The adventures of Ralph Rashleigh;: A penal exile in Australia, 1825-1844

by James Rosenberg Tucker

Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. No box; volume very slightly shabby.

Genres: History, Australia

349 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

Reviews

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Australia's first "true" fictional work of mild greatness - okay that's filled with qualifiers but the point is valid. Written in the 1840s, a time when old people could still remember the colonisation of Australia, the work was not published for several more decades, and Tucker's authorship is disputed. This is a fascinating tale, a melodrama, engaging with issues of class, convicts, and the strange, often bracing and sometimes despairing relationship that white settlers of the first two generations had with the Australian landscape. In a way it speaks to us differently now, because we're also fascinated in the mindset of the people from this time. Well worth reading if you're interested in Australia's history. Be aware that it is most certainly a melodrama, though! The characters are vigorous but not necessarily deep. Coincidences abound.

[Brendan Hough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye read 2025
7.5/10 a lot of action, some gore and a cohesive tale. A story i wasn’t expecting to be any good, but was surprised. I read the 1929 version, though the wording seemed beyond my little brain’s limits, i found with a quick google search that i was understand most of what was going on throughout.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The adventures of Ralph Rashleigh : a penal exile in Australia, 1825-1844 by James Tucker (1970)