The Thorn Birds cover art

The Thorn Birds

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Thorn Birds

By: Colleen McCullough
Narrated by: Greta Scacchi
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.20

Buy Now for £12.20

About this listen

 'Excellent' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'A true epic . . . this stunning tale has been called the Australian Gone With the Wind' DAILY MAIL

'One of the biggest-selling, most widely read books in the history of fiction' OBSERVER

In the rugged Australian Outback, three generations of Clearys live through joy and sadness, bitter defeat and magnificent triumph - driven by their dreams, sustained by remarkable strength of character and torn by dark passions, violence and a scandalous family legacy of forbidden love.

It is a poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit. Most of all, it is the story of the Clearys' only daughter, Meggie, who can never possess the man she so desperately adores - Ralph de Bricassart. Ralph will rise from parish priest to the inner circles of the Vatican . . . but his passion for Meggie will follow him all the days of his life.

A timeless epic romance - a battle between faith and the heart.©1977 Colleen McCullough; (P)2007 Hachette Audio Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Friendship
All stars
Most relevant
I had not realised this was an abridged version, having read the Thorn Birds 3 times previously - it has always been one of my favourite books, however, I was disappointed that it was not the full version. It was read beautifully - I just wished it had been the full version.

Abridged version

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I remember seeing clips on the tv years ago when my mother was entranced by the story - and now I understand the appeal. Multi-dimensional characters and fabulous descriptions of scenery create a sense of complete immersion into the actions and emotions of the characters. Greta Scacchi's narration is smooth, modulated and engaged and an absolute delight to listen to.
Looking forward to hearing more from both author and narrator.

Already listening again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, hadn't seen the TV series, I loved the in and outs of the Cleary family, the descriptions of the landscape, the complex characters. slightly icky that Ralph ended up sleeping with Meggie who he'd known since age 10, but hey ho. Highly recommend.

A proper family saga

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Thornbirds doesn't disapoint. I loved it, just as I had remembered it decades ago.

The Thornbirds

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fantaric book. The narrator is a gorgeous fit for the book. My verdict of this book is well worth a listen, bittersweet story.

Fantastic book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews