I loved this book and the stories contained within. This book is one of those that is needing to be labeled a MUST READ for the year.
Open the book and fall back into these stories - you will NOT be disappointed

This is a worthy but for me not an enjoyable read. It begins with a young Australian anthropologist Rex Graham bidding a final farewell to his much-loved dying Aboriginal grandmother as he promises to continue with his doctorate exploring his family origins. He sets off on his quest and after falling asleep under a tree seems to hear his grandmother telling him tales about the dreamtime legends of the Booran people. There’s a lot of well-researched information here and the book is indeed informative about Aboriginal society, ideas, beliefs, traditions and language, and the flora and fauna of Australia. However, all that doesn’t make it into a satisfactory novel and my attention wasn’t held. The author’s illustrations enhance the text and are a welcome addition to it, but overall I struggled to finish this so-called novel which read more like a treatise than a work of fiction. It's also sloppily written, or inadequately edited. There are many infelicities of language, such as "higher power" used in consecutive sentences, "state of comatose", deficient of carbohydrates", "mental telepathy" (is there another kind?), and these, along with talking trees, found me increasingly disenchanted. Not for me, this one.

myths-legends, anthropology, historical-research, historical-figures, aboriginal-people, Australia, cultural-exploration

I confess to knowing almost nothing about the peoples of Australia before the English came (for reference, mine came to the US from Eastern Europe before WW1). On the other hand, I have an addiction to works published by Charles River Editors so that probably explains why I enjoyed this work. I always find the similarities of myths and legends around the globe very fascinating. This work is somewhat more academic than others, but I think that it is best read in segments rather than cover to cover in one go. Bottom line is that it is a wonderful insight into those who came to Australia first.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Xlibris via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Book Buzz, for this ARC, a magical tale which transported me to Aboriginal life and land years before European arrival. This is mainly a work of fiction, but through the author’s research and empathy for traditional native culture and connection with the landscape and nature, she brilliantly portrays what Aboriginal life must have been like centuries ago.

With her vivid imagination, she took me to another, ancient land. I found this an enjoyable read, but not for everyone. I have 3 Aboriginal paintings on my wall while outside my window are high snow banks and plenty of ice. I appreciated being in a different place in my imagination through these stories with a strong sense of locations.

Jenni Barnett writes of heroic deeds, quests, walkabouts, and tragedies revolving around well developed, interesting characters. These tales are the stuff of legends. Included in these epic stories of adventure are tribal spirits, initiation and marriage ceremonies, corrobarees, descriptions of weapons, hunting and food, beliefs, culture and taboos. Traditional medicine was fascinating, emphasizing how nature provided life-saving substances to cure infection and alleviate pain. As well, such natural drugs to produce dreamlike trances to communicate with spirits and induce visions of legendary beasts, such as Toddalick, the bunyip, and keeng-keeng.

These stories come to Rex, an anthropology student working on his Doctoral thesis, the subject being pre-European Aboriginal culture and history. He had promised his beloved grandmother on her death bed that he would complete his doctorate and try to discover the stories connected with native artwork which belonged to her great-grandfather. In need of inspiration, he goes on a walkabout, resting beneath Gran Yan, an ancient tree where he enters into a dreamlike state. He hears the tree reciting stories about the long lost mysterious past.
A glossary of terms is included as well as lists of characters.