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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter is a historical fiction mystery set in 19th century Australia and tells the story of Charles Brightwell, a Master Pearler, who mysteriously disappears off his lugger while out pearling with his crew. Charles is presumed dead and already the corrupt, cruel police have their suspect, the aboriginal Balarri. Determined to save the life of an innocent man and find out what really happened to her father, Eliza Brightwell sends out to find the truth.
This book is set in a particularly cruel time in Australian history in which indigenous communities were exploited, and the practise of blackbirding in which aboriginal men, women and children were kidnapped, traded and forced to work on early pearling vessels. Alongside this, many hundreds of Japanese men lost their lives to the pearling industry from diving and drowning. The main plot is of Eliza finding her father however this brutality is a dark shadow over the book in a very menacing, effective way; the exploitative, cruel white men in this book who value money and not the lives of aborigines, the misogynist undertones of women ‘knowing their place’, particularly indigenous women, the fear and oppression of indigenous people … This mistreatment is, in my opinion, handled respectfully and not gratuitously, as frustrating and enraging as it is to read.
Alongside this aspect of Australian history, which I knew of but not to this extent, this book has excepts of Charles’ journal detailing Australian wildlife which I found particularly interesting and I enjoyed how the book introduced these elements into the plot. Overall I think the author did a great job in shaping 19th century Australia for me to create in my head.
The true heart of this book is Eliza’s defiance as she goes against expectations of her status and sex to find her father, she gets her hands dirty, she investigates, she goes out to sea, she’s just a wonderful feminist creation and both incredibly empowering and likeable.
In other news, this isn’t related to story but I have to say the cover for this book is stunning!,
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review
This book is set in a particularly cruel time in Australian history in which indigenous communities were exploited, and the practise of blackbirding in which aboriginal men, women and children were kidnapped, traded and forced to work on early pearling vessels. Alongside this, many hundreds of Japanese men lost their lives to the pearling industry from diving and drowning. The main plot is of Eliza finding her father however this brutality is a dark shadow over the book in a very menacing, effective way; the exploitative, cruel white men in this book who value money and not the lives of aborigines, the misogynist undertones of women ‘knowing their place’, particularly indigenous women, the fear and oppression of indigenous people … This mistreatment is, in my opinion, handled respectfully and not gratuitously, as frustrating and enraging as it is to read.
Alongside this aspect of Australian history, which I knew of but not to this extent, this book has excepts of Charles’ journal detailing Australian wildlife which I found particularly interesting and I enjoyed how the book introduced these elements into the plot. Overall I think the author did a great job in shaping 19th century Australia for me to create in my head.
The true heart of this book is Eliza’s defiance as she goes against expectations of her status and sex to find her father, she gets her hands dirty, she investigates, she goes out to sea, she’s just a wonderful feminist creation and both incredibly empowering and likeable.
In other news, this isn’t related to story but I have to say the cover for this book is stunning!,
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review
A great story but for some reason I just felt like it wasn’t told well (the stiffer 19th century language did not endear itself to me).
Sunku buvo įsivažiuoti skaityti kažkaip šią knygą.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love historical fiction so I knew I had to give this book a try. It was so beautiful and gripping. I couldn’t put it down. It shed light on a history I didn’t know about. I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author.
DNF’d and disappointed. It’s probably a me problem with this one. I just never got into it. I listened to it on audiobook and it never hooked me in. 33% in. I’m a bit sad because I thought it would be a good Australian mystery. But I was bored and kept thinking about other things instead of focusing.
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
There are some stunning descriptions of places, nature, and weather in this book, but in my opinion it's not enough to make up for the slow and aimless plot. It should be tense, adventurous, and emotional, but none of the characters felt fleshed out enough for me to get invested. I also did not find some of the plot points, dialogue, and character motivations/reactions believable.
man idk, there were too many words i didn't know - australian phrases probably, but even google didn't help sometimes