| Back |
Reviews |
Web ReviewsFor an in depth review by Jack Goodstein, an American professor of literature, go to The Compulsive Reader and search for 'Brian E Turner'. For a review by Cathy Gladstone go to Simegen web site Published ReviewsIain Sharp, Sunday Star * Times …entertaining story of swagman Rowdy Jack in the first half of the 20th century…. Nicolas Reid, The Dominion Post In a way it's a recall to the mindset of W H Davis' Autobiography of a Supertramp and a beguiling period piece. Jack Goodstein, The Compulsive Reader The novel is realistically grounded in the soil of New Zealand in the first half of the twentieth century. It is in this evocation of New Zealand past that Turner excels. The Road Goes On gives the reader a glimpse of a world alien to the experience of most and now most probably lost forever. John McCrystal, Nine-to-Noon Thoroughly recommended. A beautifully written book that… I hope is going to be read and enjoyed by people of all descriptions in this country. Personal ReviewsRon Ward From a New Zealand author known mainly for his plays, comes a novel about a man who arrives in a new country as a child. The story follows him through his complex family life; its tragedies and joys, that continually shape his social relations. But his development as a person has a spiritual side that is not limited by his predominantly Christian upbringing. The disappointments of his life are shot through with insights into the connections that we all experience with something larger than the personal. The characters are finely and deeply drawn, with enough diversity to rivet the readers attention. Authentically New Zealand in flavour it is likely to have even more appeal to readers from other countries, because the characters all include a distinctively New Zealand touch. John Johns meets a wide variety of people and encounters bigotry and prejudice without any apparent feeling that it is something against which he needs to crusade. He absorbs the artistic ideas of the time (mainly the 30's). He tramps through many parts of New Zealand trying to keep to places that do not interrupt the visions of his mind. Riots and business failures during the depression are seen largely from the limited understanding of the workers. The ghosts that inhabit the mind of John Johns include that of his wife and unborn child. The author seems to be intent on showing a world that was once described in folk tales in terms of spirits, but which he translates into a modern mythology. I enjoyed the book immensely. Turner uses the complexity of flash-back as a way of depicting inner life. Memory comes to us without any linear temporal sequence. Though, in novels, this technique generates its own difficulties for the reader, Turner manages his material well. The death of John's parents in the early part of the book seems like a literary device, but subsequently Turner never falters. He maintains the pace so that it is not easy to put aside. "The Road Goes On" is highly entertaining reading and some may find it transforming. Stephanie Benger Just wanted to tell you--I finished your book, about a week ago already, and just wanted to let you know I really liked it, especially the part about Granny's headstone and the process he used to carve it... very illuminating. I loved the part about how and when he decided to become a swagman. So much fits with the style of the rest of the book, very low-key and non-melodramatic, while at the same time being deeply poignant. All the stories about life on the road were interesting for me--not what I expected, which were stories about fights between the swagman and other people they encountered, illness, natural disasters, etc. Also I thought the ending was just right. Fits with Jack's Christian faith, but also with his love of nature and life as a swagman. I was quite moved by the unity of that scene--very fitting for a portrait of a humble but enlightened man. Bravo! Frances Cherry I liked this book. It is a whimisical story set in the depression. The life of a tramp, really. Sad, lovely, nostalgic. D.B. A haunting story. W. M. This is a beautifully paced, reflective and thoughtful book. |
| Back |