This is the story of Ned Kelly told through a series of parcels of letters. I found the style of it a bit grating. ( )

Enchanting, instructive, masterful. ( )

Written as supposed letters to his infant daughter this story of Ned Kelly moves slowly and the detail and nature of the dialogue don't seem like they could actually be a series of letters - so I think the conceit ultimately fails. The story is reminiscent of the mid-20th century American criminals who became celebrities. There is some excellent Irish-Australian slang, e.g. fizgig - a flirtatious girl, but also a police informer. ( )

Most of the events of the 1800s involving Ned Kelly & his gang described are true, but the author says he tried to add the texture, the possible why’s for what Ned Kelly did. It’s a tremendous success. The Irish were treated so poorly by the English in Australia, with no legal rights & often abused by the wealthy elite, continuing to punish this convict class—descendants of those delivered here for their punishment—for the sins of their ancestors. The author portrays Kelly as a Robin Hood, beloved and protected by the abused masses against an intolerable ruling class. Told from Kelly’s “diaries” written to his unknown daughter, Kelly uses the word “adjectival” for the f-word, and I’ll probably think of that word often in the narrator’s Australian accent for a long time. I can see why it won the Booker. An excellent book. ( )

Historical fiction about the life of notorious Australian outlaw Ned Kelly (1854-1880). When I first picked it up, I thought it was non-fiction (just reading the title); however, I quickly realized it is a fictitious memoir, with Ned Kelly writing his life story to his infant daughter. Ned Kelly was the eldest son of Ellen and John “Red” Kelly, an Irish transported convict. His father died when he was young, so he and his mother developed a close relationship. He is apprenticed to bushranger Harry Power, where he learns the trade of an “honorable thief.” The storyline follows his increasing level of crime and his motivations.

Carey gets into the head of the protagonist, imagining the majority of the content and wrapping it around the main factual events in Kelly’s life. Since it is written in Ned’s voice, one may expect a sympathetic portrayal. Ned Kelly’s education ended at an early age, so Carey has captured his voice in stream of consciousness with limited punctuation and questionable grammar. After reading about a third of it in hard copy, I switched to audio, which was a good move. The audio is beautifully performed by Gianfranco Negroponte. I find I prefer to listen to dialect as opposed to reading the text.

This story is filled with adventure, conflict, and violence. Ned Kelly becomes a symbol for anti-authoritarianism and the embodiment of the underdog. It examines themes such as justice, colonialism, and class.
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