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A review by bianca89279
Blue Dog by Louis de Bernières
4.0
'Blue Dog' is a sweet coming-of-age story, set in the Western Australian outback.
The story was cute and somewhat familiar. When city boy Mick finds himself on his paternal grandfather's farm, he doesn't really know what to do with himself. He's very sad, as his father recently passed away and his mum is suffering a mental breakdown that makes her unable to care for him.
His grandad is a typical Aussie farmer, hardened by life in the outback. His house is quite isolated and Mick doesn't have much company. He takes to exploring the farm. On his 12th birthday, he received his father's old motorcycle, which Mick and Taylor Pete, the aboriginal resident who was helping around the farm, start taking apart and putting together. That opens up new opportunities for Mick.
Mick gets lots of skills while on the farm. He survives cyclones and storms. After a cyclone, he finds a red kelpie puppy stuck in a tree. The dog will be named Blue. The two are inseparable, as only a boy and a dog can be.
Sorry, I've given away too much.
It's a short novella, worth reading. I was impressed with the author's grasp of the Australian vernacular and with his knowledge of the life in the Australian bush. I had no idea that Louis de Bernieres wrote 'Red Dog' which was made into a great movie.
At the end of this novella, de Bernieres tells us that he was asked to write the novella, based on the script for the movie 'Blue Dog', an unusual reversal of roles.
I've received this novella via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to publishers for the opportunity to read and review it.
Cover 4.5 stars
The story was cute and somewhat familiar. When city boy Mick finds himself on his paternal grandfather's farm, he doesn't really know what to do with himself. He's very sad, as his father recently passed away and his mum is suffering a mental breakdown that makes her unable to care for him.
His grandad is a typical Aussie farmer, hardened by life in the outback. His house is quite isolated and Mick doesn't have much company. He takes to exploring the farm. On his 12th birthday, he received his father's old motorcycle, which Mick and Taylor Pete, the aboriginal resident who was helping around the farm, start taking apart and putting together. That opens up new opportunities for Mick.
Mick gets lots of skills while on the farm. He survives cyclones and storms. After a cyclone, he finds a red kelpie puppy stuck in a tree. The dog will be named Blue. The two are inseparable, as only a boy and a dog can be.
Sorry, I've given away too much.
It's a short novella, worth reading. I was impressed with the author's grasp of the Australian vernacular and with his knowledge of the life in the Australian bush. I had no idea that Louis de Bernieres wrote 'Red Dog' which was made into a great movie.
At the end of this novella, de Bernieres tells us that he was asked to write the novella, based on the script for the movie 'Blue Dog', an unusual reversal of roles.
I've received this novella via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to publishers for the opportunity to read and review it.
Cover 4.5 stars