The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan..anyone read it?

[Pukkapik]

I have just finished it and it is one of the most powerful books I have read in a long time. Just extraordinary. I am almost speechless about it.
It's about an Australian doctor who ends up in a Japanese run labour camp during the Second World War. I know the book is big in Australia. but I haven't met anyone here who has yet read it. I would love to know if it affected any mumsnetters as much as it did me.

I found the sections on the railway almost unbearably moving - nothing I've read in a long time has had such an impact on me. But the rest of the book left me a bit cold - I didn't dislike it but it didn't engage me, nor did I particularly care for the central character. I did find the stories of some of the other men very moving but there wasn't enough of that.

I've just read The Railway Man which was again a very moving read. Think I might stop there with tales of the railway and try something less harrowing next.

I've read it recently.

Yes, powerful stuff. It really does knock you for six in places. It's quite a harrowing read in places, but not gruesome. Glad I read it.

(Spoilers..warning.)
Yes, I thought the camp section was harrowing in parts, but I didn't feel the author was ever milking the hardship for impact, which made the story so effective.
I was actually moved to tears when the guys released the fish at the fish restaurant once home again, and again when the owner forgave them and fed them.
I found the depth of emotion Dorrigo felt with Amy very touching too.
I felt it was a novel where a lot of the loose ends were tied up without it ever feeling contrived.
Am still reeling!

I really stuggled with it to begin with but then was completely blown away by it. It is not often a books affects me so deeply and even more so when i learnt that the writers father had been a survivor of the Burma Death Railway

We have had some discussions on here about it if you want to have a search - I am unusual in that I was a bit disappointed after all the hype. Thought the plot went in a fairly predictable direction and the main characters (especially the love interest) weren't very convincing. The best bits were the descriptions of life on the railways.

On the other hand, I do agree with Arthur that The Railway Man is an excellent and moving read - and definitely worth reading if you had your interest piqued by the Narrow Road to the Deep North.

I loved this book, and the character of Dorrigo has stayed with me. I found it very harrowing but so very moving. I really look forward to reading it again. The writing is just astonishing, a very worthy award winner in my opinion. I still think about this book and often recommend it.

I loved it, I was expecting it to be harrowing and put off reading it for a while. It was, but it was also beautiful and the harrowing bits snuck up on me when I was already so embroiled in the narrative I had to keep going. Even the really hard to read bits were beautifully written, and I liked the way that we saw it from the point of view of all the protagonists. A very moving book and all the more so for knowing these events really happened.