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georgiarybanks's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
staraice's review
Book club pick.
This book was ok, but my main issue with it is that the blurb and promotion around it set me up to expect something different. The interaction between the two cultures is a much smaller part of the narrative than I thought it would be, with much of the book focussed on the survivalism and recollections of the sailor Magra.
A very interesting idea, and worth giving a read even if just to learn something new.
This book was ok, but my main issue with it is that the blurb and promotion around it set me up to expect something different. The interaction between the two cultures is a much smaller part of the narrative than I thought it would be, with much of the book focussed on the survivalism and recollections of the sailor Magra.
A very interesting idea, and worth giving a read even if just to learn something new.
meganori's review
4.0
4.5*
An alternate history where Cook's Endeavour sinks off the coast of northern Australia. Told in alternating perspectives of one of the shipwreck survivors and a local Aboriginal boy.
I would have liked a more balanced split between the two narratives; the white man had most of the story, the Aboriginal perspective came only in short bursts. It was a great read though. Lots of tension, both poetic and a page turner.
An alternate history where Cook's Endeavour sinks off the coast of northern Australia. Told in alternating perspectives of one of the shipwreck survivors and a local Aboriginal boy.
I would have liked a more balanced split between the two narratives; the white man had most of the story, the Aboriginal perspective came only in short bursts. It was a great read though. Lots of tension, both poetic and a page turner.
jgwc54e5's review
5.0
This is an alternate history where the Endeavour is wrecked on the reef of far North Queensland in 1770 . ( In reality the ship was damaged but after spending 7 weeks ashore it was repaired and the voyage continued.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The beginning is a gripping telling of the shipwreck and how Magra, a midshipman, our narrator, manages to survive. What follows is the story of the survivors and how they try to live in this new land. The history of the voyage and the various interactions with other indigenous people of Tahiti and New Zealand are given. Magra is haunted by dreams where Gandhaar, the crocodile taunts him.
Interspaced with this story is commentary from Garrgiil, an indigenous boy. We learn language and customs and the connection with the land.
I loved the structure of the novel. It flows easily between the two narratives and while I would’ve liked even more of the Aboriginal point of view, there’s enough that it makes you wonder what Australia would be like if it was never colonised.
“I knew the way explorers looked at a new land - as I had once looked at such lands myself - wondering what resources there might be to exploit, what riches to be squeezed from the land and taken back to Europe.”
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The beginning is a gripping telling of the shipwreck and how Magra, a midshipman, our narrator, manages to survive. What follows is the story of the survivors and how they try to live in this new land. The history of the voyage and the various interactions with other indigenous people of Tahiti and New Zealand are given. Magra is haunted by dreams where Gandhaar, the crocodile taunts him.
Interspaced with this story is commentary from Garrgiil, an indigenous boy. We learn language and customs and the connection with the land.
I loved the structure of the novel. It flows easily between the two narratives and while I would’ve liked even more of the Aboriginal point of view, there’s enough that it makes you wonder what Australia would be like if it was never colonised.
“I knew the way explorers looked at a new land - as I had once looked at such lands myself - wondering what resources there might be to exploit, what riches to be squeezed from the land and taken back to Europe.”
firstbreaths's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book was very poorly marketed, in my opinion. It wasn't necessarily a bad book (it was competently written, at least) but it wasn't what I expected. I do think it’s disingenuous to pitch A Barbarous Coast as centring indigenous voices when it emphasises the voice of a white man above all others, and it relies on the reader’s knowledge of what actually happened to critique the racism inherent throughout said white man’s thoughts. We know the main character is misguided, because we know how history turned out, but some of the ideas he had aren’t that far removed from modern racism, and I think they could have been more explicitly called out.
A good 80% of this book is told from the POV of Magra, a British-American naval officer who spends as much of his time pondering European politics, botany, and the social divisions among his fellow shipmates as he does the Aboriginal tribe nearby. There is very little communication between the settlers and the Aboriginal people already living on the land. The other 20% of this book is told from the POV of Garrgill, and these sections are have a lot of potential - rich in culture and seamlessly incorporating the local language. But they’re very short. Where Magra is surrounded by a group of fellow castaways with unique personalities, we learn very little about the people Garrgill spends his time with, or about the experiences that shape him growing up. It felt very imbalanced as a result.
I can see how other people might like this book, or interpret its aims differently, but it really didn’t land for me.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Allen and Unwin - thank you for the opportunity to read and review.
A good 80% of this book is told from the POV of Magra, a British-American naval officer who spends as much of his time pondering European politics, botany, and the social divisions among his fellow shipmates as he does the Aboriginal tribe nearby. There is very little communication between the settlers and the Aboriginal people already living on the land. The other 20% of this book is told from the POV of Garrgill, and these sections are have a lot of potential - rich in culture and seamlessly incorporating the local language. But they’re very short. Where Magra is surrounded by a group of fellow castaways with unique personalities, we learn very little about the people Garrgill spends his time with, or about the experiences that shape him growing up. It felt very imbalanced as a result.
I can see how other people might like this book, or interpret its aims differently, but it really didn’t land for me.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Allen and Unwin - thank you for the opportunity to read and review.
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