| Colleen McCullough's account of the First Fleet transportation of convicts from Britain to New South Wales (Australia) is lengthy. The main character, Richard Morgan is actually an ancestor of her husband. Because of the injustice riddling the court system and conviction of felons in 18th century Britain, this hard working, loving family man, son of a tavern owner in Bristol, is put on one of the 11 ships of the First Fleet and endures the gruelling one year long trip of horror to New South Wales. Morgan survives by his own ingenuity and determination. His deep sense of concern for others gains him allies in both the convict population and the officers that guard them. His integrity and honour earn him a life long friendship with one of the officers.
His intelligence and work ethic further lead to his survival in the harsh conditions that the Fleet encounters upon reaching New South Wales. The interplay between the convicts and the freemen on the journey seemed realistic. The method of cutting down the timber and sawing it into lumber was fascinating to learn. The accounts of the suffering both on the journey and upon arrival were difficult to read. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1600-1899 - Life of a profession: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Job/Profession/Status story Yes Exploring into the wild Yes kind of story - water adventure Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - an organization Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 () Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - Australia Island? Yes Island: - naive Brooke Shields-ish virgin - Pacific Islands Farm/Ranch? Yes Farm/Ranch: - farm - lot of descript of crop raising Misc setting Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - impregnation/reproduction - actual description of hetero sex Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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