The Thorn Birds
First edition
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| Author | Colleen McCullough |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Family saga |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
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Publication date
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April 1977 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 692 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 2886288 |
| 823 | |
| LC Class | PR9619.3.M32 T5 1977 |
The Thorn Birds is a 1977 best-selling novel by the Australian author Colleen McCullough. Set primarily on Drogheda—a fictional sheep station in the Australian Outback named after Drogheda, Ireland—the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans the years 1915 to 1969.
In 1983, the novel was adapted into a television miniseries that, during its run 27–30 March, became the United States' second highest-rated miniseries of all time behind Roots. The miniseries starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim, and Jean Simmons. It was directed by Daryl Duke and produced by television veteran David L. Wolper (who also produced Roots).
The epic begins with Meghann "Meggie" Cleary, a four-year-old girl living in New Zealand in the early twentieth century, the only daughter of Paddy, an Irish farm labourer, and Fee, his harassed but aristocratic wife. Although Meggie is a beautiful child with curly red-gold hair, she receives little coddling and must struggle to hold her own against her numerous older brothers. Of these brothers, her favourite is the eldest, Frank, a rebellious young man who is unwillingly preparing himself for the blacksmith's trade. He is much shorter than his brothers, but very strong; also, unlike the other Clearys, he has black hair and eyes.
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