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victoriaknow's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed The Thorn Birds and other of McCullough's novels immensely. However, this one was perhaps rather a little too ambitious in scope. Don't get me wrong, sweeping sagas are surely her strength - The Thorn Birds being an excellent example of that, but I prefer a saga to concentrate on the relationships and emotional journey of the characters, rather than the events happening around them.
This novel had a relatively long, slow section where the background and character of Richard Morgan was presented, but this was a preparation which I felt was never properly utilized later on. Once the journey to Australia started, it seemed like the narrative was rather too taken up with supplies and routines and descriptions of the conditions, and we weren't given enough time inside the head of the characters. There was also frequent switching of point-of-view as a way to further the story quickly without Richard having to be the one discovering all the events, but I felt that while it was a convenient device for the author, it had the result of disengaging the reader from any one character.
As a result, when the real love story began towards the end of the novel, I was too detached and didn't care about Richard Morgan's happiness any longer. Although the historical detail and accuracy is impressive, I think there is a little too much attention paid to the historical aspect of the book, and not enough to the "novel" part. Therefore it might have been better with a shorter time period - just a section of the journey perhaps or only starting from their arrival in New South Wales - and more human detail.
Having said that, I enjoyed the book enough to be absorbed in it, and it was fascinating to gain an insight into the colonial process of sending convicts to Australia and Norfolk island. I sympathised with these victims of an inefficient and uncaring England and I have to say that these traits of our less-than-great country sadly still persist in our modern times.
This novel had a relatively long, slow section where the background and character of Richard Morgan was presented, but this was a preparation which I felt was never properly utilized later on. Once the journey to Australia started, it seemed like the narrative was rather too taken up with supplies and routines and descriptions of the conditions, and we weren't given enough time inside the head of the characters. There was also frequent switching of point-of-view as a way to further the story quickly without Richard having to be the one discovering all the events, but I felt that while it was a convenient device for the author, it had the result of disengaging the reader from any one character.
As a result, when the real love story began towards the end of the novel, I was too detached and didn't care about Richard Morgan's happiness any longer. Although the historical detail and accuracy is impressive, I think there is a little too much attention paid to the historical aspect of the book, and not enough to the "novel" part. Therefore it might have been better with a shorter time period - just a section of the journey perhaps or only starting from their arrival in New South Wales - and more human detail.
Having said that, I enjoyed the book enough to be absorbed in it, and it was fascinating to gain an insight into the colonial process of sending convicts to Australia and Norfolk island. I sympathised with these victims of an inefficient and uncaring England and I have to say that these traits of our less-than-great country sadly still persist in our modern times.
lnatal's review against another edition
3.0
This is the story of Richard Morgan, a convict who spent twelve months on the seas and how this kind of people were used in order to populate an unknown continent. With the advent of the American Revolution has closed the New World to England’s prisoners.
The author thus describes the 18th century England’s colonization of Australia with the foundation of a new prison colony of
Botany Bay - the same place where Captain Cook landed in 1770.
The ships disembarked in Port Jackson, which will become later the Sydney Harbour.
Morgan moves then to the Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.
Since I’ve been to Australia quite recently, I wanted to learn a little more about the colonization of this relative young country.
This book was supposed to be the first one of a trilogy but as far as I know, the author never finished it.
4* Tim
4* An Indecent Obsession
4* Thorn Birds
3* A Creed for the Third Millennium
3* The ladies of Missalonghi
3* Morgan’s Run
TBR The First Man in Rome
TBR The Song of Troy
TBR Bittersweeet
The author thus describes the 18th century England’s colonization of Australia with the foundation of a new prison colony of
Botany Bay - the same place where Captain Cook landed in 1770.
The ships disembarked in Port Jackson, which will become later the Sydney Harbour.
Morgan moves then to the Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.
Since I’ve been to Australia quite recently, I wanted to learn a little more about the colonization of this relative young country.
This book was supposed to be the first one of a trilogy but as far as I know, the author never finished it.
4* Tim
4* An Indecent Obsession
4* Thorn Birds
3* A Creed for the Third Millennium
3* The ladies of Missalonghi
3* Morgan’s Run
TBR The First Man in Rome
TBR The Song of Troy
TBR Bittersweeet
greerd's review against another edition
1.0
Embracing my ability to just put down a book I'm not enjoying.
Richard Morgan is bland af and I had no interest in finding out what happens to him. Also stop talking about how beautiful he is, it's weird and annoying.
Plus I was barely 200 pages in with already two examples of Bury Your Gays; both gay male characters had been shown perving on literal children (McCullough tries to frame it as "not evidence of prurient intentions" but c'mon - do you think schoolmasters should be describing their pupils as "ravishing" and "a Ganymede"?) then one just up and dies while the other commits suicide after attempting to molest Morgan Jnr.
Richard Morgan is bland af and I had no interest in finding out what happens to him. Also stop talking about how beautiful he is, it's weird and annoying.
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