Thursday, 2 June 2016

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith - Thomas Keneally

You can't own the land, the land owns you


Title: The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
Author: Thomas Keneally
Publication details: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd

This is one of the few westerns set in Australia (sometimes referred to as ‘Meat Pie Westerns’) Set in the 1900s this novel follows the story of Jimmie Blacksmith, a half aboriginal man who marries a white woman. When Jimmie is shun by his own tribe and hunted by white society he must pick a side and disown the other. When his employer’s family are murdered Jimmie is blamed and must flee far beyond lands any white man has claimed and survive as his ancestors once did while he plots his revenge. This is a beautifully written story of finding yourself and connecting with your heritage. The novel is a slower pace than most westerns because it takes time to explain finer points of the plot and the complex emotions of loneliness, vengeance and self-identity. 


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