Comments on: Peter Carey: Parrot and Olivier in America

By: National Book Award Blog Bounce « BookSexy

National Book Award Blog Bounce « BookSexy — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:38:19 +0000

[...] Carey Parrot and Olivier in America (Alfred A. [...]

By: Book bloggers blog the Booker books

Book bloggers blog the Booker books — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 10:31:34 +0000

[...] shares Oscar’s dishevelled red hair, while Trevor at The Mookse and the Gripes finds himself revisiting Carey for the first time since reading that book (having skipped Carey’s other Booker winner, The [...]

By: Parrot and Olivier in America – Peter Carey – Farm Lane Books Blog

Parrot and Olivier in America – Peter Carey – Farm Lane Books Blog — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:32:13 +0000

[...] …a delightful excursion into an unreal past that says a lot about our precarious present. The Mookse and the Gripes [...]

By: The Age Book of the Year Shortlist 2010 « ANZ LitLovers LitBlog

The Age Book of the Year Shortlist 2010 « ANZ LitLovers LitBlog — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:32:02 +0000

[...] copy of Parrot and Olivier in America? It’s been shortlisted for the Booker too. Trevor at The Mookse and the Gripes reviewed it and found the detail exhausting, so maybe I’ll wait and see what Kevin from Canada [...]

By: Trevor

Trevor — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:00:31 +0000

I agree, Shelley, though in Oscar and Lucinda I felt that effect worked for the book. I didn't feel it worked well in Parrot and Olivier.

By: Shelley

Shelley — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:27:43 +0000

Nothing against the writing, but Oscar and Lucinda made me slightly ill. Don’t know why: it just felt claustrophobic.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:12:33 +0000

Sorry to not respond to any comments here earlier. I was out of town on vacation :).

I’m still on vacation, but I have more access to the internet.

Anyway, sadly, this book has decline in my estimation since I finished it. I seem to be remember all the detail and none of the substance (Kevin’s metaphor is apt). Furthermore, the fun insights are all insights we’ve seen elsewhere, so when the characters and the language wear off, there’s not much left.

I still think it is better than the Mitchell, though, and I’m not surprised to see it on the longlist. I would be slightly surprised to see it on the shortlist, and I’d be upset to see it win.

By: Rhys

Rhys — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:16:25 +0000

I also have very mixed thoughts about Peter Carey….I thought Oscar and Lucinda derivative , too much borrowed from other books and the only other one I have read and I can’t remember the title is about a Tax Inspector and I totally adored that one it was funny and sad at the same time, and I loved the premise… I tried His Illegal Self last week ….but hey, who said a book had to be read to the end, not me !!…..

By: kimbofo

kimbofo — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:37:41 +0000

I have a love/hate relationship with Carey; some of his books I love (Oscar and Lucinda, Jack Maggs, Theft) and others I’ve abandoned half-way through (Illywhacker, True Story of the Kelly Gang). I’ve had this one in my TBR for months — Faber sent me a review copy before it was released in the UK — but I’ve been reluctant to pick it up for some reason. I guess if it makes tomorrow’s cut I’m going to have to make a special effort to read it!

By: Stujallen

Stujallen — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:31:43 +0000

I ve read most of careys books bar this I have this and his last book to read ,Ilywhacker is my favourite of his a tru picaresque tale ,from Careey describing this I think this has some of those qualties too ,all the best stu