![]() ![]() ![]() This novel, an unjustly forgotten masterpiece in my opinion, presents a vivid picture of life in the rural regions well north of Perth in the middle of the 20th Century, especially of the indigenous people in their efforts to relate to the mainstream society. While I believe I have a broad familiarity with eastern Australia, I've never lived or resided in WA. I am a longtime resident of Canberra, originally from the USA. Reading Cloudstreet takes my soul to quintessentially Western Australian places and that's why I love it. You can feel WA in the stillness of the heat of a summer night. Winton taps into memories of trawling for prawns and watching the sun go down over the city when I was growing up in the 70s. ![]() ![]() Think of Australia Day when everyone gathers along the river–people from all walks of life mingle and share a community experience. The Swan River is as much a character in Cloudstreet as the Lambs and the Pickles. Winton taps into the raw and real nature of the everyday person, but also into the spirituality that pervades the landscape. If you've ever lived in WA, if you know the Swan River, if you know the Nyoongar Dreaming Story, then Winton's book is reminiscent of it all. Winton doesn't just create a setting, he brings it to life by tapping into the trinity of human, spiritual, and cultural landscapes. ![]()
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