The Harp in the South Audiobook By Ruth Park cover art

The Harp in the South

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The Harp in the South

By: Ruth Park
Narrated by: Kate Hood
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An Australian classic, this is the story of the Darcy family who live in the Depression era tenements of Surry Hills, Sydney.

Hugh and Margaret Darcy are raising their family in Sydney amid the brothels, grog shops and run-down boarding houses of Surry Hills, where money is scarce and life is not easy. Filled with beautifully drawn characters that will make you laugh as much as cry, this Australian classic will take you straight back to the colourful slums of Sydney with convincing depth, careful detail and great heart.

©1948 Ruth Park (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"For all its faults this family is bound together by a powerful love...and while they live in one of the roughest parts of Sydney, and there is drunkenness and violence, theirs is a community which will offer friendship and compassion when it's needed." (Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers)

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This was one of THE best Narrators I have listened to. The way she is able to give different accents & tones to each character only added to a wonderfully written book.
It's my first entry into Ruth Parks novels but not my last.
A great audible book choice all round.

Awesome Narrator

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to someone who liked Australian literature. Classic Aussie lit seems to focus on place and challenging lifestyles in a tough environment. The Harp in the South is set in the slums of suburban Sydney and also depicts life for the poor in post-war times.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was satisfactory.

Which character – as performed by Kate Hood – was your favorite?

I have to say, I really enjoyed Kate Hood's performance. She's a fantastic narrator who really brought each of the characters to life! I didn't have a favourite character but very much enjoyed the dynamic between all the members of the Darcy family.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found myself laughing at times, saddened at other times.

Any additional comments?

It's a gem, a must read, particularly for Australian readers and authors.

Great Narration of an Aussie classic

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Think your life is tough? Only 100 years ago life was poverty stricken and desperate (in the slums in Australia). And yet people managed to survive. Definitely worth listening to.

Surry Hills in the 1920s

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Given how highly acclaimed this book is, I was a little disappointed. It's good--but it's pretty conventional, and I don't find either the writing or the thinking especially exhilarating. But I read it right after Tim Winton's Cloudstreet--and I think it suffered by comparison--as most novels would.

Decent;y entertaining

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I probably wouldn't have listened to this book if it hadn't been a requirement of the Year 12 Curriculum. My youngest son is in Grade 12 and so we listened to it together. It was an interesting story, and I enjoyed it. It told the story of an Australian family living in the slums of Sydney. Ruth Park was able to make the listener really understand and visualise each of the characters and wrote with incredible attention to detail.

Read As Part Of The Year 12 English Curriculum

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I adore this series and I am absolutely enamored with the narrator!!!! I can’t stop listening and I think I will listen to this whole series again.

Delightful

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If you have been to Redfern or Surry Hills in Sydney, you’ll appreciate the quintessential characters, language and values depicted in this classic. It’s tough, rough, very moving and sometimes funny. Hard not to see a show like Kath and Kim as somehow springing from the same evolutionary branch.

Full of warmth

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