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textpublishing's review
5.0
‘Claire Aman’s warm and tough debut collection Bird Country carries such technical command that Aman is already an established hand at the form.’
Saturday Paper, Best Books of 2017, Best New Talent
‘A suite of quietly beautiful short stories based in and around Grafton…A loving snapshot of a naturally beautiful but slightly melancholy rural centre. They are stories of fierce family loyalties, old age, poverty and small dignities, the kind that country towns seem to embody.’
Books+Publishing
‘Aman’s tales are burnished with a quiet intensity…While there’s a precision to the placing of each word that speaks of a controlling rigour, the actual content of these 16 stories reveals a certain freewheeling dramatic flair…Here is grief and beauty in symphony.’
Australian
‘Aman writes: “The poet sees the hugeness of things. She will distil and distil until she has a single shining drop.” This is also true of Bird Country, which packs huge themes—poverty, friendship, disability, abuse, death, family, addiction—into sixteen excellent short stories.’
New Zealand Herald
‘Aman’s ideas are original and her imagination fertile. Her writing is generally attractive and strong, with a sure touch when it comes to telling detail…Aman is capable of some showstopper phrases, such as the “naked and mortified brightness” of the dead possum’s eyes in “Sustenance”, and she has a nice line in dry humour…Peopled with memorable and often touching characters, and redolent of Australia, Bird Country is a thoroughly enjoyable and varied reading experience, and Aman is a writer to watch.’
NZ Listener
‘A variety of birds—both free and caged—illustrate the human condition…I enjoyed the variety of emotions and the rich imagery in Aman’s anthology.’
Good Reading, four stars
‘It is rare these days that a complete collection of short stories can sustain a sense of breathless wonder throughout each and every piece included in its pages…But in the Australian short story scene, exciting things are happening, and I believe Claire Aman’s debut collection Bird Country is one of them…This is a collection that will bear reading and rereading, and rereading again in the years to come.’
AU Review
‘Set against the Australian landscape, this is a wonderful collection of moving and evocative stories about relationships and what happens when things are left unsaid.’
Page & Blackmore EndFragment
‘The 16 stories capture snapshots of poignant experiences and moments in time that are rich in emotion and thought-provoking. Inspired by motorcyclists, sailors, uninvited guests, bridge jumpers and bird fanciers, Aman tells her stories in descriptive prose and paints images that remain with you long after you have turned the final page.’
Weekly Times
‘A suite of fresh and beautiful short stories from the broken families and clapped-out pubs and river towns of rural Australia.’
Helen Garner, Sydney Morning Herald’s Year in Reading
Saturday Paper, Best Books of 2017, Best New Talent
‘A suite of quietly beautiful short stories based in and around Grafton…A loving snapshot of a naturally beautiful but slightly melancholy rural centre. They are stories of fierce family loyalties, old age, poverty and small dignities, the kind that country towns seem to embody.’
Books+Publishing
‘Aman’s tales are burnished with a quiet intensity…While there’s a precision to the placing of each word that speaks of a controlling rigour, the actual content of these 16 stories reveals a certain freewheeling dramatic flair…Here is grief and beauty in symphony.’
Australian
‘Aman writes: “The poet sees the hugeness of things. She will distil and distil until she has a single shining drop.” This is also true of Bird Country, which packs huge themes—poverty, friendship, disability, abuse, death, family, addiction—into sixteen excellent short stories.’
New Zealand Herald
‘Aman’s ideas are original and her imagination fertile. Her writing is generally attractive and strong, with a sure touch when it comes to telling detail…Aman is capable of some showstopper phrases, such as the “naked and mortified brightness” of the dead possum’s eyes in “Sustenance”, and she has a nice line in dry humour…Peopled with memorable and often touching characters, and redolent of Australia, Bird Country is a thoroughly enjoyable and varied reading experience, and Aman is a writer to watch.’
NZ Listener
‘A variety of birds—both free and caged—illustrate the human condition…I enjoyed the variety of emotions and the rich imagery in Aman’s anthology.’
Good Reading, four stars
‘It is rare these days that a complete collection of short stories can sustain a sense of breathless wonder throughout each and every piece included in its pages…But in the Australian short story scene, exciting things are happening, and I believe Claire Aman’s debut collection Bird Country is one of them…This is a collection that will bear reading and rereading, and rereading again in the years to come.’
AU Review
‘Set against the Australian landscape, this is a wonderful collection of moving and evocative stories about relationships and what happens when things are left unsaid.’
Page & Blackmore EndFragment
‘The 16 stories capture snapshots of poignant experiences and moments in time that are rich in emotion and thought-provoking. Inspired by motorcyclists, sailors, uninvited guests, bridge jumpers and bird fanciers, Aman tells her stories in descriptive prose and paints images that remain with you long after you have turned the final page.’
Weekly Times
‘A suite of fresh and beautiful short stories from the broken families and clapped-out pubs and river towns of rural Australia.’
Helen Garner, Sydney Morning Herald’s Year in Reading
maree_k's review
4.0
I found Bird Country to be a bit hit and miss (and to be honest, more miss than hit).
Although I love reading short stories I found this collection difficult to connect with. But there was one story that stood out for me.
Communion had just the right pitch and voice, and its voice convinced me from the opening line. I believed in the character and the story, and its economy of language that underscored the theme of loneliness. There was a conviction in the writing of this story that, for me, was absent in the rest of the collection. To put it simply, this story made me feel something but the others did not.
Still, others may find more to like in Bird Country, so if you enjoy short story collections it's worth giving it a go.
Although I love reading short stories I found this collection difficult to connect with. But there was one story that stood out for me.
Communion had just the right pitch and voice, and its voice convinced me from the opening line. I believed in the character and the story, and its economy of language that underscored the theme of loneliness. There was a conviction in the writing of this story that, for me, was absent in the rest of the collection. To put it simply, this story made me feel something but the others did not.
Still, others may find more to like in Bird Country, so if you enjoy short story collections it's worth giving it a go.
wtb_michael's review
4.0
Beautifully written short stories, largely set in regional NSW. A few stories didn't quite click for me, but the majority were wonderful, with a quiet sadness permeating them.
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