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More About This Book

Overview

Now, 25 years after it first took the world by storm, Colleen McCullough's sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback returns to enthrall a new generation. As powerful, moving, and unforgettable as when it originally appeared, it remains a monumental literary achievement—a landmark novel to be read . . . and read again!

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble Review
Family secrets, forbidden love, and the struggles of working in a hard new land intertwine in Colleen McCullough's bestselling romantic family saga, now in a 25th anniversary edition. This is the story of the Cleary family, who moved to Australia in the early 1900s to work Drogheda, a vast sheep station. Employing on a large canvas that encompasses two world wars and the Great Depression, McCullough lets the main characters take turns telling the story from 1915 to 1969. But the heart of the book is the forbidden love between Meggie -- Fee and Paddy Cleary's only daughter -- and Ralph de Bricassart, the handsome parish priest. It is a love with tremendous consequences for the future. When published, this novel received rave reviews; it holds up just as well for new and returning readers. Ginger Curwen
Boston Globe
A perfect Read...The kind of book the world blockbuster was made.
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
From The Critics
A heart-rending epic...truly marvelous.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780380018178
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 5/28/1978
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback
  • Edition number: 25
  • Pages: 704
  • Sales rank: 64,520
  • Product dimensions: 4.18 (w) x 6.75 (h) x 1.05 (d)

Meet the Author

Colleen McCullough
Colleen McCullough
With an undeniable talent for evoking the past, Australian author Colleen McCullough has written popular novels -- such as The Thorn Birds, Morgan's Run, and her Masters of Rome series -- that go beyond the conventions of romance or historical drama but contain elements of both.

Biography

Colleen Mccullough was born in Australia. A neurophysiologist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, then worked as a researcher and teacher at Yale Medical School for ten years. Her writing career began with Tim, followed by The Thorn Birds, a record-breaking international best-seller. The author of nine other novels, McCullough has also written lyrics for musical theater. She lives on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific with her husband, Ric Robinson.

Author biography courtesy of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

    1. Hometown:
      Norfolk Island, 1,000 miles off the Australian coast
    1. Date of Birth:
      June 1, 1937
    2. Place of Birth:
      Wellington, New South Wales, Australia
    1. Education:
      Attended University of Sydney

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One


On December 8th, 1915, Meggie Cleary had her fourth birthday. After the breakfast dishes were put away her mother silently thrust a brown paper parcel into her arms and ordered her outside. So Meggie squatted down behind the gorse bush next to the front gate and tugged impatiently. Her fingers were clumsy, the wrapping heavy; it smelled faintly of the Wahine general store, which told her that whatever lay inside the parcel had miraculously been bought, not homemade or donated.

Something fine and mistily gold began to poke through a corner; she attacked the paper faster, peeling it away in long, ragged strips."Agnes! Oh, Agnes!" she said lovingly, blinking at the doll lying there in a tattered nest.

A miracle indeed. Only once in her life had Meggie been into Wahine; all the way back in May, because she had been a very good girl. So perched in the buggy beside her mother, on her best behavior, she had been too excited to see or remember much. Except for Agnes, the beautiful 'doll sitting on the store counter, dressed in a crinoline of pink satin with cream lace frills all over it. Right then and there in her mind she had christened it Agnes, the only name she knew elegant enough for such a peerless creature.

Yet over the ensuing months her yearning after Agnes contained nothing of hope; Meggie didn't own a doll and had no idea little girls and dolls belonged together. She played happily with the whistles and slingshots and battered soldiers her brothers discarded, got her hands dirty and her boots muddy to play with. Stroking the bright pink folds of the dress, grander than any she had ever seen on a human woman, she picked Agnes uptenderly. The doll had jointed arms and legs which could be moved anywhere; even her neck and tiny, shapely waist were jointed. Her golden hair was exquisitely dressed in a high pompadour studded with pearls, her pale bosom peeped out of a foaming fichu. of cream lace fastened with a pearl pin. The finely painted bone china face was beautiful, left unglazed to give the delicately tinted skin a natural matte texture. Astonishingly lifelike blue eyes shone between lashes of real hair, their irises streaked and circled with a darker blue; fascinated, Meggie discovered that when Agnes lay back far enough, her eyes closed. High on one faintly Bushed cheek she had a black beauty mark, and her dusky mouth was parted slightly to show tiny white teeth. Meggie put the doll gently on her lap, crossed her feet under her comfortably, and sat just looking.

