Author: Robyn Davidson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre: Biographies, General Biographies, Non-Fiction
Year of release: 2023
Release Date: 03/10/23
TW Suicide
Synopsis
In 1977, twenty-seven-year-old Robyn Davidson set off with a dog and four camels to cross 1,700 miles of Australian desert to the sea.
A life of almost constant travelling followed. From the deserts of Australia to Sydney’s underworld; from Sixties Street life to the London literary scene; from migrating with nomads in Tibet, to ‘marrying’ an Indian prince, Davidson’s quest was motivated by an unquenchable curiosity about other ways of seeing and understanding the world.
Davidson threw bombs over her shoulder and seeds into her future on the assumption that something would be growing when she got there. The only terrain she had no interest in exploring was the past.
In Unfinished Woman, Davidson turns at last to explore that long-avoided country. Through this brave and revealing memoir, she delves into her childhood and youth to uncover the forces that set her on her path and confront the cataclysm of her early loss.
Unfinished Woman is an unforgettable investigation of time and memory and a powerful interrogation of how we can live with and find beauty in the uncertainty and strangeness of being.
Review
Robyn Davidson was born on a cattle property in Queensland Australia, making her way to Sydney in the late 60’s Robyn went back to Brisbane to study before making the (2,994.2 km) journey relocating from Brisbane to Alice Springs.
Davidson has spent most of her life travelling from the deserts of Australia to Sydney’s underworld in the sixty’s street life to the London literary scene to migrating with nomads in Tibet, to marrying an Indian prince.
Unfinished Woman tells the story of a woman’s unquenchable curiosity about other ways of seeing and understanding the world. The time has come for the author to delve into her childhood, and youth in the hopes she will at long last be able to uncover the forces that set her on this path in the first place and at long last dare to confront the tragedy that marked her earlier years.
Before reading Unfinished Woman, I had no idea who Robyn Davidson was now having finished the book I am glad I went into her memoir completely unaware of who she is and of her achievements, I don’t think I would have finished the book in complete awe of this woman and the life she has led had I known of her even in the slightest way before having read this book, reading this book led me to watch the 2013 movie Tracks.
I remember my hesitation in the opening chapter unsure if I would finish the book as there are some confronting stories told in the earlier chapters but thanks to the author’s skilled writing the reader feels as if the author embarks on a journey with the reader not far behind; as she begins to document her unique life story on paper, I found that I was eager to reach for this book every time I had to put it down, during my time amongst these pages I found myself becoming quite inspired by this woman and her journey’s too far off places.
There were a few times throughout this book I was uncertain of some of the cultural elements that were detailed as the book progressed; as a reviewer, I was growing slightly nervous as to exactly how I would review and for whom I should recommend this book as I am not a traveller, nor do I know all that much about different cultures. When reading I wondered if a reader could’ve benefited from more information when it comes to the different cultures discussed because of this I didn’t feel comfortable documenting those elements of the book and Robyn’s life.
Now having completed the book this reader has a feeling Robyn Davidson is writing this book for herself just as much as she’s writing it for a larger audience so I am willing to let her be the guide here and what I don’t understand will get explained one way or another thankfully she explained my questions and I carried on reading my previous worries eased.
Unlike with fictional reads, I don’t find myself able to read biographies/memoirs at a fast pace, I much rather let the author tell me their story rather than feel like I need to reach a certain chapter in a specific time frame this worked well for Unfinished Woman because I feel like I spent years with Robyn telling her story rather than days just reading her book.
If you ask me if I found this memoir interesting, I will say yes but any book could be interesting to people, I like to think of Robyn Davidson herself as interesting more so than her book, everyone has a story to tell, don’t they?
If you’re looking for a biography or memoir that will immerse you taking you on a journey to far off places that is at times brutally raw and at times heartbreakingly honest Unfinished Woman by Robyn Davidson is for you. I highly recommend this book to a mature audience.
With continued thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending a physical copy of this book to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.