The Thorn Birds《荆棘鸟》

                   索书号：I611.457/2

About the author

Colleen McCullough(考琳·麦卡洛, 1937-2015)was an Australian authorbestknown forThe Thorn Birds《荆棘鸟》,a novel deemed to have depicted one of the greatest love stories in Australia.And her other novelsincludeThe Song of Troy《特洛伊之歌》，Morgan's Run《摩根的旅程》.

Review

这个故事巧夺天工。麦卡洛以她特有的自信描述着笔下的众多人物，她的叙述不徐不急，她对人物的把握恰到好处，让读者为人物命运不时揪心气喘。就这样在不知不觉之中成就了一部超级畅销书。带着巨大的阅读快感享受这本书，享受其中的每一页，我真心竖起大拇指来推荐这本好书。

——《伦敦时报》

几代人缠绵悱恻的爱情故事，情节跌宕且稳步推向高潮，人物真实可信……可谓魅力无法可挡。

——《出版商周刊》

精彩片段赏析

There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth.From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one.Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine.And, dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale.One superlative song,existencethe price.But the whole world stills to listen, and God in his heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain…Or so says the legend.

传说中有一种荆棘鸟，一生只唱一次，那歌声比世界上所有一切生灵的歌声都更加优美动听。从离开巢窝的那一刻起，她就在寻找荆棘树，直到如愿以偿。然后，她把自己的身体扎进最长、最尖的刺上，在那荒蛮的枝条之间放开歌喉。在奄奄一息的深刻里，她超脱了自身的痛苦，那歌声使云雀和夜莺都黯然失色。这是一曲无比美好的歌，曲终而命竭，然而，整个世界都在静静地谛听，上帝也在苍穹中微笑。因为，最美好的东西只能用深痛巨创来换取……这，就是荆棘鸟的传说。

                                     编辑：外国语学院13英三刘嘉敏

                                     指导老师：外国语学院姚小文