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  • Unfinished Woman

  • By: Robyn Davidson
  • Narrated by: Kerry Fox
  • Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (16 ratings)

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Unfinished Woman

By: Robyn Davidson
Narrated by: Kerry Fox
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Publisher's Summary

Bloomsbury presents Unfinished Woman by Robyn Davidson, read by Kerry Fox.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA 2024f
SELECTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA

'The zigzagging life of an adventurer' THE TIMES
'An astonishing, wonderful memoir of an extraordinary life' HENRY MARSH, author of Do No Harm
'Exciting and complex, full of insight and humour' SPECTATOR
‘Enthralling, miraculous, clear as the brilliant constellations of the night sky’ SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

An unforgettable memoir from the author of the sensational international bestseller Tracks: the story of a mother and daughter, of love, loss and the pursuit of freedom

________________________________________

In 1977, twenty-seven-year-old Robyn Davidson set off with a dog and four camels to cross 1,700 miles of Australian desert to the sea.

A life of almost constant travelling followed. From the deserts of Australia, to Sydney’s underworld; from Sixties street life, to the London literary scene; from migrating with nomads in Tibet, to ‘marrying’ an Indian prince, Davidson’s quest was motivated by an unquenchable curiosity about other ways of seeing and understanding the world.

Davidson threw bombs over her shoulder and seeds into her future on the assumption that something would be growing when she got there. The only terrain she had no interest in exploring was the past.

In Unfinished Woman Davidson turns at last to explore that long avoided country. Through this brave and revealing memoir, she delves into her childhood and youth to uncover the forces that set her on her path, and confront the cataclysm of her early loss.

Unfinished Woman is an unforgettable investigation of time and memory, and a powerful interrogation of how we can live with and find beauty in the uncertainty and strangeness of being.

'In her twenties, Davidson trekked 1,700 miles through the Australian wilderness. This led to the bestselling book Tracks and global fame. Half a century later she has written about what motivated her – including the tragic early death of her mother' Simon Hattenstone, GUARDIAN

©2023 Robyn Davidson (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

What listeners say about Unfinished Woman

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A multi-layered story of a complicated life

One of the most honest books I've read or listened to lately. Unfinished Woman is an account of travels among nomads, entering different cultures along with many great insights about the unreliabilty of memory and the way we fill in gaps to either please or deceive ourselves. It's a book with real heart: Kafkaesque with a touch of Marcel Proust. The performance by Kerry Fox is excellent.
I generally avoid memoirs as they can be self-indulgent (too much I) but Robyn Davidson does not do the conventional memoir.
It may not be a book for everyone, however. Her story resonated with me as I grew up in the same region of Queensland, Australia, at about the same time (1950s-70s), and led a similar peripatetic lifestyle. Like the author, I had complicated feelings about the world and my place in it. Davidson uses the term facsimile of a person, unformed, a self presentation that is incomplete. Unfinished Woman is essentially a highly intelligent woman's story about living in a world made by men, for men. I love the use of the vernacular of the day. (We carried ports to school as kids). This was Queensland, a time of suffocating social conservatism. Times have changed, thank God.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Superb writing

I am stunned by this book. It is such beautiful writing; so honest. It is a treasure I will return to .

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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The story is fascinating. The reader annoying.

The person who read this book has way too much interest in how interesting everything is. Every sentence is read like an exclamation, and it’s too distracting from the story and the written word of Robyn Davidson’s beautifully real, historical, ordinary and poetic writing. it has been ruined by the way it has been read. Sadly, I’ll have to give this book a miss and buy the hard copy.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Slightly interesting

I loved Tracks so this was slightly interesting but mostly introspective drivel. Read the Epilogue first and save yourself a lot of time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wise, heartbreaking and affirming

An unconventional life examined without sentimentality or pity. A mix of memoir, philosophy, existential musing that confronts the reality of our insignificant lives but also that the binds us to life… it’s brave and very beautifully written.

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Intelligent articulation of one woman’s journey through her life.

Thought provoking about ‘what are the factors that shape a life, any life?’
An examination of the ‘choices’ people make that shape their life and the lives of those around them is an unmistakable theme in Robyn’s book.
This is also a raw account of some of the inner and outer journey of Robyn’s time so far on this earth.
Her introspection is a gift to anyone who has suffered, who then seeks to understand their human response and pave their way forward.
Additionally, an interesting read in terms of a ‘trip down memory lane’ of Australian society since the 1940’s and the challenges faced by many women who were unable to fulfil their innate potential.
Extremely well written with an eloquent use of language.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent vision, diversity & honesty.

Loved this book, finished it in two sittings
A deep, balanced and intriguing life exploration.
It moves along at a gripping pace.
Well narrated performance.
Recommend this book.

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Mundane

A mundane recount. Would be useful if the narrator knew how to pronounce the names of towns/cities. I’m probably biased as I was unimpressed with the accolades given to the author’s initial trek that enslaved camels to carry her stuff across a desert in the first place.

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