Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
NYRB Classics (2012), Paperback, 144 pages
Description
A plane crashes in the vast Northern Territory of Australia, and the only survivors are two children from Charleston, South Carolina, on their way to visit their uncle in Adelaide. Mary and her younger brother, Peter, set out on foot, lost in the vast, hot Australian outback. They are saved by a chance meeting with an unnamed Aboriginal boy on walkabout. He looks after the two strange white children and shows them how to find food and water in the wilderness, and yet, for all that, Mary is filled with distrust. On the surface "Walkabout" is an adventure story, but darker themes lie beneath. Peter's innocent friendship with the boy met in the desert throws into relief Mary's half-adult anxieties, and the book as a whole raises questions about what is lost--and may be saved--when different worlds meet. And in reading Marshall's extraordinary evocations of the beautiful yet forbidding landscape of the Australian desert, perhaps the most striking presence of all in this small, perfect book, we realize that this tale--a deep yet disturbing story in the spirit of Adalbert Stifter's "Rock Crystal" and Richard Hughes's "A High Wind in Jamaica"--is also a reckoning with the mysteriously regenerative powers of death.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member kidzdoc
This novel was written by Donald G. Payne by 1959, who used the pseudonym James Vance Marshall, in honor of a man who lived in the outback of Australia and collaborated with Payne in its creation. Walkabout did not receive much attention until 1971, after a movie based on the book, but not faithful
Eleven year old Mary and her eight year old brother Peter are residents of Charleston, South Carolina who find themselves stranded after their Adelaide-bound plane has crashed and exploded in the desert of the Northern Territory of Australia. They are only lightly injured, but the captain and navigating officer, the only other people on the plane, were killed. The two struggle to find water or food, until they encounter a naked Aborigine boy, who is performing a walkabout, a ritual essential for manhood in his tribe. The unnamed boy has never seen white people, and is fascinated by them. Peter almost immediately bonds with the Aborigine, despite their lack of a shared language; the older Mary, who is more familiar with the customs of the Jim Crow South, is repulsed by the strange black boy, but she realizes that he and her brother must rely on him in order to survive.
Peter and Mary follow the boy, who takes them under his wing and shows the "amazingly helpless" pair how to search for water, and hunt for and cook food. The boys become playmates and comrades, while the half-child half-adult Mary maintains her distance while harboring jealousy for her brother's attachment to the Aborigine, his lack of reliance upon her, and her desire to join them in their childish games. A simple misunderstanding between Mary and the Aborigine leads to a tragic consequence, which places all of their lives in jeopardy.
I found Walkabout to be a mildly enjoyable though repetitive and heavy-handed story about cultural misunderstandings and similarities, which can best be thought of as a dated young adult novel. The novel shines in its descriptions of the flora and fauna of the Australian outback, but the structure of the story and the portrayal of the three characters was overly simplified and ultimately disappointing.
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to it, was released, to critical acclaim.Eleven year old Mary and her eight year old brother Peter are residents of Charleston, South Carolina who find themselves stranded after their Adelaide-bound plane has crashed and exploded in the desert of the Northern Territory of Australia. They are only lightly injured, but the captain and navigating officer, the only other people on the plane, were killed. The two struggle to find water or food, until they encounter a naked Aborigine boy, who is performing a walkabout, a ritual essential for manhood in his tribe. The unnamed boy has never seen white people, and is fascinated by them. Peter almost immediately bonds with the Aborigine, despite their lack of a shared language; the older Mary, who is more familiar with the customs of the Jim Crow South, is repulsed by the strange black boy, but she realizes that he and her brother must rely on him in order to survive.
Peter and Mary follow the boy, who takes them under his wing and shows the "amazingly helpless" pair how to search for water, and hunt for and cook food. The boys become playmates and comrades, while the half-child half-adult Mary maintains her distance while harboring jealousy for her brother's attachment to the Aborigine, his lack of reliance upon her, and her desire to join them in their childish games. A simple misunderstanding between Mary and the Aborigine leads to a tragic consequence, which places all of their lives in jeopardy.
I found Walkabout to be a mildly enjoyable though repetitive and heavy-handed story about cultural misunderstandings and similarities, which can best be thought of as a dated young adult novel. The novel shines in its descriptions of the flora and fauna of the Australian outback, but the structure of the story and the portrayal of the three characters was overly simplified and ultimately disappointing.
