Gilgamesh (Australia/New Zealand bookring)

by Joan London | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0330362755 Global Overview for this book
Registered by Saki of Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on 7/18/2006
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
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12 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Saki from Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, July 18, 2006
From the back cover:

'Edith and Frances, living with their mother on a tiny farm in the south-west of Australia, are visited by their cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend Aram. The two young men are taking the long way home after working on an archaeological dig in Iraq. It is 1937. The modern world, they say, is waiting to erupt. Among the tales they tell is the story of Gilgamesh, the legendary king of Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh's great journey of mourning after the death of his friend Enkidu, and his search for the secret of eternal life, is to resonate through all their lives.

In 1939, Edith and her young child set off an an impossible journey of their own, to find themselves trapped by the outbreak of war. The story of this journey is the story of encounters and escapes, of friendship and love, of loss and acceptance ...'

This is a beautifully written book that really stood out among those I have read in the last couple of years. I was not surprised to learn that it had won The Age Book of the Year (in 2003, I think), and had been shortlisted for a number of other prizes. But, it is curiously under-represented on Bookcrossing. I think it deserves a wider readership so I have decided to send my copy out as a bookring along with a copy of the original Epic of Gilgamesh. You can enjoy Joan London's book without reading the original, but I think it does enhance it and draw certain themes out more clearly. Also, the Epic is a great read in its own right (and very brief - it is an epic in terms of its themes not its length).

Journal Entry 2 by Saki from Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Sunday, July 23, 2006
I have had 10 responses already from Australia and New Zealand before having an opportunity to post details on the international bookring forum. So I have decided to restrict the bookring to this region for the time being, rather sending it out as an international ring as originally intended.

I have tried to place people in the order I received their pms, but a little bit of regrouping was necessary to respect posting preferences (where stated) and to keep the postage costs down generally. I hope everyone is happy with their position on the list.

The participants are: (List amended 31 July to include dopsis and Pixette).

1. BellaMack - St Helens, Tasmania, Australia
2. Arrietty - Adelaide, Australia
3. Magicjessnrach - Adelaide, Australia (may take a little longer here because two members of the household may read it)
4. goodthinkingmax - Sydney, Australia
5. Fleebo - Sydney, Australia
6. froggirlwendy - Brisbane, Australia
7. TheLetterB - Christchurch, New Zealand
8. discoverylover - Wellington, New Zealand
9. Sherlockfan - Wellington, New Zealand
10. dopsis - Albany, WA, Australia.
11. Pixette - Sydney, Australia
12. Back to Saki.

Standard rules apply:

1. Please journal the books when you receive them so other participants can keep track of where the books are and how far down they are on the list.

2. Read the books at your own pace. However, if it is taking longer than 6 weeks please make another entry to let us know how far along you are and to reassure us the bookring hasn't stalled.

3. When you are ready to send the books on, PM the next person on the list and request their snail mail address. If you don't hear back within 7 days, contact the following person on the list (and please PM me to let me know too).

Happy Reading!

Released 17 yrs ago (7/31/2006 UTC) at Australia Post in Melbourne, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases

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Sent in the mail to BellaMack today. Enjoy!

Journal Entry 4 by BellaMack from St Helens, Tasmania Australia on Friday, August 4, 2006
Received yesterday, thanks saki, will journal when read, :)

Journal Entry 5 by BellaMack from St Helens, Tasmania Australia on Monday, August 21, 2006
I absolutely love this book!! Joan London has created a wonderful reading experience, the characters are excellently drawn, the plot fast moving. I was totally engrossed in this book , found it incredibly hard to put down. Thank you so much Saki for the opportunity to read it.

Posting to Arrietty as soon as I have an address.

Journal Entry 6 by BellaMack from St Helens, Tasmania Australia on Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Posted to Arrietty today so should arrive early next week. Enjoy!!

Journal Entry 7 by Arrietty from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Monday, September 4, 2006
Just receive the two books in the mail today - Thanks BellaMack and also Saki for starting the ring. I'm looking forward to reading it. I don't have any other bookrings at the moment so will get on with it. Am seeing magicjessnrach next Tuesday but don't think I'll get through it by then (unless I don't go to work, don't do any housework and just veg out for a week!)

(By the way Bellamack, any chance of coming over to adelaide convention so that Sarahbear isn't the only delegate from Tassie?)

Journal Entry 8 by Arrietty from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Wednesday, September 20, 2006
A very thoughful and beautifully descriptive book about a young woman in the late 30s who goes on a Quest, much as Gilgamesh did in the ancient legend. I loved the slow, languid beginning set in England and Australia and then the move to more exotic places, Iraq, Armenia. However I think it lost it's fluidity in the last part 'Return', where I felt the author was hastily putting bits of the puzzle together when there really was no need.

