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Moonlite: The Tragic Love Story of Captain Moonlite and the Bloody End of the Bushrangers

Garry Linnell

3.91 · Rating details · 33 ratings · 10 reviews

Charismatic, intelligent and handsome, George Scott is unlike any other bushranger. Born into a privileged life in famine-wracked Ireland, Scott’s family loses its fortune and is forced to flee to New Zealand. There, Scott joins the local militia and fights as a soldier against the Maori in the brutal New Zealand wars.

After recovering from a series of serious gunshot wound ...more

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Paperback, 368 pages

Expected publication: February 1st 2021 by Michael Joseph Australia

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Start your review of Moonlite: The Tragic Love Story of Captain Moonlite and the Bloody End of the Bushrangers

Dec 07, 2020 Infamous Sphere rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, lgbtqi

OH MY POOR GAY HEART.

My girlfriend and I both read this book at the same time. I'm still astonished that people don't seem to know Captain Moonlite was gay, as I had previously thought it was the one thing anyone knew about him, but neither of my parents knew. But this story of two very unlucky men who found love with each other in really not great circumstances, oh, it made me emotional - and Moonlite's commitment to publicly discussing and documenting what he felt for James Nesbitt seems almo ...more

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Sep 25, 2020 Aidan Phelan rated it it was amazing

In 2013 Paul Terry published what was rightly considered the most definitive account of the life of Andrew George Scott up to that point. Drawing on many sources, some of which had only recently been discovered, Terry’s In Search of Captain Moonlite was detailed but easy to read. Yet it left the reader wanting more. Now we have Garry Linnell’s Moonlite taking on the challenge and not merely rising to the occasion but usurping the throne.

Very few authors have really sunk their teeth into the Moon In 2013 Paul Terry published what was rightly considered the most definitive account of the life of Andrew George Scott up to that point. Drawing on many sources, some of which had only recently been discovered, Terry’s In Search of Captain Moonlite was detailed but easy to read. Yet it left the reader wanting more. Now we have Garry Linnell’s Moonlite taking on the challenge and not merely rising to the occasion but usurping the throne.

Very few authors have really sunk their teeth into the Moonlite saga but for one reason or another, possibly due to the questions around Scott’s sexuality in light of the increasing visibility of the LGBT+ community, interest in the story of Captain Moonlite has really been booming in recent years. A number of projects in various stages of fruition since Paul Terry’s book was released have raised the prestige of Captain Moonlite to equate him more with Morgan, Hall and Thunderbolt in the bushranging pantheon, and have even come close to giving him his own little niche in Australian culture on his own terms. Thus Linnell’s grasping of the challenge of tackling this story with both hands is welcome and timely.

Anyone familiar with Captain Moonlite has no doubt heard of the tragic love story between Andrew Scott and James Nesbitt, the infamous Mount Egerton bank robbery, the daring escape from Ballarat Gaol, the Wantabadgery siege and Andrew Scott’s spectacular fall from grace. All of that is covered in this book and much more besides. Like many history and non-fiction books, this is written in a style more commonly seen in a novel. People who have read Peter Fitzsimons’ books will know exactly what that looks like. However, unlike Fitzsimons’ books, this is not a bloated and absolutely comprehensive account. Though it is the most comprehensive to date, the focus is more on a narrative that is easy to follow and enjoyable to read while getting the information as accurate as possible. This will appeal to people that normally would steer away from non-fiction in favour of more breezy novels or memoirs. To put it another way, this is a text with broad appeal.

It is heartening to see the shift in the way Scott’s story has been told move away from the days of George Calderwood’s dry, sensationalist and frequently inaccurate 1971 biography to this more human depiction of Scott that relies very heavily on getting to the root of the myths to understand the man. Furthermore, rather than being a blow-by-blow account of Scott’s life, a musing on his sexuality or an exploration of the conflict between fact and fiction in his story, this is a more holistic view of Scott and what makes him such a compelling figure in history. There are brief tangents into the lives of “Nosey Bob” Howard, Sir Alfred Stephen, Sir Redmond Barry, Frank Gardiner, Ned Kelly, Marcus Clarke, Boulton and Park, and more all in the service of explaining the society that Andrew Scott was railing against and what shaped his life. By doing this we get a very enriched story of the mid to late 1800s on top of the most complete and accurate version of Scott’s biography to date. It is in seeing the world of Captain Moonlite that we fully comprehend what made him so remarkable.

