Albert of Adelaide, Howard Anderson
Albert of Adelaide, Howard Anderson
2 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Albert of Adelaide
A Novel

Author: Howard Anderson

Narrator: David Franklin

Unabridged: 6 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 07/10/2012


Synopsis

At once an old-fashioned-buddy-novel-shoot-'em-up and a work of deliciously imagined fantasy, Howard L. Anderson's dazzling debut presents the haunting story of a world where something has gone horribly awry . . .

Having escaped from Australia's Adelaide Zoo, an orphaned platypus named Albert embarks on a journey through the outback in search of "Old Australia," a rumored land of liberty, promise, and peace. What he will find there, however, away from the safe confinement of his enclosure for the first time since his earliest memories, proves to be a good deal more than he anticipated.

Alone in the outback, with an empty soft drink bottle as his sole possession, Albert stumbles upon pyromaniacal wombat Jack, and together they spend a night drinking and gambling in Ponsby Station, a rough-and-tumble mining town. Accused of burning down the local mercantile, the duo flees into menacing dingo territory and quickly go their separate ways-Albert to pursue his destiny in the wastelands, Jack to reconcile his past.

Encountering a motley assortment of characters along the way-a pair of invariably drunk bandicoots, a militia of kangaroos, hordes of the mercurial dingoes, and a former prize-fighting Tasmanian devil-our unlikely hero will discover a strength and skill for survival he never suspected he possessed.

Told with equal parts wit and compassion, Albert of Adelaide shows how it is often the unexpected route, and the most improbable companions, that lead us on the path to who we really are. Who you journey with, after all, is far more important than wherever it is you are going.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Michelle on March 01, 2013

Maybe my expectations were too high for this one. It is a book about a duck billed platypus looking for old world Australia written by a lawyer from New Mexico. The only thing remotely Australian about the book is that most of the animals mentioned in the book are indigenous to Australia. It reads l......more

Goodreads review by Blaine on November 21, 2012

A wonderful book. Simply written, and yet filled with great truths about life. The 2nd half of the book really picks up speed, and by the end you are left satisfied as a reader. Want more? Maybe, but no more is needed for this book to be a stand alone classic. Filled with characters/animals and obvi......more

Goodreads review by Trish on January 29, 2013

This is a western, set in the bush of Australia, featuring some very unusual characters, among them a Tasmanian devil, a platypus, a wombat, some wallabies, dingoes, bandicoots, and memorably, a raccoon from California. Strange though it may seem, this is not a book for children, nor is it a story w......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on November 08, 2012

A unique book, unexpectedly full of social commentary and observations on the volatile nature of the human condition. Yet, there are no humans in this book, which augments both its enjoyability as well as the statements Anderson attempts to make. In a nutshell, Albert is a platypus seeking Old Austra......more

Goodreads review by Vanessa on April 02, 2012

Albert of Adelaide is everything "Rango" could've been if Rango wasn't "Chinatown" for kids, or rather if the "Wind in the Willows" took place in Australia. Though the time frame is not entirely clear, which I interpreted as a tribute to the Aboriginal concept of Dream Time, there is an implication......more