2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #5

 

Welcome to the Monthly Spotlight for the

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge!

Each month I highlight some of the reviews shared for the challenge in the linky

Don’t forget to link each book you read as you read during the year!

I encourage you to support all participants who have shared what they are reading for the challenge. Give them a like, leave them a comment, share their posts on Facebook, twitter, or instagram #ReadNonFicChal

—————

IN MAY…

 

[BIOGRAPHY]

I found [Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery by Honor Cargill-Martin] interesting. Messalina is no unblemished hero: she was unafraid to kill for political power. And yet, those men who did the same as she did are not (generally) judged so harshly. Powerful women are often portrayed as ‘unnatural’. I enjoyed the book because of the care Ms Cargill Martin has taken to document her research and to place Messalina within the turbulent world of imperial Roman politics. A fascinating read.

Learn more at Tasmanian Bibliophile @Large

**

 

[TRAVEL]

[Across a Waking Land by Roger Morgan-Grenville] is a fairly standard travelogue with the author narrating the random conversations that he has as he walks his 1000 miles but the writing style is easy to read and the people generally interesting…I recommend it to anyone who is interested in nature or walking.

Learn more at Wicked Witch’s Blog

**

 

[SCIENCE]

[The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science by Seb Falk] opens with a question concerning whether Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a book on science. It was later determined that John of Westwyk wrote the book. I thought it was fascinating how scholars figured this out…. I enjoyed the first half of the book but was less interested in the second half. Alot of material was repeated and I was bored.

Learn more at Reading Books Again

**

 

[HISTORY]

“A hefty hard cover with beautiful artwork inside, this massive tome [Black – The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau] took me several months to read…. Michel Pastoureau presented an academic approach to his subject matter, and as a result, I found some of the content engrossing and some tediously detailed.”

Learn more at Carpe Librum

**

 

[THE ARTS]

“In Don’t Call It Hair Metal, Sean Kelly defends the integrity of the hard rock bands whose sartorial style of big hair, spandex and leather outfits, makeup and showmanship, belied their musicianship…I appreciated the moments that Kelly wrote about his own connection to the music, because for me songs are almost always tied to memories. I have to admit, a lot of the technical information in this book went right over my head, so I think perhaps it’s best suited for readers conversant with musical knowledge to extract full value from it.”

Learn more at Book’d Out

***

What will you be reading in JUNE?

Reached your goal?
You can add your link to the challenge completed Linky, and download the completed badge HERE.

Need some inspiration? Check out these posts

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #HISTORY #MEMOIR

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #SCIENCE #CRIME&PUNISHMENT

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #HEALTH #TRAVEL

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #FOOD #SOCIALMEDIA

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #SPORT #RELATIONSHIPS

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #THEARTS #PUBLISHEDIN2023

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #1

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #2

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #3

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #4

Just a reminder, it is helpful when you post your review if you indicate which category it fulfils for when I put together the Monthly Spotlight.

And don’t forget to share your latest read/review in the Linky

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight -MAY #ReadNonFicChal Check out some of the latest #Nonfiction book reviews shared last month #readingchallenge at Book’d Out 

Review: Put Your Feet in the Dirt, Girl by Sonia Henry

 

Title: Put Your Feet in the Dirt, Girl

Author: Sonia Henry

Published: 30th May 2023, Allen & Unwin

Status: Read May 2023 courtesy Allen & Unwin

++++++++

My Thoughts:

Despite the success of her provocative semi-autobiographical debut novel Going Under which highlighted the brutal treatment of medical interns in Australian hospitals, the stress of her Fellowship exams, a broken heart, and being on the frontline of the pandemic left Sydney GP Dr Sonia Henry desperate for a change of scenery. Told with honesty, humour, and heart, Put Your Feet in the Dirt, Girl recounts Sonia’s experiences over the next two years or so while serving as a locum in the outback regions of Australia.

Within days of joining an agency specialising in staffing remote areas, Sonia was making the long journey to the Pilbara region in Western Australia to fulfil a 40 day contract as the sole doctor in a mining town with a population of 300 people. It’s an experience that inspires a mix of awe and terror, both personally and professionally, as Sonia struggles to better understand herself while doing her best to provide health care for the people who live there. She highlights the human cost of the challenges of access to treatment equipment and resources, for both staff and patients, and the frustrating failure of the wealthy mining companies to invest their obscene profits in the health and welfare of the people who work for them.