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LibraryThing member bluecandy
In this story, the main character are a girl and a little boy. They had an airplane accident and they are left in a very vast desert in Australia. First they want to go home soon. Then they meet an Aborigine boy, they gradually... While I was reading this story, I could felt an atmosphere of
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Australian desert. And this story is very impressive in end. Show Less
LibraryThing member pipipi
Mary and Peter were in the desert of Australia.Their plane crashed and only two children servived.They had to walk to the city where their uncle lived.But they didn't know desert.They had no food and water.Then,they met an Aboriginal boy.He couldn't understand what they said,but he tried to help
I think it's interesting story.I like the aboriginal boy.He is so kind.I was sad when he died.It taught that we can understand each other without common language.
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them.I think it's interesting story.I like the aboriginal boy.He is so kind.I was sad when he died.It taught that we can understand each other without common language.
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LibraryThing member lamour
A wonderful adventure yarn for the young reader set in the wilderness of Australia by a man who live there. The descriptions of Australian Outback wildlife & plants are spectacular. It is also a very sympathetic depiction of the Aborigine.
LibraryThing member kebosi
Two children laid in the desert because their plain fall down. So they began to walk to the town. One day, they met a boy who lived that region. This book teaches us difficulty of different culture. Differences of culture bring a lot of trouble. This story is useful that we learn various cultures.
LibraryThing member CBJames
Walkabout, by James Vance Marshall has a fantasy like quality to it that took me by surprise. The story, which became the basis for the well-known cult film of the same name, concerns two children, a girl entering puberty and her younger brother. The two have survived a plane crash in the
Mr. Marshall's novel becomes a story about two children lost in a magical land with a magical guide to help them along. While the two siblings should be worried for their lives, they spend so much of the novel having a wonderful adventure that their story becomes something like a trip to Wonderland. Much of this feeling comes from Mr. Marshall's description of the Australian landscape. Take, for example, this passage describing the land the children pass through as they leave the Eden like valley where they stayed with the Aboriginal boy.
At first the valley was well-shaded and softly-coloured: aglow with the gold of casuarina, the creamy white of bamberas and the pink of gums and eucalyptus. But as the children climbed higher, the vegetation gradually became more stunted and the colours harsher, cruder. By midday they were traversing a rocky barren terrain, its only trees the drooping mugga-woods, its only flowers the everlasting daisies; the flowers that never ide; that live on, even after their petals, leaves, stalks, and roots have crumbled and withered away. The children grew hotter, tireder, and hungrier. It was lucky that Mary had had the foresight to gather a cache of bauble nuts, and these they ate, soon after midday, in the shade of a slab of rock that overhung the stream.
Golden glowing casuarina plants, creamy white bamberas, pink gum trees, drooping mugga-woods, everlasting daisies--even the names used sound like things you'd find in Wonderland. Eating a 'cache of bauble nuts.' Reading Walkabout was like watching someone cast a spell on me. I knew what was happening; I knew when I was being manipulated so the author could make a particular point, I knew he was capitalizing on exotic place names that a reader whose never been to Australia would be enchanted by, but I didn't care. Mr. Marshall is a magician, good enough at his trade that he can make his audience enjoy the illusion, even though we know it's an illusion.
That is not to say that there isn't plenty of meat underneath all that sauce. Take the above passage. The two siblings are leaving what was a Garden of Eden. As they climb up out of the valley the landscape gets more and more hellish. If they're climbing up were they in heaven or in hell? They have to leave this Eden because of a fatal misunderstanding between Mary and the unnamed Aboriginal boy caused by Mary's awakening awareness of sexuality, which also ties in neatly with the image of Eden. The children are linked to the everlasting Daisies that live on in spite of how tired, hot and hungry they become. This reader can't help but see that as a possible projection for their passage through life and what happened to Adam and Eve once they left the Garden. The children will leave this paradise for civilization, but they'll often think of their time in Eden and wish they could go back to it. Okay, now that I've written that thought out it doesn't really sound all that deep. But while I was reading the book, while I was under its spell, I was pretty impressed.
Unfortunately, the novel is realistic enough to generate an uncomfortable feeling in modern readers due to the children's casual racism. The children in the novel are from the American South, and continually refer to the Aboriginal boy as 'the darkie.' This is entirely accurate to the novel's time period, but it makes for slightly uneasy reading today. But, that is how people talked in much of America in 1959. Even little kids.
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Australian outback and are trying to find their way back to civilization. Along the way, they meet an Aboriginal boy, also just entering puberty, on his Walkabout, a rite of passage Aboriginal boys must go through where they are left alone in the wilderness to survive on their own wits.Mr. Marshall's novel becomes a story about two children lost in a magical land with a magical guide to help them along. While the two siblings should be worried for their lives, they spend so much of the novel having a wonderful adventure that their story becomes something like a trip to Wonderland. Much of this feeling comes from Mr. Marshall's description of the Australian landscape. Take, for example, this passage describing the land the children pass through as they leave the Eden like valley where they stayed with the Aboriginal boy.
At first the valley was well-shaded and softly-coloured: aglow with the gold of casuarina, the creamy white of bamberas and the pink of gums and eucalyptus. But as the children climbed higher, the vegetation gradually became more stunted and the colours harsher, cruder. By midday they were traversing a rocky barren terrain, its only trees the drooping mugga-woods, its only flowers the everlasting daisies; the flowers that never ide; that live on, even after their petals, leaves, stalks, and roots have crumbled and withered away. The children grew hotter, tireder, and hungrier. It was lucky that Mary had had the foresight to gather a cache of bauble nuts, and these they ate, soon after midday, in the shade of a slab of rock that overhung the stream.
Golden glowing casuarina plants, creamy white bamberas, pink gum trees, drooping mugga-woods, everlasting daisies--even the names used sound like things you'd find in Wonderland. Eating a 'cache of bauble nuts.' Reading Walkabout was like watching someone cast a spell on me. I knew what was happening; I knew when I was being manipulated so the author could make a particular point, I knew he was capitalizing on exotic place names that a reader whose never been to Australia would be enchanted by, but I didn't care. Mr. Marshall is a magician, good enough at his trade that he can make his audience enjoy the illusion, even though we know it's an illusion.
That is not to say that there isn't plenty of meat underneath all that sauce. Take the above passage. The two siblings are leaving what was a Garden of Eden. As they climb up out of the valley the landscape gets more and more hellish. If they're climbing up were they in heaven or in hell? They have to leave this Eden because of a fatal misunderstanding between Mary and the unnamed Aboriginal boy caused by Mary's awakening awareness of sexuality, which also ties in neatly with the image of Eden. The children are linked to the everlasting Daisies that live on in spite of how tired, hot and hungry they become. This reader can't help but see that as a possible projection for their passage through life and what happened to Adam and Eve once they left the Garden. The children will leave this paradise for civilization, but they'll often think of their time in Eden and wish they could go back to it. Okay, now that I've written that thought out it doesn't really sound all that deep. But while I was reading the book, while I was under its spell, I was pretty impressed.
Unfortunately, the novel is realistic enough to generate an uncomfortable feeling in modern readers due to the children's casual racism. The children in the novel are from the American South, and continually refer to the Aboriginal boy as 'the darkie.' This is entirely accurate to the novel's time period, but it makes for slightly uneasy reading today. But, that is how people talked in much of America in 1959. Even little kids.
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LibraryThing member ekinsluc2018
I rated this book 4/5 because it interested me. It was able to catch my imagination with descriptive words. The story was about an Aboriginal boy who found two Children and taught them the ways of the bush. The book is a short read and not very challenging. I recommend it to people above the age of
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ten. Show Less
LibraryThing member lucaekins
I rated this book 4/5 because it interested me. It was able to catch my imagination with descriptive words. The story was about an Aboriginal boy who found two Children and taught them the ways of the bush. The book is a short read and not very challenging. I recommend it to people above the age of
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Ten Show Less
LibraryThing member whybehave2002
Very good until it ended abruptly. :(
LibraryThing member kaylaraeintheway
First of all, I wish I didn't read the introduction for this edition (NYRB Classics), because it gave away some major plot points, so warning to all those who have that same edition!
