The Thorn Birds
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| Author | Colleen McCullough |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Family saga novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Released | April 1977 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 692 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-06-012956-5 (first edition, hardback) |
The Thorn Birds is a 1977 best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, an Australian author. In 1983 it was adapted as a television mini-series that, during its television run became the United States' second highest rating mini-series of all time behind Roots; both series were produced by television veteran David L. Wolper.
The mini-series starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons. It was directed by Daryl Duke.
Set primarily on Drogheda, a fictional sheep station in the Australian outback, the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans the years 1915 to 1969.
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[edit] Plot summary
The epic begins with Meighan "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 harrassed but aristocratic-looking 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 small but unusually strong young man who is unwillingly preparing himself for the blacksmith's trade.
Paddy is poor, but has a wealthy sister, Mary Carson, who lives in Australia on an enormous sheep ranch called Drogheda. One day, Paddy receives a letter from Mary offering him a job on her estate. He accepts, and the whole family moves to the Outback.
Here Meggie meets Father Ralph de Bricassart, a young, capable and ambitious priest who as punishment for insubordination has been relegated to a remote parish in the town of Gillanbone, near Drogheda. Ralph has befriended Mary, hoping a hefty enough bequest from her to the Catholic church might liberate him from his exile. Ralph is strikingly handsome - "a beautiful man" - and Mary, who doesn't bother to conceal her desire for him, often goes to great lengths to see if can be induced to break his vows. Ralph blandly shrugs off these attentions and continues his visits. Meanwhile, he cares for all the Clearys and soon learns to cherish beautiful but forlorn little Meggie. Meggie, in return, makes Ralph the center of her life.
Frank's relationship with his father Paddy has never been peaceful. The two vie for Fee's attention, and Frank resents the many pregnancies Paddy makes her endure. One day, after Fee, now in her forties, reveals she is again pregnant, the two men quarrel violently and Paddy blurts out the truth about Frank: he is not Paddy's son. Long ago, Fee had been the adored only daughter of a prominent citizen. Then, she had an affair with a married politician, and the result, Frank, was already eighteen months old when her mortified father married her off to Paddy. Because he resembles her lost love, Fee has always loved Frank more than her other children. To the sorrow of Meggie and Fee, when Frank learns that Paddy is not his father, he runs away to become a boxer. Fee later gives birth to twin boys, James and Patrick (Jims and Patsy), but shows little interest in them. Shortly afterward, Meggie's beloved little brother Hal dies.
With Frank gone and Hal dead, Meggie clings to Ralph more than ever. This goes unnoticed by many as Ralph has now been her mentor for several years; however, as she ripens into womanhood some begin to question their close relationship, including Ralph and Meggie themselves. Mary Carson, meanwhile, has noticed their changing relationship and from motives of jealousy mingled with Machiavellian cruelty, she devises a plan to separate Ralph from Meggie by tempting him with his heart's desire - a high place in the Church hierarchy. Although her will of record leaves the bulk of her estate to Paddy, she quietly writes a new one, making the Roman Catholic Church the main beneficiary and Ralph the executor.
In the new will, the vast nature of Mary's wealth is exposed for the first time. Drogheda is not the center of Mary's fortune as Ralph and Paddy have long believed but is mearly a "hobby", a diversion from her true financial interests. Mary's wealth is derived from a vast multi-national financial empire worth over 11 million Pounds (about AU$85 million in modern terms). The sheer size of Mary's bequest will insure Ralph's rapid rise in the church. She also makes sure that after she dies only Ralph, at first, will know of the new will all but daring him to turn down the advancement that it will bring. She also provides for her disinherited brother promising him and all his descendants a home on Drogheda as long as they wish. This seemingly benovelant bequest has a dark side. Since Drogheda will now be the property of the church and Ralph will be the executor, Mary has insured that Meggie will be forever dependant upon Ralph for everything.
At Mary's seventy-second birthday party Ralph goes to great lengths to avoid Meggie, now seventeen and dressed in a beautiful rose-pink evening gown; later, he explains that others might not see his attention as innocent. Mary dies in the night; possibly by suicide. Ralph duly learns of the new will. He sees at once the subtle genius of Mary's plan and, although he weeps and calls her "a disgusting old spider" he takes the new will to her lawyer without delay. The lawyer, scandalised, urges Ralph to destroy the will, but to no avail. The bequest of eleven million pounds works its expected magic, and Ralph soon leaves to begin his rapid advance in the Church.
