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A River Town
In turn-of-the-century Australia, Tim Shea supports his young family by running a general store in a remote riverside town - where he finds the same hypocrisy and snobbery which made him emigrate from Ireland, and suffers a series of misfortunes which take him to the brink of disaster. Capturing the spirit of the times and place, this is the mesmerising tale of a flawed hero whose stubborn integrity is nearly his undoing.
330 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
12 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Keneally
116 books1,241 followersThomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright and author of non-fiction. He is best known for writing Schindler's Ark, the Booker Prize-winning novel of 1982, which was inspired by the efforts of Poldek Pfefferberg, a Holocaust survivor. The book would later be adapted to Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Often published under the name Tom Keneally in Australia.
Life and Career:
Born in Sydney, Keneally was educated at St Patrick's College, Strathfield, where a writing prize was named after him. He entered St Patrick's Seminary, Manly to train as a Catholic priest but left before his ordination. He worked as a Sydney schoolteacher before his success as a novelist, and he was a lecturer at the University of New England (1968–70). He has also written screenplays, memoirs and non-fiction books.
Keneally was known as "Mick" until 1964 but began using the name Thomas when he started publishing, after advice from his publisher to use what was really his first name. He is most famous for his Schindler's Ark (1982) (later republished as Schindler's List), which won the Booker Prize and is the basis of the film Schindler's List (1993). Many of his novels are reworkings of historical material, although modern in their psychology and style.
Keneally has also acted in a handful of films. He had a small role in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (based on his novel) and played Father Marshall in the Fred Schepisi movie, The Devil's Playground (1976) (not to be confused with a similarly-titled documentary by Lucy Walker about the Amish rite of passage called rumspringa).
In 1983, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). He is an Australian Living Treasure.
He is a strong advocate of the Australian republic, meaning the severing of all ties with the British monarchy, and published a book on the subject in Our Republic (1993). Several of his Republican essays appear on the web site of the Australian Republican Movement.
Keneally is a keen supporter of rugby league football, in particular the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club of the NRL. He made an appearance in the rugby league drama film The Final Winter (2007).
In March 2009, the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, gave an autographed copy of Keneally's Lincoln biography to President Barack Obama as a state gift.
Most recently Thomas Keneally featured as a writer in the critically acclaimed Australian drama, Our Sunburnt Country.
Thomas Keneally's nephew Ben is married to the former NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally.
Often published under the name Tom Keneally in Australia.
Life and Career:
Born in Sydney, Keneally was educated at St Patrick's College, Strathfield, where a writing prize was named after him. He entered St Patrick's Seminary, Manly to train as a Catholic priest but left before his ordination. He worked as a Sydney schoolteacher before his success as a novelist, and he was a lecturer at the University of New England (1968–70). He has also written screenplays, memoirs and non-fiction books.
Keneally was known as "Mick" until 1964 but began using the name Thomas when he started publishing, after advice from his publisher to use what was really his first name. He is most famous for his Schindler's Ark (1982) (later republished as Schindler's List), which won the Booker Prize and is the basis of the film Schindler's List (1993). Many of his novels are reworkings of historical material, although modern in their psychology and style.
Keneally has also acted in a handful of films. He had a small role in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (based on his novel) and played Father Marshall in the Fred Schepisi movie, The Devil's Playground (1976) (not to be confused with a similarly-titled documentary by Lucy Walker about the Amish rite of passage called rumspringa).
In 1983, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). He is an Australian Living Treasure.
He is a strong advocate of the Australian republic, meaning the severing of all ties with the British monarchy, and published a book on the subject in Our Republic (1993). Several of his Republican essays appear on the web site of the Australian Republican Movement.
Keneally is a keen supporter of rugby league football, in particular the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club of the NRL. He made an appearance in the rugby league drama film The Final Winter (2007).
In March 2009, the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, gave an autographed copy of Keneally's Lincoln biography to President Barack Obama as a state gift.
Most recently Thomas Keneally featured as a writer in the critically acclaimed Australian drama, Our Sunburnt Country.
Thomas Keneally's nephew Ben is married to the former NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 18, 2016
I liked this book although I am sure I didn't get the full nuances within the pages. Keneally wrote a very Australian book. I enjoyed the slang and the word usage throughout, the descriptions of the countryside are beautiful. I would love to one day see these purple hills and the beautiful ocean & river views. This story is a good look at a country and town in transition. The country is on the cusp of becoming a Commonwealth. The town a hodge-podge of people from all walks of English, Irish and Scottish life.
