(Audiobook) The title is misleading, as I thought this would be an adventure story about Matthew Flinder’s cat and his adventures around Australia, however, there is only a small snippets about the cat. The story involves a young run away lad and his life is intertwined with a homeless person who was an ex-barrister and how they combat a pedophile ring in King’s Cross. Bryce Courteanay is my favourite Australian author, he is a great fictional story teller based on non-fiction events. RIP.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written story. It was an interesting insight into what alcoholism can be like. It was heart-warming to read of the friendship between Billy and Ryan. I enjoyed the story within a story of the adventures of Trim as he journeyed with Matthew Flinders! The ending was what I had hoped.

This book covered a very large range of social topics! I really enjoyed it, but wondered if it really did try to encompass too many different issues. I found it ended rather abruptly. Not really sure how the side story of Trevor Williams fit in - especially as it didn't have a happy ending.

This is the first Bryce Courtney book I've read. For no particular reason I tend to skirt around bookshelf-popular authors and go for the newbies. Well, i can now understand why Courtney is so popular as an author. His story telling is suburb and page-turning.
In this book, his research has been deep and impressive. I'm told by friends that he thoroughly researches for his novels.
The story line you can read elsewhere on other reviews. This story includes the horrors of alcoholism, drug additions, homelessness and paedophilia. It also provides an encouraging amount reassurance through the explanations of rehabilitation. Other themes include: friendship, loyalty. The book includes two stories: the one of Billy and his little friend Ryan, and the other about Matthew Flinders cat. Wonderful imaginative stories - told to Ryan by Billy - about Flinders cat, Trim. This interspersed storytelling gives one time to breath while dealing with the horrors mentioned above.
Reading this story at a time (in Australia) a Royal Commission is happening into paedophilia in institutions makes this story more poignant. It is time this gigantic boil in our society is busted.
If you decide to read this book, you will have some laughs, some cries, and some encouragement. I"m not sure I can tackle another Courtney book in the near future but will definitely tackle another at some time. Courtney is a suburb story teller.

This is not Bryce Courtenay's best book. Mostly it needed some serious editing, and it often seemed repetitious and rambling. The plot is ok but not great.

A brilliant book by an amazing author. Opened my eyes to the world of alcohol addicts and homelessness. I usually don't like books with a strong historical bent, but this was great. Really immersed me in those worlds.

Firstly, this is not a book one reads in fits and starts as I did on audio. Give it the attention it warrants.

Secondly, brace yourself. This is a wonderful horrible book with the most innocuous of starts and the most mind-blowing conclusion.

Lastly, pass this novel by if you have the least of fragile sensibilities.

personally, I like a book that has a good, summed up ending. where there are no questions unanswered. this was not one of them. I liked the storyline and it actually gave a good insight to the lives of addicts but I think there was so much detail throughout the book, so many tangents and in the end, the epilogue felt rushed and left more questions than answers.
what happened to Billy's (ex)wife and daughter? does he simply never see them again even though he reforms?
just for one. maybe is was explained but I read this book over a year as it got too slow for me so I may have forgotten parts.
either way, this book just didn't cut it for me sadly.

I knew about the circumnavigation of Australia but not about Mr. Flinders' cat Trim. The main focus of the book is actually Billy O'Shannessy, an Australian lawyer who has progressed from serious drinking to alcoholism and has separated himself from his family and is living as a homeless derelict in downtown Sydney. He is fascinated by the native flora and fauna of Australia and focuses on the development of the Sydney Botanical Garden and poisoning the Mynah birds which are destroying the native birds of the Sydney area. (A quick chorus of Poisoning Pigeons in the Park!) He meets an 11 year old boy, Ryan Sanfrancesco who spots the statue of Flinders' cat on the window sill of the library and becomes fascinated by the cat's story as Billy tells it to him. The boy knows far too much about street life and is dependent on a grandmother who is apparently dying of cancer as well as helping care for his mother who is a heroin addict.
Billy is concerned about Ryan's future and realises that the only way he can be of help is if he is sober and decides to attempt rehabilitation. (The author describes it better - that summary sounds simplistic.) The portrayal of the process through the Salvation Army facilities and the AA system is portrayed as very difficult, painful and carrying no promises, but Billy manages it the first time through to a six year period of sobriety. Somehow I feel that is unusual, but then I don't know. I liked the portrayal of the people Billy meets in the rehab facility even though the author has smoothed out events and emotions there so as not to drive the reader away. I don't know if New South Wales had a paedophile hunt in 2002 when this was written but that rang true, including the difficulties experienced in bringing charges, although I imagine Australia has kept up with all the efforts being brought to bear on eliminating the filth internationally.
I thought the book ended rather abruptly as if the author had dealt with the characters as long as he could and just wanted to end it. It is quite possible that Caroline, the jazz singer, would die of a heroin overdose but it's just sort of thrown into the afterword and the other characters just as abruptly dealt with. Perhaps he realised that if he went on too long he would have to deal with Billy's likely fall off the wagon. It was 600 pages that went very quickly. On the other hand it may not have been as much fiction as one would suppose and there may have been some factual bits and bobs in all the made up narrative.
The use of Trim's story as a way for Billy to judge his own actions mostly works and introduces non-Australians to a very interesting piece of history. I checked on line and the statues are exactly where they are described as being. The copy I read had the cat photo on the cover; it took me a while to see the reflection of Flinders' ship in the cat's eyes, however.

Loved this a story within a story . fully recommend especially if you live in Sydney.

There are several things that will turn a lot of readers off: The antihero protagonist is a cowardly Skid Row alky. The friendship between the alky and the 11-year old can make readers uneasy. It is unnecessarily lengthy. It can be seen as boringly promoting AA/NA positive propoganda. The child sex trade framework is troubling. The alky even runs away from his kid friend. There're too many drunks, junkies, bad cops, bad politicians, whores, pimps and pushers.

The good: strong character development, gritty realism, worldly cynicism. Everything connects; ex, rehab characters show him the way to do the good deeds he needs for self-reform. The best thing of all is the laugh out loud colorful Aussie slang.

An eye opening read, I would definitely recommend reading this.