Rating: 
Summary: Kelly's Heroes?
Review: So who was Ned Kelly? Was he Australia's Robin Hood? Fighting for the poor and dispossessed against the wealthy esablishment? Or was he a callous thief and police murderer who deserved all he got? Don't expect to find any answers here. And that is Peter Carey's great acheivement in this novel - a worthy winner of the 2001 booker Prize.It is Ned Kelly's own version of his story, to be read by his child, as a justification for all he did. The case for the defence which was never heard. It is written as if in Kelly's uneducated hand. The poor grammar and structure - 'I said I knew the fault were with the parsing' - make difficult reading for the first page or so. We are soon taken into the mind of this hero/villain as he is drawn by injustice into a world of violence which he never wanted - ' ..all my life all I wanted were a home..'. Or did he? There are subtle ambiguities in his character, such as his obsessive hate for his mother's suitors, which leave us wondering. It is the character of Kelly which strides across the pages. You will hate the oppressors as much as he did - rightly or wrongly. The best I have read by Peter Carey to date.
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Summary: bushranger extraordinaire...
Review: This book is wonderful and the writing is topnotch (although I personally would have voted for "Atonement" for the Booker...) It has much the same narrative feel for wild country as Cormac McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses" or Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain". While the underdog story is certainly not a new one, Carey's depiction of life in the bush for the "currency lads" is darn near perfect. The only reason I give this four stars rather than five is that the recurrent theme of police corruption and dishonesty tends to intrude a little too often on the truly stellar parts of the book.
One quick note for the reviewer who said that an American might be more interested in historical fiction on John Brown - if you're so inclined, Russell Banks' 800-page doorstopper "Cloudsplitter" is exactly that!
Rating:
Summary: F- - - - - -g good novel
Review: Peter Carey has written an alternative "autobiography" of the famous Australian bushranger Ned Kelly. Ned Kelly writes the history of his life for his daughter, whom he has never seen. He tries to explain his deeds and tell her what really happened. Even though I am not familiar with the official history of the Kelly gang, I can imagine that this is indeed an alternative history. The language is that of a not very well educated but intelligent man, using the language he would have spoken. This latter means that the book is not for the faint-hearted or the puritans, even though most abusive words are written in the way you find in the title of the review. In this way Ned Kelly tries to prevent his daughter from getting exposed to swearing. We come to see Ned Kelly as a straight and honest man, who after a difficult youth never really got the chance to live a normal life. The stories about the way his mother tries to survive in the harsh environment of the Australian outback and about his falling in love are truly touching. A well-written, interesting novel giving very good insight into the harsh live of the common man in 19th century Australia.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written, but all too familiar
Review: Peter Carey's "True History of the Kelly Gang" is a well-crafted book of historical fiction, centering around a controversial Australian bandit, Ned Kelly. While the writing is skillful, and the story ripe with well-working literary devices, including character exploration and a vigorous plot, the book ultimately feels a little flat. The craft is in the narration, a series of letters and journal written by the near-illiterate bandit himself. Carey maintains a believable voice throughout the book, a voice that occasionally manages to rise out of the page and directly into the head. The characters in the book, too, are complex, multi-faceted, always full of surprises. What makes this book flat is the story itself. The concept of downtrodden underdog rising against faceless authority is one that is so hackneyed and cliché, that it's generally relegated to Hollywood screenplays and pulp fiction. "Titanic," "Braveheart," "Rob Roy," "Robin Hood." For Americans, the plot is all too familiar. Think stories about Jesse James and Billy the Kid. Think "Outlaw Jose Wales," "The Dirty Dozen," "The Magnificent Seven." In order to rise above the mountains of cliché, an author'd have to write an amazing book. Unfortunately, "The True History..." is good, not great. Perhaps if I were Australian, a story about Ned Kelly would have greater meaning. I'd be more familiar with the history and a lot more sensitive to the controversy. For Americans, I think, a story about John Brown would convey a similar impact.
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Summary: Sometimes it's nice to have an outlaw you can believe in.
Review: I had never heard of Ned Kelly before reading this book. In no way did that detract from the experience. Mr. Carey allows us to view Ned's world from his eye. He is portrayed as the oppressed Australian everyman who can't catch a break. Not only can't he catch a break, but he seems to be a fairly well established target for friends and foes alike. Well, Ned tries to play along, but as events spin beyond control, Ned takes matters into his own hands.... What follows is a wild ride with a morally conscious outlaw. Ned becomes a hero and a savage, and you will have no trouble cheering him on crime after crime. Trying to figure out what to make of his mother is much more complicated! As other reviewers have noted, the language can be annoying at first. Reading the first couple of pages, I hoped the narration would switch to a more polished style, but it didn't, and I found I didn't mind.
