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A review by frater
A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia by Thomas Keneally
3.0
I found this book to be something of a disappointment. No because of anything this book is, but because of what I thought it was going to be. This might (probably is) be a bit unfair, but it did colour my final impressions of the book so it's worth discussing what exactly this book is.
This book is a history of the initial settlement of Australia, covering the conditions in England that caused the settlement, the abortive landing at Botany Bay, the eventual removal of the expedition to Port Jackson (now better known as Sydney Harbour) and the early days of the settlement itself, its initial relationships with the native aboriginal tribes, the settlement and Norfolk island, and the hardships they all suffered - up until the departure of the first Governor, Phillip, from the still tenuous colony.
That's what it covers, and _only_ that. In a book that covers the birth of Australia, I expected more. For instance, the least I had expected would be covered was the establishment of the second Australia penal colony in Van Deimen's Land which was in many ways more successful (no convicts ever escaped Van Diemen's land, something which could not be said for Sydney... escaped from the prisons occasionally, but even the infamous Cash never made it over Bass Strait). I grew up on stories of the convict days of Port Arthur - mainly because I grew up a few hours drive _from_ Port Arthur and have visited the site many times - and am myself a descendant of First Fleet convicts, so I was really looking forward to hearing more about those early days.
Whilst I understand wanting to constrain scope in a book of this kind, the fact that a second colony was planted was not even mentioned in this book. Van Diemen's Land was only ever mentioned in the briefest of passing, as a waypoint on a sea journey bound for elsewhere, or to note that it's name was later changed to reflect the name of one of the early explorers to discover it (to Tasmania).
Perhaps I will just have to hope that Thomas Keneally writes another book, in which we will hear about other topics not discussed, such as Port Arthur and the Rum Rebellion - in which the New South Wales Corp rose up against the governor, one infamous William Bligh.
Keneally does approach this subject with rigour, and with a sympathetic unromantic view of both the early settlers, the natives of the time, and the relationship between them. Few topics are as explosive in Australian culture as this one, on a par with discussions of slavery in American history, and too often it is either glossed over entirely, or painted with a tragic or romantic vision of a utopian native society that exists no-where outside of the imagination of overactive white guilt, and actually does a disservice to a fascinating and fast disappearing culture. Keneally avoids both extremes, and provides quite an insightful modern look and analysis not only of what the natives likely thought and tried to do when these "ghosts" came to their shores and stayed, but also of the misapprehensions of the immigrant English led to initial misunderstandings and set the stage for what would be a long history of intermittent conflict and peaceful existence between the two groups.
This book could almost be a partial biography of the first governor of New South Wales, Phillip, ending as it does as he walks off the Australian stage, and indeed it would be difficult to overstate the effect this intelligent, empathetic and compassionate man had both on the initial colony and the nation as a whole right through to today. Keneally paints him as a complicated figure, and though he hasn't been mythologised in Australian culture the way that American founding fathers have, perhaps through his careful planning, his constant outreach and attempts to brook understanding between the native tribes and the settlers, and his fair treatment of the people under his charge, his focus on hard and honest work, he may well have set in place the structure for everything that is good about our own national character.
Through his tireless efforts, Phillip laid the groundwork for a nation of larrikans, ockers and laughter to arise from the initial commonwealth of thieves.
For what it is, excellently done and well narrated. I wanted more, but that doesn't take away from the excellence of what is there.
This book is a history of the initial settlement of Australia, covering the conditions in England that caused the settlement, the abortive landing at Botany Bay, the eventual removal of the expedition to Port Jackson (now better known as Sydney Harbour) and the early days of the settlement itself, its initial relationships with the native aboriginal tribes, the settlement and Norfolk island, and the hardships they all suffered - up until the departure of the first Governor, Phillip, from the still tenuous colony.
That's what it covers, and _only_ that. In a book that covers the birth of Australia, I expected more. For instance, the least I had expected would be covered was the establishment of the second Australia penal colony in Van Deimen's Land which was in many ways more successful (no convicts ever escaped Van Diemen's land, something which could not be said for Sydney... escaped from the prisons occasionally, but even the infamous Cash never made it over Bass Strait). I grew up on stories of the convict days of Port Arthur - mainly because I grew up a few hours drive _from_ Port Arthur and have visited the site many times - and am myself a descendant of First Fleet convicts, so I was really looking forward to hearing more about those early days.
Whilst I understand wanting to constrain scope in a book of this kind, the fact that a second colony was planted was not even mentioned in this book. Van Diemen's Land was only ever mentioned in the briefest of passing, as a waypoint on a sea journey bound for elsewhere, or to note that it's name was later changed to reflect the name of one of the early explorers to discover it (to Tasmania).
Perhaps I will just have to hope that Thomas Keneally writes another book, in which we will hear about other topics not discussed, such as Port Arthur and the Rum Rebellion - in which the New South Wales Corp rose up against the governor, one infamous William Bligh.
Keneally does approach this subject with rigour, and with a sympathetic unromantic view of both the early settlers, the natives of the time, and the relationship between them. Few topics are as explosive in Australian culture as this one, on a par with discussions of slavery in American history, and too often it is either glossed over entirely, or painted with a tragic or romantic vision of a utopian native society that exists no-where outside of the imagination of overactive white guilt, and actually does a disservice to a fascinating and fast disappearing culture. Keneally avoids both extremes, and provides quite an insightful modern look and analysis not only of what the natives likely thought and tried to do when these "ghosts" came to their shores and stayed, but also of the misapprehensions of the immigrant English led to initial misunderstandings and set the stage for what would be a long history of intermittent conflict and peaceful existence between the two groups.
This book could almost be a partial biography of the first governor of New South Wales, Phillip, ending as it does as he walks off the Australian stage, and indeed it would be difficult to overstate the effect this intelligent, empathetic and compassionate man had both on the initial colony and the nation as a whole right through to today. Keneally paints him as a complicated figure, and though he hasn't been mythologised in Australian culture the way that American founding fathers have, perhaps through his careful planning, his constant outreach and attempts to brook understanding between the native tribes and the settlers, and his fair treatment of the people under his charge, his focus on hard and honest work, he may well have set in place the structure for everything that is good about our own national character.
Through his tireless efforts, Phillip laid the groundwork for a nation of larrikans, ockers and laughter to arise from the initial commonwealth of thieves.
For what it is, excellently done and well narrated. I wanted more, but that doesn't take away from the excellence of what is there.