Customer Reviews
fantastic - By: a nice guy who likes reading, 30 Apr 2008 
It is difficult to describe the scope & artistry of this thoroughly beautiful book. From the outset the two characters are characterized with the utmost sympathy and, yes, humour. But it is a sad, sad tale, & ultimately a lush portrayal of love & the difficulty people find in connecting with others. And it is told in such a fresh, unique way! Although in some sense deeply rooted in its period it is still a timeless portrayal of society & the pressures it places on each of us to conform.
I love the great understatement near the beginning of the book, something like, "Lucinda's parents had raised a square peg in a country that was made up entirely of round holes."
I always love books where two characters from completely different worlds collide. Let's face it, this book was never going to have a happy ending, although it would have been great if it had. I'm glad that the film version was changed; both it & the book are immensly entertaining in their own ways (Cate Blanchett is superlatively ethereal as Lucinda in the film).
The trials & troubles of both characters are lovely, & I thoroughly loved the '19th century set pieces,' that the book opens with. An eccentric view of the lives of two people. Both are forced to sink or swim... One swims, the other sadly sinks, but only after they both play their parts in one of the greatest romances in literature.
Rewarding, thoroughly deserving (for once) of the Booker Prize, I think this is one of the best books ever written.
OK but poor resolution - By: Nicholas Whyte, 19 Mar 2008 
Supposedly one of the Great Australian Novels. I was engaged by it pleasantly enough, but the eventual tragic ending seemed to me just a little far-fetched.
Recently re-read it after 10 years... - By: John Frum, 11 Dec 2007 ...and it is still as good as I remembered. It always seemed to me that in many subtle ways Carey has reflected the 19th century setting in the writing style he adopted for this novel (and in the Dickensian array of characters, perhaps?)
Knowing the twist that was coming this time (I had no idea it was coming when I previously read it & was quite upset) just intensifies the tragic nature of the story. A wonderful epic of a novel.
Oscar and Lucinda - my favourite for the Best of the Booker Prize - By: Sharon K Low, 20 Aug 2007 Definitely rates among one of my alll time favourite novels. An amazing & fascinating story with rich character development, well worth re-reading time & time again.
As always, Carey excels at bringing fragile & flawed characters to life in an historical setting, without seeming to be "period" fiction; the characters & their stories are always deeply developed, & even when exploring personalities that may sometimes not be likeable or admirable, I think that Carey always makes the reader care about his central characters, in spite of their human weaknesses & the mistakes they make.
While not everyone thinks that the film of the book (with Ralph Fiennes as Oscar & Cate Blanchett as Lucinda) develops the characters quite so well as Carey writes them, most agree that the film is shot beautifully, & this is also an apt description for the way Carey writes character, story & place.
Gillian Armstrong, director of the film of the book, acknowledges Carey's ability to tell a story so different to the typical period drama: "It's black & ironic & tragic at times, but we hope people will love it & understand that it is an odd film,".
If you are looking for a romance with a fairy tale ending, then this wonderful novel is probably not for you. However, if you aren't already a Carey fan, & you are looking for a quirky, sad, funny read, with a love story at the heart of a strange tale, set in a harsh & sometimes confusing landscape, then read this book & enter the fabulous world of Peter Carey's fiction. If you aren't a Carey convert by the end, then perhaps you need to read it again?! ;>
One last comment from this avid Carey fan: as with his later "True History of the Kelly Gang", "Oscar & Lucinda" thouroughly deserved the Booker Prize in 1988, and, whilst probably not the bookies' favourite, it's my favourite for the Best of the Booker Prize this year (and as it's the people's choice, if you agree, vote with your fingers at http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/vote).
A fantastic novel - By: S. Wheeler, 19 Jul 2007 I am extremely suprised so many people found the main characters of Oscara & Lucinda unengaging as they are two of the most ambitious & endearing characters I have ever met. Oscar & Lucinda is a highly intelligent, secretly humorous & intricat novel which should be praised for its unique voice & mastery of language.
Oscar & Lucinda is a book which slowly builds up momentum with its many stories & short, splintered chapters. Peter Carey has surely established himself as one of the greatest modern writers in this monumental, post-colonial piece.
