ThornBirdsReadALong

Lisa! Thank you so much ❤️
#thornbirdsreadalong pushed me to read a book that was on my shelf for years and this box of goodies is to die for.

@TheSpineView #thankyou

persephone1408 I had it but never read it. I gave it away & now I want it back lol story of my life 3y

ChaoticMissAdventures @persephone1408 oh no!!! I do this with library books all the time 😂 physical books I just lug around forever.... 3y

TheSpineView You're welcome! Enjoy! 3y

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TheSpineView

Untitled | Unknown

#ThornBirdsReadAlong

We have a winner in The Thorn Birds readathon and giveaway! Congratulations to @ChaoticMissAdventures Please email me at lisa@thespineview.com with your info so I can get your prize to you. Also let me know if your stacked list is up- to-date.

Thanks to everyone who joined in. I enjoyed being the host. Happy Reading! 💚📖💚📚💚

ChaoticMissAdventures 😱 amazing day! 3y

TheSpineView @ChaoticMissAdventures 🥳🥳🥳 3y

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TheSpineView

The Thorn Birds | Colleen McCullough

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Chapters 17, 18 and 19. We are at the final section and it is about Dane and Justine. Justine tells Meggie she is going to be an actress. She wants to be a stage actress and declares she does not want to live on Drogheda, get married and have children. She heads of to Culloden in Sydney. We see that Dane has a deep connection with the church. He even tells Justine he doesn't think he will get married. Back at Drogheda Dane tells Meggie of his..

TheSpineView ...intention to become a priest. He declares it is all he has ever wanted. Meggie sees it as the biggest joke God can play on her. The only two men she has truly loved given over to God and the church. Meggie sends Dane to Rome to be under the wing of Cardinal Ralph. She says she still does not intend to tell Ralph that Dane is his son. When Dane arrives in Rome Cardinal Vittorio knows immediately that Dane is Ralph's son. 3y

Lcsmcat This part struck my as Greek tragedy. Like Oedipus, the attempt to deny the fates just makes the outcome more certain. 3y

TheSpineView Justine follows Dane to Europe and settles in London which is a short trip to Rome. She visits Dane as often as she can. She meets Rainer Hartheim a friend of both Vittorio and Ralph ever since the chance meeting of Ralph during the war. Rainer is taken with Justine. Both Justine and Dane both flourish away from Australia. Dane excels at seminary and Justine does well on stage in London. Rainier goes to London often in his political capacity... 3y

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TheSpineView And visits with Justine and they become close friends. Rainer if anything is patient. She knows that he must treat Justine like a startled deer. He waits until she is ready to go beyond friendship. Dane is accepted into the church. Then tradegy strikes again and Dane drowns saving the lives of two people. Justine blames herself and breaks it off with Rainer. After more 3y

TheSpineView Meggie goes to Rome to see Ralph and enlist his help in getting Dane body back to to Drogheda to be buried. She finally relents and tells him Dane is his son 3y

TheSpineView With Ralph's help Dane is buried on Drogheda. He then dies himself and is also buried on Drogheda. Justine can't seem to escape her grief and guilt over Dane's death. Rainer visits Meggie on Drogheda and they reach an understanding. Just thinks she wants to quit the stage and go home to Drogheda. A letter arrives from Meggie and she finally realizes she loves Rainer. 3y

TheSpineView @Lcsmcat Yes! Great way to but it because it did feel like a Greek Tragedy. 3y

TheSpineView @Chab256 @Hooked_on_books @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Lcsmcat @bthegood @Tattooedteacher @ChaoticMissAdventures @Reecaspieces @mrp27 @wanderinglynn @Bklover #ThornBirdsReadAlong Any final thoughts on this epic story? Do you agree with @Lcsmcat and feel this is a Greek Tragedy? Do you feel Meggie was just being spiteful by never telling Ralph that Dane was his son? Do you agree with Cardinal Vittorio that Ralph always suffered? 3y

ChaoticMissAdventures @TheSpineView I agree with @Lcsmcat real heavy Oedipus vibes. I struggled with this book. Her mother/daughter father/son carrying the stories was a bit to blatant for me. And yes I think most of what Meggie did in life was out of spite. If I could get past the priest is a pedophile part, I think that for the most part Ralph did what was right, leaving Meggie who he always saw as a child and letting her live her life. Leaving everyone miserable 3y

Hooked_on_books I definitely see the Greek tragedy parallels. I don‘t think Meggie was being spiteful. I actually think she was trying to protect Ralph. She loved him and didn‘t want to cause him a crisis of faith that could well happen if he knew. He made it clear to her that he was staying with the church, so having his son was her only way to hang onto him. And he didn‘t want to see that he was Dane‘s father, so he didn‘t. 3y

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TheSpineView

The Thorn Birds | Colleen McCullough

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Chapters 14, 15 and 16. #ThornBirdsReadAlong
Meggie makes it back to Drogheda and tells her Mum she has left Luke and is pregnant again. They all welcome her back. There is a major drought and she is enlisted to ride the paddocks until she is too far along in her pregnancy. Meggie has a boy she names Dane. She resolves to never tell Father Ralph that Dane is his. Meanwhile Ralph confesses his sins to the Cardinal. WWII comes to Australia and ⬇️

