Have you ever given a lot of thought to what it might have been like to commit a crime, be given a sentence of death, only to have the sentence commuted to seeing out the rest of your days in a harsh and foreign land, separated by ten thousand miles of water?
No?
Well, that's exactly what the main character, William Thornhill had to endure when Kate Grenville decided to put pen to paper after extensive research for her own family's history.
The Secret River is a solid tale with true Australian grit. It is a novel of substance and Kate Grenville executes a fine account of the harshness of early England and the settlement of Australia. Grenville takes us back to England in tough times of poverty. Readers may notice there are both distinct similarities and differences between Grenville's tale and Charles Dickens' depiction of poverty and moral tone in nineteenth century London in his well known works. Grenville is very proficient at evoking a sense of authenticity to this period. Dickens writes of the industrial age and the hardships of his characters. His portrayal is very bleak. Similarly, Grenville's characters face many hardships that change the course of their lives.
Grenville's style of writing is one that is easy to read. The book is separated into three parts and could almost be read as three separate novels. Throughout the tale we learn that William Thornhill is married to a woman of steely reserve. Her strength enables her to hold the family together during the toughest of times.
Life is both harsh in London, but even harsher in colonial Australia. But, for the effort of endurance, there is reward. Many original Australian families' heritage stem from their convict roots. Many who served their time, received a parcel of land to help them make a genuine start with their new life. This created a problem of mammoth proportions for the indigenous people of Australia - the true First Australians. And so the conflict began.
One of our book club members, who is from another country, enjoyed the story because she felt she learned something historical about life in early colonial Australia. The most significant point for some of our members was the difference between the colonists and the indigenous views on the ownership of land.
Kate Grenville's story was received well by all club members and recommended as a great read.
Thank you to those members who were able to attend tonight's meeting.
Our next month's title is: 'The Book of Lost Threads' by Tess Evans.
So, until next time,
happy reading...
Hello fellow Book Clubbers,