After three months in the Pilbara, Sonia moves on to outback New South Wales, and from there, to the Northern Territory. In each region she exposes communities plagued by similar disadvantages due to a dearth of access to medical care and resources. I learned that with great swathes of regional and remote Australia having few, and/or no permanent GP’s, severely understaffed hospitals and, at best, sporadic access to specialists, chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, and mental health issues including depression and addiction, are badly managed, if it all. First Nations people are particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes, though poverty among the population in general is a major contributor, especially for anyone living some distance away from metropolitan or well resourced regional centres.

Only by ‘putting her feet in the dirt’, and her interactions with colleagues, friends, and patients whom she meets on her travels, including a ringer who reads Tolstoy, a dream-walking elder, and a woman determined to end her life on her own terms, has Sonia come to understand some truths about Australia, but also herself, and she urges others to do the same.

Put Your Feet in the Dirt, Girl is an entertaining, candid, and thought-provoking memoir that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

++++++++

Available from Allen & Unwin RRP AUD$34.99

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Review: No Comment by Jess McDonald

 

Title: No Comment: What I Wish I’d Known About Becoming A Detective

Author: Jess McDonald

Published: 25th May 2023, Raven Books

Status: Read May 2023 courtesy Bloomsbury/NetgalleyUK

++++++++

My Thoughts:

A staffing crisis in the British Metropolitan Police Service led to the introduction of a controversial initiative called the Direct Entry Detective Scheme in 2017. Jess McDonald was one of 4,500 applicants, and underwent a rigorous vetting process to become accepted into the programme.

“The book I intended to write was one that bridged the gap between people’s fascination with true crime and their lack of insight about what it actually is to be a detective. The one I’ve written turns out to be far more significant.”

For thirty-something Jess, the programme had immediate appeal, not only because of her love of true crime podcasts, but because she felt strongly about justice, in part triggered by civil case she had brought against her former employer.

In No Comment Jess describes the multi-step interview process and her excitement at being one of just 30 scheme candidates to begin training in the Spring of 2018, before sharing her experience as a probationary detective in the CSU. It’s a fascinating, surprising, and sometimes harrowing glimpse into the world of modern police investigation, particularly in relation to domestic violence. As a ‘Direct Entry’ Jess faces some unique challenges, including disapproval from colleagues who don’t support the scheme, and while for months she remains motivated and determined to succeed, the excessive workload, the punishing shifts, and the erosion of her ideals wears her down.

Details of Jess’s personal life are interspersed among the narrative, and I understood why these intimate elements were included though I found them a bit uncomfortable at times.

These personal stressors, combined with the intensity of Jess’s training, induced a bout of depression that alienated her supervisor and led to workplace bullying, which directly precipitated her eventual resignation barely 12 months of graduation. She was not the only Direct Entry to leave, to date only four members of her own class remain in the service, the result, she suggests, of a number of factors.

“It was naive but, before joining the police, I had only ever thought about what I would do and achieve, what I had to give. I hadn’t spared a thought for what it might do to me.”

Written with honesty and self reflection, in a personable tone, No Comment offers interesting insight into the experience of working as a detective attached to CSU in London, albeit under unusual circumstances. I think it would be a valuable read for anyone interested in joining the police force, especially those considering the Direct Entry Scheme.

++++++++

Available from Bloomsbury UK

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Review: Drowning by T.J. Newman

 

Title: Drowning

Author: T.J. Newman

Published: 1st June 2023, Simon & Schuster UK

Status: Read May 2023 courtesy Simon & Schuster AU

++++++++

My Thoughts:

Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated, fasten your seatbelt, and be ready to brace for T.J. Newman’s exhilarating sophomore novel, Drowning.

Just minutes after takeoff from a Hawaiian airport, Flight 1421 suffers catastrophic failure and plunges towards the Pacific Ocean. Those that survive the ditching frantically exit the bobbing plane, but twelve people are still onboard when it begins sinking beneath the waves.

