Limberlost

(Paperback)

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Description

In the heat of a long summer Ned hunts rabbits in a river valley, hoping the pelts will earn him enough money to buy a small boat.

His two brothers are away at war, their whereabouts unknown. His father and older sister struggle to hold things together on the family orchard, Limberlost.

Desperate to ignore it allto avoid the future rushing towards himNed dreams of open water.

As his story unfolds over the following decades, we see how Neds choices that summer come to shape the course of his life, the fate of his family and the future of the valley, with its seasons of death and rebirth.

The third novel by the award-winning author of Flames and The Rain Heron, Limberlost is an extraordinary chronicle of life and land: of carnage and kindness, blood ties and love.

Reviews

Robbie Arnott is the sort of young writer we all hoped would emerge in Australia, a Conrad-like storyteller whose tales always tremble on the edge of the mythic and legendary. And as well as being a splendid narrator of tales, he has a quality too easily overlooked now. He writes beautifully! May his readers and his rewards abound! * Thomas Keneally *
Limberlost is as close to flawless as any book I have read in years. The poise and precision of Arnotts writing lends restraint to the fury at Limberlosts heart. * Jessie Greengrass, author of The High House *
Spectacular and stunningDeeply moving. * Nick Bradley, author of The Cat and the City *
Nedwith his shame and prideblazes his way into your heart. A tender, soaring novel from one of Australias finest writers. * Sisonke Msimang *
An exquisitely moving and intimate story that is more rooted in realism than Arnotts previous works, but still carries the wonder and subtle magic his writing is known forArnott masterfully explores masculinity, brotherhood and familial loveLimberlost is another astonishing book from one of Australias most electrifying young authors. * Books+Publishing *
An unforgettable story, humble, transporting, and filled with grace and bravery. Its one of the strongest things Ive read for a very long time. * Cynan Jones, author of The Dig and Cove *
Robbie Arnotts best so farPerfectly balanced, just exquisite. * Rachel Edwards *
This book is something special: tender, sad, exceptionally well written [and] unexpectedly moving. * Ashleigh Wilson *
Robbie Arnott is a tremendously talented and unique voice in Australian literature, and his third novel, Limberlost, exceeded all my expectations. It is a gorgeously written coming-of-age novela touching and profound depiction of connection, grief and familial loveLimberlost is much more grounded in realism than Arnotts previous novelsbut still holds the same sense of wonder. * Readings *
Limberlost is an immersive experience, a story that is deeply embedded in the language of its environment, drawing much of its power from the places that surround and inform its charactersThough scaled right down to a single, humble life, Limberlost is lit up by the energy of that lifes relationships. It serves as a reminder of the complicated position humans occupy, tangled as we are in the webs of interdependence, of pain and responsibility and care, that bind us to a world much greater than ourselves. * Australian Book Review *
In Limberlost magic lies in lyrical language and the powerfully real characters brought to life through itThis is a novel about the deepest of emotions, about love, the fear of loss, and about joy. * Age *
Its immersive, its emotionalA beautiful bookGlorious. * ABC Radio Hobart *
Arnotts style has tempered into something rich and singing[His] writing of the natural world is elegiac and elemental[Limberlost has] a breathtakingly moving final scene. * Guardian *
Quiet wisdom [conveyed in a] potent and exquisitely crafted depiction of the delicate relationship between people and place. * Matilda Bookshop *
The ambition of Limberlost and the complex questioning that underpins it are fascinating and lend the book a hauntedness that is deeply affecting. Neds sensitivity, his striving and his jumbled, tightly held emotions are always handled with great subtlety, and Arnotts deep compassion for his characters and willingness to leave space for all that is unanswerable make Limberlost a striking book, with lingering resonance and great heart. * Saturday Paper *
[Limberlost] is a beautifully-written and moving novel, and certainly one of the best books Ive read all yearA coming-of-age story which lasts a lifetime. * David Griggs, Through the Biblioscope *
Limberlost is a tender study of the dangers of averting our gaze[with] vivid writing of the more-than-human world. * Sydney Review of Books *
[Arnotts novels] are just so goodThere is so much tenderness and beauty and love [in Limberlost]A gorgeous readArnott is a beautiful writerI shed a little tear at the end. * ABC RN Breakfast *
OutstandingThe writing in this book is so beautifulso evocative. * ABC RN Book Show *
[Limberlost] is thoughtful, insightful realism in exquisite prose[it] is a beautiful textured novel. * ANZ LitLovers *
Arnott is one of the most exciting authors in AustraliaHe completes his literary hat-trick with Limberlost, a stunning novelThis is a book about violence and fear, but theres a great tenderness, tooNot a word is wasted. Limberlost is powerful, lyrical and packs a hell of an emotional punch. Its one of the best books Ive read this year. * ABC Arts *
Creatures loom wondrously in this lyrical novelThe animal kingdom around Ned bursts with languagePowerfulAs the novel progresses Arnott ventures into more wistful territory[He expertly] captures Neds autumn of life. * Sunday Times (UK) *
Arnotts writing has understated elegance and lilts to poetic rhythms. Its beauty hides an emotional punch made more powerful by its slow revealThe writing is magnificent, and the characterisation of Ned is superb. A must-read novel. * Good Reading *
Extraordinarily imaginativeHis writing is so exquisiteFull of striking images. * ABC TV Weekend Breakfast *

The magic is definitely present in [Limberlost] in the power of [Robbie Arnotts] writingAustralian fiction at its best.

