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The Secret River (2005)

by Kate Grenville

Series: Colonial Trilogy (1)

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2,7841305,116 (3.8)572
After a childhood of poverty and petty crime in the slums of London, William Thornhill is sentenced in 1806 to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. With his wife, Sal, and children in tow, he arrives in a harsh land that feels at first like a death sentence. But among the convicts there is a whisper that freedom can be bought, an opportunity to start afresh. Away from the infant township of Sydney, up the Hawkesbury River, are white men who have tried to do just that. But, as uninhabited as the island appears at first, Australia is full of native people, and they too claim the land as their own.… (more)
  1. 20
    The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran (mrstreme)
  2. 10
    The Colour by Rose Tremain (jayne_charles)
    jayne_charles: More Antipodean colonial pioneers
  3. 10
    Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville (Carole888)
    Carole888: This continues on from The Secret River, and is set later in time. Sarah Thornhill is the youngest daughter of William Thornhill. This is her story.
  4. 22
    Searching for the Secret River by Kate Grenville (relah)
    relah: In this small book, Kate Grenville explores her family history and how her research into it led to her novel, The Secret River.
  5. 00
    Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue (inbedwithbooks)
    inbedwithbooks: Deze boeken zijn zusters!
  6. 00
    Remembering Babylon by David Malouf (wandering_star)
    wandering_star: Very similar theme.
  7. 01
    Wanting by Richard Flanagan (merry10)
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English (121)  German (3)  Dutch (2)  French (1)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (128)
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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. ( )
  ElizabethCromb | Feb 13, 2024 |
A thoroughly human and deeply awful look into the minds of European settlers. ( )
  mmparker | Oct 24, 2023 |
Had to read for school. It's very long, very dense and very boring. ( )
  funstm | Dec 1, 2022 |
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.

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.

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.
( )
  Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 |
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. ( )
  mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 121 (next | show all)
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This novel is dedicated to the Aboriginal people of Australia:
past, present and future.
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The Alexander, with its cargo of convicts, had bucked over the face of the ocean for the better part of a year.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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After a childhood of poverty and petty crime in the slums of London, William Thornhill is sentenced in 1806 to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. With his wife, Sal, and children in tow, he arrives in a harsh land that feels at first like a death sentence. But among the convicts there is a whisper that freedom can be bought, an opportunity to start afresh. Away from the infant township of Sydney, up the Hawkesbury River, are white men who have tried to do just that. But, as uninhabited as the island appears at first, Australia is full of native people, and they too claim the land as their own.

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Grenville's Australian bestseller, which won the Orange Prize, is an eye-opening tale of the settlement of New South Wales by a population of exiled British criminals. Research into her own ancestry informs Grenville's work, the chronicle of fictional husband, father and petty thief William Thornhill and his path from poverty to prison, then freedom. Crime is a way of life for Thornhill growing up in the slums of London at the turn of the 19th century—until he's caught stealing lumber. Luckily for him, a life sentence in the penal colony of New South Wales saves him from the gallows. With his wife, Sal, and a growing flock of children, Thornhill journeys to the colony and a convict's life of servitude. Gradually working his way through the system, Thornhill becomes a free man with his own claim to the savage land. But as he transforms himself into a trader on the river, Thornhill realizes that the British are not the first to make New South Wales their home. A delicate coexistence with the native population dissolves into violence, and here Grenville earns her praise, presenting the settler–aboriginal conflict with equanimity and understanding. Grenville's story illuminates a lesser-known part of history—at least to American readers—with sharp prose and a vivid frontier family
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Canongate Books

An edition of this book was published by Canongate Books.

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