She was still sitting behind the gorse bush when Jack and Hughie came rustling through the grass where it was too close to the fence to feel a scythe. Her hair was the typical Cleary beacon, all the Cleary children save Frank being martyred by a thatch some shade of red; Jack nudged his brother and pointed gleefully. They separated, grinning at each other, and pretended they were troopers after a Maori renegade. Meggie would not have heard them anyway, so engrossed was she in Agnes, humming softly to herself.

"What's that you've got, Meggie?" Jack shouted, pouncing. "Show us!"

"Yes, show us!" Hughie giggled, outflanking her.

She clasped the doll against her chest and shook her head. "No, she's mine! I got her for my birthday!"

"Show us, go on! We just want to have a look."

Pride and joy won out. She held the doll so her brothers could see. "Look, isn't she beautiful? Her name is Agnes."

"Agnes? Agnes?" Jack gagged realistically. "What a soppy name! Why don't you call her Margaret or Betty?"

"Because she's Agnes!"

Hughie noticed the joint in the doll's wrist, and whistled. "Hey, Jack, look! It can move its hand!"

"Where? Let's see."

"No!" Meggie hugged the doll close again, tears forming. "No, you'll break herl Oh, Jack, don't take her away-you'll break her!"

"Pooh!" His dirty brown hands locked about her wrists, closing tightly. "Want a Chinese bum? And don't be such a crybaby, or I'll tell Bob." He squeezed her skin in opposite directions until it stretched whitely, as Hughie got hold of the doll's skirts and pulled. "Gimme, or I'll do it really hard!"

"Nol Don't, Jack, please don'tl You'll break her, I know you will! Oh, please leave her alone! Don't take her, please!" In spite of the cruel grip on her wrists she clung to the doll, sobbing and kicking.

"Got it" Hughie whooped, as the doll slid under Meggie's crossed forearms.

Jack and Hughie found her just as fascinating as Meggie had; off came the dress, the petticoats and long, frilly drawers. Agnes lay naked while the boys pushed and pulled at her, forcing one foot round the back of her head, making her look down her spine, every possible contortion they could think of. They took no notice of Meggie as she stood crying; it did not occur to her to seek help, for in the Cleary family those who could not fight their own battles got scant aid or sympathy, and that went for girls, too.

She clasped the doll against her chest and shook her head. "No, she's mine! I got her for my birthday!"

"Show us, go on! We just want to have a look."

Pride and joy won out. She held the doll so her brothers could see. "Look, isn't she beautiful? Her name is Agnes."

"Agnes? Agnes?" Jack gagged realistically. "What a soppy name! Why don't you call her Margaret or Betty?"

"Because she's Agnes!"

Hughie noticed the joint in the doll's wrist, and whistled. "Hey, Jack, look! It can move its hand!"

"Where? Let's see."

Table of Contents

1 1915-1917 Meggie 1
2 1921-1928 Ralph 61
3 1929-1932 Paddy 207
4 1933-1938 Luke 273
5 1938-1953 Fee 415
6 1954-1965 Dane 511
7 1965-1969 Justine 635

First Chapter

Chapter One


On December 8th, 1915, Meggie Cleary had her fourth birthday. After the breakfast dishes were put away her mother silently thrust a brown paper parcel into her arms and ordered her outside. So Meggie squatted down behind the gorse bush next to the front gate and tugged impatiently. Her fingers were clumsy, the wrapping heavy; it smelled faintly of the Wahine general store, which told her that whatever lay inside the parcel had miraculously been bought, not homemade or donated.

