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The Conversations At Curlow Creek

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( 612 ratings, 76 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Set in 1827 on the remote high plains of New South Wales, The Conversations At Curlow Creek follows two Irishmen brought together under grim circumstances: Carney, an illiterate ex-convict and bushranger awaiting execution, and Adair, the police officer overseeing the hanging. Through their night-long dialogue, they uncover unexpected connections and confront themes of fate, justice, and freedom. The narrative moves between Australia and Ireland, blending evocative prose with ironic humour and deep philosophical reflection.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers of historical fiction who appreciate literary depth, philosophical themes, and evocative prose exploring human nature and justice in a unique colonial Australian setting.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The year is 1827, and in a remote hut on the high plains of New South Wales, two strangers spend the night in talk.

'A strange, beautiful novel... It represents a deepening of Malouf's style, offering the reader greater intensity and confirming Malouf's position as one of the most exciting and uncompromising writers now producing novels in English' - Colm Toibin

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A strange, beautiful novel... It represents a deepening of Malouf's style, offering the reader greater intensity and confirming Malouf's position as one of the most exciting and uncompromising writers now producing novels in English. - Colm Toibin

The year is 1827, and in a remote hut on the high plains of New South Wales, two strangers spend the night in talk. One, Carney, an illiterate Irishman, ex-convict and bushranger, is to be hanged at dawn. The other, Adair, also Irish, is an officer of the police who has been sent to supervise the hanging. As the night wears on, the two discover unexpected connections between their lives, and learn new truths.

Outside the hut, Adair's troopers sit uneasily, reflecting on their own pasts and futures, waiting for the morning to come. With ironic humour and in prose of starkly evocative power, the novel moves between Australia and Ireland to explore questions of nature and justice, reason and un-reason, the workings of fate, and the small measure of freedom a man may claim in the face of death.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its "original and impressive" storytelling, the novel offers "enchanted vistas" of memories and dreams, combining "intimations of tenderness and transcendence" with a richly rewarding and compelling narrative. Critics have highlighted Malouf's exquisite and intriguing style, confirming his status as a significant and uncompromising writer.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099744016

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 June 1997

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 192g

Pages: 272

About the Author

David Malouf is the internationally acclaimed author of novels including The Great World (winner of the Commonwealth Writers' prize and the Prix Femina Etranger), Remembering Babylon (shortlisted for the Booker Prize and winner of the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award), An Imaginary Life and his autobiographical classic 12 Edmondstone Street. His Collected Stories won the 2008 Australia-Asia Literary Award, and his recent story collections are the critically-acclaimed Dream Stuff and Every Move You Make. In 2008 Malouf was the Scottish Arts' Council Muriel Spark International Fellow. Born in 1934 in Brisbane, where he was brought up, he lives in Sydney.

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