Rating: 
Summary: an extremely descriptive tale.
Review: The book The Bone People is very original. All the characters have serious personal problems that unravel a bit with the plot. The problems make the characters seem real even though they are extreme. The author Keri Hulme seems to know a lot about the plants and animals of the area as well as the traditions and the language of the Maori people, she adds all these into the book. The descriptions in this book are incredible. The author especially enjoys describing the relations between characters, and the ways they communicate. Because of the immense description the plot at times seems lacking and slow, because of this I'm having a hard time making it though the full 445 pages. Keri Hulme does have a unique but rough style of writing. The characters say exactly what they are thinking, and at times this can be surprising and funny. The Main character Kerewin has intentionally isolated herself from the rest of the world. That is until Simon; a mute and feisty eight-year-old boy nearly threatens to jump through the window of the tower she lives in. She becomes attached to this boy and his father who both have as mysterious and deeply troubled pasts as does she. The author leaves a lot up to the reader's imagination. I'm hoping the end of the book will explain it all. I think this is the type of book you either love or don't, so if you love complicated identities and intense description you will love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Massive beauty
Review: Kerewin is a loner living in remote New Zealand whose solitude is invaded by the mysterious mute child called Simon and his guardian Joe. The three slowly form a strong family unit that is later devastated by their various pasts, their pains and anger, their culture. After some time apart, they each heal and find their respective ways back to each other to recreate a new whole. Showcasing the vitality of the Maori ways, Hulme has used universal archetypes that make this story accessible. Yes, the language is challenging and unique. And yet, like writers such as Virginia Woolf, Hulme uses the words themselves, not just the imagery they convey, to move the story and give depth, which ultimately makes the reading a much more enriching experience. It is a story of humanity's hope through the detritus our world society creates in us.
Rating:
Summary: No Man is an Island
Review: The Bone People is as perfect as a book can be. Although the author's stream-of-consciousnenss style may take a little getting used to for readers of more conventional books, it is as smooth as silk and never jarring. Hulme's manipulation of the third person subjective is masterful and we really come to know each of the three protagonists and feel their deep and continuous pain. Although the subject matter portrayed in The Bone People is dark and often horrendous, the writing itself is lyrical, a testament to Hulme's power as a poet. But make no mistake, The Bone People is a narrative, a superb one, and not a prose poem.For me, The Bone People is a meditation about the destructive effects of closing oneself to others, of retreating and withdrawing so far into oneself that one is no longer capable of real communication and communion with others. Each of the three protagonists, because of excessive pain, pain that goes beyond any words, has built and retreated into what he or she hopes will be a protective shell but finds instead a nightmare world, one that leads each to the very brink of death. I have heard some people say they believe the ending to be trite or "tacked on." I found the ending absolutely perfect, and given each character's "trial by fire," I don't know how Hulme could have written the ending any differently and still maintained the integrity of her book. I am sure there are many Maori legends, myths and references in The Bone People that I missed as I know little about this fascinating culture. But do not let a lack of Maori knowledge stop you from reading this superb book. It is, above all else, a wonderfully insightful character study that is rich, complex and filled with love and pain beyond measure. I enjoy reading almost any book I choose to delve into, but few have left me with a feeling of awe. The Bone People is one that did. I am sure I will remember it for a long, long time to come. Indeed, I may never forget it. In short, I simply cannot praise it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: powerful, disturbing, and moving.
Review: This whole book has a feeling of both isolation and the desire for the warmth of human companionship. Each of the very different characters are beautifully and realistically portrayed. They each grow and learn from being in each others presence, and they are all flawed, and very human. Moments in this book are very tough to take, but it is an excellent read, and one of the best modern novels. Definitely not for everybody though. And be prepared for emotional involvement.
Rating:
Summary: Identity isn¿t Skin Deep
Review: This is a story about three people, but it is moreover an account of a culture that has been splintered by colonialism. There were a lot of critical arguments circulating at the time of this novel's publication because there was a heavy debate over what the Maori culture should represent itself as and if this female author was doing it properly. The powerful thing about the novel is that while reading it you are hardly aware of the culture representation because at the heart of the story is the conflicts of the central characters. But likewise, when you stand back to look at the novel you see is that the influence of Maori culture is everywhere present in this novel. Instead of trying to interpret these characters as cultural symbols, perhaps they should be conceived as individuals coming to terms with their own identity like anyone else. Kerewin has all the marking of the stereotypical independent artist. She even lives in a tower by the sea, but she is unable to paint. You will find her overpowering ego annoying, but I think you are meant to. Her rapture with herself is one of the things she must learn to overcome throughout the novel. All of the three main characters have a form of artistic expression that is being suppressed through a division in their identity. They must each overcome a barrier before they can truly express themselves and they can only do this together. The interactions between the characters are a masterful portrayal of the way in which close people, especially family members, can avoid some of the most obvious conflicts in their lives when to anyone else they would be quite evident. Toward the end of the novel the characters sink into an almost mythical state of being where their only hope of survival is through a reinvention of their being. This is a sharp departure from the straightforward story up until this point. But it is gradually introduced through a growing emphasis on the internal processes of the characters by narrating their thoughts. I found it disappointing that this novel wasn't properly edited before publication. For some reason the author views this as something to boast about, but I found that a rewording of some phrases and maybe slight cuts for some of the superfluously long scenes would have added to the immense pleasure of reading this astounding novel. Still, as you can tell, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've read
Review: I first learned of the book a couple of years ago in NZ. It had been on someone's recommended reading list and a couple of my fellow travelers had started it. Picked it up a while back and was unable to put it down. I can see how people either love it or hate it. Taken literally, it is difficult to like. People who drink that much in real life just aren't very interesting. The child abuse scenes are disturbing, though not as horrific as some of the works of Jerzy Kosinsky that I used to be enamored with. Further, if you've been in NZ, you'll know that the people there are among the nicest you'll ever meet. After a few pages, however, the style just pulls you in on an emotional and fantastic trip around the psyche. Definitely well worth the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly executed!
