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The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea

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The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea

By: Randolph Stow
Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
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About this listen

The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea allows us a precious glimpse into a simpler kind of childhood in a country that no longer exists.

In 1941, Rob Coram is six. The war feels far removed from his world of aunties and cousins and the beautiful, dry landscape of Geraldton in Western Australia. But when his older favourite cousin, Rick, leaves to join the army, the war takes a step closer.

When Rick returns from the war several years later, he has changed, and Rob feels betrayed. The old merry-go-round that represents Rob's dream of utopia (the security of his family and of the land that is his home) begins to disintegrate before his eyes.

©1965 Julian Randolph Stow (P)2016 Bolinda Publishing Historical Fiction Fiction War

Critic Reviews

"His novels and poetry embody a uniquely rich and strange account of the land and people of Australia that we can ill afford to lose." ( Australian Book Review)
"It is a rare pleasure for those of us who are already fans to have these works at our disposal.... [Stow was] the most talented and celebrated Australian author of the post-White generation."( The Monthly)

What listeners say about The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea

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Profile Image for Robert Stockton

A beautiful, poetic honouring of Australia.

It's as if this book deliberately paints a detailed yet spledidly romantic view of young (white) Australia and too it's ancient bones so the reader can really appreciate the essence of the kinds of nostalgia available to us all, everywhere but particularity here, in glorious - and often inglorious - Australia.

I often don't enjoy overly 'descriptive' books but this one danced the line beautifully. Maybe I don't remember a book that involved the sense of smell as much as vision, and I enjoyed this a lot. Such is the attentive care of the author.

Although set in another part of Australia and in another time to my own, The Merry-Go-Round and The Sea sparked many yearning nostalgias for me, which was a sweet kind of pain well-worth visiting.

I've listened to quite a good few books narrated by Humphrey Bower now and this is another jewel performance. I love getting to know a new, well-written character and it seems Mr Bower's talent is so deep as to bring to life any number of them.

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Profile Image for myra colecliffe

Beautiful and sad

The best coming of age story I’ve read and effortlessly relatable for country kids who will see the landscape they love.

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Profile Image for Mark

Glad to revisit this Merry-Go-Round!

Whilst I was made to read this novel for my HSC in the 1980's, I loved it and must of really connected to it. I've reread it several times and was great to revisit it as audiobook.

Through the characters of the young boy Rob and his older cousin Rick, the novel presents philosophical questions of traditional institutions like family and national identity whilst representing a view of Australian society and values at a pivot moment of change after ww2.

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Boring

the story seems to be 99% verbose descriptions of scenery and 1% story. why should i be interested in blow by blow detail of the ocean in the background in a scene that has yet any meaning in a place that i have no interest in

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.