Something fine and mistily gold began to poke through a corner; she attacked the paper faster, peeling it away in long, ragged strips."Agnes! Oh, Agnes!" she said lovingly, blinking at the doll lying there in a tattered nest.

A miracle indeed. Only once in her life had Meggie been into Wahine; all the way back in May, because she had been a very good girl. So perched in the buggy beside her mother, on her best behavior, she had been too excited to see or remember much. Except for Agnes, the beautiful 'doll sitting on the store counter, dressed in a crinoline of pink satin with cream lace frills all over it. Right then and there in her mind she had christened it Agnes, the only name she knew elegant enough for such a peerless creature.

Yet over the ensuing months her yearning after Agnes contained nothing of hope; Meggie didn't own a doll and had no idea little girls and dolls belonged together. She played happily with the whistles and slingshots and battered soldiers her brothers discarded, got her hands dirty and her boots muddy to play with. Stroking the bright pink folds of the dress, grander than any she had ever seen on a human woman, she picked Agnesup tenderly. The doll had jointed arms and legs which could be moved anywhere; even her neck and tiny, shapely waist were jointed. Her golden hair was exquisitely dressed in a high pompadour studded with pearls, her pale bosom peeped out of a foaming fichu. of cream lace fastened with a pearl pin. The finely painted bone china face was beautiful, left unglazed to give the delicately tinted skin a natural matte texture. Astonishingly lifelike blue eyes shone between lashes of real hair, their irises streaked and circled with a darker blue; fascinated, Meggie discovered that when Agnes lay back far enough, her eyes closed. High on one faintly Bushed cheek she had a black beauty mark, and her dusky mouth was parted slightly to show tiny white teeth. Meggie put the doll gently on her lap, crossed her feet under her comfortably, and sat just looking.

She was still sitting behind the gorse bush when Jack and Hughie came rustling through the grass where it was too close to the fence to feel a scythe. Her hair was the typical Cleary beacon, all the Cleary children save Frank being martyred by a thatch some shade of red; Jack nudged his brother and pointed gleefully. They separated, grinning at each other, and pretended they were troopers after a Maori renegade. Meggie would not have heard them anyway, so engrossed was she in Agnes, humming softly to herself.

"What's that you've got, Meggie?" Jack shouted, pouncing. "Show us!"

"Yes, show us!" Hughie giggled, outflanking her.

She clasped the doll against her chest and shook her head. "No, she's mine! I got her for my birthday!"

"Show us, go on! We just want to have a look."

Pride and joy won out. She held the doll so her brothers could see. "Look, isn't she beautiful? Her name is Agnes."

"Agnes? Agnes?" Jack gagged realistically. "What a soppy name! Why don't you call her Margaret or Betty?"

"Because she's Agnes!"

Hughie noticed the joint in the doll's wrist, and whistled. "Hey, Jack, look! It can move its hand!"

"Where? Let's see."

"No!" Meggie hugged the doll close again, tears forming. "No, you'll break herl Oh, Jack, don't take her away-you'll break her!"

"Pooh!" His dirty brown hands locked about her wrists, closing tightly. "Want a Chinese bum? And don't be such a crybaby, or I'll tell Bob." He squeezed her skin in opposite directions until it stretched whitely, as Hughie got hold of the doll's skirts and pulled. "Gimme, or I'll do it really hard!"

"Nol Don't, Jack, please don'tl You'll break her, I know you will! Oh, please leave her alone! Don't take her, please!" In spite of the cruel grip on her wrists she clung to the doll, sobbing and kicking.

"Got it" Hughie whooped, as the doll slid under Meggie's crossed forearms.

Jack and Hughie found her just as fascinating as Meggie had; off came the dress, the petticoats and long, frilly drawers. Agnes lay naked while the boys pushed and pulled at her, forcing one foot round the back of her head, making her look down her spine, every possible contortion they could think of. They took no notice of Meggie as she stood crying; it did not occur to her to seek help, for in the Cleary family those who could not fight their own battles got scant aid or sympathy, and that went for girls, too.

