genuinely vile. Probably accurate though.
September 10, 2011
This book began my love affair with Australia. Macauley is a wanderer. It's in his blood. He takes off for months at a time wandering the dusty interior trails of Australia. This book relate encounters and episodes in his life. You couldn't quite call them adventures. At first meeting, the character isn't very reader friendly. Returning after a long road trip to find his wife in bed with another man as revenge he takes their only child and disappears into the outback. The book deals with their developing relationship and Macauley's growing feeling of responsibility towards his 'Shiralee' (slang term for a burden or something heavy to carry.) Towards the end, I had a lot more sympathy for this man and understood more about his motivations, and really enjoyed the slow unassuming way the characters developed and changed. A pleasurable read which entertained and allowed me to travel and sample a little of that wonderful enormous country.
September 3, 2017
For me this author, along with Patrick White, Ruth Park, Evan Green and Dorothy Hewett, were my jumping off point into Lawson and essentially Australian writing. In 1980. As a newly arrived academic 'temporary' visitor to Australia, other authors and playwrights were highlighted by Currency Press. Since then not only has Australian authorship grown but so has my own knowledge of Australia and its many faces. These books remain quintessentially and authoratatively, Australian.
Insightful and essential. Many have now been 'made for tv' movies and serialised 2 or 3 part productions.
Fit them into a later framework of Keneally, Courtenay, Corris and Di Morrissey. Beautifully written. Full of drama, emotion and inductive, educational value.
Insightful and essential. Many have now been 'made for tv' movies and serialised 2 or 3 part productions.
Fit them into a later framework of Keneally, Courtenay, Corris and Di Morrissey. Beautifully written. Full of drama, emotion and inductive, educational value.
December 21, 2011
I recommend this book as one to curl up with on an afternoon where you just want to be entertained, but not in an entirely unworthy way. A sweet Australian father-daughter story. If it's a not a hollywood movie, it could easily be one, as it has those sort of typical good/bad characters, and a brilliant setting in the Australian outback and peppered with small town characters, a court case, the occasional action scene and lots of heart.
April 18, 2019
A true Australian Classic, a man tramps the lonely country roads during the depression looking for work, living hand to mouth, eyes always on the next job down the road. Unlike the thousands of other men doing the exact same thing this man has a little girl with him. His daughter, his burden that he half resents but ultimately grows to love. A heartwarming story told with real feeling and honesty.
October 28, 2019
The only reason I gave this four stars is that it is not very substantial. It is sometimes described as a minor classic. But two of the qualities it possesses are integrity and authenticity. D'Arcy Nyland clearly knows exactly what he is talking about: the man, the child and the Australian outback are all real and alive. I could not put it down from beginning to end: an absorbing study of parenthood.
September 5, 2018
I have wanted to read this book for a really long time but never quite got there until now. The book did not disappoint. I really enjoyed it. The story of Mac and his daughter Buster is a really great tale.
At first Mac takes Buster for revenge and she is a burden, but he learns to love and respect her.
There is a warning that this is a book of its time so there are racist comments and offensive comments about gay people. This may be offensive to some people but it does reflect the views of people at the time (however wrong they are to modern thinking). I accepted this as such and I still felt it was a good story, but it may not be for others.
At first Mac takes Buster for revenge and she is a burden, but he learns to love and respect her.
There is a warning that this is a book of its time so there are racist comments and offensive comments about gay people. This may be offensive to some people but it does reflect the views of people at the time (however wrong they are to modern thinking). I accepted this as such and I still felt it was a good story, but it may not be for others.
November 28, 2020
The Shiralee is a moving, and at times a bit racial and misogynist, tale of a swagman and his daughter, first described as Mac's shiralee, while later on regarded as his dearest bluey, going walkabout in the Australian outback
Want to read
July 29, 2019I've read this as an audio book, but I want to read the print edition too.
March 27, 2023
Classic book, really well written
May 28, 2023
Wouldn't recommend but not mad I read it
March 24, 2023
Not 100% sure of what to make of this book. Obviously a classic, but has it aged well?
**Spoilers start here***
Mac MacCauley finds his wife having an affair with another man, takes his daughter from her and wanders the Australian countryside. Little is made of the fact that MacCauley is a constant wanderer, married a woman he did not really love, leaving his wife to fend for herself most of the time.
