The Thorn Birds

by Colleen McCullough

Book Overview

Colleen McCullough's sweeping saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback has enthralled readers the world over. This is the chronicle of three generations of Clearys, ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. Most of all, it is the story of only daughter Meggie and her lifelong relationship with the haunted priest...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060129565
• ISBN13: 9780060129569
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 533 Pages
• Weight: 1.82 lbs.

Customer Reviews

One of My Favorites

Okay, so this book is kind of a classic and yet a little trashy at the same time. I read it about five years ago and it has stayed with me. I read a lot of classics so this was a guilty pleasure for me; it is the perfect romance. There is not only the forbidden love factor but also a love that transcends a lifetime. If you are a romantic at heart you will love this book.

The best novel I have ever read...

If I could give this book 10 stars I would. From the first page I was drawn into the Cleary family's world...into their colorful lives and the journey through their truimph and pain that spans a lifetime. This is a superb novel that centers around Meggie Cleary, a girl only but 7 years old at the start of the saga. Born into a poor Irish family of sheep shearers in the beautiful land of New Zealand, Meggie learns quickly that she must look after herself. From the time Meggie was a small child she was wise beyond her years. Having to hold her own against a family of all boys, save her mother Fee, who is but a shell of her former self. Fee being too busy with chores and duties, had no time to give love or affection to any of her children, except Frank...because he was different, he didn't resemble the Cleary's, he didn't behave as a Cleary. Meggie's oldest brother Frank was the only one who showed little Meggie any affection and she clung to him as if he were the only person who ever really loved her. Fast forward 3 years....The Cleary's recieved a letter from their wicked, wealthy Aunt Mary Carson asking them to come to her home in Austrailia and learn how to tend her sheep and work her vast farm. Mary knew she was growing old and wanted the land and Drogedha, her home, to remain in the family once she died. So they left, with the promise of prosperity and a new future. Arriving after a trying journey by land and sea, they were met at the train station by priest Father Ralph De Bricassart, Mary's trusted confidant and friend. From the moment Father Ralph and Meggie met they were both in awe of eachother. She being only 10, he being a man of 28. They shared a spiritual bond that neither could ignore from the beginning. He thought she was the most beautiful little girl he'd ever seen. She thought he closely resembled God because of his magnificant beauty and charm. He took Meggie under his protective wing and showed her an affection she had never known. She looked to him as a father, he to her as a daughter, but it was much more... This is a tale of forbidden love, a love that cannot be consumated or entertained, but also can't be smothered and ignored. It is a love of two souls who are so entertwined it squeezes the heart with longing and desperation. Beyond their control, they fight their feelings and sometimes succomb to them over the period of their lives. Throughout this sweeping saga through generations of Cleary's, life lessons are learned the hard way and passed down to the next generations to learn all over again. This book takes you on a long, winding road throughout time and the difficulties of the heart. It isn't just a romance, it is much more and any fan of great literature would appriciate this book. I recommend it highly.

A timeless story of love, ambition, and struggle!

This is a truly a great and classic novel. I do not bestow these oft-overused adjectives lightly. This is a story of deep, rich, and forbidden love, betrayal, tragedy, and ambition. This is a truly wonderful story set primarily in Australia, circa 1915 and then spanning several generations to the post World War II era. McCullough writes a sprawling story which primarily centers on the forbidden love between an extraordinary woman and a good but ambitious priest.This is the story of the Cleary family, originally from Ireland, who emigrate first to New Zealand, and early on, to Australia. The young Cleary daughter, Meggie, falls in love with the local Catholic priest, Ralph de Briccasart, who is a good and ambitious man who certainly does nothing to encourage this love, but who certainly returns it as he regards Meggie as the daughter he can never have. As Meggie matures, he comes to regard her in a more romantic way. A great struggle arises between this love on the one hand ("the forbidden rose") and his ambition to become a Cardinal or perhaps more, on the other. There is much, much, more to the story than this, however. The novel transports the reader to Australia, and makes that country a real place to those of us who have never been there. This is also the story of the struggles of the Cleary family, as they battle with, and come to love, the rich outback country of Australia. This is an extraordinarily authentic and moving story that any review (or at least this one) can only fail to do justice.McCullough's prose is simply outstanding, and her characters crackle with realism--they become utterly real people and the reader will become swept away with this wonderful story. The storyline never drags, and at no point does this novel ever fail to completely capture the reader's attention. This novel is not only a classic; it is a ripping good read! If you have not yet enjoyed this novel, you are in for a wonderful reading experience.

The Thorn Birds--The greatest romance novel of all time

The Thorn Birds, written by Colleen McCullough, in my opinion is the greatest romance novel of all time. The character of Meggie Cleary is my favorite character in all of literature. Her strength, beauty, passion and love makes her a timeless heroine. Meggie and Father Ralph share a love story that spans many years and many heartbreaks. Even though they are not together, the book always has a undercurrent where you can feel their longing and endless love for each other, even though they are not together. In their hearts, they will be together forever.Meggie and Ralph are the Romeo and Juliet of the Australian outback- just as tortured and tragic. The miniseries was also fabulous--Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward make me speechless every time I see it. It is spectacular. Read The Thorn Birds and watch the series, if you are lucky enough to have the chance. You will never be the same--it's not just a book or a movie, it's an experience. Thank you Colleen McCullough, for such a wonderful story.

Touching, beautiful saga that leaves reader overwhelmed!

"The Thorn Birds" by Colleen McCullough is my favorite novel. It is in a category by itself and deserves more than five stars. I saw ten minutes of the miniseries on television and knew I had to read the book. I was twelve, and the story of Meggie and Ralph moved me to hysterical tears. I am now 18, and I have read the book so many times I have lost count. Set in the Australian Outback in the years surrounding WWII, it is the story of a girl growing up, learning that "The best is only bought at the cost of great pain...Or so says the legend." The courage and strength of Meggie despite the tremendous hardships of her life inspires me. I must admit I fell in love with Ralph de Bricassart; first with his name, then with the man. (I can only hope to find such a person!) All of the other characters--Fee, Paddy, Frank, Dane, Justine, Rain--are developed clearly throughout the story. McCullough is a genius for combining three generations of the Cleary family into one novel! I still cry when I read the story, for the love, and for the pain. The introductory story of the thornbird is a lesson for life: all sadness will pass, and one day something beautiful will come from that pain. A highly emotional book, "The Thorn Birds" is the best work of this century. It is worth reading to anyone who enjoys drama and romance, as well as suspense, action, and sadness! The movie based on the novel starring Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward is an excellent interpretation.