Wednesday, January 13, 2010

BREATH


only just got round to reading Winton's latest novel
one of my favourite Australian authors. review;

     I will confess I am slightly biased. Breath is set in my hometown, on the south west coast of Australia so the words heavily resonated with my memories of place. However, I challenge anyone with a love of literature or the ocean, not to fall in love with this enigmatic and intense story of 'Pikelet',  a young surfer isolated in adolescence.  Momentum builds like the rising swells, the inversion of water and finally the aburpt crashing of the wave.  
     There were so many things I loved about this novel least of all the setting and Winton's prose is, as usual, stunningly beautiful yet accessible to the nonchalant reader. Highly highly recommended...

"The last sucking bubble of consciousness, the rising gorge of panic, a delicious ricochet of sparks, that far out at the edge of things you get to a point where all that stands between you and oblivion is the roulette of body memory, the last desperate jerks of your systems trying to restart itself." 

4 comments:

  1. I'll check it out, I've been looking for a new book. Just finished Junot Diaz's - brief and wondrous life of oscar wao. Amazing american writer whose tone will knock anyone into startling hypnosis.

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  2. looove your blog! this book sounds good!


    xo, C.
    http://owl-wings.blogspot.com

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  3. Tim Winton is incredible isnt he? I love Cloudstreet, the big dysfunctional family reminds me alot of my own. I love that its set in WA as well.
    I wanted to let you know that I'm sure Staple has stockists in Perth somewhere because I remember one of the girls mentioning it yesterday.
    Going to read the rest of your blog now, I like the aesthetic so far.

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  4. AH! 'Breath' is AMAZING!!! Tim winton is a genius, I'm a big fan of 'Dirt Music'also.

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