Sweeping Sagas discussion

I think it's spoilers ahoy at this point

Ugh. I don't even really have anything to discuss about his book other than it kept putting me to sleep.

I think I should be banned from picking group reads from now on. Sheesh.

Michele wrote: "Ugh. I don't even really have anything to discuss about his book other than it kept putting me to sleep.

I think I should be banned from picking group reads from now on. Sheesh."

Lol, please see my recent reading update.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

You know it's bad when I can't even bring myself to discuss how boring I think it is.....I'm in a coma.....help me.

You are so funny, makes me feel a little better about sending you Vixen! I actually didn't think SC horrible....slow and not very exciting, yes. So what is up next that WILL be exiciting?

By the way Michele, have caught your cold somehow from all the way cross the country...did you leave some germs lying around ORD? Now I need the nyquil!

Jill wrote: ">
Don't feel bad, Michele. I quite liked it. Wasn't great, but I think I would have liked it more if I'd known what type of book it was from the outset."

That's probably our biggest issue. It isn't the sweeping saga of grand passion we excepted going in.

Misfit wrote:
That's probably our bigges..."

Yeah, it just fell way short of expectations. Way short.

@Jill - thanks, you're so sweet, but it really wasn't a good choice for a saga, despite the blurb on my cover comparing it to The Thorn Birds (*snort*).

@Carey - awww, geez, I'm sorry you're sick. And this is NOT a good book for sick people (unless it's from a doctor's POV....Dr. says sick peeps should sleep, ergo, Dr. would love this book. Ha.

Stay away from the Nyquil since that stuff is bad ju-ju. Sudafed worked best for me, anyway. And Dr gave cough syrup with codeine so I'd stop hacking long enough to fall asleep.

And Maisie Dobbs is a good sick book, fwiw! I'm leaving for Chicago here in a couple of hours for a 3 day trip and will be in Burlington, VT for long overnight tonite....what books should I bring? You're the sickie: it's your call!

You know, with that every so misleading jacket cover, I'd love to see what Harriet would do with it :p

the only ammy review was a 5 star review that only printed what was on the back jacket....no commentary at all. weird.

Michele wrote: "the only ammy review was a 5 star review that only printed what was on the back jacket....no commentary at all. weird."

Well we will have that fixed lickety split. I see you've posted yours. Now for me to find something different to say...

Jill, not yet. I'm still at work. Hopefully I'll finish it off tonight.

Just finished and I am very much ready for a nap or early bed time. I agree with Michele about the lack of dialogue and telling instead of showing. Had a hard time understanding what was happening at the end with the riots with the gold miners. I know my eyes were glazing over, so that is partly my fault. Is there someway Jill or Marg can sum up these riots short and sweet?

Thanks Jill.

The one thing in the end that I found most interesting was the final death nell for transportation - why pay to ship them over there, free them and let them get rich in the mines?

I found the author's note fascinating in that he was originally encouraged to write a non-fiction history of Australia but felt that was beyond him so someone encouraged him to write it in a fiction format.

He should have stuck with non-fiction, IMO, since with the telling more than showing he has more of a knack for the non-fiction arena.

Michele wrote: "I found the author's note fascinating in that he was originally encouraged to write a non-fiction history of Australia but felt that was beyond him so someone encouraged him to write it in a fictio..."

From looking at his other books and his bio, NF was what he did. You are right, he should have stuck to it.

Sorry to be MIA, long day travelling yesterday. I didn't think this one was so bad. Definitely not the Thorn Birds but I did learn a few things! I actually liked it better than the Outback books....

Jill wrote: "The Eureka rebellion, known as the Eureka Stockade (named after the stockade that was erected by the miners) occurred in December 1854 at Ballarat, Victoria. It was the culmination of years of simm..."

I was in Ballarat last weekend. It is a story that I don't think a lot of Australians know the full truth of. We know a kind of romanticised version about the battler versus authority - Australians do love an underdog.

While the battle was about the miner's fee, it was also about the danger of being on the goldfields with the lawlessness that was somewhat prevalent, and about the right to vote which most of the demographic we are talking wouldn't have had because of their lack of means.

If you want a good fictional read about the events, then I read Jackie French's YA novel The Night They Stormed Eureka was quite good, if you can get past the clunky time travel aspect.

Jill wrote: "Misfit wrote: "Thanks Jill.

The one thing in the end that I found most interesting was the final death nell for transportation - why pay to ship them over there, free them and let them get rich in..."

Yep, all the US's fault that we were a penal colony, because they stopped accepting prisoners ;-).

It's a bit surprising actually, but transportation didn't actually cease until the late 1860's. The main penal colonies were Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania, but a lot of the other colonies were actually free colonies, something I know used to be made quite a lot of in places like Adelaide. One oddity is that Perth was actually founded as a free colony in 1829, but then in the early 1850s transportation to there started due to the shortage of workers.

The most famous stories, and the most interesting from a fiction point of view I am sure, are of those who came out as convicts, who were freed, but then went onto make huge fortunes. That happened, but the vast majority would have been freed to live very normal, unexceptional lives.

As for getting rich in the gold mines, I am sure that the story was the same in California and Alaska. Yes a few people struck it lucky and made huge fortunes through their gold mining activities, but for most people it was a very difficult day to day existence which often provided the miners with less than enough to survive on.

Thanks Marg and Jill. I think the part I found more fascinating than just transportation itself with the class distinctions between the emancipists and I completely forget what the other party was called.

The free settlers? That's not the name they used for themselves, but that's what they were?

It's interesting because for many years there was a kind of stigma associated with having a convict in the family history, but over the last probably twenty years that has started to change a lot

Marg wrote: "The free settlers? That's not the name they used for themselves, but that's what they were?

It's interesting because for many years there was a kind of stigma associated with having a convict in t..."

Had to go to Wik, Exclusives is the word for those who were never *convicts*, but came of their own will.

BTW, I picked up an interesting comment from "George" on my blog review. He thinks it's the greatest novel ever written :p

http://misfitandmom.wordpress.com/201...

Oh my, that is quite a statement from George! Made me laugh. He needs to broaden his reading horizons!

I know. Even with the mixed opinions we have here, there is just no way that's the greatest book ever.

Jill wrote: "Misfit wrote: "I know. Even with the mixed opinions we have here, there is just no way that's the greatest book ever."

Maybe 'George' is Terry Coleman?"

You think?