Before he leaves Meggie confesses her love for him. Ralph refuses her because of his duties as a priest and begs Meggie to find someone to love and marry.
The Clearys discover that Frank was convicted of murder after killing someone in a fight. He spends three decades in prison.
Paddy and his son Stuart are killed; Paddy dies in a fire triggered by lightning, and Stu is gored by a wild boar shortly after he finds his father's body. Ralph is on his way to Drogheda for a visit and when he arrives he is unaware of Paddy and Stu's deaths. Whilst on his way to Drogheda, Ralph is injured when his plane bogs in the mud and as Meggie is tending his wounds they share a passionate kiss. Ralph remains at Drogheda to conduct the funerals and then leaves for Rome.
Three years later a new ranch worker named Luke O'Neill begins to court Meggie. Although his motives are more mercenary than romantic, she marries him because he looks a little bit like Ralph. She soon realises her mistake. After a brief honeymoon, Luke, a skinflint who regards women as sex objects and prefers the company of men, finds Meggie a live-in job with a kindly couple, the Muellers, and leaves to join a gang of itinerant sugarcane cutters in North Queensland. Although Luke tells Meggie he's saving money to buy a homestead, he quickly becomes obsessed with the competitive toil of cane-cutting and has no real intention of giving it up. Hoping to change Luke's ambition and settle him down, Meggie purposely becomes pregnant and bears Luke a red-haired daughter, Justine. The new baby, however, makes little impression on Luke.
Father Ralph visits Meggie during her difficult labor; he has come to say goodbye, as he is leaving Australia for Rome. He sees Meggie's unhappiness for himself, and pities her. Justine proves to be a fractious baby, so the Muellers send Meggie to an isolated island resort for a rest. Father Ralph returns to Australia and learns of Meggie's whereabouts from Anne Mueller, and joins her for several days. There, finally, the lovers consummate their passion, and Ralph realizes that despite his ambition to be the perfect priest, his desire for Meggie makes him a man like other men. Father Ralph returns to the Church and Meggie, pregnant with Ralph's child, decides to separate from Luke. She spends one last night with him to disguise the unborn baby's scandalous parentage; the next morning, she tells Luke what she really thinks of him, and returns to Drogheda, leaving him to his cane-cutting.
Back home, she gives birth to a beautiful boy whom she names Dane. Fee, who has had experience in such matters, notices Dane's resemblance to Ralph as soon as he is born. The relationship between Meggie and Fee takes a turn for the better. Justine grows into an independent, keenly intelligent girl who loves her brother dearly however Meggie neglects Justine just as Fee negelected Meggie.
Eventually, Frank is released from prison and he also returns to Drogheda; his spirit, however, is broken, and all his restless ambition is gone. None of Meggie's other brothers ever marry, and Drogheda gradually becomes a place filled with old people.
Dane grows up and decides, to Meggie's dismay, to become a priest. Fee tells Meggie that what she stole from God she must now give back. Justine, meanwhile, decides to become an actress and leaves Australia to seek her dream in England. Ralph, now a Cardinal, becomes a mentor to Dane, but somehow fails to recognise that the young man is his own son. Dane is also unaware of their true relationship. Ralph takes great care of him, and because of their resemblance people mistake them for uncle and nephew. Ralph and Dane encourage the rumour.
Dane vacations in Greece while a civil war is underway and dies there suddenly of a heart attack. Meggie, desperate to find his body, seeks Ralph's help. When he refuses, she reveals her trump card: Dane is Ralph's son. Ralph, now as grief-stricken as Meggie, flies with her to Greece; together, they bring their son's body back to Drogheda. Ralph dies in Meggie's arms after the funeral.
Justine, now the sole surviving grandchild of Fee and Paddy Cleary, finally accepts the advances of Rainer, a distinguished German politician who has loved her for years. They marry, but have no plans to live on Drogheda.
The book's title refers to a mythical bird that searches for thorn trees from the day it is hatched. When it finds the perfect thorn it impales itself, singing the most beautiful song ever heard as it dies.