The story is subtle. I haven't read any other books by Keneally but have seen the movie Shindler's List, which is based on another of his books. The two stories are similar in that what is happening on the surface is not what is occurring underneath.
Tim Shea is a flawed and likeable man. He's a good man who wants nothing more than to make a good life for himself and his family in this New World. In the four month period covered by this book, his life is turned upside down. Keneally manages to include prejudices, social standings, finances, ties & responsibilities to the Mother Land, friendships and betrayals within the pages.
There's a lot of Australian slang and word usage that is interesting and make this a truly Australian story. The town and people are diverse and one gets the feel of what it would be like to be a new emigrant & have left all family & ties behind.
"This is what it feels to be an emigrant. Your children don't speak like you."
This is something I hadn't consciously thought of before. It must be a constant reminder that one isn't from "Here" when one's children have different accents, words and community experiences than oneself.
The story is subtle. I haven't read any other books by Keneally but have seen the movie Shindler's List, which is based on another of his books. The two stories are similar in that what is happening on the surface is not what is occurring underneath.
Tim Shea is a flawed and likeable man. He's a good man who wants nothing more than to make a good life for himself and his family in this New World. In the four month period covered by this book, his life is turned upside down. Keneally manages to include prejudices, social standings, finances, ties & responsibilities to the Mother Land, friendships and betrayals within the pages.
There's a lot of Australian slang and word usage that is interesting and make this a truly Australian story. The town and people are diverse and one gets the feel of what it would be like to be a new emigrant & have left all family & ties behind.
"This is what it feels to be an emigrant. Your children don't speak like you."
This is something I hadn't consciously thought of before. It must be a constant reminder that one isn't from "Here" when one's children have different accents, words and community experiences than oneself.
July 5, 2016
This is very good historical fiction. It is set at the turn on the 20th Century. Although decidedly Australian, the town seems much like many such settlements in the midwest and western United States of the same period. The town is peopled with both immigrants and those who have been of the place for a generation or two.
There is a class structure at least so far as there are people with power and those without. While the issues are different than in the US, there are those who wish to have and to wield power. That there are such people has apparently not occurred to our hero Tim Shea. Tim lives on the edge economically - his wife complains that he cannot see having to pay his own bills in 2 months time does not allow him to extend 3 month terms to his customers and stay solvent. But Tim is a generous man and will continue to live with his generous spirit.
This book deals with the the viciousness that can be politics. I don't mean those who are running for office, but that there is a group of people who have beliefs different from another group of people and what happens when only one of those groups has power. It also deals somewhat with issues of race, and, to a much lesser degree, the place of women in that less-enlightened time. I did not expect this book to deal with such current issues, but it made it much more interesting than I might have expected.
This is only my second Keneally, the other his more recent The Daughters of Mars. Now with two titles under my belt, so to speak, I am interested in reading more. Still, not every book can be a 5-star read. I can't quite put my finger on why this isn't one, but still a solid 4-stars.
There is a class structure at least so far as there are people with power and those without. While the issues are different than in the US, there are those who wish to have and to wield power. That there are such people has apparently not occurred to our hero Tim Shea. Tim lives on the edge economically - his wife complains that he cannot see having to pay his own bills in 2 months time does not allow him to extend 3 month terms to his customers and stay solvent. But Tim is a generous man and will continue to live with his generous spirit.
This book deals with the the viciousness that can be politics. I don't mean those who are running for office, but that there is a group of people who have beliefs different from another group of people and what happens when only one of those groups has power. It also deals somewhat with issues of race, and, to a much lesser degree, the place of women in that less-enlightened time. I did not expect this book to deal with such current issues, but it made it much more interesting than I might have expected.
This is only my second Keneally, the other his more recent The Daughters of Mars. Now with two titles under my belt, so to speak, I am interested in reading more. Still, not every book can be a 5-star read. I can't quite put my finger on why this isn't one, but still a solid 4-stars.
August 19, 2010
This is the tale of a reluctant hero, an endearing, if flawed, man whose stubborn integrity is nearly his undoing. Vividly conveying the spirit of the times, Tom Keneally's vibrant portrait of the river town of Kempsey manifests the inescapability of human malice in a place of natural splendour.
