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Reviews: The Secret River by Kate Grenville | LibraryThing
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Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.</div></div></div> </div><div id="gbss"> <h1>Results from Google Books</h1> <p>Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.</p> <div id="gbss_content"></div> </div><div class="content reviews"><input type="hidden" name="cgtag_lb_title" value="CoverGuess Tags" id="cgtag_lb_title" class="" ><input type="hidden" name="work" value="521914" id="work" class="" > <table class="wrapper" width="100%" border=0> <col width="160"> <col> <col width="210"> <tr> <td class="left"><div id="maincover"><a href="#" onclick="si_info('isbn_1841959146'); return false;"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/fugue21/magnifier-left.png" class="icon"></a><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX180_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX360_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX540_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" /></div><div class="leftnav workleftnav alwaysblue noline"><ul><li class="first"><a href="/work/521914/summary">Main page</a></li> <li class="gap"><a href="/work/521914/workdetails">Work details</a></li> <li class="gap selected"><a href="/work/521914/reviews">Reviews</a> <span class="count">(130)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/recommendations">Recommendations</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/members">Members</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/descriptions">Descriptions</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/conversations">Conversations</a> <span class="count">(580)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/commonknowledge">Common Knowledge</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/popularity">Popularity</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/covers">Cover images</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/521914/editions">Editions</a></li></ul></div> </td> <td class="middle" id="middleColumn"> <div id="loading">Loading...</div><div class="headsummary"><h1>The Secret River <span class="date">(2005)</span></h1><h2>by <a href="/author/grenvillekate">Kate Grenville</a><hr></h2><div class="authorsandseries"><h3><b>Series:</b> <a href="/nseries/7397/Colonial-Trilogy" class="" >Colonial Trilogy</a> (1)</h3></div></div><div class="wslcontainer"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="wsltable"><tr class="wslheader"><td width="18%" class="firstchild">Members</td><td width="18%">Reviews</td><td width="18%">Popularity</td><td width="22%">Average rating</td><td width="25%" class="lastchild">Mentions</td></tr><tr class="wslcontent"><td valign="middle" class="firstchild"><a href="/work/521914/members">2,830</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/521914/reviews">130</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/521914/popularity">5,370</a></td><td valign="middle"><nobr><a href="/work/521914/members"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif" style="margin-bottom: -2px;"></a> <span class="dark_hint">(3.8)</span></nobr></td><td valign="middle" class="lastchild"><a href="/work/521914/conversations">580</a></td></tr></table></div><div id="u_7f110e77" class="quickedit light"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle" style="margin-left: .75em;">All member reviews</span></div></div><div id="wp_reviews" class="simpleSection"><div class="workSection"><div class="review_showing_pages"></div><div id='mainreviews_reviewnav' class='reviewnav'><div class="languagepick"><b><a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false,'eng', 'profile');">English</a> (121)</b> <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false,'ger', 'profile');">German</a> (3) <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false,'dut', 'profile');">Dutch</a> (2) <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false,'fre', 'profile');">French</a> (1) <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false,'nor', 'profile');">Norwegian</a> (1) <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false,'all', 'profile');">All languages</a> (128)</div><div class="right"><strong><a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false, null, 'profile');return false;">date<span class="sortArrow"> ▼</span></a></strong> | <a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,2,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','',false, null, 'profile'); return false;">votes</a></div>Showing 1-25 of 121 (<a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',25,0,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','521914','', false, null, 'profile'); return false;">next</a> | <a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,0,3,'wp_reviews',10000,'','521914','', false, null, 'profile'); return false;">show all</a>)</div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_268110719" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Excellent Story! Excellent Story telling!... Really good book! <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_268110719" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_268110719"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_268110719" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_268110719" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_268110719"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/asl4u" target="_top">asl4u</a> | Jul 21, 2024 | <a href="/review/268110719"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_258211924" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Using current knowledge of the times of the early British settlement of the Sydney & Hawkesbury River region and the interactions between white and black, Grenville has built a credible and tense tale woven around the story of one man who grew up impoverished and desperate. She has developed the tale around the conflicted attitudes of whites to the native residents of the region and how massacres came to be accepted as a way to "resolve" differences. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss7.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_258211924" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_258211924"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_258211924" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_258211924" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_258211924"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/ElizabethCromb" target="_top">ElizabethCromb</a> | Feb 13, 2024 | <a href="/review/258211924"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_251240958" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>A thoroughly human and deeply awful look into the minds of European settlers. