I'm going to say upfront, I didn't finish reading this book. I renewed it 3 times at the library thinking, Oh, I'll finish it now! yet I never did. I can't say why except that his stories seemed incredibly dense, but not rewarding.

Here's the opposite problem of which I often complain: this felt like beautiful writing (usually my favorite, as anybody who reads just a few of my reviews can gather) but the stories lacked a plot or character that evoked any sort of emotional response in me. So, there you go! Finally, I admit that it's not just about how well you can turn a sentence! Is somebody nothing this day?

Enkel Blacksoil Country gelezen

While some of the stories are interesting, most are nostalgic, sentimental, and, dare I say, aristocratic. However, magnificent writing and authorship, relatively easy to read. Some things are said in a straight forward way, but are very complicated things to say.

Australian author, well written and a new view point for me - fresh and intriguing.

Read in 2008 with Dad.

The March selection in Dad’s and my reading challenge. I had read a few Malouf novels so this was one of my suggestions.

LOVED it. [Both of us did.] Had no idea going in, but the dude is a MASTER of the technique and these are certainly some of the best stories I’ve ever read, and probably the best overall collection. [Dad might not be QUITE as nutty about them as I am.]

Seems he can write from any angle, any point of view: young boy, middle-aged woman, loner, popularity queen, happy, sad, criminal, just. The atmosphere is rich and vivid (and reeks of Australia, I could feel myself there again). The language is thick and layered and sensual [reminded Dad of D.H. Lawrence stories]. Really beautiful. In many stories, a BIG event has taken place “offscreen” (never to be known), with the focus on the human reactions and following chain of effects.

My favorite stories were: “Every Move You Make”, “The Domestic Cantata”, “Sally’s Story”, “Great Day”, and “A Traveller’s Tale”.

Highly recommended.

There's no doubt this is a well crafted collection. It's not an easy read. The stories really need to be studied, unlocked, so to speak, to appreciate them. Not bad, just not my cup of tea.

This was one of the 2008 RUSA Notable Books winners. For the complete list, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rus...

Nuanced and penetrating, these stories are among the best I've ever read, each one like a poem.

Good writing, but didn't do much for me.

Great short stories. Malouf is a master>

Chose this book to read as part of Reading Around the World Challenge. It has been hard finding books from some of the countries in translation, and with Australia we finally had a plethora from which to choose. Malouf is touted as the next potential Nobel winner from Australia, so after much consideration we chose his Complete Stories, and it was a good choice. A lot of books clang along with bumps and swerves, telling a story being the only consideration; Malouf's work is a sports car sailing smoothly along the highway, taking stops to observe the scenery, sit in contemplation, see the landscape. His strength lies in his insights, his compassion, and his curiosity in inhabiting different people. For instance, a minor character in a story is said to have left behind her life to move to the country with her pastor husband; she is adrift without much to anchor her intelligence, which she had leaned on and moved toward so much, that she was left unsteady. The first story takes us on a fateful hunting trip, in which the boys become men in the Australian outback, and a little boy who is asked to join along despite his father's disinterest, and how he inserts himself into a large group with his friend's family and sheds his skin is both interesting and realistic. Another story follows an old woman whose son has taken her on a holiday to Red Rock, and the visitors that haunt her. Malouf moves frequently through the lives of soldiers on leave or back from a conflict, or in one memorable story readying himself to leave for one. His people are ordinary but graceful in their own way. This book has way too many stories to read at one go, unfortunately; I would read it again in short bursts, to take down every couple of weeks or so and read a few stories. A lot of the stories are very short, many have the same themes, and there are a lot of stories. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys insight and writing that rises about the ordinary and normal.

Too much angst.