Rating: 
Summary: Oh, Frank, my darling, misunderstood, forgotten Frank!
Review: This novel is, in a word, mystifying. Mc'Cullough's style is, at some times, brilliantly poetic and beautiful, and at many others, extremely tedious. Her almost exclussive focus on Meggie and Ralph was annoying, and extremely one-sided; even though they are the main characters, it would have been refreshing to hear from the minds, as well as the lips, of people such as Paddy, Frank, and Dane, much more often than was the case. And speaking of Frank, as one can probably tell from the title of this review, he was my favorite character; I could relate to him most of all, despite never having been in prison. Did anyone else feel the urge to hold and comfort him as much as I did? My high level of empathy for him stems from the fact that he is, unlike so many males in contemporary literature, truly sensitive, compassionate, and idealistic, beyond the pursuit of monitary success (see Luke O'Niel for a portrayal of the power and money-obssessed egotist archetype). I thought the most romantic and touching sceens in the book were not between Meggie and Ralph (at least, not as older adults), but between the young Meggie and Frank, her misunderstood, despised, beautiful older brother. In contrast to Frank's, and Meggie's (as a child) softness, Justine, whose childhood was neglected so much that her decisions in later life seem to have no basis or logic to them, seemed overly heartless, impulsive, and, in spite of appearances, extremely insecure. Justine was so ascerbic and emotionally afraid that she was almost a characiture of the self-absorbed, overly dramatic, restless modern teenager struggling to break loose from tradition. Meggie, who I could relate to in early life, until she began her relationship with Luke, seemed more believable, in most situations, than many feminine characters in today's literature. Unlike them, she was not always stowical in the face of adversity, which reveals a true emotional center and capacity for great depth of feeling. Ralph had this as well, in spite of his ambition, and deference to the church's regulations; the reader has to keep in mind the time period and atmosphere of the culture in which Mc'Cullough's characters are placed. It was a stifling, rule-bound society. As for my point about the author being tedious, her inclusion of conversations between Ralph and his superiors, especially Cardinal Vitorio and Mary Carson, seemed more fitting for a political thriller and a true romance novel, respectively. Perhaps it is because in only a recent high school graduate who had the audacity to read this seven-hundred pager in four days because I just had to finish it, but I could not understand the intended humor or subtleties in their dialogues. Also, I disliked the subtle, but clear implication and portrayal of Maori people in the book. An Australian friend told me about the stereotype of Maori men as violent, uncontrollable miscreants, and after reading the description of Frank's eventual personality, and the diagnosis by friends of the family, I resent Mc'Cullough's idea on tne subject, considering Frank's first introduction as a compassionate, caring young man. (This, of course, could simply be my psychology classes working over time, and I could be overanalyzing Frank's character, and defaming Mc'Cullough needlessly), and it seems to me like a case of sensitive young man is mistreated horribly by society, and crushed by their insensitivity to his condition. In any case, Frank is still, to me, the little boy who needs protection and nurture, not to mension understanding and a realistic way to externalize his rage and other strong emotions. On the up side, though, Mc'Cullough has a definite talent for descriptions of the Australian landscape, as well as, when aplicable, the motives and exact nature of her characters's emotions. And, just to end on emotion, Fionna's relationship to Paddy, and all the other characters was never fully realized, and Stewart's contemplative tendencies never explained, and I would have loved to know more of Fi's life with Pakeha, what attracted her to him, etc. And, as I said, more Frank and young Meggie, and descriptions of their life in New Zealand in general would always have been appreciated!
Rating: 
Summary: The evils of sacrifice and religion
Review: This was a fascinating look at the result of sacrificing your life for religion. For those of us who believe that living a flourishing life here on earth is not only possible, but profoundly moral - this book reconfirms that sacrifice (giving up a greater value for something of lesser or no value) brings guilt, pain, sadness and an overall sense of loss. Beautifully written, this book follows the lives of people consumed with guilt, remorse and hopelessness. From that, they become strong, but happiness eludes them. Many times during my reading of this book I wanted to shout to the characters "I'm happy! You can also be happy! Stop sacrificing, evading and living for false values! Stop hurting yourself and those around you!"This book beautifully shows the destruction of lives caused by religion and sacrifice.
Rating:
Summary: Spends too little time on most interesting characters
Review: While this 50-year look at a family's loves and losses is interesting at times, McCullough spends too little time on the most interesting characters and relationships and too much time on mundane details or on her attempts at being poetic and/or artistic. In the end, this novel is just not as well executed as it could/should have been. Several passages about love and/or lovemaking are labored and unnatural, and McCullough lets interesting people like Frank and Luke practically drop off the face of the earth. While Meggie and Ralph's relationship thrilled me at first, it became annoying after Meggie had Dane. Ralph was far too self-absorbed and his suffering seemed far too superficial for him to be a truly interesting character. Most of all, I wanted to learn more about Justine and Rainer, whose relationship received a light treatment though it is the true finale for the book. Had the quality of writing been a little better, the characters and relationships been a little more developed, and the observations of people and life been more astute, the engaging storyline could have carried this novel into greatness. Instead, it kept me only semi-satisfied right up to the last page.
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