Bright Side of My Condition, The
Randall, CharlotteGiven a choice of joining the crew of the ship they have stowed away on, or being left on an island with meagre supplies, convicts Bloodsworth, Slangam, Toper and Gargantua opt for the latter. But this is not just any island, it is one of the Snares Islands and a more inhospitable spot hard to find. Swapping one prison (Norfolk Island penal colony) for another, they are to spend almost a decade in their struggle to survive on this sub Antarctic outpost. Time enough for relationships to be developed ... and destroyed, and for sense to be made of their lives and their place in the world.
Based on a true story, this is compelling reading with vividly portrayed 19th Century characters pondering the human condition in adversity. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
Most found the vernacular offputting at the start, but found by persevering that the book had much to offer, generating a good discussion... Putaruru 001 Five 70+ readers, all with different tastes all really enjoyed it. The booknotes were great. All of us found it easy to sink into the language. Doubts about whether men could could live in such an inhospitable climate, were dismissed when we thought of Shackleton and crew surviving in Antarctica. Highly recommended....Auckland 020 Interesting, but not an easy read, although the slang language and expressions of the times were quite well managed. We felt the story was somewhat forced and could have been shortened for better effect...Christchurch 323 Our group's response to this book was diverse. This in turn led to some very robust discussion. Two people read only a portion of the story, and gave up because of the language and type of writing. On the other hand, three people loved it from start to finish. The remainder found it a slow start, but were pleased to have persevered as the story and the strengths and weaknesses of the characters evolved. Whangarei 002 The book promoted such a great discussion. Recommended as a great book group book. Parnassus 001
Pages
244
244
Year
2014
2014
Reviews
24-01-2024
Good discussion on the philosophy, and Bloodsworth's understanding of families through observing the penguins.
24-01-2024
Very well-written book. Interesting to see how all the characters changed over the 10 years, especially Bloodsworth.
24-01-2024
Some found the book a bit grim and struggled with the style of writing. Most didn't enjoy it, but found the historical content interesting.
24-01-2024
We enjoyed this book, although some struggled initially with reading the phonetic spelling of the dialect of the main character. Interesting psychological development of the four castaways, and how the interaction with nature affected them differently.
24-01-2024
Overall we enjoyed the book, and it raised questions about the outcome for the remaining convicts. What became of them
24-01-2024
Most members enjoyed this book with its unusual ending. At first, some struggled with Bloodworth's vernacular language but soon overcame this. A lot of discussion centred around their reactions and relationships ( like 'Lord of the Flies') - the need to punish, lack of love, and the period in history.
24-01-2024
Mixed reaction to this book, some of us loved it and some struggled to read it.
24-01-2024
We all enjoyed this novel. The odd quibble over the philosophising, but generally an all round good read.
24-01-2024
A quirky read, and we all agreed the ending was just terrific!!!
24-01-2024
Stick with this book, it is slow to get in to, but worth it as it generated really interesting discussion.
19-11-2021
Only one member didn't read the book ( but wished she had persevered). Everyone enjoyed the book and the group had one of their best ever discussions.
10-04-2019
Very sad. Readers need to get past the style of writing, especially the conversations. Without the style of language it wouldn't have worked. The development of the characters was great. Highly recommended.
15-02-2019
The most stimulating discussion we've had for a long while! Even those who did not particularly like the book found that it held them. Beautifully crafted story.
29-05-2018
Only 3 out of 6 managed to finish the book. It was a study in endurance for those who persevered. The penguins were a highlight, otherwise did not enjoy at all.
23-05-2018
Some of our group found the heavy use of the vernacular a challenge which detracted from their reading experience. Responses varied, with some unable to finish it, and others who soldiered on and felt that it was very well written. Not an easy read, and there was a lot of discussion about the ending. There was more a sense of endurance rather than enjoyment, but we all agreed that it was good to be challenged, and an interesting read neverthe less, with excellent characterisation. ChCh 446