She clasped the doll against her chest and shook her head. "No, she's mine! I got her for my birthday!"

"Show us, go on! We just want to have a look."

Pride and joy won out. She held the doll so her brothers could see. "Look, isn't she beautiful? Her name is Agnes."

"Agnes? Agnes?" Jack gagged realistically. "What a soppy name! Why don't you call her Margaret or Betty?"

"Because she's Agnes!"

Hughie noticed the joint in the doll's wrist, and whistled. "Hey, Jack, look! It can move its hand!"

"Where? Let's see."

Thorn Birds, The AER. Copyright © by Colleen McCullough. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating 4.5
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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 1, 2011

    Thumbs uP, one of the best!

    I absolutely love this book. It is one of those you can read over and over again. I have several times

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  • Posted May 22, 2011

    The Thorn Birds

    This is my all time favorite book and movie. I have watched the movie so many times that I lost track. Everyone should start with the book first because it goes in to more detail.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 17, 2011

    Highly Recomended

    This is a classic, wonderful & painful story of love, gentle sex with no details, One of my all time favorites

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  • Posted April 21, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Captivating Story/Saga of Unfulfilled Deep Love

    A captivating story/saga of unfulfilled deep love through three generations of women. The saga is balanced on the love story between Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph de Bricassart, Father Bricassart's Love for Meggie is strong but his vows to the church and his professed love of God is stronger. Meggie must cope with her deep devoted love for him and the hope that one day he might commit himself to her completely. Their story forms the main theme of this powerful but difficult and unreconciled love. This theme is advanced and varied in a wonderful story that spans 55 years. Ms. McCullough's writing style was perfect in evoking images for the heart and the mind. She paints this wonderful story through many of the events of the the 20th Century and describes a unique way of life in the Australian Outback. This is my first book by Ms. McCullough and I plan to check her others works as soon as I can. I strongly recommend the Thorn Birds for all, especially for those who enjoy historical romances.

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  • Posted March 22, 2011

    Amazing story!

    This is the best book I have ever read. Its a beautiful story of family, love, tragedy and finding one's self. It's addicting and entertaining. Every night I looked forward to curling up in my bed to read this...I may read it again someday...such a wonderful tale.

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  • Posted March 2, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Highly Recommended

    This is one of my all time favorite books. I was extremely happy to find that it was available as and eBook,

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  • Posted February 28, 2011

    classic

    a little too flowery in some parts but a must read!

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  • Posted January 30, 2011

    A must read!

    I LOVED this book from beginning to end!!!! A lot of love and heartbreak and real human nature. Teaches us not to take anything for granted. Wonderful!

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  • Posted August 14, 2010

    Great Story

    This book was so much better than the tv show.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 9, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    So Much Better Than the Movie

    It isn't the most beautifully written book, but it is a great book and so much better than the movie. I watched the movie several years ago not even knowing it was a book and enjoyed it for what it was though Richard Chamberlain really annoyed me. It is unfortunate that I saw the movie before reading the book as several of the characters, including the main character of Father Ralph are totally miscast but their image and their voices overshadow their written selves.

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  • Posted January 14, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    The Thorn Birds

    I don't get all the rave reviews. Although easy to read and moved along nicely, this book was ok, the characters are not interesting. Too much description with the land and church. I didn't find it very romantic. Easily forgettable.

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  • Posted May 6, 2009

    Enthralling

    There's nothing sexier than a cute priest. This book is so awesome. The love story between Maggie and Father de Bricasart is pedophillic almost but you can't help but be touched.

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  • Posted April 27, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    A favorite classic!

    This book has entered into my favorite books category! Colleen McCullough is a phenomenal author. I loved this book from beginning to end! It is written in an intelligent yet easy to read format. The story is tragic yet wonderful. Everything you could ask for in a novel is in this one.

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  • Posted March 25, 2009

    A Sweeping Saga!

