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In the beginning the setting is England in the 1840's. It tells the story of a young woman servant made pregnant by a wealthy gentleman's son. When the pregnancy is found she is sent to Newgate Prison, then deported to Tasmania. It describes well what it was like in ocean going vessels at the time--in a word inhumane. She arrives with nothing. Instead of prostituting herself she is fortunate to land work in a moderately wealth English home where she befriends a young aboriginal woman. She marrie
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Impressive, the amount of research Kline accomplished to write this book. Brava.
However, for those who have studied England's settlement of austere Australia—the convicts, the wretched prisons, and the hardships of sea travel—no new territory is covered. Nevertheless, the author presents vivid characters who bring history to life as they undergo the privations, miseries, injustices, and inhumanities of the situation.
I would characterize the book as "harsh." Harsh for the reader. Harsh for our he ...more
However, for those who have studied England's settlement of austere Australia—the convicts, the wretched prisons, and the hardships of sea travel—no new territory is covered. Nevertheless, the author presents vivid characters who bring history to life as they undergo the privations, miseries, injustices, and inhumanities of the situation.
I would characterize the book as "harsh." Harsh for the reader. Harsh for our he ...more