[edit] List of Characters
- Meghann "Meggie" Cleary - The central character, the only daughter in a large family of sons. The novel takes her from early childhood to old age.
- Father Ralph de Bricassart - Meggie's true love, a handsome Catholic priest.
- Padraic "Paddy" Cleary - Meggie's father, a kind and simple laboring man.
- Fiona "Fee" Armstrong Cleary - Paddy's wife and Meggie's mother, an aristocratic woman who has come down in the world.
- Frank Cleary - Meggie's eldest brother, Fee's illegitimate first son. A favourite with Meggie and Fee both.
- Mary Cleary Carson - Paddy's immensely wealthy older sister; Father Ralph's benefactor; owner of Drogheda.
- Luke O'Neill - Meggie's husband during an unhappy three-year marriage; father of Justine.
- Dane O'Neill - Son of Meggie and Ralph, Meggie's pride and joy.
- Justine O'Neill - Daughter of Meggie and Luke, an intelligent, independent girl. At the end, she is the only surviving grandchild of Paddy and Fee Cleary.
- Luddie and Anne Mueller - Meggie's employers during her marriage to Luke. They become lifelong friends.
- Bob, Jack, and Hughie Cleary - Meggie's older brothers. They all resemble Paddy and live out their days, unmarried, on Drogheda.
- Stuart "Stu" Cleary - A quiet, kindly boy who resembles his mother and is closest to Meggie in age.
- Harold "Hal" Cleary - Meggie's cherished baby brother. He dies when he's four years old.
- James and Patrick "Jims and Patsy" Cleary - Twin boys, Meggie's youngest brothers.
[edit] Trivia
- Although the mini-series is set in Australia it was filmed in the United States. The outback scenes were filmed in southern California and the Queensland scenes were filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The Drogheda main house was a set build on the Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California.
- The mountainous terrain of the southern California "outback" filming location does not resemble western New South Wales, which is predominantly level.
- The mini-series included "the most dangerous bus in Australia". Since filming took place in the US an American bus was used. In Australia, where there is right-hand drive, it would set down its passengers on the wrong side of the road.
- Drogheda, Mary Carson's sheep station in New South Wales, is named after the Irish town of Drogheda. Drogheda was the site of an infamous siege during the Irish Confederate Wars.
- A "midquel" was produced in 1996, by CBS entitled The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years which tells the story of the 19 years unaccounted for in the original miniseries
- New York Jets offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was named after the character Ralph de Bricassart.
- Rachel Ward, who was born in 1957, plays the mother of a daughter played by 1959 born actress Mare Winningham, and a son played by 1953 born actor Philip Anglim.
- Rachel Ward met her husband Bryan Brown on the set while filming the series. Brown plays Luke O'Neill who marries Ward's character, Meggie Cleary.
- Actor Bryan Brown, was actually the only Australian born cast member hired in a major role. This is not too unusual since although the series takes place in Australia, Luke O'Neill and Meggie's children were the only major characters who were Australian born. Father Ralph, Mary Carson, and Paddy Cleary were all Irish born. Fee and most of the Cleary children were born in New Zealand.
- During casting, actress Jane Seymour was considered for the role of Meggie Cleary and the role of Mary Carson was originally offered to Audrey Hepburn.
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[edit] Differences between the book and movie
- In the book, Frank eventually returns from prison with Ralph's aid; in the miniseries he dies in prison.
- In the book, Meggie never tells Justine who Dane's father is; in the movie Meggie assumes Justine knows of Dane's paternity.
- In the book, Meggie tells Ralph of his fatherhood to force him to help her find Dane's body; in the movie she doesn't tell him until after Dane is buried on Drogheda.
- In the book, Rain visits Meggie alone; in the movie, he is with Justine on Drogheda, though she is not present for his conversation with her mother.
- In the book, Justine does not go to Greece with Dane at all; in the movie, she is in the country, but is not on the beach with him because Rain appeared.
- In the book, Dane dies in Greece of a heart attack; in the mini-series he drowns in the ocean while trying to rescue someone struggling in the surf.
- In the book, Fee breaks down several times; in the movie, she breaks down only once; after Paddy and Stu's funeral where she tells Father Ralph that she did love Paddy.
