#6: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

I absolutely could not read The Thorn Birds fast enough, yet at the same time I also did not want the story to finish.  I have heard of this book since the 80's when it was a mini-series, and I have also heard my husband wasn't allowed to even be in the room when it was on because it was so scandalous, but never read it. I then heard it mentioned on a TV show recently so I took it as a sign that I needed to read it so I ordered it.  I am reading random books in between Outlander volumes so I picked this one and couldn't put it down.  It is quite brilliant and I totally understand why it was turned into a mini-series, which I have purchased and plan to start watching today.

The story is long and spans roughly 75-100 years (it is just shy of 700 pages long) as it follows the life of the Cleary family who live first in New Zealand and then move to Australia.  The details are rich and, as a result,  you get to know these characters intimately.  The book is divided into sections, named for the main characters, but within the sections you get to meet the entire Clearly clan along with friends and neighbors.  Their saga is dramatic, scandalous, and is the perfect story to center a college level course around.  The themes and parallels amongst family members from one generation to the next abound.  This is the sort of book that sticks with you and that you will want to talk about with other people.  It is a perfect book club book.  Really.

I understand the scandal now.  If you are bothered by the notion that a Catholic priest might slip and might not be as pure as he should be, you should not read this book. It will be too much for you.  But, if you want to read a story that explores money, feminism, religion, and love, this is the book for you.  It's truly amazing.  One friend of mine said it was the first "grown up romance " novel she read and that it changed her life.  I suspect that had I read this 20 years ago, I could say the same.  I also suspect that had I read it 20 years ago, I might not be where I am now as it certainly makes one think about gender roles and expectations of and for women.  Where was this book in my Feminism in Literature Class??

Read this.  You won't be disappointed. I promise.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie