This started in the 1970s and went through until the mid 2000s and I liked reading of significant world events through the lives of the characters.If books won prizes for ambition alone, Michelle de Kretser's If books won prizes for ambition alone, Michelle de Kretser's The first book I have read by Michelle de Kretser. A bold, clever and multi-faceted novel that is very difficult to summarise. There were moments of amazing wriI've just finished reading 'Questions of Travel' and it has been a labour, at times I was not interested in picking the book back up... my commute on the train kept me reading but I was not riveted and it was slow paced reading... looking out the window at scenery before glancing back to the book struggling with where it was going with the two not well developed main characters, and flitting from one short chapter to another alternately for these two characters. This was an amazing and brave book and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!I've just finished reading 'Questions of Travel' and it has been a labour, at times I was not interested in picking the book back up... my commute on the train kept me reading but I was not riveted and it was slow paced reading... looking out the window at scenery before glancing back to the book struggling with where it was going with the two not well developed main characters, and flitting from one short chapter to another alternately for these two characters. But, if its you’re turn to write the questions and it’s got you stumped then look no further! The emergence of distinctive patterns and juxtaposed meanings is undermined by the sheer number and frequency of these switches, then further disrupted by too many minor plot excursions and secondary character profiles. It made for a challenging read at times but I found if I just went with the flow I was carried along with the beautiful writing. Questions of Travel Summary. About New Orleans I always said, “The best places to eat here are the hole in the walls that people from other places would ignore or be afraid of.” Here, the good places are literally sometimes a hole-in-the-wall, if they indeed have a wall. I'm not sure how Michelle de Kretser did it, but she has managed to fill over 500 pages with words which say.......what, exactly? So disappointed. Minor characters popped in and out, many being reintroduced long after I'd forgotten who they were- there were so many of them. It made for a challenging read at times but I found if I just went with the flow I was carried along with the beautiful writing. At just over 500 pages, it could possibly have been edited a little, but that is my only real criticism. It explores travel and tourism; work and leisure; and all the messiness of modern life, but it’s much richer than that. Questions of Travel certainly covers a lot of journeys and travel, but not all of them for holiday purposes.From the moment I saw the cover of this book, I was intrigued – a distant ocean, land far away, a single bird…it just all seemed so peaceful.
In alternating chapters or sections, from their childhoods to the early days of the 21st century, we come to know Ravi, whom external forces oblige to leave his native Sri Lanka, and Laura, who does the regular Australian thing of backpacking round … I am in my early 60’s. They seem excessive to her. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It is a testament to the characterisations that I am missing both Laura and Ravi. I found the movement in each chapter between the two main characters (a woman born in Australia, a man born in Sri Lanka) rather disjointed, and many of the subsidiary characters weren't filled in enough for me to remember who they were when one of them bobbed up after a hundred pages or so. This book has two main characters, both insipid and unsympathetic (particularly the highly irritating Laura) travelling but going nowhere. A mesmerising literary novel, Questions of Travel charts two very different lives. g BUY THE BOOK e-Book. Sure, the lyrical prose was beautiful, but too often they came across as self-indulgent rambling. Almost every page triggers thought about all kinds of things, and the prose is a pleasure to read.It's not surprising that this book is garnering unmitigated critical praise. Sure, the lyrical prose was beautiful, but too often they came across as self-indulgent rambling. Like most of the book. De Kretser exhausts over 500 pages attempting to make a profound statement about travel and I’d be lying if I said I understood what exactly she was trying to convey. I am in my early 60’s. Twain’ Speeches: You fix up for the drought. Stories from The Monthly delivered free to your inbox From the front page. It's also not surprising that many readers aren't into the level of writer/reader reciprocity inherent in Questions of Travel. There will be many answers to this question. The publication of this book is a literary event. Where have you been? Ravi suffers a tragic event and seeks asylum in Australia. This is the type of book that leaves people thinking about it for weeks afterwards, and the type that probably deserves a second reading.‘What are you doing here?