The Secret River in Aussie Readers

Sep 14, 2011 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, own-read, 10-aussie-books-to-read-before-you

When William Thornhill was a child in the slums of London, his family was incredibly poor…stealing just to survive. His sister Lizzie’s friend lived in Swan Lane, and she became like a sister to William. Sal Middleton became central in William’s life, and when his parents died, first his Mum, then his Dad soon afterwards, and left him and his siblings orphaned, he was able to spend time with Sal, in the warmth of her home, within the love of her parents.

Mr Middleton took William on as an apprent When William Thornhill was a child in the slums of London, his family was incredibly poor…stealing just to survive. His sister Lizzie’s friend lived in Swan Lane, and she became like a sister to William. Sal Middleton became central in William’s life, and when his parents died, first his Mum, then his Dad soon afterwards, and left him and his siblings orphaned, he was able to spend time with Sal, in the warmth of her home, within the love of her parents.

Mr Middleton took William on as an apprentice the year he turned fourteen, and he began learning to be a waterman... he loved the river, and was never afraid of hard work, and was looking forward to the end of the seven year apprenticeship, when he’d be a freeman of the River Thames. He would marry Sal and their future would be secure.

After their marriage, seven years later, they couldn’t have been happier. And when Sal presented him with their first child, William, or Willie as he was known, life took on a rosy hue. But suddenly, their world came crashing down around them, and William began thieving again, just to keep their heads above water.

When he was caught, thrown into The Old Bailey, and then sentenced to hang, it seemed there was no hope. But Sal wouldn’t give up……..

On a bitterly cold morning in September, 1806, William arrived in Sydney Cove aboard the Alexander, after almost a year at sea. He was ‘given’ to his wife, Sal, who was to be his master, as she was free, and he had to serve for the term of his natural life. Sal had had their second child on the voyage, named Richard, known as Dick, and he was a fretful child.

The journey of William Thornhill, his wife Sal and their children is a brilliant one. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the continuing history of their lives, first in Sydney, then on the Hawkesbury as a free man, with the Aboriginals already living on the river, the skirmishes with the ‘savages’, the language barrier, the beautiful but wildly untamed land … I would highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it as yet!
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Jun 07, 2014 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it

Shelves: indigenous-first-nations, historical-fiction, australian-author, aa-ce, award-win-listed, aa

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

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Dec 04, 2012 Kathryn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-list-2014, fiction, 4-stars, australian-authors, added-because-of-abc-s-book-club

This was a very interesting read. I have, naturally, heard stories of violence between the early settlers from Britain and the the native Aboriginal people and deplored it from both sides, but after reading this, I can certainly see how it came about. There were such different attitudes between the British and the Aboriginal people - from one group who work hard for possessions that appear to offer security and comfort to another group who tread gently on the earth, leaving little, if any, footp This was a very interesting read. I have, naturally, heard stories of violence between the early settlers from Britain and the the native Aboriginal people and deplored it from both sides, but after reading this, I can certainly see how it came about. There were such different attitudes between the British and the Aboriginal people - from one group who work hard for possessions that appear to offer security and comfort to another group who tread gently on the earth, leaving little, if any, footprint, hunting and gathering as necessary and living in harmony with the land, rather than trying to exploit it.

As a member of the former group (sitting in a lounge chair, under a fan powered by electricity [probably generated by a non-renewable energy source] while drinking a glass of cold water from the fridge [also powered by non-renewable energy] and which only had to be collected from the tap in the kitchen in the first place rather than from a spring welling up somewhere), I can understand the early settlers wanting to create something that resembles normality for them and although I can't really fully comprehend the Aboriginal way of life, this book has helped a little and I do feel that I have a bit of understanding about their feeling of fear and desolation when they saw the land upon which they live being taken over by these strange white people. And yet the white people arrived to see a land that looked desolate - no permanent structures and belonging to nobody, at least it appeared that way initially.

I can understand how the Aboriginal people - hunters and gatherers - could possibly not have seen any distinction between collecting sticks that they could make into weapons or tools and "collecting" items from some of the early settlers' homes, such as spades, axes etc. Or how, if they did see a distinction, might have thought that this would annoy the British and make them go away. I can feel their concern as they see people come in to take over the land on which they find sustenance - when the main character, William, arrives on the patch of land he's decided will be "his", there is a little area growing some small radish-like bulbs. He notices this, but still ploughs it up in order to plant his crop of corn.

I also don't know how the two groups could have co-existed more peacefully when their attitudes to life were so different, especially given the fact that there was no effective common language. And especially when there are disputes regarding territory all over the world, even when there is a common language, and/or interpreters available.

I read the sequel to this, The Lieutenant, last year, before I realised that I should have read this one first... I enjoyed it, although I don't remember how it connected in with the Thornhill family from this one - I had a skim through it just after I finished this one and was still none the wiser... However, I just looked at Kate Grenville's website and see that the two are connected not by the characters in each, but by the opposite attitudes and actions described - with The Lieutenant showing a more positive side to the British/Aboriginal relationship. It kind of answers my thoughts about other ways the two groups could have gone about interacting - however it still involved violence on both sides...

Overall, this was definitely a good read and a valuable insight into the history of Australia in the early 1800's. ...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Penni Russon rated it really liked it

Shelves: audible

This is a review of the audiobook, read by Bill Wallis.

I struggled through the first hour or so of this, the part set in London. I persevered because Lilian's Story is one of my favourite novels, and I had LOVED the narrator's reading of Jane Gardam's Old Filth. However, from the moment Wallis spoke the words Part Two, I was hooked.

For me Grenville's gift is bringing the Australian landscape to life - the section in London is impeccably researched but felt a little paint by numbers. From the mom ...more

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Jul 20, 2013 Terri added it

Not the story I was hoping for. It wasn’t the most original of set-ups. Perhaps I’ve just read too much fiction regarding convict transportees but why are these characters always those who stole just to feed themselves? Where are the stories of the real black-hearts?

(view spoiler) ...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Sue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A great read!

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Mar 30, 2010 Anne_MB rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-from-library, australian-fiction, 2010

A great book to read, satisfying and complex and tragic. The story of an English convict transported to NSW, how he works to provide a safe secure life in what he comes to regard as his new home, and the choices he has to make meeting the challenges of the native inhabitants, other settlers, and his own growing family. What I liked the most about this book was the way vastly differing viewpoints and reactions were portrayed through the characters. A great Australian historical novel.

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