The Thorn Birds (Virago Modern Classics)

Product Information

The Thorn Birds is a beautifully written Australian novel. This story spans over three generations of the Cleary family. It mainly centres around young, Meggie who is the only girl in the family. Meggie's mother only has eyes for her sons which leaves. Meggie feeling very unloved by her mother. Growing up there are many things, Meggie needs to know about life in general, but Meggie knows she can't ask her mother. So Meggie turns to the the local priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart for answers. Ralph is very fond of, Meggie and the more he see her the stronger his feelings become. He can also see that Meggie is also starting to have feelings for him and knows he must put a stop to this before it goes any further. I've wanted to read this book for years, but I'm glad I waited till I was at a stage in my life when I might appreciate it the most (though it wasn't deliberate). I didn't know anything about the story before I started except that it's a classic Australian novel, epic in scope, and was made into a mini-series or something starring Rachel Ward years ago. I like not knowing much about books before I read them, though: it leaves you wide-open for the story to be told, and absorbed. The dialogue felt stilted and overly formal, even for the time period in which the book took place. The story didn't feel at all real to me. Despite the religious aspects of the book (Ralph is a freaking priest for God's sake) it didn't make me think about religion or spirituality or Catholicism in any meaningful way. In 1984, a portrait of McCullough, painted by Wesley Walters, was a finalist in the Archibald Prize. The prize is awarded for the "best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics." So, there I was, up crap creek without a paddle, and on my coffee breaks I poured my soul into The Thorn Birds. I guess misery really DOES love company.

Wow, I'm not sure how to rate this book really. I'm waffling between 3 and 4 stars. There is so much I loved about this book and then so much I didn't. Doesn’t that take your breath away? McCullough’s prose here is a bit special. There were many ‘oh gosh’ instances in this epic, a few moments causing me to stop and ponder, and a couple where my heart fell through the floor. Oh man. This beaut of a soap opera has been around for decades & for excellent reason. Epics have been forgotten & currently authors satisfy their readers (or not, as the case may be) with smaller stories & smaller lives. I wondered if obligation and love could ever coexist, or if someone would always end up on the couch.Upon finishing this book I felt empty. I seriously could not formulate a single thought and just had to sit there for a while, staring into space. You know, you've just finished a great book, when that happens! ❤️ Before getting to the description of The Thorn Birds, however, a quote on its cover from The Observer caught my eye: ‘It’s easy to see why this stunning tale has been called the Australian Gone With the Wind’. And given that Gone With the Wind is my favourite book I was instantly sold. Ralph, I can't say I understand the appeal of Ralph. colleen works hard to make the reader fall in love with Ralph and even one of the blurbs on the book compared him to Rhett Butler. He is a beautiful man, I can see that, but I can't understand why he has such a pull on people. I liked him, but I didn't think he was the bees knees either. He sounded beautiful, but if he's not available, move on. But, people in the service of a higher purpose do have an appeal and so I can see it from that angle, but not to the point of breaking myself over. I guess un-requited love can be harmful if you never experience the real deal. Anyway. Archbishop (later Cardinal) Vittorio di Contini-Verchese – Ralph's mentor, friend to Rainer and Dane

The historical epic follows three generations living on a sheep ranch. If that sounds like a lot of sheep shearing and not much fun, rest assured that the whole plot moves into steamier romantic territory with forbidden love affairs and betrayals galore. McCullough went on to write several more novels before passing away this week at age 77, but The Thorn Birds remained her defining work. She is one of the strongest, liveliest heroines in literature...[and] Darcy's generosity of spirit and nobility of character make her fall in love with him—why should those essential traits in both of them change in 20 years?

Customer reviews

I hated Ralph. He seemed manipulative and sketchy and at the same time didn't really feel like a real human being. I was super creeped out by his "love" for Meggie. Meggie herself I didn't like at all. She seemed so vapid, and most of her dreams consisted of marriage and babies, babies, babies. Urghhhhh. Father Ralph de Bricassart in The Thorn Birds has terrible boundaries with Meggie Cleary. He is the first person who explains menstruation and sex to her. For Meggie in 1920s Australia, menarche (her first period) would be traumatic. Meggie thinks she’s dying. Ironically, in the book, he tells her not to talk to men about her period! Colleen Margaretta McCullough was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and Tim.