(first paragraph below;)
"On a hot morning in the New Year, a black police wagon went rolling along Kempsey's Belgrave Street from the direction of West Kemspey. All of this in the valley of the Macleay on the lush and humid north coast of New South Wales. The wagon attracted a fair amount of notice from the passers-by and witnesses. Many shopowners and customers in fact came out onto the footpaths to watch this wagon be drawn by, and some of them waved mockingly at the dark, barred window of the thing. Tim Shea of T. Shea - General Store stayed behind his counter but looked out with as much fascination as anyone as the wagon passed, two constables on the driver's seat, and Fry the sergeant of police riding behind."
Some of my colonial ancestors settled in Kempsey, and "A River Town" amply filled in the brutality and beautiful atmosphere of the times.
(first paragraph below;)
"On a hot morning in the New Year, a black police wagon went rolling along Kempsey's Belgrave Street from the direction of West Kemspey. All of this in the valley of the Macleay on the lush and humid north coast of New South Wales. The wagon attracted a fair amount of notice from the passers-by and witnesses. Many shopowners and customers in fact came out onto the footpaths to watch this wagon be drawn by, and some of them waved mockingly at the dark, barred window of the thing. Tim Shea of T. Shea - General Store stayed behind his counter but looked out with as much fascination as anyone as the wagon passed, two constables on the driver's seat, and Fry the sergeant of police riding behind."
Some of my colonial ancestors settled in Kempsey, and "A River Town" amply filled in the brutality and beautiful atmosphere of the times.
November 12, 2011
1900 Kempsey, in some respects this could be Kempsey of today. The book was poetic, it flowed , as lazy as the river. I loved its political points, and depictions of a river town bonded by class, and discrimination. Keneally did a great job of bringing out the essence of our town, and Tim was a man, who could have been a hero, if only he had the bottle for it. Keneally brings everything to this novel that boils my blood, especially the inescapable face of human malice, the fate of a new country looking to make a difference, too scared to cut the strings of the motherland.
August 15, 2012
Superb writing. Keneally's characters are utterly credible. Their sense of the vastness of the Australian continent and often their insignificance in it, is palpable. Also great historical and social research. His back-story of his more recent novel, Bettany's Book, echoes A River Town.
October 14, 2024
I enjoy Tom Keneally’s writing, and his subject matter resonates with me. I read this book because it is an historical novel about an area of which I know very little, but which was important in my family’s history in Australia. My great great grandfather’s brother, from Scotland, married a girl whose family had settled in Austral Eden at the end of the 1850s. Austral Eden only gets a passing mention in Keneally’s novel, which is set more than 30 years after Andrew Ross (my ancestor) married Janet Anderson, but the river and the landscape were the same in 1900 as in 1867 so I felt it gave me a window into the world in which my ancestors lived. The experience of the main character is that of the migrant, for which I wanted to get more of a feeling, and the novel satisfied in that respect. Besides that, it is a good story, with a enough mystery to keep you turning the pages, to get to the end. The main character is likeable enough and certainly evoked plenty of sympathy as I read about his struggles. There is a diverse cast of other characters which well illustrate the kind of tensions and difficulties of small communities building an identity far from their lands of origin. Many of the “issues” that faced European settlers of that era are woven into this tale, including the collision with Aboriginal culture and society, not to mention questions surrounding what kind of relationship this new society should have with the Old World. There is much that is thought provoking in this story. Keneally shows his masterful understanding of Australian history and is able to bring it to life in a way few history books can. Anyone who wants to know more about the European history of Kempsey will enjoy this story.
December 21, 2017
Historical fiction at its best... For a review in Dutch, see Herfstuitdaging 2017 of the Netherlands & Flanders group.
May 3, 2025
Forgettable story but memorable characters. Not every day you get to read a story set in the Macleay - gets an extra 0.5 of a star for that alone. 3.5/5.
July 5, 2012
Before picking up A River Town, I hadn’t read anything by Keneally, who also wrote Schildler’s List, but, wow, he can write. It was nearly impossible for me to read this book quickly: the characters and locations are so well drawn that anything less than a deliberate reading seems insulting.
Kempsey, the eponymous river town, is located in the Macleay river valley just inland of the east coast of Australia, about 300 miles north of Sydney in New South Wales. The narrative takes place in the (southern hemisphere) summer of 1900, as Australia seeks to become an independent commonwealth in the British empire.