Rating:
Summary: An Unlikely Icon
Review: In Australia, Ned Kelly is part icon, part hero, and part of our psyche. And yet he was reviled by 'society' of his day as a common bushranger and outlaw. For a peace-loving country that values the rule of law, Ned's cultural significance has sometimes been a little hard to explain (impossible if the audience is a Brit of pompous demeanour). The most pleasing aspect of this latest book from Peter Carey-twice-winner of the Booker Prize-is the sense of empathy it creates for the Kelly clan. They are dirt-poor Irish 'immigrants' living in tough rural circumstances near the south east corner of late nineteenth century Australia. The ruling English Australians have dealt them a poor hand and cheated them at every turn in an attempt to economically perpetuate the servitude of their convict forebears. The book is written in the first person using words and grammar that seem quite authentic for a poorly educated 'currency' lad (ie. one born in Australia of convict heritage). The lack of punctuation makes it hard going at first but after a while you get used to it and the natural cadence of Carey's writing comes through. It is very easy to identify with Ned. Some of the book's themes include backbreaking work for meagre return, the desperate search for love and comfort, the viciousness of the middle and upper classes towards the (inherently) 'criminal class', and the apparent hopelessness of resistance. If this sounds all too depressing, don't be put off. It is the strength, resilience, sense of right and wrong and optimism of Ned Kelly-exemplified by his hopeless, armour-clad last stand against the authorities-that is the inspiration of the story. And an inspiration for Australians. PS. don't you love the tongue in cheek irony of the title. Well researched as the book may be, it's still historical fiction.
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Summary: Americans Love the Underdog!
Review: This is the first Peter Carey book that I have ever read, his winning this year's Booker award sparked my interest or I may have never read this masterful work of storytelling. Be patient with the first 40-50 pages, it takes some practice to become comfortable with Carey's writing style. Once you are beyond the early pages this book will pull you in and it won't let you go until the ending which I would never dare spoil. Ned Kelly, the anti-hero is a true "Everyman" and "Underdog". In his day he may have been a thorn in the government's backside, but trust me he will soon become one of your favorite characters. Let's call him a humble Robin Hood type. Happy reading!
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Summary: Ned Kelly; an Australian myth
Review: Have you ever come across a myth named Ned Kelly? If yes, forget everything about all those folk tales and join the ignorant mob who are rushing to the bookstore to get a copy of Peter Carey's Commonwealth-and Booker prize winning novel "True History of the Kelly Gang".
In his seventh novel Peter Carey tells the historically-based story of Ned Kelly and his Irish-rooted fellow-outlaws, from their early days to their early deaths. In the case of this brilliant story, narrated in the first person, "tell", might be an inappropriate term because the voice Carey invent leads us to believe that Ned Kelly himself is the author of these highly vernacular lines. Poor grammar and minimal punctuation make the book hard to read to begin with, but once you have entered it you will never want to leave the colonial South of Australia. Using these unpromising language resources, Carey makes Ned write down his life-story for his daughter (whom he never meets) to justify and rectify all the crimes he is accused of.
But can this Ned Kelly really be accused of anything?
In 19th century Australia, where British landowners settle the best parts of the country and poor settlers nearly starve to death, Ned Kelly grows up in a poor Irish family. Carey gives us great insight into these harsh times when Ned is, from his childhood on, confronted with death, prison, betrayal and permanent unjust treatment at the hands of the police. The young horse thief Kelly grows into a bank robber, bandit, kidnapper and therefore the most wanted man in the whole colony. Yet, his sense of responsibility towards his family, his loyalty to his fellows and his never-ending struggle for justice make him a warm-hearted, loveable hero and ensure him a place in the hearts of Australians to this day.
From his youth on Ned follows the voice of his heart, which tells him not to obey the unjust oppressors, and the police therefore pursue him. In his account of this ongoing pursuit with numerous action-packed showdowns, Carey spins an entertaining, deep and profound characterization of his protagonist. The reader is drawn into the story and is able to feel what Ned Kelly feels: anger, sadness, happiness and also love. In this powerfully narrated and heart-rendering story the reader is always on Ned Kelly's side and close to his thoughts. As we track Kelly's inner feelings and motivation we are also faced with a dilemma: should we sympathize with the outlaw or condemn him. The reader is enthralled throughout the novel and identifies with the hero, although much blood is shed. The novelist wins the battle for the reader's hearts and minds. But will Ned Kelly survive the last showdown?
Rating: 
Summary: is he a hero?
Review: Who is this Ned Kelly? What relevance does he have to the people of Australia today? Peter... whatever his name is writes an interesting modern fable for the people of that little island of criminals. It imitates a found diary text (are we trying to be TOO confidently literary!?!) and tells of his adventures in stuggling to grow up with an inherited criminality, a transvestite father and (gag) the horrible betrayals of the police. This may be a good book for children (peter partly intended this) but it's not the most sophisticated read.
Rating:
Summary: Well done, but don't forget the real thing
Review: This is a well-written narrative of the Kelly legend. I visited Kelly country 25 years ago, and am about to go again, inspired by this book. I particularly want to see Stringybark Creek, which I missed the first time. Don't forget that this book was inspired by the Jerilderie Letter, written by Kelly himself. The original turned up in December 2000 and has just been published in book form in Australia.
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