Walkabout (Puffin Books)
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Product Description
Review
'Very tender, very touching, and sketched out with no sign of strain. The descriptions of the Australian bush are first-rate.' New Statesman 'A deeply-felt book, filled with information about desert flora and fauna.' Times Literary Supplement 'A small classic, pared down to the bare bones. many will not only enjoy it, but long remember it.' New York Times
Product Description
Mary and her young brother Peter are the only survivors of an aircrash in the middle of the Australian outback. Facing death from exhaustion and starvation, they meet an aboriginal boy who helps them to survive, and guides them along their long journey. But a terrible misunderstanding results in a tragedy that neither Mary nor Peter will ever forget . . .
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As dated as this book is and remember it was first published in the 1950s, there is something compelling about it that makes you want to read it from cover to cover.
The plot in itself is quite simple, two white children, a boy and a girl are lost in the Australian outback after a plane crash which kills the crew; neither child has any experience in the art of surviving in a hostile environment and it is only by luck they are found by a young Aborigine boy who is on Walkabout, a trek he must make alone before he can be called a man.
The story follows the children and their saviour through the outback until the death of the Aborigine caused either by the racial prejudice of the white girl who fears the Aborigine along possibly with her own blossoming sexuality (however I am not so sure about this because of the era the book was written in) or the fact he (the Aborigine) did not have any immunity against the diseases that while people carried such as the common cold.
Either way the children are on their own again but they now have the survival skills they need to make their way back to their own world which is filled all the trappings of supposed civilisation, such as technology and racism.
A surprisingly haunting read even now in the 21st century and it was made into a film some years ago with Jenny Agutter in the leading role.
The plot in itself is quite simple, two white children, a boy and a girl are lost in the Australian outback after a plane crash which kills the crew; neither child has any experience in the art of surviving in a hostile environment and it is only by luck they are found by a young Aborigine boy who is on Walkabout, a trek he must make alone before he can be called a man.
The story follows the children and their saviour through the outback until the death of the Aborigine caused either by the racial prejudice of the white girl who fears the Aborigine along possibly with her own blossoming sexuality (however I am not so sure about this because of the era the book was written in) or the fact he (the Aborigine) did not have any immunity against the diseases that while people carried such as the common cold.
Either way the children are on their own again but they now have the survival skills they need to make their way back to their own world which is filled all the trappings of supposed civilisation, such as technology and racism.
A surprisingly haunting read even now in the 21st century and it was made into a film some years ago with Jenny Agutter in the leading role.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read a review for Bill Brysons Down Under that wasn't very complimentary and advised readers to try Walkabout for a taste of Australian life instead. The title attracted me and after tracking the book down I have read it in 2 days. I loved the way you feel part of the action, as the descrpitions are so detailed. The Aboriginal way of life is explained, and I had no idea about it before. Well, not to the extent that they can die solely because they become convinced its their fate. Its a very interesting book, as you can clearly see the culture clashes, and the predjudice that was held against black people by the likes of Mary at the time. My only complaint is that I want to know what happens next! 125 pages was not enough!
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
After watching the film 'Walkabout' on TV, I purchased the book 'Walkabout' from Amazon. It arrived very quickly. I was a little surprised to find that it was originally written for youngsters, as the film did not give this impression at all. Many details in the book had been changed for the film and in my opinion not necessarily for the better.The book is beautifully written and gives a great insight into the Australian continent and its native people, the Aborigines. The book also handles the problems of racial tension and children growing up very delicately. As this book is now regarded as a classic, it should be read by everyone.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
bargainhunter
great book, we were given it at school in English and given a week to read it, I read it in 2 days. I think it was the first book I read after Enid Blyton. Read more
Published 1 month ago by bargainhunter
Bought as a gift
My boyfriend was interested in this book after watching the film... though I think Jenny Agutter had something to do with that. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tinkerbell502
Walkabout
Having seen this a long time ago on the TV and having purchased it on DVD I enjoyed it once again, I was then determined to buy and read the book, the film and the book are two... Read more
Published 13 months ago by OLDLOL
a inspiring book
firstly i would like to contradict the reviewers that said thid book was racist. the fact that mary the main character was uncertain of the black bushboy is simply the WAY SHE... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Sophie I
By the Author of THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD (The Lost Ones)
Donald Gordon Payne (born January 3, 1924 in London) is an English author.
Using James Vance Marshall as a pseudonym, Payne has written such books as A River Ran Out of... Read more
Using James Vance Marshall as a pseudonym, Payne has written such books as A River Ran Out of... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2008 by Paulo Jorge Morgado
Out of date
This book was written a long time ago - the girl is from the south of the U.S. and says that in her country, people don't speak to black people. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2005
Walkabout
I think that the book is a bit racist.I think that the book could of done with some livening up and that the book could of show a bit more excitement. Read more
Published on 21 July 2005 by olly
excellent story about two children in the Australian Desert
Two children survive an air crash in the australian desert on their way totheir uncles house, Adelaide from Charlston, America. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2000
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