{"product_id":"the-thorn-birds-by-colleen-mccullough-1651j","title":"The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough","description":"\u003cp\u003eBeautiful....Compelling entertainment. -New York Times  One of the most beloved novels of all time, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough's sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback, returns to enthrall a new generation.  The Thorn Birds is a chronicle of three generations of Clearys-an indomitable clan of ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. It is a poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit. Most of all, it is the story of the Clearys' only daughter, Meggie, and the haunted priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart-and the intense joining of two hearts and souls over a lifetime, a relationship that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma.  A heart-rending epic...truly marvelous. -Chicago Tribune  Editorial Reviews  The Barnes \u0026amp; Noble Review Family secrets, forbidden love, and the struggles of working in a hard new land intertwine in Colleen McCullough's bestselling romantic family saga, now in a 25th anniversary edition. This is the story of the Cleary family, who moved to Australia in the early 1900s to work Drogheda, a vast sheep station. Employing on a large canvas that encompasses two world wars and the Great Depression, McCullough lets the main characters take turns telling the story from 1915 to 1969. But the heart of the book is the forbidden love between Meggie -- Fee and Paddy Cleary's only daughter -- and Ralph de Bricassart, the handsome parish priest. It is a love with tremendous consequences for the future. When published, this novel received rave reviews; it holds up just as well for new and returning readers. Ginger Curwen - bn.com  A perfect Read...The kind of book the world blockbuster was made.  - Boston Globe  A heart-rending epic...truly marvelous.  - Chicago Tribune  A heartrending epic...truly marvelous. - Chicago Tribune  Beautiful...compelling entertainment. - New York Times  Exhilarating...bursting with happiness as well as pain...The novel explodes with a powerful sensitivity for human emotions. - Pittsburgh Press  This gripping and passionate tale of an Australian family is a natural for audio presentation...Woods creates an audio edition that is as addictive to listen to as the book is to read. - AudioFile\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Book Express","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41825444593738,"sku":"1651j","price":6.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/9101\/8826\/files\/1651j.jpg?v=1765455581","url":"https:\/\/www.bookexpress.nz\/products\/the-thorn-birds-by-colleen-mccullough-1651j","provider":"Book Express","version":"1.0","type":"link"}