In a nutshell
This is really a settler story with a bit of a twist. It follows the life of William Thornhill, who was convicted of theft in London and originally sentenced to death. As luck would have it, he was saved and sent to Australia to serve his time. The book then explores how he and his family adjust to life in the new land. In particular, Grenville comes to focus on Thornhill's relationship with the aboriginals.
Did I like it?
M'eh! I' expected to love it as there had been so many good reviews, but I found the first part of the narrative quite conventional. It was like I was reading every other book that I'd read about poverty in 19th century Britain. It wasn't until Thornhill arrived in Australia and Grenville started to explore the intercultural dynamic that things got more interesting. Thornhill's struggle with accepting versus dominating the local aboriginals was interesting and this is the strength of the Secret River.
Will you like it?
If you enjoy historical novels, Grenville is an excellent writer and it does provide some interesting insight into Australian hisotry, so may be worth picking up.
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