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A review by leemac027
Beneath the Southern Cross by Judy Nunn
4.0
This is the first book I have read by Judy Nunn and I simply loved her writing.
An incredibly well research book about the development of Sydney since the late 1700s focusing on the Kendall / Kendle families.
There is rivalry, intrigue, greed, love, power struggles, wealth, poverty and shame. All of these make for an intriguing tale of how the family split (hence the two spellings). the attitude of those in the early colony to those of convict ancestry, to highlighting the horrific treatment of First Nations peoples and the damning of those who befriended them.
A fascinating part of the story is the comparison of attitudes towards sending people away to World War I versus in World War II - the 'war to end all wars' obviously did not work and the devastation and horror was entrenched in society which started to change mindsets as the country struggled through war in the 1940s. Then came Korea and Vietnam which left those service personnel with huge mental health issues and absolutely no support (actually that goes for all previous conflicts).
The family rivalries carry on over decades and this makes for fascinating reading.
A detailed and informative historical fiction piece.
An incredibly well research book about the development of Sydney since the late 1700s focusing on the Kendall / Kendle families.
There is rivalry, intrigue, greed, love, power struggles, wealth, poverty and shame. All of these make for an intriguing tale of how the family split (hence the two spellings). the attitude of those in the early colony to those of convict ancestry, to highlighting the horrific treatment of First Nations peoples and the damning of those who befriended them.
A fascinating part of the story is the comparison of attitudes towards sending people away to World War I versus in World War II - the 'war to end all wars' obviously did not work and the devastation and horror was entrenched in society which started to change mindsets as the country struggled through war in the 1940s. Then came Korea and Vietnam which left those service personnel with huge mental health issues and absolutely no support (actually that goes for all previous conflicts).
The family rivalries carry on over decades and this makes for fascinating reading.
A detailed and informative historical fiction piece.