Most non-native residents of Kempsey are English or Irish immigrants, and grocer Tim Shea is no exception. He and his wife Kitty left Ireland seeking the better life offered in the new land. The new land, however, has its own set of challenges, even for a good man like Shea.
Colonial Australia is committing troops to the Boer War in South Africa. Shea is among those unconvinced the war is right, but the pro-war patriots in Kempsey take a dim view of his resistance.
Tim has to sort out his relationship with Bandy Habash, one of the few Muslim immigrants in the Macleay valley. Tim has aversions to him both involuntary—arising from British distrust of non-Christian non-white peoples—and willful: Bandy shines an unwelcome public spotlight on Tim’s life. Yet Bandy is earnest and helpful, and the relationship between the two is complex and rewarding.
The Shea family is another fine Keneally creation: wife Kitty, full of common sense and distrustful of Tim’s whimsy, wild son John, and deliberate daughter Anna.
Dead strangers, orphaned children, Australian politics, new family members, and the plague are all involved in the plot, but this is not a plot-driven story. The characters are king, and it’s lovely when Keneally sets them loose.
Kempsey, the eponymous river town, is located in the Macleay river valley just inland of the east coast of Australia, about 300 miles north of Sydney in New South Wales. The narrative takes place in the (southern hemisphere) summer of 1900, as Australia seeks to become an independent commonwealth in the British empire.
Most non-native residents of Kempsey are English or Irish immigrants, and grocer Tim Shea is no exception. He and his wife Kitty left Ireland seeking the better life offered in the new land. The new land, however, has its own set of challenges, even for a good man like Shea.
Colonial Australia is committing troops to the Boer War in South Africa. Shea is among those unconvinced the war is right, but the pro-war patriots in Kempsey take a dim view of his resistance.
Tim has to sort out his relationship with Bandy Habash, one of the few Muslim immigrants in the Macleay valley. Tim has aversions to him both involuntary—arising from British distrust of non-Christian non-white peoples—and willful: Bandy shines an unwelcome public spotlight on Tim’s life. Yet Bandy is earnest and helpful, and the relationship between the two is complex and rewarding.
The Shea family is another fine Keneally creation: wife Kitty, full of common sense and distrustful of Tim’s whimsy, wild son John, and deliberate daughter Anna.
Dead strangers, orphaned children, Australian politics, new family members, and the plague are all involved in the plot, but this is not a plot-driven story. The characters are king, and it’s lovely when Keneally sets them loose.
December 22, 2015
Australia's immigrant history is fascinating to me, along with the shocking tales of convicts and their treatment. A River Town tells the story of Irish immigrants struggling to make ends meet in a coastal town of New South Wales in the late 1800s. As the town develops and the protagonist, Tim Shea, attempts to build his general store and support his growing family, conflicts increase between classes and religions, and Tim cannot escape the cruel politics of his new home. For a historical novel, Kenneally does a fine job weaving in various tragedies of the time. However, all the perils began to feel tedious. Above all, I objected to the author's condescending tone as he described Tim's travails, and I wished the narrator would display more empathy. For Australian historic fiction, I much prefer Peter Carey and Kate Grenville.
June 27, 2020
Based on actual events in the life of the author's grandfather, this is a stark picture of life in northern New South Wales at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. Tim Shea has a general store in the town of Macleay, NSW, Australia. His goal is to be able to support his wife Kitty and his scapegrace son and serious daughter. He and his business survive only at the whim of his suppliers, his late (or non) paying customers, the varying political situations (including ones opinion re the Boer War) the church and incipient racism. A very detailed description of frontier life and struggles to stay alive and epidemic free.
January 9, 2011
Another read during my Australia period. Thought it was good but a little bit of slow going.
August 20, 2018
A most engaging read, lots of twists and turns. Recommended read.
March 18, 2024
The novel is set in the early 1900s in an Australian town by the banks of Macleay River in New South Wales.
Tim Shea, a migrant from Ireland, is trying to make a life for his family in this town by running a general store, along with his wife Kitty. But he finds that his actions driven by honesty and generosity don't benefit him.
He is haunted by the death of an unidentified young girl at the hands of a local abortionist and nobody seems to care. Then he turns into a local hero for trying to save a man from an overturned cart and takes the dead victim's orphaned two children under his wings. Later when he opposes the idea of sending local troops to help Britain to fight the Boers, his store is boycotted.
After financial troubles, police entrapment and false accusations, he ultimately lands in an unsolicited quarantine amidst a bubonic plague.
