Always, Perfectly, Everyplace, Me.

My favourite book of all time is Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, so I was very excited when I found out that Cloudstreet was finally coming to UK television screens after being shown in Australia couple of months back! So, it came, and it was amazing. I just watched the last episode, and oh my. Most beautiful television I have ever seen in my life. All of those involved in the making of this TV Series should be so incredibly proud of themselves, they did a fantastic job and really did do the book justice. I’m a bit of an emotional mess after watching the last episode…I’ve been waiting four years for this. Ever since I first read the book in my final year of school I have wanted to see this on television, and finally, it’s happened. 

The series started back in January, and was shown on Sky Atlantic on Sunday evenings. I always recorded it and then watched it during the week as there’s never anything good on tv during the week so it gave me something to look forward to. Every week each episode has amazed me – the cinematography, the actors, the setting, the narration, the emotion. I also love the fact they included narration with passages from the book, and every scene was just breathtaking, it’s made me miss Perth so much! Also, every character was exactly how I had imagined them when reading the book, which just goes to show how incredible these actors are! Special mentions to Stephen Curry who played Sam Pickles, Kerry Fox who played Oriel Lamb, and Hugo Johnstone-Burt who played Fish Lamb. Those three for me were just outstanding! 

My only dislikes about the television series;
1. They didn’t really portray the meaning behind the house and Aborigines very well; so I think those who haven’t read the book would find it very difficult to understand the importance of the piano, middle C note, house ‘breathing’ and the Aboriginal girls/ghosts etc.
2. They missed out important parts of the book. I know you can’t include everything from a book into a television series, but they could have easily taken it into a ‘full’ series instead of a ‘mini’ series, added an extra couple of episodes and gone into the Quick and Rose story more; included them moving into the new suburb, Quick as a policeman, Rose’s battle with anorexia, the miscarriage, the Nedlands Monster, them moving back to Cloudstreet and having Wax Harry after all of that heartache. 
Anyway, those are just my personal opinions. 

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the book;

‘Will you look at us by the river! The whole restless mob of us on spread blankets in the dreamy briny sunshine skylarking and chiacking about for one day, one clear, clean, sweet day in a good world in the midst of our living. Yachts run before an unfelt gust with bagnecked pelicans riding above them, the city their twitching backdrop, all blocks and points of mirror light down to the water’s edge.’

‘On the long grassy bank beneath the peppermint trees and the cavernous roots of the moreton bay figs…The university clock chimes and a rowing team slides past with the sun in its eyes…the sweet coppery water where jellyfish float and blowfish bloat’

‘Here by the river,the beautiful,the beautiful the river…I burst into the moon, sun, stars of who I really am…Perfectly. Always. Everyplace. Me.’

You can buy the book here. Or buy the DVD here (it comes out 27th Feb so you can pre-order it)

Has anyone else seen the series and/or read the book? What did you think of it?
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Catherine Lux
Catherine Lux

Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of SEO at Havas Media Group by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.

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