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  <description><![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[<em>The Secret River</em> explores human instinct on a level that is visceral, honest... and depressing.  <br/><br/>Or perhaps it is just Western instinct, rather than human instinct--and that is even more depressing.<br/><br/>The novel tracks a family of Brits at the turn of the 19th century as the fami...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6242924">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize winning author Kate Grenville recalls her families history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville's ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill's theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill's deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[It was my pleasure to review this excellent book for Harper Collins Canada.  Here's what I said:<br/><br/>The Secret River by Kate Grenville is historical fiction at it’s finest.  It starts off as a quiet pondering story of the toils in poverty-stricken 19th century England where most must resor...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4413472">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Jan 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[A novel about a man named William Thornhill, a convicted criminal from a hard-scrabble London life who is saved from the gallows and transported to the colony of Australia. Once paroled, he realizes that becoming the man he wants to be - a landowner, a self-made man, a man never to be poor again - m...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42634893">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[ I heard The Secret River on Radio 4 and was fascinated with the setting: the Hawkesbury river in the early nineteenth century. In 1990 I had the great fortune to backpack along this river and saw first hand the remains of many of these early homesteads. So the setting was already quite vivid in my ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5974291">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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  <average_rating>3.62</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <read_at>Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[I enjoyed this book for a few reasons.  First, it gave an interesting account of life in New South Wales as seen by the families uprooted from Britain and thrown into a world completely alien to them.  It was also well written. I enjoyed the author's writing style.  There are not actually any conver...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9562046">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Mar 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[Well, we just returned from a trip to Australia (and New Zealand), and as with my last trip to Australia (20 years ago), I was amazed at the lack of presence of the native peoples of this country, except in tourist souvenir stores.  So, I was interested in reading this book, which is a fictional acc...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49154486">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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  <average_rating>3.62</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>2005</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Thu Jul 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Wed Jul 22 09:58:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is a hard book to write about, it offers some pretty depressing commentary on colonialism and interactions between human communities. On one hand it's very narrowly focused historical fiction, describing the early penal colony of Sydney through the perspective of one man's life. on the other ha...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63740573">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63740573]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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  <average_rating>3.62</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <published>2005</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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    <body><![CDATA[The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, The Secret River is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and i...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57473929">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Dec 02 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Nov 26 10:49:13 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 04 10:45:55 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I thought this was an interesting portrayal of how Australia came to be settled by ex-convicts.  The family's life in London was described in detail, how they felt they needed to steal in order to make ends meet, how the father finally got caught, and was sentenced to hang, and then was allowed to e...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38698602">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <published>2005</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Oct 25 14:58:37 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Oct 25 15:27:13 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Like Grenville's more recent book &quot;The Lieutenant&quot; (which I read first), &quot;The Secret River&quot; covers a lot of similar territory - ie. first contact between indigenous people and European settlers in Sydney. I preferred &quot;The Lieutenant&quot; because the main character is much m...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75699268">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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  <average_rating>3.62</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize winning author Kate Grenville recalls her families history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville's ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill's theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill's deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Mar 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 25 09:00:52 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 25 16:06:04 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[An intriguing novel, overall. I haven't read anything by this writer before but will look into her other books; the style is engaging and reach in detail. <br/>The story covers an aspect of history which I'm unfamilar with; the founding of Australia. <br/>At the start of the book I found the chara...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50403468">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Erin]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <date_added>Fri May 29 11:42:00 -0700 2009</date_added>
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    <body><![CDATA[Settlers have done horrible, atrocious things, but they themselves were living in a horrible, atrocious, unjust world.  I mostly came away overjoyed that I've never been in any situation where my moral mettle needed testing.  <br/><br/>I would have given this 4 stars, but I found some things to be...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57760145">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>2005</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Mon Jun 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 29 07:04:09 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 29 07:32:05 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I am an Australian, I know our sad history and our shame. And I know the Hawkesbury too: I have sailed upon its waterways and climbed over its sandstone walls. I've seen the little middens of oyster shells and the faded marks of rock engravings.<br/><br/>This book forced me to face the bloody secr...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61489616">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61489616]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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  <average_rating>3.62</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>2005</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Feb 25 11:29:20 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Feb 25 11:44:34 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This was good enough, but I have to say I was disappointed after having read the Idea of Perfection. It lacked pretty much all the elements that I loved about the latter (e.g. how people's perceptions differ; how people interact and how they are often aware of awkwardness in others). Too often the m...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47502441">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47502441]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <published>2005</published>
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    <body><![CDATA[If you don't read this, you can't ever tell me you don't have enough time to do so because it's just. so.  good.  Pls.  Read it.]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <read_at>Thu Dec 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is a very interesting book about man's inhumanity to man as Australia was populated by the felons of England who were pardoned from death sentences and sent to New South Wales which was used as a penal colony, in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Not all were hardened criminals, some were petty...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76966061">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76966061]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[In the early nineteenth century William Thornhill is transported from the slums of London to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. He arrives with his wife Sal and their children in a harsh land he does not understand.<br/><br/>Eight years later, Thornhill sails up the Hawkesbury as a free man to claim a hundred acres. Aboriginal people already live on the river and Thornhill will soon have to make the most difficult decision of his life.<br/><br/>Inspired by research into her own family history, Kate Grenville's <em>The Secret River</em> is a tour de force, a powerful and groundbreaking story about life on the frontier.<br/><br/>(from the book jacket)]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 11 02:43:44 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 11 02:44:22 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[The story of William and Sarah (Sal) Thornhill, William exported as a criminal from London in 1806 to Sydney, with Sal as his 'Master'.  Revealed is their struggle to create a new life in the harsh and foreign environment the banks of the Hawesbury River offers ad the impact of the clash of misunder...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63008766">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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  <average_rating>3.62</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <date_added>Mon May 18 09:07:36 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun May 24 13:56:03 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[&quot;The Orange Prize winning author Kate Grenville recalls her families history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, The Secret River is the story of Grenville's ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and i...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56481701">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56481701]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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  <average_rating>3.62</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[This historical novel is set in Australia when it was a penal colony.  An English couple are sent there as punishment by a judge.  It tells of the life they carve out of the wilderness, her longing for home and their interactions with the aboriginals and the colorful characters that were their neigh...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54145882">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Secret River]]>
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    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;The Orange Prize–winning author Kate Grenville recalls her family’s history in an astounding novel about the pioneers of New South Wales. Already a best seller in Australia, <em>The Secret River</em> is the story of Grenville’s ancestors, who wrested a new life from the alien terrain of Australia and its native people. William Thornhill, a Thames bargeman, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia in 1806. In this new world of convicts and charlatans, Thornhill tries to pull his family into a position of power and comfort. When he rounds a bend in the Hawkesbury River and sees a gentle slope of land, he becomes determined to make the place his own. But, as uninhabited as the island appears, Australia is full of native people, and they do not take kindly to Thornhill’s theft of their home. <em>The Secret River</em> is the tale of Thornhill’s deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[               Meant to be historically accurate-based on real accounts but of course still historical fiction.  <br/><br/>Initially, I was not impressed on beginning my reading of The Secret River.  I found it predictable and boring; the events, characters, and places seemed formulaic for an Aust...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37221564">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37221564]]></url>
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