Reviewed by Mr Llewellyn-Evans
October 2020
I found this to be a very strange novel, mainly because of the choices the author made when writing what purports to be an historical novel. As the author states “… this novel is based on the life of Mary Bryant, the woman behind one of history’s most daring escapes”, yet this is not about Mary Bryant but about Jenny Trelawney whose story copies that of Mary Bryant. If the author was so enamoured of the story, why not write a historical novel about her rather than based on a fictional character who copies the actions of Mary Bryant. I have just recently finished another historical novel A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville. This novel is about Elizabeth Macarthur where some of the story is fiction but set in an historical period. Grenville sets her novel within the history of the early settlement and while some of the events are fictitious it is grounded in history. Rather, Keneally creates a whole series of characters which represent the authentic characters of the time. So, Governor Arthur Phillip becomes Governor Lockhart, Corbett is William Dawes and so on. But she is not consistent as the boats which carry Jenny to Botany Bay are the real boats upon which the first fleet sailed.
So, what about the novel itself – “… an irresistible feast of history, adventure, intrigue and tragedy” – not quite! It was interesting, but at times I found it pedestrian, even the escape which should be the highlight of the book really didn’t grab me. Was it that bad? No, not really, the relationship between the early Europeans and the Aboriginals was well handled and the most fascinating part was actually after Mary (sorry, Jenny) was recaptured in Timor and taken back to London and the resulting trial and further imprisonment before her eventual release.
This was a novel with a lot of promise which is not realised because of decisions made by the author. However, if you are not concerned with history per se, then it will give you excellent insights into 18th century England and the privations and problems encountered by the convicts (and others) of the first European settlement in Australia.