The author takes you through that period of time with rich details. Tim Shea is an interesting character, generous yet somewhat vain, honest but lacks the strength of the mind unlike his wife. His moral choices end up being the reasons for his own problems.
IN A NUTSHELL: An enjoyable witty read.
Tim Shea, a migrant from Ireland, is trying to make a life for his family in this town by running a general store, along with his wife Kitty. But he finds that his actions driven by honesty and generosity don't benefit him.
He is haunted by the death of an unidentified young girl at the hands of a local abortionist and nobody seems to care. Then he turns into a local hero for trying to save a man from an overturned cart and takes the dead victim's orphaned two children under his wings. Later when he opposes the idea of sending local troops to help Britain to fight the Boers, his store is boycotted.
After financial troubles, police entrapment and false accusations, he ultimately lands in an unsolicited quarantine amidst a bubonic plague.
The author takes you through that period of time with rich details. Tim Shea is an interesting character, generous yet somewhat vain, honest but lacks the strength of the mind unlike his wife. His moral choices end up being the reasons for his own problems.
IN A NUTSHELL: An enjoyable witty read.
October 18, 2020
An excellent historical novel that takes place in early 1900's Northern Australia. The main protagonist is Tim Shea a decent man who has a knack for getting into trouble usually because of his pride and is wrongfully accused of writing a controversial letter in the newspaper. The story follows his many difficulties during a time when plague was beginning to rage in Australia. It's a very well written story but is full of very Australian words and phrases that made it difficult for me to follow at times but gave a great window into early Australian life.
August 20, 2022
I had hoped for more from this novel by the writer of Schindler’s List. It’s the story of a shopkeeper in turn-of-the-century Australia as he struggles to be a responsible citizen and raise his family. His troubled circumstances and inner conflicts made for some interesting reading, but overall I was underwhelmed. (6)
September 11, 2022
I quite liked it despite it being, in my view, fairly slow going for at least two thirds of it. Maybe 7.5/10. Things moved along pretty quickly as the end got closer. Exponential increase in interest, I reckon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2022
My first Thomas Keneally novel and I am impressed. Australia is a character I have yet to bored by.
I suppose I should read Schindler's List , as World War II is another subject I have yet to tire of.
I suppose I should read Schindler's List , as World War II is another subject I have yet to tire of.
October 19, 2023
Tedious. Endless descriptions, with little happening. Could have been SO much more interesting, about life in early New South Wales. Nearly gave up several times but kept hoping the excitement would come, which it did in the final few pages.
May 10, 2017
re tim shea, irish retailer, class structures
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August 20, 2020I loved this book, you really felt for Tim Shea after the first 100 pages, Mr. Keneally is a master storyteller, his characters are so well described for sure you have met them !!!
September 9, 2021
Ok interesting enough on Australian settlement
July 20, 2025
Another great Thomas Keneally novel, paintng a very clear picture of the mentalities of a small pioneer town
August 29, 2022
I enjoyed the back story along with the history. I am still a bit confused about the murdered girl, Missy. Who, how, and why she was killed.
October 19, 2014
This story, set at the turn of the 20th century in rural New South Wales, was helpful to my cultural literacy as a relatively recent immigrant. It illustrated the relationships between classes and races, the rural worldview and power structure, several points of view on Australian involvement in the Boer War, a bit about the plague that struck Sydney, and many words and terms from that era that I had never encountered before. It was more than that, of course, it was a good story and a pleasure to read.
March 1, 2014
As historical fiction, this book combines the best elements of a good story and a revealing view of 19th century Australia. Immigrants to this land bring their culture and ancient prejudices towards each other as they learn to live in a new environment which challenges them to adapt if they are to survive and prosper.
January 15, 2012
Loved the history of emigrants to the colonies that would become Australia. Topics like the Boer war, emigrant's nationalities, women and their most personal issues were all covered with great detail and candor.
November 29, 2013
Obviously read schindlers ark and saw this and thought I would give it a go as schindlers ark was so well written. This book is faultless and draws you into Tim's life and his hardships...couldn't put it down....
August 28, 2015
An enjoyable read that combines a good story with historical fact. Sometimes Tom Keneally "tells" too much when he's trying to put lots of information into his novels, but the info is always interesting and well written so I don't mind.
July 17, 2011
The story seemed to go on longer than it needed to and I found myself getting rather bored. But I enjoyed the story in theory...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews