FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN NOVELS

IN OCTOBER 2009, the Australian Book Review (ABR) conducted a poll amongst its readers to determine their favourite AUSTRALIAN NOVELS. Altogether, some 290 novels were nominated. The results of the poll are in the February 2010 issue of the magazine. The top ten novels are as follows:

1. Cloudstreet / Tim Winton
2. The Fortunes of Richard Mahony / Henry Handel Richardson
3. Voss / Patrick White
4. Breath / Tim Winton
5. Oscar and Lucinda / Peter Carey
6. My Brother Jack / George Johnston
7. The Secret River / Kate Grenville
8. Eucalyptus / Murray Bail
9. The Man Who Loved Children / Christina Stead
10. The Tree of Man / Patrick White

Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, first published in 1991, was the overwhelming favourite, followed by Henry Handel Richardson’s The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, which was closely followed by Patrick White’s Voss and Winton’s most recent novel, Breath. I am familiar with all the novels except for Richardson’s The Fortunes of Richard Mahony and George Johnston’s My Brother Jack.