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Carpentaria cover art

Carpentaria

Written by: Alexis Wright
Narrated by: Isaac Drandich
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Publisher's Summary

Carpentaria is Alexis Wright's second novel, an epic set in the Gulf country of north-western Queensland, Australia. Wright's storytelling is operatic and surreal: a blend of myth and scripture, farce and politics. The novel teems with extraordinary characters - Elias Smith the outcast saviour, the religious zealot Mozzie Fishman, the murderous mayor Stan Bruiser, the moth-ridden Captain Nicoli Finn, the activist and prodigal son Will Phantom, and above all, the queen of the rubbish-dump Angel Day and her sea-faring husband Normal Phantom, the fish-embalming king of time - figures that stride like giants across this storm-swept world.

Winner of the 2007 Miles Franklin Literary Award.

©2008 Alexis Wright (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.

What the critics say

"Wright breaks all the rules of grammar and syntax to sweep us along on a great torrent of language that thrills and amazes with its inventiveness and humour and with the sheer power of its storytelling. It's brutal and confronting and it's sad and funny at the same time. Like the Gulf Country itself, this is big enough to lose yourself in." ( Sydney Morning Herald).
"A swelling, heaving tsunami of a novel: stinging, sinuous, salted with outrageous humour, sweetened by spiralling lyricism and swaggering with the confident promise of a tale dominated by risk, roguery and revelation." ( The Australian)

What listeners say about Carpentaria

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Wonderful Storytelling

Recommended for readers who are not addicted to linear plots, who have patience for unfamiliar points of view, who can relax and be transported into worlds beyond the familiar. Unforgettable characters, strong moral conflicts, mystical events, altogether a work of genius! Narration is superb with an Aussie accent and the ability to take on each character’s unique voice. Hilarious at times and heartbreaking at times. This has made my lifetime Top Ten audiobooks list. More please!

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