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Utopian Man (2010)

by Lisa Lang(Favorite Author)

3.65 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1742373348 (ISBN13: 9781742373348)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Allen & Unwin

review 1: A balanced work of fictionalised history. E.W. Cole books used to be everywhere in my family, and I thought it was an international thing. Turns out, it was a Melbourne thing. I had NO idea. This book takes the history of Cole and turns it into a narrative. It's fairly compelling in places, especially when we start to to Australia growing as a nation, with the introduction of the white Australia policy and Coles reaction to others' racism. I feel a lot of respect for Cole, although he is portrayed very sympathetically, there must be some truth in his reactions in the book. If you're a Melbournian, enjoy the boom before the great depression or are a fan of early entrepreneurs then you may enjoy this book.
review 2: This is a beautiful and well measured book, whi... morech handles some difficult themes very well. The author does an excellent job of showing the flaws in the protagonist's optimistic world view without making the reader feel like he is a fool. There are scenes and elements in the book that could very easily have tipped over into sentimentality and maukishness (the sickness of a beloved infant, scenes of family happiness and the goodness of certain characters), or into melodrama (drug addiction, the specter of infidelity) yet it never does. In terms of plot, I found it a very enjoyable read and a fascinating story that was hard to put down.I applaud the author for her skill and maturity. A wonderful first novel, and I hope the judges of the Miles Franklin award set its merits, because Australian literature needs more books like Utopian Man to be recognised and publicised. less

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