One of Us Buried

by Johanna Craven

In 1806, a fateful decision sends Eleanor Marling from the salons of London to a prison ship bound for New South Wales. She is put to work at the female factory of Parramatta; a place where the women’s only hope of food and lodgings is to offer their bodies to the settlement’s men.

Nell is given shelter by Lieutenant Blackwell, a brooding soldier to whom she is inexplicably drawn. Despite warnings from the other women, Blackwell’s motives seem decent, and beneath the roof of a military officer, Nell sees a chance to become more than just a convict woman sent to the factory to be forgotten.

But tensions are high in New South Wales, with the young colony teetering on the edge of a convict rebellion. And as Nell treads a dangerous line between obedience and power, she learns the role of a factory lass is to remain silent – or face a walk to the gallows.

Genres: Historical Fiction

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2021

About the author

A lover of old stuff, folk music, and dance, Johanna Craven bases her books around little-known true events from the past, often set in bleak and beautiful places. She divides her time between Australia and the UK, and can very easily be persuaded to tell you about the time she accidentally swam with seals on Holy Island.

Find out more at www.johannacraven.com.

Reviews

[Sam Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent read! Johanna Craven is a great storyteller and transported me right back to New South Wales in 1806. Given my abysmal knowledge of Australian history, I felt a bit like Nell (the main character) and had absolutely no idea what to expect. And just as I had started to despair about the harsh lives of the women convicts, the elusive Lieutenant Blackwell arrived. Like every other character in the book, he is incredibly well-developed and comes with his own back story. I don't want to give away too much and spoil the reading experience, but - aside from being brilliantly researched - this book ticks all the boxes: love story, murder, political unrest, and enough twists and turns to keep you up way past your bedtime to find out what happens next. I blame my eyebags on this author!

[Susan Wüthrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth study into the life of a female prisoner transported across the world to the shores of New South Wales. You’ll say, but I’ve read this before, but Nell is not your everyday convict. She is an English woman of standing, who because of her husband’s dirty dealings, was accused of his murder.
Arriving in Parramatta at a mill where convict woman are set to work, she finds herself integrated with a group of Irish folk, planning an uprising against their British overseers. Nell becomes involved with the hated English soldier, Lieutenant Blackwell, but is torn between her feelings for him and the loss of her dear Irish friend Martha and need to help Lottie and her baby. The terrible conditions the convicts were forced to endure is particularly well portrayed and the heartache and desperation of the women is stark. If you like history, you’ll love this. If you like Australian history, you’ll love it even more

[T R · Rating 5 out of 5]

What starts with the sentence, “I imagine I can still see the blood on my hands,” and moves right into a woman surrounded by men as they step into a courtroom of “anything but equals” has me intrigued about the story and where it’s headed. With heightened interest the pages move along at a rapid clip, full of fluid scenes that floated off the page into my imagination: the sea, bloodstained hands, the creaking and groaning ship, seamen, the redcoats, the factory, etc. Emotions from the pages stirred in my body. As the words changed from italicized beginning to regular print chapter one began in a Penal Colony New South Wales 1806 where Eleanor, Nel, landed after traveling from England on a prison ship. Put to work in a factory at a time when women had to prostitute themselves to survive, Nel boards with a seemingly decent military officer. What unfolds in this beautifully-written narrative with authentic time-appropriate dialogue and vividly crafted scenes flows from the pages smooth as silk as Nel navigates a woman’s place in a male-dominated society on the verge of political rebellion. Based on actual experiences this remarkable work of fiction brings home a history of the impact past events had on shaping the lives of women today. The historical detail and the heartfelt passages made this an effortless read I highly recommend.

[Mark Morey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Australian, although the descendent of goldrush-era free settlers, I do know some of Australia's convict past, told and re-told with none better than For The Term Of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke.

This novel, One Of Us Buried, perhaps for the first time, tells the story of the early settlement of the colony of New South Wales from the perspective of transported women, in this case the feisty Eleanor Marling, who very much has to survive by her wits outside of her class and even outside of her culture. It is Eleanor who carries this story, flawed and stubborn but also strong, and it is Eleanor who will keep you reading until the very last page. One final comment, the research on this would have been extraordinary. All in all One Of Us Buried a great read.

[Sarah B White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice?

In 1806, Eleanor Marling was given a life sentence and would be transported from England to the penal colony in New South Wales to serve a life sentence. She was never to return to England. Female prisoners were sent there to work in spinning and weaving factories and to provide women for the soldiers and other English men in the colony to marry.

The new arrivals were encouraged to find places outside the factory to sleep and they also had to somehow provide their own food--even though they had no money. Some slept in the factory, but outside the factories there were plenty of men offering space in their beds.

Read this book to get more details about the life of these factory workers.

[Kat Drennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Us Buried is a gripping, raw story of love salvaged from the depths of despair, guilt, and a savage lust for revenge. Set in the British colony of New South Wales, Australia, Johanna Craven puts us at the risk of another Irish rebellion as she tells the story of survival of the women’s spirit against terrible circumstances. Her instantly recognizable style shines through as she takes the reader through this heart-wrenching story. Craven is a true master of characterization and storytelling. I can never get enough.

[Michelle Irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a man's world

Such a shame that women were convicted, hung or sent into slavery for the crime of hunger. and still would follow and even take a bullet for the men that victimized them. except for the main character in this story. she learned from her mistakes. really good book

[Davis Galimberti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm generally not interested in reading historical fiction.

But I really enjoyed this - it was page turner.

Very interesting setting, involving a relatively unknown part of Australian convict history, strong complex characters and a fascinating story!

[Kathryn Spurgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting

Such a dramatic revisiting of a specific time in history. The deep, conflicting thoughts of the main character pulled me into her tragedy and thus, the tragedy of all those oppressed.

[Maree Croxon Mapperson · Rating 5 out of 5]

New beginnings

The history of early Convicts arriving in Australia is a gritty beginning and shows the troubles many brought with them. Bringing people from all over the world and all different classes. Good read

[Margaret Amato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much on my Kindle that I bought my mother a copy

[A.M. Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book, honestly couldnt put it down

[Sherilee Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart wrenching

I had never considered the lives of women who were sentenced to the prison colony of Australia. This was an eyeopener for me.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Good book. I’ve never read anything about Australia and how it was started. I knew some of it from history class but not details like this book provided.

[Roy Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, you can imagine the struggle they went through.

[Raymond Said · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start but slowly build the characters, giving an
historical insight of early Parramatta. The main character was a little less believable then others.

[Sharon Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

I just couldn't put this book down... I highy recommend reading it. Absolutely fascinating, with lots of historical facts.... had me holding my breath in parts.

[Shan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. i adore reading about australia’s history and this story was wonderfully told.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

This is a fascinating story about life and times in early Australia. It is well told holds your interest throughout the entire st. I definitely recommend this book.

[alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐

This was definitely an interesting one. I don't even know why I chose to listen to it.
ig I just needed something to listen to so I wouldn't get behind in my books 🤷‍♀️