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Title: True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey ISBN: 0375724672 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 02 November, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.94
Rating: 5
Summary: A brilliant, brilliant book
Comment: Peter Carey is truly amazing. What a wonderful, extraordinary novel this is. This is by far his best work. It leaves similar "Australian themed works" written by Thomas Kenneally in the dust.
I cannot remember a time in my life when I did not know about Ned Kelly and the pictures of him with his gun, protected by his iron armour, are an instrinsic part of Australian culture. He represents so many aspects of nineteenth century life for us - he was a child of convicts, he was a bushranger, he worked the land - and he refused to suffer in silence the injustices heaped upon him (and so many of his ilk) by the English squatterocracy. At the same time, he was a murderer and a robber...
Reading this novel is truly like being inside Ned Kelly's head. It is so vibrant and so real. I did not find the vernacular style of writing difficult at all - it is like Ned is speaking directly to you. It is incredibly eloquent in a weird way! Carey writes so evocatively, too - you can smell the bush, the sounds of a gunshot, the feel of a silk dress. It is at time very poignant. We get a real sense of the man - he felt things very deeply, he loved well, and he was intensely loyal.
My favourite part of the book was the final showdown at Glenrowan and the speech from Henry V. Incongrous? Absolutely. But does it work - oh my goodness, yes!!
Rating: 5
Summary: Something Worth Reading about Ned Kelly
Comment: After studying in Melbourne, Australia for about 4 years, I had fallen across texts and historical accounts on the famous Australian bushranger Ned Kelly. Most of the time, they were quite bland and very vague - what they stressed most was that Ned Kelly was someone who was a mystery, a folk tale.
Another book that has dealt with trying to get into the real character of Ned Kelly was Our Sunshine. I feel that "True History of the Kelly Gang" gives us a more in depth feel into one view of what the true Ned Kelly was like. The characters in the book comes alive and at times, you forget that this was not written by Carey but by Ned himself (which is what Carey wants the reader to do). The grammatical errors and the lack of punctuation did become confusing at times but, trust me, you get used to it and it also makes the story come alive and makes it very, very believable. It is almost like the new phase of Reality TV but better.
The book deals with all the events that Ned Kelly went through and Carey weaves all these events with Kelly's personal life and an example of what he might have felt during different stages of his life. The layout of the "project" is given to the reader in a package form from his younger days to his early death. It is extremely detailed and it is obvious that a lot of painstaking research was poured into the book and it is evident that Carey actually became the Ned that he was painting in his mind.
This is a book that has everything - murder, love, family, loyalty, betrayal, action and most of all, it is able to draw the reader into the situation to feel what all the characters are feeling. It forces the reader to think about whether Kelly was in the right or in the wrong and it creates debate between knowledge that we all might have past before about this character.
It is hard for someone who had never heard of the Kelly story before to really get into this book and to truly appreciate it, some history has to be studied. This is what makes the book fascinating as it is remarkable to see how Carey has weaved the events to make it feel like a flowing river of events. Basically, these parcels/manuscripts that have been written are from Ned Kelly himself to his daughter so as to give evidence that he is not the man the newspapers portray him as. It is a touching and very emotional account of a man that has been wronged for most of his life. But we also have to pause and think whether what all he is saying is true or what he wants to be true.
As a teenager, I recommend it to all age groups (I mean, if it passes for teenagers, it should be able to pass for everyone) as it can be read on many levels - as a story or as a trip into real history.
This book serves its purpose of bringing Ned Kelly to life and I salute and thank Peter Carey for doing that for me.
Rating: 4
Summary: Ned Kelly; an Australian myth
Comment: 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?
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