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The Thorn Birds cover art

The Thorn Birds

By: Colleen McCullough
Narrated by: Greta Scacchi
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Publisher's Summary

'Excellent' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'A true epic . . . this stunning tale has been called the Australian Gone With the Wind' DAILY MAIL

'One of the biggest-selling, most widely read books in the history of fiction' OBSERVER

In the rugged Australian Outback, three generations of Clearys live through joy and sadness, bitter defeat and magnificent triumph - driven by their dreams, sustained by remarkable strength of character and torn by dark passions, violence and a scandalous family legacy of forbidden love.

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, who can never possess the man she so desperately adores - Ralph de Bricassart. Ralph will rise from parish priest to the inner circles of the Vatican . . . but his passion for Meggie will follow him all the days of his life.

A timeless epic romance - a battle between faith and the heart.
©1977 Colleen McCullough (P)2007 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about The Thorn Birds

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This is a fake 'The Thorn Birds'

Any additional comments?

The Thorn Birds is my favorite book ever, I've got a paperback book, a DVD of its movie, and I wanted to have an audio version so that I can always listen to, especially when I'm on the go. I purchased this audio book with excitement but it turned out to be a HUGE disappointment. About a half of the story was skipped with all of the critical, beautiful parts and conversations... gone. What a waste!

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10 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This is NOT the full novel

The Thorn birds is one of my favourite novels so I was extremely disappointed after listening, to find out that this version of the novel leaves out multiple key paragraphs, and whole scenes out of the book. Unfortunately, upon searching, it seems that audible doesn’t actually offer the real version, or any other version at all of this book. Very disappointing. Going to try another audio book service to see if I can find it.

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8 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is an abridged version

Disappointed to read lose after listening for a while that this is abridged, which should be made clear on/before purchase.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Disappointed

I absolutely love the printed book, it is definitely my favorite book since I was a teenager, so I really looked forward to listening to it. But I was really disappointed that the audio version had left out at least 1/3 of the book, the listeners are missing out on so much! Why would you cut the story short?! The original narrative adds so much depths to the characters, to the storyline...and it's all missing in this audiobook!
The narrator wasn't great either, at times cringeworthy. Disappointed again.
I wish there was a full version, with a different narrator.

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4 people found this helpful

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Read the hard copy

So many parts missed and cut out.. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!! Waste of money. So disappointed.

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3 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Really disappointed it’s not the full book

I only realised after purchasing that it’s not the full book - would not have purchased if I’d known. Will not listen I want the whole book. I’m new to audiobooks and I hadn’t even known this was a possibility- will check before buying in future.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not As I Remember

Although I really enjoyed listening to The Thorn Birds I was disappointed that some parts of the book were left out…am wondering why this was the case.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A great book to listen to

This was beautifully read but I wish I'd realised that the story was abridged as it missed so many details from my favorite story.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Mrs
  • 30-07-2015

A bit of Australia

A surprisingly captivating story which I really enjoyed as a new resident of Australia I enjoyed hearing about now familiar scenery, animals and culture and enjoyed it all the more for that.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The Thorn birds.

If I had known that you would leave half the book out of your narration, I would not have purchased the audio.
This a brilliant book and I am so disappointed.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.