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Flames

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Flames

By: Robbie Arnott
Narrated by: Henry Nixon, Anna Skellern
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About this listen

Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist 2019

Winner of the Margaret Scott Prize 2019

In Robbie Arnott’s widely acclaimed and much-loved first novel, a young man named Levi McAllister decides to build a coffin for his sister, Charlotte - who promptly runs for her life. A water rat swims upriver in quest of the cloud god. A fisherman hunts for tuna in partnership with a seal. And a father takes form from fire.

The answers to these riddles are to be found in this tale of grief and love and the bonds of family, tracing a journey across the southern island. Utterly original in conception, spellbinding in its descriptions of nature and celebration of language, Flames is one of the most exciting debuts of recent years.

©2018 Robbie Arnott (P)2020 W. F. Howes Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Magical Realism World Literature Magic Mind-Bending

Critic Reviews

"A strange and joyous marvel." (Richard Flanagan)

"Ambitious storytelling from a stunning new Australian voice. Flames is constantly surprising - I never knew where the story would take me next. This book has a lovely sense of wonder for the world. It’s brimming with heart and compassion." (Rohan Wilson)

"Robbie Arnott is a vivid and bold new voice in Australian fiction." (Danielle Wood)
All stars
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As a Tasmanian born reader, growing up way south of the big smoke, i totally feel Robbies need to tell this story. He has a real depth of understanding of this most beautiful & terrible place, of the force of weather, the destruction brought by white settlement on nature & eco systems. This story makes us think, & as the island does it leaves us with more questions than answers

Flames

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What an exceptional novel. Arnott creatively uses the voices of his characters to layer a damn good story, whilst rooting the reader firmly in the Tasmanian landscape. Inhabiting each character so completely, so skilfully, narrators Skellern and Nixon brought Arnott’s words to life, drawing me in and holding me for every minute of a long car trip. It was a pleasure to listen to this unusual story.

Captivating

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Teaching this to my VCE students and absolutely loved the narration and voice and styles of the characters.

Loved it!

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An interesting story with so many intertwined features. Each chapter is told in the first person and I was a little confused sometimes who the speaker was. It's an unusual story with some chapters having animals and weather as the focus, but it was really enjoyable.

Unusual but I couldn't stop listening, very enjoya

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this is great for school and great for education, fantastic author robbie arnott talking about the gods within tassie!

school work done!

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I felt this book started off somewhat challenging and I’m new to this style of book but towards the end it all began to make more and more sense and I found myself to start enjoying the story somewhat I have traveled across the region and it’s interesting to hear a tale of gods and fire spanning across the land.

Decent

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Such a range of characters and layers of story interwoven in a surprising way - a mythic quality

A remarkable imaginative story

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Robbie Arnott captures the exquisite beauty of places on the edge of impending eco disaster, his story serving as a parable of climate change. Beautifully written, utterly intriguing and as heartbreaking as it is thought-provoking. Lovely lyrical narration made this wondrous story feel like it floated straight out of the landscape.

Arnott writes like Winton

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This delightful novel exquisitely weaving lives together in deep poet metaphors. Beautifully written and asks one to view life very differently than a linear colonist frame. It I posted me to continue listening to “Limberlost” which I loved as equally.

Wonderful companion as I travel the Tasmania landscape

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Many parts of this are exquisite, some parts heartbreaking , all parts clever. Eventually everything intertwines but some characters are left unfinished in some ways.
Love the seal component and the water rat narrative is quite extraordinary-what a perspective!

Incredible imagination and the language is superb. It’s clever and nothing like anything I have read. It keeps you thinking long after finishing. I do like that all novels by this author finish with hope.

Mmmmm-a complex compelling narrative.

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