The Stranding by Karen Viggers: Allen & Unwin
The Stranding by Karen Viggers: Allen & Unwin
A novel of love, loss and the healing power of nature.A man arrives in a small coastal town, obsessed with that he has lost, broken by grief. He is drawn to Callista, a young artist who has her own compelling reasons for wanting to be alone. A friendship develops, then a passionate affair, but everything is challenged when their past demons are accidentally revealed. Everything comes to a head with a whale stranding on a remote beach, and the whole town becomes involved in a tense and uncertain rescue; a rescue that challenges the beliefs and philosophies of the local community as well as the outsiders who assist in the rescue. The stranding brings the characters together in an emotionally charged situation that produces unusual rifts and liaisons and an unexpected outcome. Beautifully written, The Stranding is a lyrical and heartfelt story about loss, memory and the power of love.
About Karen Viggers
Karen's interest in the environment, particularly the place of fauna in it, stems from her twenty-year career as a wildlife veterinarian. Among her many fascinating duties
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Member comments
By: at 1 July, 2008 - 17:27
I started reading this book with optimism, but I rapidly became unsure whether the author was writing a novel or trying to inform me about the politics of whaling. It is possible to do both in the one novel - Moby Dick is an example of this. The two elements did not quite gel in The stranding and it was unfortunate that they were perceived as two elements. I know this was not an action novel (although at time it tried to be) but the detail slowed down the story as we had to learn all about the author's research and be impressed.
By: at 23 May, 2008 - 11:28
i forgot to add the stranding and the rescue was most interesting
viggers's depth of research shows here in the story
as most australians i have heard news reports of whale strandings and rescues, but until now not realised how much work goes into the rescue and how incredibly difficult the decision can be on how to proceed, and that there is always the option of euthanasia for the whale in a poor condition
viggers showed both sides of the argument with the objectivity and the emotion it needed
;-)
By: at 23 May, 2008 - 11:17
what an excellent book by a first time writer ;-)
i grew up in canberra (where author lives) and so know the south coast of nsw - i can kind of guess which little town it was set in!
viggers's writing style is easy to read - descriptive, yet not overladen with heavy description, enough to keep you in the place
the characterisation was good
the division of the town into those who go to church and those who don't; and more than just that : the sale of the house on the point "split the town in to the church against the wallaces"
By: at 18 May, 2008 - 22:15
Hello,
Write a review and be eligible for more free books. More books will be made available this month.
I hope you're enjoying the pre-release books from Allen and Unwin. When you have finished reading your book please ensure you write a review on http://www.booktagger.com.
Cheers,
Jeremy
Booktagger.com
By: at 1 May, 2008 - 14:24
i do have a couple of other books i need to read for face2face groups and bookrings (you know those bookcrossing ones...) before i can make a start on this
hopefully i'll be reading this one by next week
happy reading
indigo angel
;-)
By: at 27 April, 2008 - 08:18
To those who've received books I hope you're enjoying them. This is just a reminder, don't forget to write a review of at least a paragraph once you're finished.
To write a review hover over the book cover and select "Book info" for the book you're reviewing, then select "Review book" and start writing!
If you have any general questions or comments about the book you can post them in the book club.
By: at 20 April, 2008 - 22:40
Hello Everyone,
This is just a note to let everyone know that 4 copies of The Stranding have been sent out to the first 4 members who joined this group(from Australia and New Zealand). I look forward to hearing more about your reading experiences soon.
We still have one more copy left. Tell your friends!
If you're outside of Australia and New Zealand we're working on free copies of books for other countries.
Cheers,
Jeremy
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By: Jeremy at 13 August, 2008 - 22:12
Hello Booktaggers,
We think free books are great, we've been very grateful for the free books we've received from Publishers. I hope you are too :). If you've received a free book please write a review for it. We all want to know what you thought of the book (and it was a condition of receipt).
To write a review hover over the book and select Book info. Then on the Books profile page select Write a review from the menu next to the book image.
I look forward to hearing what you think of the books you've been reading lately.
Kind Regards,
Jeremy
Booktagger