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What Members Thought
More special than I expected. I have always liked Kate Grenville's writing, but this book struck a chord with me because I'm familiar with the Hawkesbury area where the Australian part of the story takes place.
It is also particularly apt because our Prime Minister just said today that "I guess our country owes its existence to a form of foreign investment by the British government in the then unsettled, or, um, scarcely settled, Great South Land." His "scarcely settled" comment seems to have be ...more
It is also particularly apt because our Prime Minister just said today that "I guess our country owes its existence to a form of foreign investment by the British government in the then unsettled, or, um, scarcely settled, Great South Land." His "scarcely settled" comment seems to have be ...more
This book is quite amazing. You are drawn into the world of William Thornhill and you become a part of it. Grenville brings the world to life in this novel, you feel that you are on the streets of England, you feel that you are near the river on a hot Australian summer day. It is a truly wonderful world she has created.
As you journey with the Thornhill's you know that somewhere, somehow, something is going to happen that will change everything. That comes in the meeting of two different culture ...more
As you journey with the Thornhill's you know that somewhere, somehow, something is going to happen that will change everything. That comes in the meeting of two different culture ...more
In 1806, William Thornhill is an impoverished boatman struggling to feed his family. After being caught stealing wood, he is sentenced to be transported to the penal colony of New South Wales. His wife, Sal, accompanies him, along with their first child; when they make land in the colony, her husband becomes her slave.
The two of them and their growing family eke out an existence in this strange new land, their eyes always on the eventual goal of returning home to England. Thornhill eventually ea ...more
The two of them and their growing family eke out an existence in this strange new land, their eyes always on the eventual goal of returning home to England. Thornhill eventually ea ...more
A powerful, beautifully written book and an important read for all Australians who are interested to learn more about our history. I thought it gave a well balanced look at the conflict between convict settlers and Aboriginal people. The story didn't glorify the settlers, but managed to allow the reader to feel sympathetic towards the situation of the emancipists and their desire for their own land, despite the fact that the way they forced the native inhabitants from their land was undoubtedly
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Very sad but well written and a very powerful evocation of the time and place. One of a number of stories i have read about this period of Australian history and our relationship with the indigenous inhabitants. This is one of the best!
Sorry but I didn't like this book at all. I am sure though if you haven't read much to do about early Australian history or Australian Indigneous issues then this book is very enlightening. For me it was not a new.
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not my usual fare. I liked it, but not really me.
Jun 26, 2009
Philosophia
marked it as to-read
Dec 10, 2009
Sandi
marked it as to-read
Mar 14, 2012
Kirsten Alexander
marked it as to-read
Jan 01, 2013
Carly Bowden
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013-reading-challenge,
book-club
Jan 07, 2013
Lucinda
marked it as to-read
Mar 16, 2013
Cornelia
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
australia,
abc-bookclub
Jun 16, 2013
Chris
marked it as unfinished-tower-of-babel
Jan 18, 2017
Kara
marked it as to-read