People who have read Paul Terry’s In Search of Captain Moonlite will probably feel like some passages tread familiar terrain, which is natural given that both books tackle the same subject in a similar way. But there is so much more in this version of the story that whether you have read the previous books on the subject or not this will be a refreshing and enlightening take on it and show you things that you likely haven’t come across before. However, it feels at times like some parts of the story could have been explored a bit more. This is not to the detriment of the text by any means and possibly some readers would feel that any more detail than what is given would be too much. Any person that has done research on Captain Moonlite will likely tell you that it is very hard to cover everything in a complete and comprehensive way where this story is concerned, especially if you’re one person doing the research on your own. On that front Linnell has done an absolutely brilliant job. Reading through the acknowledgements it is clear that he had some really great people helping guide him where he needed to go, but the legwork was definitely done by Linnell himself.

Though it probably seems like a small thing, one of the best parts of this book is the inclusion of several pages of illustrations. The mix of photographs, etchings, records, and so on, really helps to visualise things that are described in the text, which is something most previous books on the subject have mostly avoided for one reason or another. As wonderful as the descriptions of the main players are, nothing has the same effect as being able to see the faces or places you’re reading about.

Moonlite is without doubt one of the most important bushranger books published to date and one of the best Australian history books that has hit the market in the past few years. Such a complete history of Andrew Scott and those who were drawn into his sphere of influence will provide an extremely useful resource for future researchers and that really is something that comes once in a blue moon. For anyone interested in the story of Captain Moonlite this is an absolute must have book. It is not only incredibly detailed, but it is a very enjoyable read. Linnell’s use of language really does breathe life into the story in a way many of the dry old history books just don’t seem capable of. It will captivate and most importantly is very re-readable. ...more

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Nov 28, 2020 Sean Kennedy rated it it was amazing

This should become a limited series on the ABC or Netflix. It’s a story begging to be told on the screen.

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Oct 12, 2020 Viola added it

Note Gary Linnell interviewed by ABC Radio National Late Night Live show presenter Phillip Adams.

In 1880 Captain Moonlite was one of the last bushrangers to be caught and executed- only months before Ned Kelly. But George Scott AKA Captain Moonlite was a very different kind of bushranger. His exploits are brought to life in Garry Linnell’s new book.

Duration: 23min 44sec
Broadcast: Wed 7 Oct 2020, 10:40pm
Guest Garry Linnell, Author & Journalist.

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/...

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Dec 02, 2020 Greg rated it liked it

One of the notes on back cover of this book is "Meticulously researched and told at a cracking pace". It is certainly very well researched, the actual excerpts and story woven from Moonlite's letters and newspapers articles and other archives of the time is very well done. Linnell does a great job building Moonlite's character and you really get a sense of this man, good and bad.

I would disagree on the cracking pace though, at least for the first half of the book. Linnell seems to want to not o ...more

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Jan 12, 2021 Mark Latchford rated it really liked it

A tale well worth telling again and again. Australian bush ranger Captain Moonlite was the most educated and charismatic of his ilk. In this well researched book the author unpacks Moonlite’s own biography but neatly segues into the side stories of his colleagues, his judge, his executioner and of course his (male) lover and fellow bush ranger. Moreover he gives a good overview of the bush ranger history, their origins, motivations and eventual demise. The narrative flows smoothly and swiftly as ...more

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Jan 20, 2021 Giovanna Walker rated it really liked it

A great insight into Australian history, one that is anything but dry. Linnell has researched and makes the characters 'real'. History books can often be dry and academic - this is anything but - thank goodness! The language is engaging, easy to read, it does jump around with various stories, but all relate back to the bushranger legend. It makes history accessible and interesting to a modern audience, whilst evoking the feelings and mores of the time. It's a fresh look at bushrangers, stripping ...more

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Oct 28, 2020 Claire Louise rated it it was amazing

A very thoroughly researched masterpiece of historical storytelling. The author's even-handed touch is perfect for this subject, taking the reader right back with him to the Australia of the late 1800s, there to consider the circumstances surrounding one of the country's most notorious bushrangers, Andrew George Scott, the self-styled 'Captain Moonlite'.

I highly recommend this if you are interested in Australian history. It's fascinating and moves along so well it's hard to put down. ...more

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