Lovely romantic story about the niave Dorothea Brande who travels to the new colony of Port Jackson (Sydney) with her soldier husband in 1814, and discovers a world she cannot imagine as well as an inner strength she has no idea she possesses. Dorothea tries to make sense of this harsh unforghiving world into which she has been thrust by creating her own piece of England - a wonderful garden around her residence. She does so with the help of the ticket-of-leave manservant Daniel, as her husband Charles becomes more and more bitter as he is passed over for promotion , and falls in with some other officers whose superior attitudes to the convicts begin to poison his mind. A fascinating look into the structure of early colonial society between the "free" and the ex-convicts. Highly recommended for staff reading.
Excerpt from Chapter One as Dorothea tries to settle into her new life at Sydney.