by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
I snagged this book at a recent library book sale thinking it might be useful as historical fiction to read in our high school geography course when we get to Australia. It's the exciting adventure of a loyalist American who ends up arrested for highway robbery and sentenced to life in Australia. He falls in love, does well as a prisoner, escapes, and manages to get pardoned before returning to Australia as a wealthy colonist. There are, you may imagine, a great many twists and turns, which thankfully keep the reader interested despite a rather explanatory storyteller.
The historical details in the story are far-ranging: Loyalists in America after the Revolutionary War, the destitute in London, the squalor of Newgate Prison, and the injustices and horrors of the penal colony expeditions.
One aspect it barely touches is how the Aboriginal Australians viewed the prisoners and the colonists. Though at least one family lives near the narrator, they play a small role in the book. There is a pleasant description of a large family group, or extended family, that are observed without their knowledge. They are generally depicted as enjoying a loving and joyful outing.
This book is best for mature readers. There are plenty of descriptions of disreputable women, men, and the activities they share. There's nothing too explicit or graphic and they are generally derided. Also be aware many of the main characters are criminals and their activities are sometimes lauded. One of the main characters, in addition to being a pleasant highway robber, becomes a father before he is married.
Overall, I think this is a solid contender for supplemental reading for Level 6 geography when we cover Australia. The historical context is fantastic and the adventurous story is likely to interest high schoolers. It may not be high literature, but it's fun and already on our shelves.
I haven't linked to the Kindle edition above because it's economical and had a nice picture that matched the cover of the copy I have. I haven't read the Kindle edition, so I can't promise it doesn't have terrible formatting or something like that.
I have received nothing in exchange for this honest review. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.
