Comments for femiliterate http://femiliterate.com a book club for the feminine Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:14:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Next Up – a deep Breath for Tim Winton by Joey http://femiliterate.com/next-up-a-deep-breath-for-tim-winton/comment-page-1/#comment-6 Joey Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:14:11 +0000 http://femiliterate.com/?p=11#comment-6 We were outnumbered x5 by the antipasto kebabs and had enough wine for a small army but the kitchen bar at Lindy and Jo's was able to support our little group of 4 (and the kebabs) when we gathered to discuss Tim Winton's Breath. Rachel had read it in a day and had found it, as is often the case with Winton, strange and addictive. We all found his writing to have a quality of lyrical bluntness which was beautiful but unsettling. But did we relate with his characters of Sando, Eva, Pikey..? ? We could identify with wanting to push ourselves to a place of really living but I found the character's outlook so bleak. But I guess that's what makes Winton so Winton. Ali enjoyed reading about the experience of surfing, as if she were almost riding the wave herself, and it reminded her that she is going to learn to surf one day :-) What was there to take away from Breath? I was feeling there might be no message of hope but Lindy reminded us that Winton was trying to comment on truly living and also when one might step over the boundary into the bondage of always wanting more. Hmmm... So is Winton's theme contentment? All I know for sure is that by the end of the night, the kebabs were all gone, along with the strawberries, blueberries and wine - and I was very content :-) We were outnumbered x5 by the antipasto kebabs and had enough wine for a small army but the kitchen bar at Lindy and Jo’s was able to support our little group of 4 (and the kebabs) when we gathered to discuss Tim Winton’s Breath.

Rachel had read it in a day and had found it, as is often the case with Winton, strange and addictive. We all found his writing to have a quality of lyrical bluntness which was beautiful but unsettling. But did we relate with his characters of Sando, Eva, Pikey..? ?

We could identify with wanting to push ourselves to a place of really living but I found the character’s outlook so bleak. But I guess that’s what makes Winton so Winton. Ali enjoyed reading about the experience of surfing, as if she were almost riding the wave herself, and it reminded her that she is going to learn to surf one day :-)

What was there to take away from Breath?

I was feeling there might be no message of hope but Lindy reminded us that Winton was trying to comment on truly living and also when one might step over the boundary into the bondage of always wanting more. Hmmm…

So is Winton’s theme contentment?

All I know for sure is that by the end of the night, the kebabs were all gone, along with the strawberries, blueberries and wine – and I was very content :-)

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