Customer Reviews

Walkabout (Puffin Books)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Walkabout is a story of the unification of two cultures that are 10,000 years apart. Peter and Mary, two American kids from Charleston, South Carolina, end up in the ruthless Australian outback where not one person is found in miles, just true desolation, after their plane crashes on a flight to visit their uncle in civilized Adelaide. However they don't encounter what we call civilized. Almost on the point of dying they find an aborigine who saves them from hunger. The boy teaches them how to survive in his habitat from finding alkaloola (water) to how to kill fish in a fresh water pond. The aborigine performs his tribal dances, taking them hand in hand through the weird and mysterious world of one of the most primitive cultures ever seen on earth. One of the most important customs performed by the aboriginal people is the "walkabout" really the initiation to manhood, just like the bush boy is doing in the story, Mary and Peter however are not on a walkabout to manhood but a walk for survival. The author explains the wonderful surroundings with such detail that you feel you are there living every moment. From Koalas to baby Wombats, reading this book is like diving into an ecological realm. A story of insight and warmth straight from the heart. The book accomplishes what it's set out for to teach us more about the aboriginal people, as each chapter, which might seem long but very informative. If you are being assigned this book get ready to consider it a gift and if you are reading by choice you are guaranteed to consider it a very smart move.

The book Walkabout by James Vance Marshall portrays the difficulties that arise when two siblings find themselves lost in the Australian Outback fighting to stay survive. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it showed how the children were guided and how the knowledge of an Aborigine boy provides a vital source of information that greatly increases their chances of survival. The story had an excellent flow to it, and the word choice is exceptional, Marshall's description of the land lets the readers imaginations' run rampant. My only complaint about this book would be the fact that it was a little slow at times, but overall it was an excellent, well-written book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is captivated by the television show Survivor. There are so many descriptions of native plant life and species of animals that provide a source of nutrition for the children. Also, anyone who is interested in the outdoors and living in harsh, extreme conditions would be fascinated by the techniques that are used to stay alive by the Aborigine boy. These skills have been used for thousands upon thousands of years, but they still hold true even in the technologically advanced 21st century. This book was an excellent read, and it would most likely be enjoyed by anyone who read it.

Mary and Peter are two U.S. school children on their way to visit their uncle in Adelaide, Australia. Mary is fourteen and Peter is nine. While flying over Central Australia their plane crashes and the children are the only survivors. How are two modern children to survive in the Sturt Desert? Soon Mary and Peter meet a thirteen year old, native, Aboriginal boy. He seems to be their savior but Mary cannot bring herself to trust him and modern civilization is a very long way off.

This book raises important questions about the supposed superiority of Western civilization over 'native' cultures, and the supposed inferiority of 'colored' people. It also illustrates the terrible misunderstandings that can result when people of different cultures meet.

This book was published in 1959 and it is important to realize that Australia has changed a great deal since then. Non-English speaking Aboriginals who have never had contact with white people are definitely a thing of the past, and were very rare even in 1959. Beyond the fact of a plane crash the author has not given any indication of the time in which the story is set.

Two modern American school children from Charleston, South Carolina are trapped after a plane crash in the brutal desert of Australia where no one is around in miles. Their "civilized" destination, tens of miles away, is a small town by the name of Adelaide. Walkabout is a realistic adventure story that reminds us of the bitter wilds of Australia that have been forgotten. It also reminds us of how arduous it is to survive in the exhausting conditions of the desert, especially in Australia. Walkabout puts you in a defenseless little world where civilization is lacked. You even get to know about the Aborigines that live in the Australian outback. By the end of this exciting Walkabout readers will be quite thankful that they are alive comfortably at home reading this book. The vivid descriptions of nature and the wilds in this book make it a stunning success. It reveals and pictures in our mind the beauty and splendor of the Australian wild. There is no doubt that this story has left me with some beautiful images in my mind of the terrific wilds of Australia. I think that this thrilling adventure is so effective that when you finish reading the book, you will want to meet these to modern children who have survived many days of desert. There is also a film called Walkabout that is strongly recommended to see. You will love the film if you have read and enjoyed the book. "Walkabout is a small masterpiece...one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen" -Rex Reed, Daily News. If you like fiction then you'll enjoy this one. Give it a try, I'm sure that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

As dated as this book is and remember it was first published in the 1950s, there is something compelling about it that makes you want to read it from cover to cover.

The plot in itself is quite simple, two white children, a boy and a girl are lost in the Australian outback after a plane crash which kills the crew; neither child has any experience in the art of surviving in a hostile environment and it is only by luck they are found by a young Aborigine boy who is on Walkabout, a trek he must make alone before he can be called a man.

The story follows the children and their saviour through the outback until the death of the Aborigine caused either by the racial prejudice of the white girl who fears the Aborigine along possibly with her own blossoming sexuality (however I am not so sure about this because of the era the book was written in) or the fact he (the Aborigine) did not have any immunity against the diseases that while people carried such as the common cold.

Either way the children are on their own again but they now have the survival skills they need to make their way back to their own world which is filled all the trappings of supposed civilisation, such as technology and racism.

A surprisingly haunting read even now in the 21st century and it was made into a film some years ago with Jenny Agutter in the leading role.

I am working with a Grade Nine learning disabled class that seems compelled by the poetic language and fast pace of Walkabout. This book is a great exploration of poetic language conventions as well as character motivation and ethical issues that touch us all. The bush boy's role in the white children's lives, juxtaposed against Mary's role in his fate, is deeply moving. Walkabout made me want to learn more about the author, to trace his other works, and Australia, to track the children's journey, but so far I have had little luck on either path. And so my own walkabout continues.

Mary and Peter come from Georgia,USA and get stranded in the Austrailian outback. At this time, in the US, there is much controversy about civil rights. When Mary and Peter get stranded, they meet this "Bush Boy". Mary is reluctant because of his black skin and nakedness while Peter is accepting. At the end, Mary never really accepts the "Bush Boy" and you can tell this because of her 'fear of nakedness' in front of the Aborignies. Peter is perfectly understanding and he emerdges as leader, proving that non-bias-ness will reign.

The story touched my heart so much that I cried reading it. A young hot blooded male like me cried when the Aborigine kid died, I just could not believe myself! Even it's such a sad story, J.V Marshall wrote it so beautifully. A "must-read" for all young hot blooded males.

Let me just say that Walkabout is THE COOLEST BOOK!!!!! I liked this book because it describes how it really is like in a desert.It tells how each day they struggle for survival in a land forgin to Mary and Peter.I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!

we in my school read this book for English Literature for our secondary 2 year . i find this an interesting book as it portrays the many many differences between different races . it also talks about what civilization implants onto people such as Mary and Jack . take Mary , the main character , for example . at first , she is compelled and disgusted by the bush boy's nakedness , but later in the story , we see her taking off her clothes without hesitation , and it shows that the layers of conduct civilization had laid onto her since childbirth has peeled off and her primitive self has emerged from below .

all in all , an interesting book and a must read if you are a person who is intersested in other people