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_251240958" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_251240958"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_251240958" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_251240958" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_251240958"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/mmparker" target="_top">mmparker</a> | Oct 24, 2023 | <a href="/review/251240958"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_230312547" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Had to read for school. It's very long, very dense and very boring. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss2.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_230312547" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_230312547"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_230312547" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_230312547" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_230312547"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/funstm" target="_top">funstm</a> | Dec 1, 2022 | <a href="/review/230312547"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_228373707" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This is a story of the beginnings of colonialism in Australia. It opens in 1803 in England, where protagonist William Thornhill is meets and marries Sal. Their lives take a downward turn, and he is convicted of theft. Usually the penalty is hanging, but instead, he and his family are transported to Australia to serve his sentence. Eventually he obtains an opportunity to start farming a piece of land. The main thrust of the storyline is how the settlers interact with the native people. <br><br>Sal wants to return to England, which she still considers home. William wants to own the land. The land, including two nearby rivers, is difficult terrain to cultivate and it becomes almost a character unto itself. The relationship between humans and land is a primary theme. A sense of foreboding is generated, as the reader can feel the escalating tensions, which will force a confrontation. <br><br>The protagonist comes across as someone who wants to do his best to get along with everyone. He is not an evil man, though I cannot say the same for some of his neighbors. Communication is an issue. The concept of land ownership is an issue. Racism is an issue. And the reader can probably guess where it is all headed. It is a book about how a person can end up acting against principles. There are sections that are difficult to read due to hatred and horrific violence. I think it is a fine piece of writing. <br> <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_228373707" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_228373707"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_228373707" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_228373707" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_228373707"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Castlelass" target="_top">Castlelass</a> | Oct 30, 2022 | <a href="/review/228373707"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_222428328" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I found it difficult to relate to the characters or feel for them, including the black natives. The story was historically interesting and the situation sadly destined for tragedy, but I wish it had been told with more depth of feeling. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_222428328" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_222428328"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_222428328" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_222428328" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_222428328"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/mattorsara" target="_top">mattorsara</a> | Aug 11, 2022 | <a href="/review/222428328"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_215434196" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Enjoyed although not quite sure I recognise the main character by the end. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_215434196" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_215434196"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_215434196" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_215434196" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_215434196"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/adrianburke" target="_top">adrianburke</a> | Apr 24, 2022 | <a href="/review/215434196"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_213135814" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>The novel began with the brutal existence of a poor British man, and his consistent failure to get ahead in life, despite his efforts. Even the early days in the Australian penal colony were interesting. But toward the end, William Thornhill forgets half of what he learned along the way. This is a novel, and I had hoped for a more thoughtful, even uplifting, ending. Instead, Thornhill falls in lockstep with the very men he previously loathed, which perhaps was historically accurate, but fictionally unsatisfying. The one white character I found uniformly intriguing, son Dick, fades away at the end. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_213135814" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_213135814"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_213135814" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_213135814" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_213135814"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Catherine_Dilts" target="_top">Catherine_Dilts</a> | Feb 25, 2022 | <a href="/review/213135814"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_208941803" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I marked this down to two stars because, imho, the characters are too simple; cardboard characters. The natives are too good, shades of the noble savage; the evil whites are too simply drawn. The whole book is too preachy. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_208941803" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_208941803"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_208941803" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_208941803" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_208941803"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/lcl999" target="_top">lcl999</a> | Nov 26, 2021 | <a href="/review/208941803"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_195850421" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>In 1806 William Thornhill is transported for life from the slums of London to New South Wales. His arrival with wife Sal and their children at first feels like a death sentence. But Thornhill discovers the colony can turn a person into a free man and eight years later he sails up the Hawkesbury and claims his own patch of ground. However, from the moment he sets foot on this land he has the feeling of being watched by the original inhabitants. There is tension between the Aboriginals and the new settlers and all are finding different ways to deal with it. As the situation spirals out of control Thornhill has to make the toughest decision of his life. <br><br>The story started out rather depressing because Will lived in poverty and he was constantly trying to get what he needed to survive. But when he got sent to Australia, the story became hopeful. It was still a struggle but Will and his family slowly improved their life. Still, there were many tense moments between Will, other settlers and the native people as they were in conflict over the land. This was a well-written and interesting story based on the author’s ancestors. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_195850421" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_195850421"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_195850421" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_195850421" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_195850421"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/gaylebutz" target="_top">gaylebutz</a> | Jan 30, 2021 | <a href="/review/195850421"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_192402794" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>On the last day of the previous century I was concerned as to what might happen when the new century began. There were warnings that computer systems might fail and "Y2K" plans had been underway for months to deal with this issue. As I started to work on that day, I turned on my computer and pulled up the website for Sydney, Australia, which booming city was already celebrating the new century with fireworks. All was well as I returned to my work in Chicago. <br><br>I note this episode because the Sydney in Kate Grenville's novel, The Secret River, is set at the beginning of the nineteenth century and it is a city of ramshackle buildings and tents, more like our old west than the metropolis it has since become. “It was a sad scrabbling place, this town of Sydney.” (p 75) This contrast highlights the changes that were started in large part by the prisoners, like William Thornhill and his family, who were exiled to Australia and formed the beginnings of that country.<br><br>Sent to Australia because he tried to steal from his boss in London, William Thornhill became one of the first settlers in the Australian wilderness. The novel describes the conflict between the earliest settlers of the country and the natives of Australia as they clashed for ownership of the land. Themes include ownership, racism, social class and hope.<br><br>Thornhill grew up poor in London but dreamed of a better future. He thought he was on his way to this better future when Mr. Middleton took him on as an apprentice as a waterman. He completed his apprenticeship successfully and married Sarah “Sal” Middleton, his childhood sweetheart. His father-in-law gave Thornhill his own boat as a wedding gift. Things were going well for the new couple until both Mr. and Mrs. Middleton got sick and died. Their care used up all of the money the two had in savings. Their property, including the boat Mr. Middleton had given Thornhill, had to be sold to pay their remaining debts. As a result Thornhill had to go back to working for others and was unable to make a living for his family. He was caught stealing in an attempt to feed his family and was sentenced to death by hanging.<br><br>Thornhill received a pardon for his crime and was allowed to go to Australia to serve his sentence. The place was described as something “out of a dream, a fierce landscape of chasms and glowering cliffs and a vast unpredictable sky.” After one year of service with his wife as an overseer, Thornhill earned his ticket of leave allowing him to work for whoever he wanted. He eventually partnered up with Thomas Blackwood an old friend from London who transported crops and supplies to and from the settlers along the Hawkesbury River. Thornhill fell in love with a piece of property he saw along the river during his first trip. He convinced Sal they could earn enough money to return to England if they claimed a plot of land and farmed it. Eventually, though, Thornhill “saw what he had never seen before: that there could be no future for the Thornhills back in London.” (p 175) With this came the sad realization that he could not share this feeling with his wife who continued to dream of their eventual return.<br><br>Once they were on the land in the wilderness, the Thornhills were regularly threatened by the natives who once had freely roamed the land. Although other settlers abused and even killed the natives, Thornhill just wanted to be left alone. Even though he wasn’t purposefully cruel to the natives, they came and stole most of his corn one day. After he and his workers ran them off, they returned that night and set fire to what was left. The author portrays the differences between the aborigines and the settlers in a way that reminded me of the contrast between the image of Rousseau's natural man and the Weberian concept of the Protestant work ethic. The two views of life did not mix well at all.<br><br>When he was asked to assist a group of men going to ambush a camp of natives Thornhill agreed to go along and help. He knew his life would never be the same after he stooped to the level where he would help kill other human beings. After the natives were cleared from the area Thornhill and his family became successful on their land in Australia. They became the gentry they’d always dreamed of being in London. Even with his prosperity, Thornhill still used his telescope to scan the woods looking for the natives that once called that land their home. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_192402794" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_192402794"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_192402794" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_192402794" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_192402794"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/jwhenderson" target="_top">jwhenderson</a> | Nov 16, 2020 | <a href="/review/192402794"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_189247413" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Enjoyable read as a convicted London boatman is deported to Australia in early 19th century. The contrast between London and barren New South Wales is stark. The tension mounts between the settlers and the Aboriginal people. The novel provokes major questions and rights and wrongs and leaves the reader with considerable food for thought. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_189247413" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_189247413"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_189247413" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_189247413" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_189247413"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/jon1lambert" target="_top">jon1lambert</a> | Sep 17, 2020 | <a href="/review/189247413"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_189362077" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Great historical fiction about a time period in Australia I always wondered about. Little preachy at times, but that is understandable in this context. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_189362077" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_189362077"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_189362077" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_189362077" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_189362077"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Cliff_F" target="_top">Cliff_F</a> | Sep 11, 2020 | <a href="/review/189362077"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_189222517" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Curious story. A kind of historical fiction that I can live with.<br><br>In 1806 William Thornhill, illiterate waterman, is convicted of theft and sentenced to hang. By paying for letters pleading his case to be sent to authorities, he manages to get his sentence commuted. He is sent to New South Wales (now Australia), along with his wife and small children, to live out a life sentence there.<br><br>The system in New South Wales allows Thornhill to work his way out of his life sentence. He is still "branded" as a former convict but is able to be free on the continent. Working on the water again, he discovers a piece of land that is fairly remote from any kind of civilization, and he covets that land. In time he moves his family there and they take on the task of creating a home and growing food, while he continues to run his boat.<br><br>Throughout this time he encounters "savages". There is a conflict, because they were there first, although they don't tend to have the same concept of property ownership. Thornhill and eventually his convict workers push against the land, forcing it into submission. He even makes a kind of peace with the savages, an uneasy one.<br><br>His wife Sal is strong and capable but not in love with this land. Thornhill is deeply in love with his wife and struggles with his two loves: the land and Sal. Eventually the savage situation comes to a head, an ugly and violent one. Throughout the book the tension is almost unbearable. In a way the ultimate "resolution" was almost a relief.<br><br>I read The Fatal Shore years ago. It impressed me with its details of convict life in early Australia and the settling of the continent at the expense of the aborigines. I remember life for the convicts being harder than indicated in this book, but there were different settlements. I have no reason to doubt the details in this book, written by an Australian writer and praised by fellow Australians. This fiction story fills out the story I read so long ago. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_189222517" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_189222517"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_189222517" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_189222517" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_189222517"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/slojudy" target="_top">slojudy</a> | Sep 8, 2020 | <a href="/review/189222517"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_186872240" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>A good easy read giving a live account of early settlement in Sydney and Hawkesbury area.<br>Her description of Will & Sal's slide into poverty, the desperation etc, is very real.<br>She is adept at getting you inside the mind of the lead character, Will, revealing his thoughts and feelings.<br> <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_186872240" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_186872240"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_186872240" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_186872240" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_186872240"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/GeoffSC" target="_top">GeoffSC</a> | Jul 25, 2020 | <a href="/review/186872240"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_179108267" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This telling of the UK practice of sending convicts to Australia grabbed me and kept me reading. Though harsh sometimes, I found it such a good depiction of the way Europeans (even convicts) would move into a new place and assume that they were better than the indigenous population just because they didn't understand their language or customs. I feel like the story of the main character is representative of many people and explorers at that time. He wanted to create a better life for himself and family but was poor and uneducated and not equipped to deal with the "black savages" who already lived on the land. That conflict was so well told and I liked that he was given the perspective of uncertainty - he found humanity and similarities in the people but didn't know how to acknowledge it. Definitely recommend. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_179108267" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_179108267"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_179108267" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_179108267" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_179108267"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Terrie2018" target="_top">Terrie2018</a> | Feb 21, 2020 | <a href="/review/179108267"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_174842260" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>It's better to be a thief than to become a gentleman. Anyway, that's part of the lesson I got from this book. Making a living in 19th century London is pretty tough unless you are a gentleman or willing to commit thievery. And the thieves who are not hanged might be lucky enough to be sent to Australia, to be forgotten, to live or to die, doesn't much matter. This is the story of a kind thief who got a second chance, but to me, became less and less likable as the story moved forward. The look into criminal-populated Australia is interesting. The too-common story of indigenous people being forced out by the newcomers is all too real, and all to sad. While this book dragged in places and could have perhaps been a bit shorter, it is a good bit of historical fiction, entertaining and engaging. I read an ebook edition provided through a Prime membership. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss7.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_174842260" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_174842260"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_174842260" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_174842260" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_174842260"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/TooBusyReading" target="_top">TooBusyReading</a> | Oct 29, 2019 | <a href="/review/174842260"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_147991255" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I appreciated this story. It took me on a journey to New South Wales in the early 1800s. There were many vibrant scenes and some that were not so pleasant, but overall, it was a learning experience. I'm not sure that I want to read more like this. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss7.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_147991255" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_147991255"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_147991255" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_147991255" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_147991255"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/bcrowl399" target="_top">bcrowl399</a> | Mar 2, 2018 | <a href="/review/147991255"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_133701464" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>The high quality of writing is obvious from the start. An unflinching, realistic slice of Australian history. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_133701464" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_133701464"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_133701464" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_133701464" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_133701464"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/AngelaJMaher" target="_top">AngelaJMaher</a> | Feb 23, 2018 | <a href="/review/133701464"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_149976614" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This was a tough read. Inspired by the author's family history of ancestors transported to Australia as felons, it follows a working class family whose trials at the hands of an unfair society lead to theft and the threat of execution. Will Thornhill's death sentence is commuted to one of transportation for life, and so he begins a new existence on the other side of the world. The hardest part of this novel is the brutality shown by the white immigrants to the indigenous people whose land they squat on and claim as their own. I couldn't find any warmth in any of the characters who are at the centre of the story. Having said that, it's incredibly well written and thought provoking. You don't have to sympathise with the protagonists of every book, after all. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_149976614" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_149976614"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_149976614" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_149976614" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_149976614"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/missizicks" target="_top">missizicks</a> | Jan 22, 2018 | <a href="/review/149976614"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_149824932" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>The book describes an English family transported to New South Wales...Sydney and its surrounding area...after William is convicted of theft and sentenced to death or indentured servitude in Australia. Of course of the two choices Australia is looking pretty good. As William, attempts to work his way out of servitude, he falls in love with a parcel of land that’s in unsettled territory for the most part. There is also a large numbers of Aboriginal people already living there, and of course the settlers are anywhere from being wary of them to unbelievable cruelty. The struggle of this family is described in a way that is both understandable and horrifying. Most of the settlers at that time viewed the Aboriginal people as being less than human....and if any of the settlers who attempted to understand and establish a relationship with them were viewed with disgust. We see how even a person with good intentions might be led to commit terrible acts.<br><br>Also interesting in this book was the tension between William and his wife. It’s maddening at times because they are clearly at odds, and despite her very strong wishes William has control of their lives...as was the usual in those times. Wiliams often comes across as thoughtless and uncaring, making promises he has no intentions of keeping. In the end you'll find yourself rooting for William as he attempts to become a better person. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_149824932" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_149824932"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_149824932" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_149824932" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_149824932"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Carol420" target="_top">Carol420</a> | Jan 8, 2018 | <a href="/review/149824932"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_137350615" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Beautifully written, this was a painful story of the settling of Australia by British convicts in the 1700s - focusing primarily on one man, Thornhill, and his wife Sal, we come to see the motivation of poor, hopeless people who have lost all dreams of a good life to create a new future in a new land, rough and filled with the possibility of success - the native aboriginals and their life in harmony with the land are dishonored and displaced by these intruders and violence ensues - <br><br>Kate Grenville did a beautiful job of creating a sense of place and, mostly through the eyes of the newcomers, was able to weave a credible story that showed sensitivity to both sides - I loved her use of words and was very moved by this book. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_137350615" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_137350615"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_137350615" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_137350615" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_137350615"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/njinthesun" target="_top">njinthesun</a> | Dec 31, 2016 | <a href="/review/137350615"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_129422281" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Kate Grenville's novel The secret river is a dramatic story not often told, and a multiple-layered novel. The story begins with the life of the Thornhills, William and Sal, in utter poverty in London. When William is caught stealing his death sentence is changed to deportation of his whole family to New South Wales. After a few years in the colony, like many (ex-) convicts, Thornhill thrives, establishing a life of comfort unbeknownst to people like him in London. While Sal wants to set money aside to return to England, with the risk of losing everything again and falling back into a life of poverty, William Thornhill wants to stay and stake a claim to a piece of land of his fancy. For years he observes the plot and when he finally wants to stake his claim it appears to be taken. But William ignores the signs, as apparently the digging does not indicate a claim of fellow settlers, but merely the work of some local aborigines, who do not seem to linger.<br><br>From this stage, the novel's plot becomes a metaphor for the colonization of Australia, for the land on which seemingly no-one lingers does actually belong to the native inhabitants. The story of the Thornhill family then develops to its ultimate, very dramatic climax.<br><br>The secret river is beautifully written, exploring an intriguing theme and portraying both the colonists and the aborigines in a psychologically completely convincing way. It is a strong story of real interest, not only as a historical novel, but also in its implications to the present.<br><br>Highly recommended. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_129422281" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_129422281"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_129422281" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_129422281" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_129422281"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/edwinbcn" target="_top">edwinbcn</a> | Oct 8, 2016 | <a href="/review/129422281"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_133848542" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>So I had to read this book for university.<br><br>And I really didn't like it. It's one of those books that I wish I didn't have to read. I definitely would've put it down were it not for the fact that I had to read it for a course. Even then, I half-listened to the last part of the audiobook, just to get it over and done with. It's such a shame because this is a piece of Australian literature, and I try, as an Australian, to champion as much of its literature as possible. <br><br>I don't like William Thornhill. And I know you're not really supposed to, he's not necessarily a likeable character and stands for a lot of unlikeable people that existed at that time, but ughhhhh Will Thornhill I seriously do not care about you, or your family, or your life. Your innate selfishness and sense of entitlement makes me feel ill, and it's so subversive.<br><br>But, in all honesty, I think I didn't enjoy this because I know so much early Australian and first contact history. (I studied it in university, as well as a few literature courses, and Spanish~). I know how ugly it all was, and still is. I know how hard it is to find pieces (oral or written) by Aboriginal people from that period. <br><br>... so, this, yeah. I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. It feels like another story, told from the same perspective. Yes, there are Aboriginal characters, they do feature, Grenville does include Australian Aboriginal hunting practices and all of those things, but something about them still feels 'Other'. Of course, Grenville may have felt it wasn't her place to write from an Aboriginal perspective when she doesn't identity as Aboriginal, but there's something about the indigenous characters in this story that makes them almost completely voiceless.<br><br>The writing is fine, the plot is decent, the character arcs and developments are interesting enough, but I cannot ignore how this book makes me feel. <br><br>And so, because of how this book makes me feel, I'll have to give it one star. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss2.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_133848542" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_133848542">1</span> <img title="1 member found this review helpful" id="rvi_133848542" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_133848542" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_133848542" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_133848542"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/lydia1879" target="_top">lydia1879</a> | Aug 31, 2016 | <a href="/review/133848542"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_96808195" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/521914" data-workid="521914" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1841959146.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>William Thornhill was born poor in London at the end of the 1700's, but worked hard to become an apprentice and a waterman on the Thames. He married his master's daughter, Sal, and when unfortunate circumstances force them back into poverty, he gets caught stealing to feed his family. Although sentenced to hang, an appeal has him sentenced to transport on a convict ship to New South Wales. He is allowed to bring his wife and son, and eventually works off his sentence and buys his freedom. From here the story takes Will and his family to a remote piece of land that he wants to call his own. The indigenous people also call the land theirs, and conflicts between the white settlers and the Aborigines become brutal. At first Will tries to coexist, but the mob mentality wins in the end. At times the story is brutal, as you would expect, but the writing is lovely. At the end we find Will wondering why he has everything he wanted, and yet knowing that he isn't happy.<br><br>I really enjoyed this, and Simon Vance's narration is terrific. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_96808195" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_96808195"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_96808195" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_96808195" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_96808195"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/NanaCC" target="_top">NanaCC</a> | May 16, 2016 | <a href="/review/96808195"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems 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