The movement of the ship seals his fate. He could be sailing anywhere, anytime, but he's not, he's going to the other side of the world. He could be anyone, but he's not, he's the son of a respectable London businessman. His crime? An error of judgement. In England, in 1812, there's no forgiveness. As the ship sails, eighteen-year-old James Tedder's seven-year sentence to Van Diemen's Land begins. Rescuing her eldest son from slave traders in Rio de Janeiro is the most difficult thing Sarah Blay has done in the last two years. Leaving England, her life, her mother, to follow her convict husband James to the other side of the world not knowing if he lives, pales in comparison. Will lives rebuild? Will love survive?
I live in a suburb of Melbourne with my husband and our little poodle, Teddy. Since retiring from secondary teaching, I've been able to indulge in my dream to write.
As a vegetarian (almost vegan) I am passionate about animal welfare, and support Animals Australia, and Edgars Mission (Victoria, Australia).
I believe in life-long learning, and since leaving work, have completed a Diploma of Family History, am five eighths of the way through a Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing, and am always doing short courses in the craft of writing.
Decent book but the writing made me think it was more geared to young adult readers. It was a great premise but the sentence structure was simple and I never really felt immersed in the story.