Remembering Babylon: A Novel (Man Booker Prize Finalist)

This is a deeply lyrical, haunting book. Not a fast read because you will want to linger and to savor every word. The characters really do come to life. Their fears and shortcomings, their hopes and their varied, often precarious, relationship to the land they inhabit bring to life a world full of human contradiction in which one character, Gemmy, neither fully an outcast nor someone who belongs to either world (settler or aboriginal), serves to shed light on the mindset of both groups and to remind us of overarching human concerns of survival, family, purpose, and compassion. A beautifully composed meditation on the meaning of human existence, the idea of civilization, and the fears we all share about our own capacity for love, cruelty, violence, understanding, and acceptance.

I enjoyed reading it and was entertained by the style. There is a lot of in depth character development to the point where I felt that the author was saying far more about the characters than they would have known themselves. It is a book that well worth reading and for anyone looking for a book with meaning worthy of further consideration this is a great candidate.

It's not my cup of tea, but our book club read and discussed it, so I went along. I found it very depressing, but I'm not a great fan of 20th century realism. The author does use a lot of Scottish dialect, so you might like that. I'm sometimes annoyed by continuity gaps (somebody groveling on the ground, but the front of his knees are exposed, for example). The style reminded me of George Mackay Brown, a writer who I like quite a bit. But somehow this did not grab me.

A tale encompassing Australia's past history. Instances of familial greatness exposed amongst racial intolerance. The more things change the more they stay the same. Distrust of anyone different is the Australian way it seems even today. Malouf's typical language skills and perfected eye for the natural details of nature leaves the reader wanting more and wishing for the never-ending story.

Gemmy Fairley doesn't belong anywhere. Tossed from the sea upon a wild Australian beach, the boy is a curiosity to the indigenous natives who discover and allow him to tag along, learning their language and customs. A strange yearning assails his dreams, images, memories of a beginning, brutal people and things barely glimpsed.From a truly ignominious beginning, Gemmy schools himself to adapt to circumstances, intuiting acceptable behavior as necessary for survival. Throughout his wanderings with the Aborigines, he assumes the coloring of his surroundings, much as they do. But another voice, a distant curiosity calls Gemmy ever closer to the poverty-riddled settlers who view him as a threat. There is a life-defining moment for two young people, Lachlan and Janet, when they first see Gemmy, perched precariously atop a fence, held for a moment in time that marks their consciousness indelibly. Drawing Gemmy into their world, Lachlan is his mentor, Janet his friend, both protective of his innocence, forever fascinated with that first seminal glimpse.In such an intimate and hardscrabble community, where human connections insure survival, Gemmy is a freak, too strange to be perceived as non-threatening, white, but with the outward visage of a black. Fearful and superstitious, they draw away, repulsed. Eventually, Gemmy finds himself moving back into the bush, unable to manage the demands of such a borderline civilization. Years later, as adults, Lachlan and Janet deeply reconnect over their youthful remembrance, that slender thread that attached them to Gemmy for that short time in their young lives.The writing is powerful and beautifully rendered, with a sense of awareness that pulses with life. Immersed in nature's stark reality, words become feelings, thoughts merge with the heartbeat of humanity at its most vulnerable.

I put off writing this review, because of worrying that I couldn't do justice to the book. This short, tight novel is like an archeological site, with many layers of richness, all of them disturbing but satisfying. The story is about early settlers in Australia, and the arrival of a white man who had spent the previous 16 years living amongst the Aborigines. He had been tossed off a ship, and saved by the natives, who graciously shared their lives with him. The novel asks both personal and sociological questions, such as:* What is most important to prejudiced people -- race or culture?* How do "civilized" people cope with the terror of wilderness during colonization?* Why do men automatically assume superiority over women?* How does fear morph into immoral, wicked behavior?Malouf's brilliance lies in his ability to get into the minds of his characters, and interpret even the most subtle glance or gesture. His language is so poetic that I kept wanting to underline phrases or sentences. He understands the irrationality of being a human being, and how people succumb to lesser behavior when they know better. And the clarity with which he portrays relationships is amazing.Perhaps the best thing about this novel is that it speaks the languages of anthropology, history, psychology and spirituality all at once. I want to learn more about the author, and read more of his books, right away.

I read this book for a class at university and found it to be a bit challenging to get through. The topic matter is not one that would have interested me, but since it was an assigned read, I got through it anyway and actually found it to be pleasantly compelling.

A coming-of-age/awakening/search-for-identity novel that moves beyond the angst felt in the search for truth/self to interesting modes of revelation and insights into human nature. The story is more complex than many novels because the revelations are multiple-each character develops new insights and ways of knowing. Other themes developed by Malouf in this novel deal with man-nature relationships; fear of of the unknown, the alien, or the misunderstood; and cultural bias, esp. toward other ways of thinking/knowing. A fine story that is rich in ideas.

A brilliant book. A classic and well-worth reading, though emotionally hard at times. A powerful story of how our culture has treated other cultures and minority people in the past will hopefully shed light on how we treat people so badly today.

I am a particular fan of Australian literature and film. This book is an amazing analysis of the basis of racism which really makes you think unlike the knee jerk reaction one so often sees nowadays.

Poetic and captivating- Beautiful writing which captures a period and interior life of the characters. I compared it with Kate Grenville's 'Secret River' and found 'Remembering Babylon' a more sensitive and humanitarian portrayal of early settlers. I particularly enjoyed the connections with nature and natural resources. I will read it again I'm sure.

Good well written story that takes you into 19th century Australian outback and the collision of culturesHow can good men prosper in that environment... Read the book

this book tells the story of colonisation in Australia through the eyes of a group of families north of Brisbane.Here attitudes to the frontier and particularly towards native people is a powerful allegory.