She finally returned to her craft in 1974 with Tim, a critically acclaimed novel about the romance between a female executive and a younger, mentally disabled gardener.

She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.Īfter her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. Planning become a doctor, she found that she had a violent allergy to hospital soap and turned instead to neurophysiology – the study of the nervous system's functions. She flourished at Catholic schools and earned a physiology degree from the University of New South Wales in 1963. Raised by her mother in Wellington and then Sydney, McCullough began writing stories at age 5. S Colleen Margaretta McCullough was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and Tim. After her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. It’s easy to see why: a big cast of imperfect but likable characters fumbling and figuring out how to live while also making a living? It’s relatable and escapist, a big juicy saga like Gone With the Wind, the kind of book in which you simultaneously recognize parts of yourself and lose yourself completely.Colleen Margaretta McCullough was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and Tim. McCullough went on to write several more novels before passing away this week at age 77, but The Thorn Birds remained her defining work. If that sounds like a lot of sheep shearing and not much fun, rest assured that the whole plot moves into steamier romantic territory with forbidden love affairs and betrayals galore. The historical epic follows three generations living on a sheep ranch. First published in 1977, the novel became an instant classic, selling more than 30 million copies worldwide and inspiring one of the most-watched television miniseries of all time. Nearly 40 years ago, novelist Colleen McCullough brought the Australian outback to the forefront of pop culture with her epic romance saga, The Thorn Birds.

The thorn birds paperback