Rating: 
Summary: A struggle
Review: This is the story of Holland and his daughter Ellen. Holland buys a property in the West of New South Wales, and starts to cover it with as many variations of the Eucalyptus tree that he can get his hands on. When Ellen comes of age, he decides that the man who marries her will be the man that can name every Eucalyptus on his property. Now, this might not sound like much of a premise for a good story, but Bail manages to infuse it with a certain quality - it is almost like magical realism, but in a very Australian spirit. This lyrical story manages to encapsulate wonderful descriptions, both overt and covert, of the Australian landscape both outback and urban; and it also manages to provide descriptions of some wonderful characters that are really caricatures of Australian society. Even the Eucalyptus are given wonderfully descriptive passages that make you feel that they are almost as much characters in the story as the people. And within it all, Bail manages a tender, yet not 'gooey' love story. To the very close of the story (it did not feel like an ending at all) Bail held me captivated. I would have thought that the very Australianness of this book would be a hurdle for foreign readers, yet reviewers around the globe have given it glowing praise. Eucalyptus is a difficult book to describe, but a very easy book to read. I think it would appeal to a wide range of readers - i suggest that if you have any desire at all to read it that you pick it up, and give it at least to half way through before judging it. I think many readers will be pleasantly surprised with this poetic story of a father, a daughter, her suitors and a lot of gum trees.
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