Captivating reading. Patrick White is incomparable as an artist. Wonderful understated prose is sustained throughout.
This is an enthralling story. At the moment White is apparently out of favour because of his "high modernist" style. More pity to those who think so.

The Roxburghs are on their way back to England from Van Diemen’s land when their ship is wrecked off the coast of Queensland. The frail hypochondriac, Austin Roxburgh, had made the perilous journey to Tasmania to see his younger brother, the brutal Garnet, who had left England many years before to escape the consequences of his criminal activities. Roxburgh is accompanied by his wife Ellen, a farmer’s daughter. Ellen now has a ladylike veneer, the result both of her mother-in-law’s training, and living with her fastidious husband.

A Fringe of Leaves takes as its starting point the true story of Eliza Fraser who was shipwrecked then saved by aborigines. In A Fringe of Leaves, this is Ellen’s fate, and the first half of the book is taken up with establishing her background. What was it about Ellen that enabled her to survive the harsh existence with the aborigines then convince an escaped convict to accompany her hundreds of miles through the bush, living off the land?

Other reviews of White have mentioned his wordiness. A Fringe of Leaves is full of descriptions of people and places, but they contribute to the narrative and the language is beautiful.

Highly recommended. ( )

I have added this to my Reviews from the Archive series, but beware, it is more of a retelling than a review. See https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/12/09/a-fringe-of-leaves-by-patrick-white-winner-o... ( )

Woman caught in shipwreck. You won’t believe what happens next!
That clickbait-style headline is the best way for me describe this book without too many spoilers, and I’m a bit hesitant to provide more details. Mentioning the shipwreck is kind of spoilery because after all, when the woman boards the ship you’ll know something about what lies ahead, But Ellen Roxburgh is the heart and soul of this book: who she is, and who she becomes; what she holds on to, and what she lets go. That the novel is based on a true story adds considerable interest. And while shipwreck survival stories have been told before, Patrick White combined a compelling character with an equally compelling Australian landscape into an enjoyable read. ( )

The formal writing style of this book had me struggling through the first chapter, which was oh so very English drawing room. However, persistence paid off and once the narrative voice changed to Ellen Roxburgh, the story began to unfold. This is a marvellous imagining of an English woman of this period.
The account of her life with the aboriginal people was both grim and shocking to read and contrasted greatly with the lifestyle of the european settlers.
At times the language required more than one reading to obtain the meaning. This is a challenging and thought provoking book. ( )