The Thorn Birds

I was introduced to Colleen McCullough by her Masters of Rome series which basically singlehandedly sparked my interested in Roman history.  However, this is the book she is the most famous for, so, when I saw it on sale, I thought I would give it a read.  The book is very well written, if not exactly my normal genre. While this book is long, it uses that length to make a generational epic that pulls no emotional punches.

While the cover makes it look like a romance novel, it is really not.  There is certainly romance involved but that is not the primary focus of the story.  In the beginning of the book there is a quote about how some birds impale themselves on thorns and sing their most beautiful songs, even as they are dying.  That theme, so blatantly laid out, pervades this book, showing how loss can be empowering.

The book covers a 50 year period, allowing it to show the growth and change of the Cleary family as they suffer their personal victories and defeats.  The writing really gets across the expanses of Australia and both its beauty and harshness.  It also allows the characters to really come alive and to let the reader emphasize with them with ease.

Overall, I would give this book an 89%.