Overall a very enjoyable read and I was quite taken by little Edith's courage and tenacity as she embarked on that very difficult journey.

Here is Edith slowing coming to a realisation about her Quest. She is discussing the story of Gilgamesh with an old friend, and the fact that the women in the myth have no role.

'..nothing happens to them. It's not their story. No woman goes off on quests like that. Women get stuck. They are left behind with the children.'
'What about you? All the way from Australia?'
'With a small child. I did if for Jim's sake. Well, all right, I did it for love'.
'Isn't that the same as eternal life?'
Edith blew out smoke. She was twenty-four and felt she could never be made young again. She drew on her cigarette and felt the lines on her dry face form some hard, predictive pattern. She was much too cross to tell him that she had found what she was looking for.

Thanks for starting this bookring Saki. I will now get in touch with magicjessnrach.

Journal Entry 9 by magicjessnrach from Flagstaff Hill, South Australia Australia on Tuesday, September 26, 2006
I found these two books in my pigeon hole at work today. Thanks Arrietty and Saki. As I have just started another book I think I'll let Jess read this one first.

Journal Entry 10 by magicjessnrach from Flagstaff Hill, South Australia Australia on Thursday, December 28, 2006
I am so sorry for holding onto these books for so long but both Jess and I totally forgot about them until we found them today at the bottom of a pile of books. As a consequence of our forgetfullness neither of us as read the books but as we have hed them so long we will pass them on as soon as we get the next participants details. Sorry we didn't get to read them but thanks for including us anyway :)

Journal Entry 11 by goodthinkingmax from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, January 14, 2007
Arrived today with another bookring, just as I had looked excitedly and longingly at my bookshelf and exclaimed "I have no more bookrings in the house".


Journal Entry 12 by goodthinkingmax from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, January 25, 2007
Thought this one was quite good. The characters, the history and the rural backdrop lured me in and I read it almost in one sitting. I was sooo annoyed with Edith though when she ignorantly took off with young baby Jim!! If I don't see fleebo at a Sydney meetup this week, I will post it to her.

Journal Entry 13 by Fleebo on Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Received in the mail. I had quite forgotten that this was on its way to me. Thank you very much!

Journal Entry 14 by Fleebo on Wednesday, May 30, 2007
I have had these books for way too long, and have still only read the Epic of Gilgamesh, which was interesting but mercifully short. Clearly from an oral storytelling tradition.
Anyway, I'm about to move house so I will send it on rather than packing it. Sorry for keeping it such a long time.

Journal Entry 15 by froggirlwendy from Bracken Ridge, Queensland Australia on Thursday, June 7, 2007
Both books arrived today - do I read the little one first? Thanks for including me in this ring saki, and thanks to fleebo for sending it my way. I have one other bookring ahead of this one so I should be on track (hopefully). Hugs :o)

Journal Entry 16 by froggirlwendy from Bracken Ridge, Queensland Australia on Friday, August 3, 2007
I really enjoyed this book. What a great read - I didn''t get a chance to read ''The Epic of Gilgamesh'' (too many other bookrings arrived) but ''Gilgamesh I thoroughly enjoyed. What a difficult and life moulding journey for Edith & Jim. Thank you so much Saki for adding me to this bookring. I have received TheLetterB''s address so will post it off soon. Happy reading :o)

Journal Entry 17 by froggirlwendy at on Friday, August 3, 2007

Released 16 yrs ago (8/3/2007 UTC) at

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On it''s way to TheLetterB in New Zealand. Continuing Gilgamesh''s bookring journey :o)

Journal Entry 18 by TheLetterB from Dunedin, Otago New Zealand on Tuesday, August 14, 2007
These arrived in the mail from Australia today, good timing as I don''t have a book on the go at the moment. Thanks Saki and froggirlwendy!

Journal Entry 19 by TheLetterB from Dunedin, Otago New Zealand on Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Just an update - sorry I've had the books so long. They arrived a week before I went on a six-week overseas trip. I thought I'd get them read and on their way before I left, but it wasn't to be, and I didn't want to take them with me in case I lost them or had a brain-blip and released them or something.

Anyway, I'm back and reading them, and will get them on their way to discoverylover as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 20 by TheLetterB from Dunedin, Otago New Zealand on Sunday, October 21, 2007
What an interesting pair of books, thanks so much for putting this bookring together, Saki. I read the Epic of Gilgamesh first, which took a while as although the epic itself is relatively short, I took quite a time to get through the introduction. It's very educational - I had heard of the epic, but had no idea of how old the story is, or how it survived (cuneiform, wow!).

