This arresting N.Z. classic was a re-read for many of us, and almost all felt we appreciated the narrative, the characters and the writing style much more this time. A few did not enjoy it because of the dark themes of domestic abuse and the psychological impact of that on a vulnerable boy. The rest felt that was the point, and the telling of the story through the 13 year old protagonist gave it such poignant power it will haunt us for a long time. On the whole we felt the acclaim this book received since it was published nearly 70 years ago is well deserved.

We all loved this book ( at least all bar one). It's not often we have such consensus. A terrific book.

One of our most popular reads! So evocative of the times. Creative writing in an 11 year old boy's voice. Loved it!!

Our group loved the characterisation of Jimmy Sullivan - and the telling of the story from beginning to end in his voice. We found him highly convincing, and a great deal of our discussion was spent on working out what actually happened, as the story was told entirely through his 11-to-13 year old eyes. We loved his boyish imagination, which we thought was wonderfully depicted. Views on the story were mixed owing to the apparent dysfunction of the parents, and some of the ways in which the boy 'protected' himself from this... Nothing short of a masterpiece.

We enjoyed this extraordinary book. The author gets into the head of young Jimmy and provides an evocative glimpse of life in N.Z. in the 1950s. A time when kids were free to roam, their whereabouts often unknown to parents. The book had disturbing undertones, which awakened memories (some dark) for some in the group. We admired the juxtaposition between the skillful use of humour and an impending sense of tragedy as we got more and more into the story. We had a lively discussion on some of the key confessions/issues raised in the plot.

We really enjoyed the book - thought it was well-written and we felt for the characters. Led to discussion on how un-egalitarian N.Z. is!

This book, we all agreed, is redolent of fifties New Zealand small town/village life. It also speaks in clear detail of school days in a Catholic parish school of the era. But the masterly, cleverly structured approach to the essential messages of this book is impressive, as they allow the reader to identify with the young protagonist, as he struggles to make his way through a life crisis of which he has very limited understanding. The reader feels amused at times, and yet seriously emotionally affected, as he or she gains insight, through the stream of consciousness technique Cross employs...

The book was enjoyed by everyone and rated highly.

Our group was greatly moved by this magic yet funny narration by an endearing naive 13 year old, and most impressed by the author's creative imagination and sensitivity.

Everyone really enjoyed it. Some had read it before. Everyone agreed that it was what life was really like in the 1950s. However, the feeling was that this wasn't a true Catholic family because there were only two children! We are really enjoying the N.Z. authors.

A great classic - read as a school book and good to revisit decades later. Dark, well-written and a story that could easily be told today.