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tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘The story begins with Sary, as it must, because she was the first to leave.’
Ms Callil’s search for her ancestral roots takes her and us on a journey through the British Empire, through poverty, transportation, and emigration to Australia.
Ms Callil starts with her great-great-grandmother, Sary Lacey. Born in 1808, illegitimate, Sary became a stocking frame worker in Leicestershire. But increasing industrialisation will reduce the number of jobs available and will drive wages down. Sary moves between slum and tenement, from one pregnancy to the next. The father of one of Sary’s children is George Conquest, a canal worker. George is convicted of theft and is sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia.
For George, Australia is his ‘Happy Day’. He eventually returns to England and meets Sary again, after almost thirty years. Together, they travel to Australia.
In another thread, John Brooks (a silversmith) and his daughter Mary Ann (one of Ms Callil’s great- grandmothers) travel to Australia to escape the workhouse.
These are circumstances, lives and occupations that are Dickensian. Sweated labourers, made paupers by industrialization, doomed to live in poverty. Some (not all) of those transported to Australia were fortunate enough to find an opportunity for (at least relative) prosperity.
Ms Callil’s research turns names into people and shows the reality behind the stories that authors such as Charles Dickens explored in their novels.
If you are interested in social history, in exploring some of the lives behind our history, then I recommend this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Ms Callil’s search for her ancestral roots takes her and us on a journey through the British Empire, through poverty, transportation, and emigration to Australia.
Ms Callil starts with her great-great-grandmother, Sary Lacey. Born in 1808, illegitimate, Sary became a stocking frame worker in Leicestershire. But increasing industrialisation will reduce the number of jobs available and will drive wages down. Sary moves between slum and tenement, from one pregnancy to the next. The father of one of Sary’s children is George Conquest, a canal worker. George is convicted of theft and is sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia.
For George, Australia is his ‘Happy Day’. He eventually returns to England and meets Sary again, after almost thirty years. Together, they travel to Australia.
In another thread, John Brooks (a silversmith) and his daughter Mary Ann (one of Ms Callil’s great- grandmothers) travel to Australia to escape the workhouse.
These are circumstances, lives and occupations that are Dickensian. Sweated labourers, made paupers by industrialization, doomed to live in poverty. Some (not all) of those transported to Australia were fortunate enough to find an opportunity for (at least relative) prosperity.
Ms Callil’s research turns names into people and shows the reality behind the stories that authors such as Charles Dickens explored in their novels.
If you are interested in social history, in exploring some of the lives behind our history, then I recommend this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
scottiesandbooks's review
3.0
I’ve found myself very interested in family lineage and the history surrounding it lately. Therefore when given a chance to read this I jumped at it! Carmen Callil explores her roots- a story of injustice, emigration, colonial empires and the poverty stricken people of the nineteenth century.
I must admit that I found the first quarter of this book quite difficult to read. I spent a long time confused (doesn’t help that everyone had the same name back then so not the authors fault!) on who we were talking about and sometimes what was being talked about. I read this as a draft on kindle so potentially it was just the layout and if you get the finished draft it may be easier to read!
I loved the detail; but yet at times hated it. I felt like there were times when the author went off on a tangent for ages and when she finally got back to her main point I had forgotten exactly what this was. As much as I found the stockinger chat interesting I felt like it was over written and it could have been spoken about over less pages.
However, when Carmen started talking about her ancestor’s the Conquests I was hooked. Emigration to Australia is not something that is talked about often; it’s mostly to America therefore it really fascinated me! And also what life was like for people who were living in poverty in England. How they were treated as pests that they had to find a way to get rid of. The things that people were punished for; either by being jailed, whipped or shipped off to a foreign land are truly harrowing. All because of the injustices faced at the hands of the crown and government. If they did not steal a piece of bread for instance; then they would not have made it through the night.
I love the raw truth to what has been written. Being from Scotland our history is doom and gloom and we are taught about a lot of the bad things that the British Empire were guilty of. But as the author says herself, they only really mention the good things relating to Britain creating the Australian Colony. No one mentions how they destroyed the tribes who already lived there or the background of the people who actually helped to create it.
A heartbreaking and eye opening read; if you want a true account of what life was like for paupers in England and how life changed when they emigrated to the new world then definitely give it a read!
I must admit that I found the first quarter of this book quite difficult to read. I spent a long time confused (doesn’t help that everyone had the same name back then so not the authors fault!) on who we were talking about and sometimes what was being talked about. I read this as a draft on kindle so potentially it was just the layout and if you get the finished draft it may be easier to read!
I loved the detail; but yet at times hated it. I felt like there were times when the author went off on a tangent for ages and when she finally got back to her main point I had forgotten exactly what this was. As much as I found the stockinger chat interesting I felt like it was over written and it could have been spoken about over less pages.
However, when Carmen started talking about her ancestor’s the Conquests I was hooked. Emigration to Australia is not something that is talked about often; it’s mostly to America therefore it really fascinated me! And also what life was like for people who were living in poverty in England. How they were treated as pests that they had to find a way to get rid of. The things that people were punished for; either by being jailed, whipped or shipped off to a foreign land are truly harrowing. All because of the injustices faced at the hands of the crown and government. If they did not steal a piece of bread for instance; then they would not have made it through the night.
I love the raw truth to what has been written. Being from Scotland our history is doom and gloom and we are taught about a lot of the bad things that the British Empire were guilty of. But as the author says herself, they only really mention the good things relating to Britain creating the Australian Colony. No one mentions how they destroyed the tribes who already lived there or the background of the people who actually helped to create it.
A heartbreaking and eye opening read; if you want a true account of what life was like for paupers in England and how life changed when they emigrated to the new world then definitely give it a read!
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