* Coast Magazine *
[Arnotts] ability to write sublimely about nature has never been in doubt. But what characterises Limberlost as a triumph is how the author manages to illustrate the simple poignancy of human drama. * Meanjin *
Limberlost is frequently exquisiteIts writing is alert to the language and imagery of mythology, and attuned to the living worldArnott writes beautiful sentences. * Conversation *
The descriptions of the natural world are wonderfully vivid. * Daily Mail (UK) *
A luminously told, whole-life story of a young boy discovering how to be his own manArnott has an eye and an ear for description that can elevate otherwise quiet moments to something genuinely transcendent. * Guardian (UK) *
Tender and often exquisitely movingAn intimate portraitLimberlost doesnt claim to answer all of the complex questions it raisesHowever, in its haunted quality and understated sense of wonder, it does succeed in capturing some of the complexity of our relationships with the natural world. * West Australian *
Arnotts third novel carries echoes of Ernest Hemingways masterpieceIt could be read as a sort of The Young Man and the Sea: a beautiful, pared-back exploration of masculinity, and the sustaining nature of dreamsLimberlost is a sensory rollercoaster. Arnotts writing is unadorned, but thrillingly visceralThe joy of Limberlost, beyond the writing, is that, in Arnotts rendering, nature is not always something to be wondered at, then subdued. The book is flecked with violence and rot, but there is much tenderness, too. * Big Issue (UK) *
Masterful storytelling. * BookPeople *
Unutterably beautiful. * Gleebooks *
There is mastery in the way [Robbie Arnott] captures the beauty and ferocity of the natural environmentLimberlost tracks the texture of memory and timeThe essence of longing saturates the narrative, for a time lost and a future yet to be inhabited. * ArtsHub *
Finely told[Reminds] us that the quintessence of our countryshould remain indelible in our collective memory and perhaps be elevated into the realm of the heroic. * Australian *
Filled with wonder and reverenceArnott has traded in the magical realism of his previous work for a deep sense of the personal, and the result is equally transcendent and immersive. * Big Issue *
Highly recommended[Robbie Arnott is] at the peak of his game. * Herald Sun *
Robbie Arnott is establishing himself as one of Australia's best novelistsBeautifully writtenFor all those people who are waiting for the next Tim Winton novel. * Fairfield Books *
Robbie Arnott cements his reputation as one of Australias most affecting storytellersArnott uses the colours and creatures of the natural world to populate Neds world. * Australian *
Sentences sublime. * Pip Williams *
A gem. * Michael Winkler *
Ive read Robbie Arnotts Limberlost twice already. Calling it (hopefully not cursing it) for next years Miles Franklin shortlist. * Jennifer Down *
[Limberlost] further underlines [Arnotts] mastery of nature writing. * Jock Serong *
Singing proseThis coming-of-age story confirms Robbie Arnott as a masterly writer of eco-fiction. * The Times (UK) *
One of the great reading experiences of the yearJust perfect. * ABC Radio Melbourne *
A pitch-perfect story steeped in beautiful writing about the natural world. * Age *
The end of the story fashions an extraordinary emotional catharsis in the lead character, bringing a closure that Ive not seen executed well elsewhere in literature. This novel will win a swag of awards in 2023, mark my words. * Triple R *
Never have I read the natural world, or masculinity, written like itRobbie Arnott has fundamentally (and with such terrible, aching tenderness) nailed it. * Helen Jukes, author of A Honeybee Heart has Five Openings *
Absolutely exquisite on every level. * Karen Ginnane *
Absolutely exquisite on every level. * Karen Ginnane *
PoignantArnotts beautifully descriptive language shows his love of the Tasmanian landscape, as he allows Ned to find deep solace in the nature that surrounds him. * Openbook *

Author Bio

Robbie Arnotts acclaimed debut, Flames (2018), won a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist award and a Tasmanian Premiers Literary Prize, and was shortlisted for a Victorian Premiers Literary Award, a New South Wales Premiers Literary Award, a Queensland Literary Award, the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction and the Not the Booker Prize. His follow-up, The Rain Heron (2020), won the Age Book of the Year award, and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the ALS Gold Medal, the Voss Literary Prize and an Adelaide Festival Award. He lives in Hobart.