Gilgamesh the novel was a really interesting comparison. There were so many pairs of travelling adventurers, from Ada and Frank clearing bush in Australia, to Leopold and Aram travelling almost on a whim to see Leopold's relatives, and of course the central pair, Edith and Jim. And at the end we have a glimpse of the next adventurers, Jim and possibly Gareth - Jim even refers to himself as "the dark man, the wild man from the plains". But not all adventures involve travelling to the far reaches of the world. When Edith refers to the greater adventure of staying at home at the end, I was forced to consider the stories of Frances and Lee, and Edith and Lawrence, as adventures of another kind.

This was a fascinating and beautiful book. I found the beginning relatively slow, but once Edith and Jim were at large (and in my opinion, what else could she do? There was no adventure at all in staying at home), I was gripped.

Thanks again Saki, I'll send this on to Discoverylover as soon as I have her address.

Edited 24/10 to add: Books are off to Discoverylover today.

Journal Entry 21 by discoverylover from Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Saturday, October 27, 2007
In the mail today! Thanks TLB! Am just reading 'Once Were Warriors as a bookring at the moment but once I've finished that one I will start this!

Journal Entry 22 by discoverylover from Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Monday, December 10, 2007
Was an ok book. I thought it was a bit slow at times, and took a bit of getting into, but definately worth reading.

Taking to our meetup tonight to give to Sherlockfan.

Journal Entry 23 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Received from DiscoveryLover tonight at the Wellington December meet-up up. this time it was a barbecue at Lizzie-P's house and a very good evening it turned out to be. Three brand new bookcrossers - how cool is that? Good food, good weather and great company.

I'll try to read it quickly between unpacking our whole household of furniture that has been in storage 5 months, and getting Christmas cards sent off and shopping done. Busy time of year but so lucky we have books in between to keep us sane.

Journal Entry 24 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Sunday, January 6, 2008
Thoroughly enjoying this book and will PM Dopsis for an address so it can be on its way again. Covering some completely new territory for me; I've never read anything about Armenians before. Very interesting.

Journal Entry 25 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Sunday, January 6, 2008
I've pm-ed Dopsis but no reply as yet. It is holiday time after all. I started off reading the Epic of Gilgamesh but found that hard going. Perhaps it was only the intro that was hard going but I won't know as I gave that up and started the 'real' book which was much more readable. Really enjoyed it, the struggles in rural Australia were realistically portrayed; the characters very strong, well depicted and likeable. I enjoyed the totally different environments as Edith and Jim headed to their Armenian destination. Another of the sorts of books that I think would improve on the 2nd reading but this will be off just as soon as I hear from Dopsis.

Journal Entry 26 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
RELEASE NOTE

Posted off today to Dopsis.
Travel safely little books.

Journal Entry 27 by dopsis from Albany, Western Australia Australia on Thursday, January 24, 2008
Arrived yesterday. I have to admit, it's not my usual choice of book, but I'm trying to broaden my horizons! After reading the previous journals, I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm going away tomorrow for a week, and don't want to take it with me, just in case, but I'll start on it as soon as I get back.

Thanks for sharing, Saki :)

Journal Entry 28 by dopsis from Albany, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, February 10, 2008
A lovely read! It's also mainly set in SW WA, which is where I live, so I enjoyed trying to work out the exact spots they may have been in. I had a quick flick through the 'epic', but couldn't get into it, so haven't read that one.

Have pm'ed Pixette and will send it off when I get her address.

Journal Entry 29 by wingPixettewing from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, February 21, 2008
Received in my post box today along with the penguin classic of the epic poems.

thank you

Journal Entry 30 by wingPixettewing from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, March 9, 2008
I completed "the epic of gilgamesh" today. I had decided that if someone had found value in creating a modern work based on an historic one, it was worthy of an understanding.

It was all a bit stoic, but that's what you would expect from such an old text. A good translation nonetheless.

I am now fully prepared for the modern novel......

Journal Entry 31 by wingPixettewing from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
I found this book quite fascinating. It was a little slow going for me at the beginning - it was as if it was being told in detatchment and presented through a thick protective glass.

Finally the characters started to be real for me when the boys left and Edith was pregnant. The harshness of the landscape and war creating such tough characters.

It was all very moving. Thanks for sharing.

Journal Entry 32 by Saki from Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Friday, April 4, 2008
Arrived home in the mail today. Thanks, Pixette, and thanks to everyone who participated for your thoughtful comments and for keeping the bookring moving at a steady pace. I will make another journal entry when I have a bit more time with my own thoughts and feelings about the book.

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