    The Thorn Birds is just a really great novel! The characters and their lives draw you in and make you sad when the novel ends. I could tell from the first page that this would be an awesome read; I really enjoyed the author's writing. If you like saga-style novels that cover a large portion of the character's lives, I would also recommend: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet, The Far Pavillions and Trade Wind by M.M. Kaye, the Clan of the Cave Bear (and sequels) by Jean M. Auel. I also enjoyed Colleen McCullough's other books, such as The House on the Strand and On,Off.

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  • Posted February 18, 2009

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    I Also Recommend:

    Great Book!

    Great story. Sometimes feels to long, but picks up again.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 24, 2008

    A Total Hit

    This novel is a Pop Culture Classic and it easy to understand why. The characters are well-developed and become close to your heart, the plot is compelling and cumpulsively readable, and the historical facts about Australia are interesting. I loved it and would recommend it to all - the love story between Meggie and Ralph will always haunt me. I have to admit, once these characters grew older and the novel was taken over by the younger characters - I was ready for the novel to be done. Somehow, the author catches time in this novel and the sense of when generations fade and new ones take over - the bittersweetness of that. Please, read!

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  • Posted October 15, 2008

    more from this reviewer

    Great book to read, it shows all the intricacies in priesthood, love and sexuality. It is full of historic facts of Australia settlement and redistribution of the agricultural land after WWII.

    The movie is also a must to watch.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 26, 2008

    Great Story!!!

    This is my favorite book of all time. I love the story and the characters, and the book is very well written. It is very emotional, and I recommend it for everyone.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 2, 2007

    A must read!

    Would you like to read a bookabout the pain, triumph, family roots, forbidden love and heartbreakin life? The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough is a fantastic book containing all this and more. Meet Meggie Cleary, a young girl with strawberry blonde hair and grey eyes- she is a real charmer. Follow Meggie through life as she grows into a young woman, adult, and old woman. Father Ralph de Bricassart first meets Meggie when she arrives in Australia with her family. he takes an instant liking to the lonely girl. he takes her to the fair and teaches her how to ride horses. People start to get suspicious about their relationship as she enters adulthood. Fiona Cleary is mother to all the Cleary children. She is quiet, and hardly shows emotion. Read the book to find out the deep family secret involving Frank, Fioona, and Paddy. Luke O'niell meets meggie when she is a young woman. He has dreams of owning a large peice of land like the Drogheda. Most of this story takes place on the Drogheda, which is owned by Paddy's sister Mary. After Mary dies the land is supposed to be passed to the Cleary family. Although there are many characters in this book, most of the book focuses on Meggie, and her life. To keep it interesting, the author will occaisionslly skip from Meggies life, to her brothers fighting Nazi's in North Africa or to Father Ralph in Rome. In tho bool, Colleen McCullough uses plenty of Dialogue, and narration as well. She uses so much detial it is like watching a movie. However, this bool never really has a climax, it is more a series of events taking place in a lifetime.The dialect in this book is very interesting. the Cleary family is Irish , but htey live in Australia, so the have an Irish/Australian accent and dialect. If you like to read about other people and their lives, then The Thorn Birds is certianly the book for you. This book will keep you hooked through all 642 pages of it.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 2, 2006

    Terribly boring!

    I was surprised to find this book extremely boring as it came so highly recommended by previous readers who rated it here. Unfortunately once I start a book I have to finish it, so it's too bad that this one is 691 pages long! It got temporarily interesting about 300 pages in when Meggie got married but after about 100 pages it became dull again. I wasn't that interested in her obsession with Ralph. I just couldn't bring myself to like him and see what was so appealing about him. In fact, I didn't really like any of the characters except maybe Meggie, but even she seemed somewhat desperate to me. I also now know way more than I ever need to about the life of priests and the Australian climate and terrain. The author would go on for paragraph after paragraph describing the grass in the Outback...? I love reading family sagas but this one was so boring, skip it and read something by a more current author!

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