From the opening line the reader is thrust into the emergency as the pilots battle for control of the failing plane. This initiates an urgent pace that rarely lets up as Drowning unfolds (except for a short flashback) over a roughly five hour timeline. As the souls on board fight to survive, and the Navy strives to rescue them, each time salvation seems near, it slips away, ratcheting the tension exponentially.

The third person narrative shifts between that of the trapped survivors, and the rescue contingent. Among those on the downed plane which includes the Captain, two airflight attendants, an elderly couple, four unrelated passengers, and an unaccompanied minor, is Will, an engineer, and his eleven year old daughter, Shannon, who have a central role in the story. And it is Chris, Shannon’s mother and Will’s estranged wife, who as an industrial diver, becomes a key player in the rescue effort. There’s plenty of emotion as characters confront fear, loss, regret, and their own mortality.

As a former flight attendant, Newman writes with authority in regards to aviation operations, and though I can’t attest to the accuracy of the technical elements of the novel, it presents as authentic. I found the scenes easy to visualise, and much like her debut novel, Falling, I imagine Drowning will also be optioned for the big screen.

With its well executed, high stakes premise, Drowning is a thrilling read that will leave you breathless.

++++++++

Available from Simon & Schuster Australia

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Review: The Rush by Michelle Prak

 

Title: The Rush

Author: Michelle Prak

Published: 3rd May 2023, Simon & Schuster AU

Status: Read May 2023 courtesy Simon & Schuster

++++++++

My Thoughts:

The Rush is an exciting and gripping debut thriller from Michelle Prak set in the outback of South Australia.

Quinn is late returning to the isolated Pindarry Hotel on the Stuart Highway, where she works and lives, when, through the rain, she spies a badly injured man on the roadside, and unable to leave him there, drags him into her car.

Andrea is anxious when her husband leaves her at the Pindarry Hotel to help an elderly farmer whose property is flooding. With the pub sandbagged and their employee, Quinn, due to arrive any minute, Andrea resolves to stay calm for the sake of her sleeping two year old son, until the power goes out, and a stranger comes to the door demanding to be let in.

Hayley, traveling from Adelaide to Darwin on the Stuart Highway with her boyfriend Scott and backpackers Livia and Joost, is only concerned for her carefully planned itinerary when the rain starts on their second day of travel. But then the roads begin to flood, and as tensions among the foursome grow, Hayley finds herself in a desperate rush for sanctuary.

The Rush is a fast-paced read as it largely unfolds from the perspectives of Quinn, Andrea, Hayley and Livia over a period of about two days. Suspense is introduced early, and built on effortlessly. The threats are recognisable and engender empathy for the characters at risk. Red herrings belie a breathtaking climactic reveal, that provides a unique twist on the story’s themes.

Prak somehow renders the vast landscape of outback South Australia claustrophobic  as the characters converge on Pindarry. The violence of the storm, as it strips away modernity, releases a feral energy that enhances the oppressive atmosphere.

A well crafted addition to the oeuvre of rural Australian crime fiction, The Rush is an immersive and riveting read.

++++++++

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Review: Don’t Call It Hair Metal by Sean Kelly

 

Title: Don’t Call It Hair Metal: Art in the Excess of ’80s Rock

Author: Sean Kelly

Published: 16th May 2023, ECW Press

Status: Read May 2023 courtesy ECW Press/Netgalley

++++++++

My Thoughts:

“But in the end, don’t call it hair metal. It’s only rock’n’roll. And I like it. I think you might too.”

These days I’m not exactly an melophile. As a pre-teen/teen I spent pocket money on cassettes (and later CD’s), I bought Smash Hits magazine, watched Video Hits andCountdown, and listened to the Top 40 on the radio, fingers poised to press ‘Play’ and ‘Record’ to make my own mixtapes. I went to a handful of big act concerts, saw some smaller bands in pubs, and went clubbing all night. I even dated a bass guitarist in a heavy metal garage band who tried to teach me to play Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. But then I got married and had kids and for the next decade or so The Wiggles and High 5 played on repeat. All this explains, I think, why my taste in music tends to be stuck in the 1970’s and ‘80’s. From the pop hits to the power ballads, the one-hit-wonders to, yes, hair metal, I love it all.

