Monday, February 6, 2012

Is it un-Australian...

....to not enjoy Tim Winton's books?

I am trying for the umpteenth time to get started on Cloudstreet. I just can't do it. The copy I've borrowed from the library has pictures from the TV series on the front of it. I thought that might be inspiring enough to get me hooked. But no.

A friend told me yesterday that she's heard there are two Winton camps you can fall into, you either like Cloudstreet or Dirt Music. I haven't read Dirt Music, so I couldn't really comment. But I did read another book of his, Breath, last year. I managed to get that one finished but I didn't enjoy it much either. I think it was the whole "teenage boy experiences sexual awakening by having an illicit affair with an older woman" thing that I disliked in that one. As a parent of boys, I would hate to think that they might get up to anything like that when they become teenagers...

5 comments:

Sarah said...

Nope, definitely not un-Australian. Although I guess I should read more of his books since we both come from the same hometown (he went to high school with my friend's mum) and did the same course at the same uni (although not at the same time). He is probably that course's most famous grad.

I actually quite liked Breath despite the icky older woman/teenage boy thing. An Open Swimmer has similar themes (a teenage boy has an affair with his best mate's mum - gross!). I hated An Open Swimmer and only read it because I had to for Year 11 Lit. I read Cloudstreet for Year 12 English which I thought was passable although a bit of a hard slog at times.

The Bugalugs Bum Thief is great though. :)

I wonder if I'm 'un-Christian' for not wanting to read or listen to Don Carson. ;)

Karen said...

Hmm...I just think Tim's a bit...well, over-rated, maybe? I keep wondering if I'm missing something though.

And I agree with you re Don Carson too....

Jenny said...

Ha, ha. Don Carson is hard work! I've never managed to finish a John Piper book yet I still appear to be converted.

I didn't like 'Breath' at all but did like 'Cloudstreet'. I didn't like 'Dirt Music' though. So where does that leave me?! In a new camp, the 'only liking Cloudstreet camp' perhaps?

Helen said...

I tried to read Dirt Music, and gave it up after a few pages. Same with Cloudstreet, but for different reasons. Carson is hard work!

Meredith said...

I have mixed thoughts on Tim, as I wrote about here...
http://thekeytothedoor.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/holiday-reading.html

I read my first ever Carson book last year which was brilliant, but I was ready and hungry to read about the subject matter he covered in the book I took on.

Never made it right through a Piper book, although I enjoyed what I read.

Just reading right through JI Packer's Knowing God for the first time.

Probably "un-Christian" if you don't want to read the Bible. Otherwise, I think we're all good.

:-)