TheSpineView ...the twins, Jims and Patsy, enlist. The rest of the Cleary men are needed to run Drogheda. The wool the ranch provides is a must for the war effort. Every one pitches in to keep things running as the drought worsens. After basic the twins are sent to Africa. The Australian bushmen make a name for themselves and the heat of the desert seems not to bother them. Father Ralph is able to secure a promise from the Germans that Rome will be spared..⬇️ 3y

TheSpineView ...blundering. The Australian 9th is sent to start moping up the Japanese. Patsy is wounded and learns he will never be able to have children. Patsy is sent back to Australia and is in the hospital for 3 months. The war finally ends as does the drought. Many of the neighboring ranches have lost sons and all come home with wounds some visible, some not. Fee tells Meggie she knows Dane is Father Ralph's son because he looks so like him. 3y

TheSpineView Father Ralph visits Drogheda. He meets Dane and does not realize he is his son and Meggie doesn't tell him. Father Ralph arranged for Frank to be released from jail and he comes home to Drogheda a changed man. 3y

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TheSpineView @Chab256 @Hooked_on_books @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Lcsmcat @bthegood @Tattooedteacher @ChaoticMissAdventures @Reecaspieces @mrp27 @wanderinglynn @Bklover 3y

TheSpineView Why do you think none of the Cleary men ever marry? Do you think deep down Father Ralph may suspect Dane is his? Do you think Meggie wad predestined to make the same mistakes as her mother? Do you think Meggie is right in not telling Ralph about Dane? Do you think Frank paid for his crime? 3y

Hooked_on_books I‘m not sure why the Cleary men never marry. Maybe simply because this book really isn‘t their story. Other than some brief dives into the lives of a couple of the brothers, this is mainly Meggie‘s and Ralph‘s stories and a bit of Fee‘s. I find that focus interesting. I don‘t think Ralph will allow himself to suspect about Dane. He prefers to keep his blinders on. 3y

TheSpineView @Hooked_on_books I agree with the blinders. That is a good way to describe Ralph 3y

Reecaspieces Well! I didn‘t finish! But I will continue to read it. I may not finish it till Christmas 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ 3y

TheSpineView @Reecaspieces No worries! Take your time. 3y

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Lcsmcat

The Thorn Birds | Colleen McCullough

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I got to a certain point and I had to keep reading. Sorry @TheSpineView and fellow buddy readers! No spoilers, but Wow! How much one family goes through. The sins of the fathers (or the mothers!) unto the seventh generation, indeed. But what a ride! I‘m glad #thornbirdsreadalong got me to finally read this.

TheSpineView IKR! It was an awesome story. I finished last weekend and what a ride! 3y

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TheSpineView

Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service

Day 3 results for the #20in4 readathon hosted by @Andrew65

I was off yesterday and spent most of the day reading. Almost finished A Closed and Common Orbit and I am now caught up on the #ThornBirdsReadAlong
I would like to finish both books today. However I am back at work so realistically I can finish only one more during the readathon. 🧡📖🧡📚🧡

Andrew65 Brilliant 👏👏👏 3y

TheSpineView @Andrew65 Thank you! 3y

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Hooked_on_books

The Thorn Birds | Colleen McCullough

pick

I can certainly see why this book has stood the test of time. It‘s such a satisfying, sweeping family saga. My only quibble is that it wasn‘t always clear to me how much time was passing. I‘m so glad the #ThornBirdsReadAlong got me to read it!

TheSpineView

TheSpineView Glad you enjoyed! It is an awesome story! 🧡 3y

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bthegood

My Calamity Jane | Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand

Too many chunksters - dropping Hearts in Atlantis ( #LosersClub) and The Thorn Birds ( #ThornBirdsReadALong) for now - putting them back on TBR list and getting a few quicker reads - still plan to finish HP and Half Blood Prince.

#20in4 @Andrew65

Andrew65 That can sometimes be a problem. Good luck with these ones. 3y

bthegood @Andrew65 thx 😊 3y

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bthegood

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince | J.K. Rowling

#20in4 readathon
Thx for hosting @Andrew65
Like some of you, July has been a slow reading month so this is the kick I need.
My goals are to finish tagged book #potteraday and make a dent in The Thorn Birds, doubt I will finish by the end of the month! #ThornBirdsReadAlong @TheSpineView

Make a great day everyone 😊

Andrew65 Good luck, and hope,it helps 😊👍 (edited) 3y

TheSpineView Excellant! 👍📖🤩 3y

bthegood thx @Andrew65 and @TheSpineView 3y

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TheSpineView

Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service

Here are the books I plan on reading for the #20in4 readathon hosted by @Andrew65

The Thorn Birds I have been working on for 3 weeks. #ThornBirdsReadAlong
The other 3 books I want to start and hopefully finish at least one.
💙📖💙📚💙

peanutnine I just finished Closed and Common Orbit - it's very engaging and I read it quickly! I hope you enjoy it ☺️ 3y

TheSpineView @peanutnine Me too! Thanks for the info. 3y

Andrew65 Some interesting choices. Good luck 😊👍 3y

TheSpineView @Andrew65 Thanks! 3y

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