That aside, he hardly knows his daughter yet expects her to walk long distances with him as he tries to find work - she is 4 years old. Even willing to go out to a station as a cook with her, knowing most of the men out there are not very good. Even when he starts to bond with his daughter (Buster) he tries to leave her without saying goodbye and she chases him down the road in the dark. Even after this episode he leaves her with a man he has just met as he goes into town to get supplies and gets locked up in the local gaol when he is lumped in with a lot of drunken louts. By the time he is released Buster has gone looking for him and is hit by a car. It is only after her second bout with almost death, that he finally realises he has to make a few sacrifices for her and we are left to wonder if he will actually settle down for a short while so she can attend school.
This book is really about men of the bush with a heart of gold and bad, bad women trying to tie him down. I realise this story is of another time and I am putting current values on it. However irresponsible is still the same no matter what age we are talking about.
This is a book that can be hard to read as there are no natural stopping points, like chapters or even a break in the story line. It almost reads like one long paragraph.
I would recommend this book to those who need a good shot of reality of what the good olde days were really like.
**Spoilers start here***
Mac MacCauley finds his wife having an affair with another man, takes his daughter from her and wanders the Australian countryside. Little is made of the fact that MacCauley is a constant wanderer, married a woman he did not really love, leaving his wife to fend for herself most of the time.
That aside, he hardly knows his daughter yet expects her to walk long distances with him as he tries to find work - she is 4 years old. Even willing to go out to a station as a cook with her, knowing most of the men out there are not very good. Even when he starts to bond with his daughter (Buster) he tries to leave her without saying goodbye and she chases him down the road in the dark. Even after this episode he leaves her with a man he has just met as he goes into town to get supplies and gets locked up in the local gaol when he is lumped in with a lot of drunken louts. By the time he is released Buster has gone looking for him and is hit by a car. It is only after her second bout with almost death, that he finally realises he has to make a few sacrifices for her and we are left to wonder if he will actually settle down for a short while so she can attend school.
This book is really about men of the bush with a heart of gold and bad, bad women trying to tie him down. I realise this story is of another time and I am putting current values on it. However irresponsible is still the same no matter what age we are talking about.
This is a book that can be hard to read as there are no natural stopping points, like chapters or even a break in the story line. It almost reads like one long paragraph.
I would recommend this book to those who need a good shot of reality of what the good olde days were really like.
June 1, 2018
Picked this up on one of my visits to Mr Bs. The fact it was a small local publisher appealed and the synopsis sounds light and warm an antidote to some of the more difficult reads I have had of late. .
This tale of an itinerant man and his young daughter is warm and joyful but be warned it contains lots of violence and sex scenes that are at best heartless. Despite this it is in the end a story of love and redemption and I can't praise it enough.
It is I am told an Australian classic but was new to me as was much of landscape and a good bit of the language. Within a few pages it had me gripped. The characters are real and often rough around the edges as you would expect at that time and in that part of the world but each one is believable and a good few kind. The central character Macauley fills the book; he is blunt, prone to violence and permanently angry, despite this I found myself rooting for him and willing him and Buster on. A short book even a novella in my case I could barely put it down so it was read in just a couple of days and left me warm and uplifted as expected..
Can I also shout out to the publisher Fox, Finch & Tepper first of all for publishing the book but mostly for the great job they have done. It a nice book to handle, good cover and clear well laid out text. Thy joys of a small publisher who obviously loves books.
This tale of an itinerant man and his young daughter is warm and joyful but be warned it contains lots of violence and sex scenes that are at best heartless. Despite this it is in the end a story of love and redemption and I can't praise it enough.
It is I am told an Australian classic but was new to me as was much of landscape and a good bit of the language. Within a few pages it had me gripped. The characters are real and often rough around the edges as you would expect at that time and in that part of the world but each one is believable and a good few kind. The central character Macauley fills the book; he is blunt, prone to violence and permanently angry, despite this I found myself rooting for him and willing him and Buster on. A short book even a novella in my case I could barely put it down so it was read in just a couple of days and left me warm and uplifted as expected..
Can I also shout out to the publisher Fox, Finch & Tepper first of all for publishing the book but mostly for the great job they have done. It a nice book to handle, good cover and clear well laid out text. Thy joys of a small publisher who obviously loves books.
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