This short novel was interesting; two young American children crashed in the desolate Australian outback on their way
It's also interesting to note the time period in which this was written; originally published in 1959, and with the American children hailing from South Carolina, they (especially the older sister) are hindered by their learned prejudices and biases against anyone with skin darker than theirs.
In all, I did enjoy this book, and it did elicit some deeper thoughts and questions about colliding worlds, life, and death.
This short novel was interesting; two young American children crashed in the desolate Australian outback on their way
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to Adelaide and must somehow survive a long journey to the nearest civilized place. They eventually come across an Aboriginal boy, who feels a sense of obligation to help the children survive in this (to them) harsh and unfamiliar environment. I couldn't help but wonder how much research, if any, the author did into the culture and customs of the Aboriginal boy he depicts. He certainly knows the landscape of the Australian desert; his descriptions of the flora and fauna are quite lovely. It's also interesting to note the time period in which this was written; originally published in 1959, and with the American children hailing from South Carolina, they (especially the older sister) are hindered by their learned prejudices and biases against anyone with skin darker than theirs.
In all, I did enjoy this book, and it did elicit some deeper thoughts and questions about colliding worlds, life, and death.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Originally published in 1959, Walkabout by James Vance Marshall is the story of two children who survive a plane crash and find themselves lost in the Australian outback. They are American children who were on their way to visit their Australian uncle. They have no knowledge of the flora and fauna
An excellent story, but there are some very important moral questions raised. The white children just naturally seem to have a sense of superiority over the young black boy and call him “Darkie” or ‘Boy”. The young white girl, Mary, is actually very afraid of the black boy, thinking he may mean them harm when all he is doing is showing them how to find food and water. As the young boy looks at Mary and sees her fear, he believes it foreshadows his own death. I suspect the author was trying to highlight the difficulties that the Aborigines were facing as the freedom of their isolated, wandering lifestyle was coming to an end.
The author’s simple survival story is entwined with descriptions of the landscape of the Outback. His knowledge of plants and animals are excellent and these descriptions allow the reader to experience the story through the eyes of the children. Walkabout is a wonderfully haunting children’s story and one that deserves it’s place on the classic shelf.
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that they find themselves surrounded by and are very much in jeopardy. A young Aborigine finds them, and helps them learn how to survive and thus they begin their journey back to civilization.An excellent story, but there are some very important moral questions raised. The white children just naturally seem to have a sense of superiority over the young black boy and call him “Darkie” or ‘Boy”. The young white girl, Mary, is actually very afraid of the black boy, thinking he may mean them harm when all he is doing is showing them how to find food and water. As the young boy looks at Mary and sees her fear, he believes it foreshadows his own death. I suspect the author was trying to highlight the difficulties that the Aborigines were facing as the freedom of their isolated, wandering lifestyle was coming to an end.
The author’s simple survival story is entwined with descriptions of the landscape of the Outback. His knowledge of plants and animals are excellent and these descriptions allow the reader to experience the story through the eyes of the children. Walkabout is a wonderfully haunting children’s story and one that deserves it’s place on the classic shelf.
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LibraryThing member burritapal
A book written about the clash between two white, privileged children from the American South and an adolescent Aboriginal performing his"walkabout" journey designed to winnow out the weak, unfit-for-fatherhood young men. Mary and Peter, two lone brother-and-sister survivors of a small plane crash
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in the northern territory of Australia, who are too ignorant to Know that they should stay by the plane crash if they hope to be rescued, head south into the desert in the direction of what they believe is Adelaid, where their uncle lives. Before long, they come face-to-face with the naked "darkie" (this was written in 1956). With an omniscient viewpoint, we learn much about this young man, the way of his people, and the amazing flora and fauna found on their travel. But the misunderstanding between Mary and the young Aboriginal will have tragic consequences. Show Less
LibraryThing member kcshankd
I saw this in a selection of NYRB classic paperbacks while browsing at a little bookstore at Pike Place Market, and was interested. I am always looking to read more about Australia & especially its natives and fauna.
I am sad to say I was disappointed, and it is hard to understand why the editors
I am sad to say I was disappointed, and it is hard to understand why the editors
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thought this title was worthy of a reprint this century. Even with a publication date of 1959 the racism and bigoty standout, not mention the story is a simple, well-trod one. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1959
Physical description
144 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
9781590174906