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Title:
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Elusive Language of Ducks, The |
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Authors:
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White, Judith |
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Genre:
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Fiction: New Zealand |
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Pages:
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384 |
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Year:
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2014 |
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Language:
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English |
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Description:
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It could be said that looking after a Muscovy duckling was just what Hannah needed after her mother's death. Nothing could compensate her for the loss she has just suffered, but having to care for the orphaned little creature would be a distraction from her grief. Who would have thought that her initial reluctance to do so would develop into such an obsession? Not her husband Simon for starters, or 'Ducko' would never have been introduced into the household.
Quirky and thoughtful, this story is at the same time both a gentle contemplation of grief and a wry exploration of human relationships.
Comments from Groups: What an original, creative novel! A very gifted writer who dealt with serious issues such as grief, loss and relationships, but with quirky touches of humour. It gave rise to plenty of animated discussion. Dunedin 029 We all loved this book - beautiful writing. Looking forward to reading more of her work. Auckland 255 The group was divided on this book. There were lots of underlying themes and interesting and complex relationships, but some felt it got lost and dragged on in the middle. Christchurch 312 What a weird and crazy book...the discussion was awesome! One member really liked it, some thought it ok, others awful. Most said they'd never read it again, but we agreed we would probably be talking about 'that duck book' in 10 years time, like we still talk about 'Life of Pi'. Thanks for choosing this book for us! We all laughed and agreed that there were quite a few things we learnt about ducks that we never knew before. Ashburton 016 An insightful book - humorous, clever and well written. Most became tired of the duck talk though. Christchurch 145 Everyone enjoyed this book, some loved it. All agreed the language was poetic, and contained profound observations about human nature and experiences. The duck was a great way to give insight into the main characters' thinking. Christchurch 240 We loved it - thoroughly enjoyed the quirkiness of the antics of the duck. We had a lively conversation , especially about Hannah, and feel that she gained some help in coming to terms with her mother's death by her association with the duck. Blenheim
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Categories:
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Fiction NZ, Grief/loss, Relationships, 2016 Titles, Blind Low Vision library |
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By: MTMA 006
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2024-05-29 13:43:11 |
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This book had a varied response from our group. Most did not finish as it it did not 'grab' them. Another found it was beautifully written with the use of powerful images. It did spark quite a debate around cremation and ashes. |
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By: HAMIL 059
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2024-05-29 13:39:43 |
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Mixed opinions but most were sick of the duck aspects by the end of the book. Nice twist re the mother's ashes! |
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By: CHCH 068
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2024-05-29 13:31:31 |
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The general feeling was one of disappointment - we felt it did not live up to its reviews, and what could have been a fascinating story failed to hold the attention - several people became too irritated to finish. Only one member was unreservedly enthusiastic. Most appreciated the language however. But not the duck conversations. |
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By: MAPUA 001
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2024-05-29 13:25:54 |
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While the group acknowledged Judith White's talent as a writer, enjoying her descriptions and turns of phrase, overall the group didn't warm to any of the characters and felt the book could have used an edit to shorten it. People were interested to read her short stories, feeling that it is a genre where she likely excels. |
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By: WESTP 001
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2024-05-29 13:19:08 |
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We enjoyed reading this book - mostly. There were some minor irritations especially that we didn't believe that 'Ducko' was "adopted" by a passing family. Judith White writes with an insightfulness quirkiness, and some members said they would like to read more of her stories. |
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By: PALMN 029
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2023-05-17 21:15:58 |
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Most of the group found this book very hard to get into and a bit depressing. |
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By: AUCK 133
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2020-07-29 13:00:55 |
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Poignant and heartfelt. We all felt for Hannah, and could relate to how pleasing it would be to have the pet duck to talk to. Her family were very unempathetic and should be ashamed! |
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By: WHANG 022
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2020-07-29 12:56:48 |
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Loved it! |
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By: INVER 001
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2020-07-29 12:28:28 |
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Quite a mixed reaction to this book...some members couldn't cope with all the "duck" references, others were more tolerant!!! All agreed the book was well-written, easy flowing style, and certainly raised some important issues. |
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By: CHCH 001
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2020-07-29 12:25:49 |
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Interesting discussion - we all agreed that the writing was very good. The duck represented the inner workings of the woman's mind. She was trying to deal with grief, sadness and inner turmoil. The duck became an obsession. Sometimes very humorous, the best bits were when the woman was in conversation with the duck! We did not think that 'Ducko' went off with an Indian family!! Some loved it, some found it very disturbing. |
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By: WAIKA 010
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2020-07-29 12:22:34 |
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50-50 split re enjoyment of the book - all agreed they loved the style of writing, chapter headings and lack of punctuation. Beautifully written with amazing perceptiveness and insight. Some were very annoyed with the duck and would have enjoyed less of him -others thought he was integral. Lots of discussion! re elderly, grief, loneliness, marriage and depression. |
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By: TAUR 015
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2020-07-29 12:08:50 |
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Not a favourite. Some elements of the story just 'odd'. Nice style of writing with some eloquent passages. Would consider reading other work by Judith White, however. |
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By: WHITIAN 002
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2020-07-29 12:06:51 |
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We all enjoyed this book to a degree. Felt there was too much 'Ducko', and no one liked Mother being mixed in mash ( to end up as duck poo on the lawn!). Well-written with great descriptions. 2 people have recycled their down filled pillows thanks to Annabel! All liked Judith White's style, and were happy with the ending. |
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By: NELS 023
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2020-07-29 11:25:38 |
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This book was a resounding success! The originality of the plot and skill of the writing was a winner... |
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