Review: This book could have been good. The possibilities were simply lost in the hands of an immature writer. Keri Hulme used a writing style that simply did not allow for the characters to develop into people I could care about. The sentence structure did not imply mysticism at all;this writer was sorely in need of several writing classes before submitting this disappointing piece. Don't waste your time on this!
Rating:
Summary: How this "journal"earned a prize mystifies me!
Review: The Bone People is a book that you eithe love or hate. It is simply a matter of preference for writing style and treatment of subject matter. I personally prefer works that have more structure and direction. Keri Hulmes stream of conciousness "style" seems self-absorbed and limited. It is verbose to the extreme and contains endless lists of words and run on sentences that appear to be an attempt to hide the fact that very little character development evolves and plot is left out. If this is mysticism, spare me. If this is storytelling, who were the characters and what is the plot? The characters are only shadows that never get fleshed out. The author continuously "drops" hints that never get past first base. I wanted a home run, but the author kept stealing the bases out from under her own feet. Who were these people? In the end, I was glad to see them go because the author did nothing to make me care about them. Dangling bits of information is unfair to the reader and poor writing technique. Finally, the treatment of the themes were selfish and unrealistic. There is no way that "Joe" would be allowed to maintain any connection with Simon after his horrible deeds were discovered by athorities, and I resent the author's attempt to make the reader view Joe as a hero. He is evil. No evil person should be glorified in a novel. Not a person who is a child abuser, no matter how pitiful the abuser's background. The K.H. character obviously demonstrates that this book is, at best, fictionalized journal writing that somehow got published after being thwarted by the mainstream publishers. Sometimes that is good. However, this book needed much more work and the brutal hand of a responsible editor.
Rating: 
Summary: The Story Did Not Live Up To It's Full Potential
Review: This book handles some of the darkest aspects of the human soul-child abuse, alcoholism, frustration and above all, conflict with one's identity and society. An exploration of the complex relationship between three very different but equally lost individuals is an excellent basis for a novel and that is why this book should have been much better than it was. Although admittedly the focus of the book was the conflicts between and relationships of the three main characters, I still found that the book followed no clear plot. As I was reading, I often found myself wondering just where the story was going. Characters seemed to just go through the motions of life with the story leading up to anything. The author also dropped tantalizing mysteries, only to never revisit the subject again. We never did find out Simon's true origins, despite much discussion about it early in the book, nor was the reasons behind Kerewin's estrangement from her family revealed. Filling in some of these gaps could have greatly added to the depth of the characters and given readers much more insight into their feelings and motivations. Finally, I am skeptical as the whether the characters in this book offer an accurate and true representation of the Maori culture. I would caution against anyone stereotyping an entire ethnic group based on this book. While I applaud the author for tackling serious subjects, I found that the obvious lack of a plot and story question made this book a very unsatisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: Maori Mysticism
Review: The Bone People is a wonderful, life-changing book that is rich in character, vivid in detail and encompasses almost the entire range of human emotions. The plot revolves around three lost souls: Kerewin, an artist who can no longer create; Simon, a mute boy who washed up on a deserted beach; and Joe, Simon's almost-stepfather. At its heart, The Bone People is a romance but it is also a story that takes a look at the dark and serious side of life as well, especially child abuse. No one should be put off by its sometimes depressing subject matter, though. The Bone People is a book that, surprisingly and wonderfully, always manages to celebrate life in all of its complexity. In fact, much of it is lyrically beautiful despite the darkness of some of its themes. The Bone People is extraordinarily well-written (enough so to garner Hulme a Booker Prize). This is a book with a style and voice all its own, something highly unusual in a first novel. But, unlike some recent novels, The Bone People is never a case of style-over-substance; Hulme weaves her magic with both her engrossing story and her unique, almost stream-of-consciousness style. There are a lot of shifts in time and perspective in this novel but they are always smooth and perfectly placed. Nothing about The Bone People seems jarring or out-of-place. Hulme's prose is almost musical: andante, adagio, allegro, and we find ourselves reading to the cadence she sets. The Bone People has an extraordinary and wonderful sense of place. Part of this is inherent in the New Zealand setting and the Maori words that decorate the text. The beach scenes are especially well-written and we can really smell the sea and feel the warmth of the sand between our toes. A few things about The Bone People might seem disjointed at first. The prologue, for example, only makes sense after you finish the book and then reread it. But, to Hulme's credit, it is entitled, "The End At The Beginning," so this should come as no surprise. The ending, which gives some readers a little trouble, might be more easily understood if we only realize that Hulme is dealing with her characters on an individual basis at this point in the book. Once we realize that, any sense of a deus ex machina ending disappears and all makes perfect sense. It is mystical, yes, but it is a mysticism inherent in the book's story and so it belongs there, rather than being inserted. The Bone People is a lyrical and beautiful book that takes a sensitive look at some of life's most serious problems. I wish there were more books out there that measured up to the standard it set.
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