Hunting the Wild Pineapple [Audio CD]

Thea Astley (Author), James Wright (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2009

Leverson, the narrator at the centre of these stories, calls himself a 'people freak.' Seduced by north Queensland's sultry beauty and unique strangeness, he is as fascinated by the invading hordes of misfits from the south as by the old established Queenslanders. Leverson's ironical yet compassionate view makes every story, every incident, a pointed example of human weakness – or strength.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Leverson, a middle-aged "monopod" failure, is the introspective narrator and moral pivot of these modern tales of the Australian rain forest. As he limns the "human geography" of Queensland, its residents, dropouts, drifters, and adventurers seeking Eden or oblivion, he leaves no pretense, folly, or illusion unbared. In "A Northern Belle," the story of Willy Fourcorners reveals what it meant to be black "in those parts." The tale of the couple in "Ladies Need Only Apply" is a tropical paradigm of sexism and subjection. In the title story guests of an alcoholic couple go on a mock quest and end up confronting the essential shallowness in others and themselves. Leverson is a caustic romantic who both perceives the beauty and exploitation of the landscape and still hears "the dying music of this sad poetry." An illuminating collection by the award-winning author of Reaching Tin River ( LJ 4/1/90).
- Mary Soete, San Diego P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Bolinda Publishing (January 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1742144314
• ISBN-13: 978-1742144313
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Eccentric Lives: The Lost and Found, September 10, 2005

By 

Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hunting the Wild Pineapple (Paperback)

Keith Leverson [from the book, "The Slow Natives", also by Thea Astley] has lived and experienced life on many levels ... most often painfully on the emotional and physical planes. He survived a life-threatening auto accident that left him introspective, much more so than during his rebellious teenage years. He has become a keen observer of human nature. This book shares his penetrating insights into the human condition. It describes his experiences and the lives of the odd unusual young people who are looking for meaning outside conventional society. In the words of the author, "They're the new urban trendies ... They're crawling back to the good earth in their hunt for feudal share-cropping, buying up their 5-, 10-, 20- acre blocks, living with a roof, a tamped earth floor, and hessian sides." [p.19]

Thea Astley has a wry sense of humor expressed with razor edged clarity and precision. Leverson describes himself as a "monoped self-pitier" (referring to the amputation of his leg in the previous book). He is a "people person" enjoying humanity in all its frailty and courage. The first story challenges a tuba playing self-destructive wrist-slashing young female to share her self in a commune with several male partners ... She had become a convert to Christianity, a Jesus freak, and was urged to be "generous" and Christian in her expression of this alternative lifestyle. One of the most intriguing stories was "Ladies Need Only Apply". Stringer, a macrobiotic gardner and musician lived way out in the wildnerness. He placed a want ad ... seeking a "genuine lady" to be his companion. Miss Klein had recently turned 42 and was looking for adventure, something to erase her boredom. She found herself oddly attracted to the aging hippie who placed the ad. While he advocated "free love" and a natural lifestyle ... he did not coerce her into his pattern of living although, gradually he wore down her resistance and she succombed. She became more of a slave to him who advocated freedom than she would have within any conventional relationship. The author uses superior descriptions and imagery to create unforgettable and unusual characters. The odd lives they lead weave a hypnotic spell over the reader who is drawn to their bizarre behavor and strange lifestyles ... wanting to see how the other half lives. Erika Borsos (erikab93)