A glorious little book,to be read over and over

This book was read on Montana Public Radio, and is a wonderful, moving story of nature, change, and humanity. Rich in its simplicity, profound in its beauty. Highly recommended.

I hope someday to be a world traveler and Abel traveled the world

Beautiful, inviting pictures and thoroughly re-readable text, this is the story of how Alice overcomes her fear of deep water with the aid of some friendly dolphins.

My two year old loves having this read to her, she points to the pictures of the dreamy underwater world and squeals wth delight, 'She's swimming!!!' Older children will enjoy reading it themselves, and perhaps they will come to see that their own fears can be overcome too.

This combines Winton's knowledge about kids with his love of the ocean. About a family who love to swim off the pier in the ocean, the young girl is afraid of going too far into the deep water.

It is not one of those stridently didactic books that sacrifices literature for a "good message". It is a terrific book to share with children who are facing particular fears (my son was scared of the water) - and acknowledging that fears are usual but can be overcome.

The illustrations are also lovely, the water that special Australian ocean blue!

Richard Woldendorf and Tim Winton collaborate to produce a breathtakingly handsome compendium of photography showcasing the beauty, grandeur, majesty, and scenic wonder of Australia in Down To Earth: Australian Landscapes. A remarkable body of work transforming a varied spectrum of landscape images into works of memorable and impressive photographic art recommended to students of photography, as well as the non-specialist general reader who appreciates images drawn from natural landscapes and elevated to the standards of fine art.

As an Australian who has lived for 28 years in the tropics of Australia, I can testify the this book is WYSIWYG. I have seen some of the places depicted, and can assure anyone that the photographs are genuine. I can only urge any person with an artistic frame of mind (or indeed anyone with an interest in Australia) to have a look at this book. They will find it rewarding.

Cheerio

Robbie White

This book is magic for people who, like me, love the Australian "outback" and want to take a little bit of it home. But for all those who have never been, and can perhaps only dream of going, then the next best way of experiencing its mystery,its stark beauty, not to mention the warmth of the locals, is through Bill Bachman's marvellous photos. They capture his love for the country and believe me, the colours are real! Outback Australia truly is this red.

Bill Bachman's photography is brilliant. Here is great variety in subjects but no average photo. This book captures an important part of the Australian continent and its people. It is an inspiration to take better photos ourselves and to travel to the same or at least similar places as Bill has.

Lockie Leanord, SCUMBUSTER is a delightfully funny story that kept me reading for hours. Set in a small town in Australia, the story provides a fresh comic nature never written before. The story is full of everyday life situations that today's youth must deal with, but finds a way to keep the good humor rolling along. The idea that stood out the most to me about this story was the underlying issue of friendship. This story proves that people should not judge others by appearance but should actually get to know them before being judgemental. All the way through you will be laughing and enjoying this truly mixed-up, yet very normal life of Lockie and Egg.

Australia is a hidden goldmine of contemporary literature. Most of the incredible works coming out of this country are unavaliable in the U.S. and even the UK, and you must either order specially from a bookseller "down under" or depend on places such as Amazon.com to help you find these treasures. Tim Winton is just one of the many amazing Australian short-story authors who are updating literary form on a regular basis. His ability to convey the unusual aspects of usual situations is overshadowed only by the utter respect he has for the written word. His stories are emotional but never cliched, subtle but not opaque, and the essence of literary experience. I first read Winton for an Australian literature class at Indiana University and one of my classmates was at a loss for words attempting to explain the uinique nature of Winton's impressive and engrossing style. "I think what you're sensing," the professor said with a small smile on his face, "is talent."

Readers who are familiar with Tim Winton's work probably know him from Cloudstreet and The Riders, his two most successful adult novels (he also writes children's books). The Riders was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1994.

Shallows is one of Winton's first novels, published back in 1984. It won the prestigious Miles Franklin Award in Australia. If you have read Winton before, you will love this book. If you are new to Winton, you will soon be seeking out his other works.

The action of the novel takes place in the small Western Australian whaling town of Angelus. Most of the action takes place in 1978, though the novel covers events from 1831, when the town was founded, right up until 1978. The novel centers on the whales which have been hunted in the area for close to 150 years and are close to extinction. A group of international activists arrive in the town, intent on closing down the whaling operations. The activists draw a lot of media attention to Angelus, and a lot of heat from the locals, who are as protective of their jobs and lifestyles as the greenies are of the whales.

A number of local characters find themselves embroiled in these events. Daniel Coupar is the grandson of one of the Nantucket-born whalers, Nathaniel, who founded the town. Daniel, widowed and nearing death, is trying to make sense of his life. His granddaughter, Queenie, has married a no-hoper, Cleve Cookson, who is fascinated by the story of Nathaniel Coupar and devotes many hours to reading his journals about life as a whaler. Queenie often dreams about whales, and finds herself drawn in to the green crowd, much to the chagrin of her husband, grandfather, and most of the townsfolk. She becomes instrumental in the crusade to stop whaling, pitting herself against her community, her husband, and 150 years of family tradition.

While the novel raises many questions about whaling and activism, it raises just as many about ancestry, family responsibility, destiny, and social responsibility.

Winton's prose is, as always, stunning. He has a remarkable talent for conjuring up jaw-dropping prose without getting complicated. He has a wonderful knack for dialogue, especially the Australian vernacular. Non-Australians may struggle with some of the unfamiliar language, while Australians will chuckle with recognition. Winton tells his story from many points of view, creating a complete and balanced tale. While the underlying message might be pro-environmentalist, the whalers and the real estate moguls get their say too. Shallows is a beautiful, rewarding novel, well-worth seeking out.

I enjoyed the first 200 pages of this 426 page book and bits and pieces of the other 226, but overall it was way too long. I really didn't like the unrealistic parts, didn't "get" them at all. What was the business about the "black bloke?" How about Quick "glowing?" What was that? I hated those long-sentence paragraphs inspired by James Joyce, perhaps, show-offy and meaningless. And Fish...well, he drowned once then lived only to drown again. Ho hum.

I recommend Winton's "Dirt Music." Now there was a book that knew what it was about.

Tim Winton's work was recommended to me by an Australian friend who is an avid reader and it did not disappoint. I was captivated by his freeflowing style and by his excellent character studies. The way he brought to life the characters of Sam and Dolly, Lester and Oriel, Rose and Quick, and Fish was a wonder to behold. I felt I knew exactly how they would react in any of the situations they found themselves. Although being a "Yank" I had to check in everyday with my "Aussie" mate to translate some of the slang words used by Mr. Winton in his marvelous story, I thoroughly enjoyed his tale of two families and the obstacles they had to overcome. The final paragraph of this book was well worth the effort it took to read it. Cloudstreet is a wonderful read and I am so grateful to my Australian friend for sending me this book. I highly recommed this Australian gem to all my fellow Americans!

My daughter in law who hails from Perth in western Australia has read this book four times, it is her favorite, and she is very well read. I was captivated and treasure the copy she gave me. Highly recommended. "Carn then, give'er a read!".

Lockies first day at school was promising day. he found his girl.Being a surfy his Dad a cop and his brother wets the bed he didn't stand a chance this book is for 13-14 year old.It is funny too.

Lockie Leonard is a teenage boy into teenage boy things. Apart from dealing with a new school and a crazy family, Lockie has to deal with adolescent changes that are reaking havoc on his life. Trying to stay cool, popular and in love make this Australian book a hilariously realistic look at teenage life.

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