In Don’t Call It Hair Metal, Sean Kelly defends the integrity of the hard rock bands whose sartorial style of big hair, spandex and leather outfits, makeup and showmanship, belied their musicianship. As a musician himself, he writes with authority as he explores the influences on their sound, defined by the combination of a traditional heavy metal sound with elements of pop-influenced hooks, guitar riffs, and shreds, it’s evolution as the look and sound captured commercial interest, and its eventual decline in popularity. Commentary from iconic musicians provides insight into, and reflection on, the era of the industry, including both its music and its culture.

Among the many bands Kelly makes reference to are Twisted Sister, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Skid Row, Stryper, Warrant, Def Leppard, LA Guns, Slaughter, Kiss, Cinderella, Poison, Europe, Guns N Roses, and Motley Crue. I ended up browsing through YouTube searching out well remembered, and forgotten, hits to watch the performances with new appreciation, and fond nostalgia.

I appreciated the moments that Kelly wrote about his own connection to the music, because for me songs are almost always tied to memories. I have to admit, a lot of the technical information in this book went right over my head, so I think perhaps it’s best suited for readers conversant with musical knowledge to extract full value from it.

While I may not know much about music, I know what I like, and whatever Kelly, or others, wants to call it, I’ll continue to enjoy playing air guitar and belting out the lyrics whenever Livin’ on a Prayer, We’re Not Gonna Take It, or Paradise City play.

++++++++

Available from ECW Press

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Review: Prize Women by Caroline Lea

 

Title: Prize Women

Author: Caroline Lea

Published: 16th February 2023, Michael Joseph

Status: Read February 2023 courtesy Penguin Books UK

++++++++

My Thoughts:

Upon his death in 1926, the will of Canadian lawyer, financier, and practical joker, Charles Vance Miller bequeathed the residue of his substantial estate to ‘the woman who could produce the most children within the next ten years’. Caroline Lea draws inspiration from what became known as The Great Stork Derby in her historical novel, Prize Women.

When an earthquake hits Chatsworth, New Brunswick, and it appears her abusive husband has been killed, Lily de Marco uses the opportunity to flee with her young son. Matteo. Arriving in Toronto, broke and homeless, Lily is fortuitously introduced to Mae Thebault, the wife of a wealthy steel factory owner, who agrees to let Lily stay with them in return for helping to take care of the Thebaults’ five children. Despite their differences in background and social status, Lily and Mae quickly become close friends but after the Wall Street Crash and the onset of the Great Depression, the two women unexpectedly find themselves rivals.

Exploring the lack of agency women too often had over their lives, particularly once tied to marriage and motherhood, the impact of the economic collapse, the desperation of poverty, as well as abuse, friendship, prejudice and racism, Prize Women paints a rich portrait of Canada’s social history over the 1920/30’s. The Author’s Note explains where Lea has diverged from historical accuracy for narrative purposes.

Curiosity about The Great Stork Derby is what drew me to this novel, and Lea explores its impact thoughtfully. With large family’s not exactly uncommon at the time, given the lack of contraception, I was surprised to learn the ‘baby race’ had only 11 entrants. Accounts suggest that most of them would have had large families even without the incentive of the competition, but I hadn’t given much thought to motive, or what ‘losing’ the ‘baby race’ might mean to participants.

The characters of Lily and Mae are loosely based on two of the real Derby competitors, and to them the money is of vital importance, though for very different reasons. Lea is sensitive to the women’s desires and hardships and portrays them with nuance. Lily is probably the more sympathetic of two, but Mae’s experience is also affecting. At the mercy of mens decisions in private and in public, both are afforded so little control over their lives it’s infuriating.

I found the pacing lagged a bit later in the story, in part I think because Prize Women is often quite bleak which weighs the narrative down, though the end brings light and hope.  A moving and interesting novel.

++++++++

Available from Penguin Books UK

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Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

 

Title: Fourth Wing {The Empyrean #1}

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Published: 2nd May 2023, Piatkus

Status: Read May 2022 courtesy Hachette Australia

++++++++

My Thoughts:

Nooooo…I have to wait for more?!?

Rebecca Yarros has created an imaginative, entertaining and complex world full of intrigue and romance, magic and dragons in Fourth Wing, the first book in a what promises to be a compelling new fantasy series, The Empyrean.

Though twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail always expected she would follow in the footsteps of her late father and become a Scribe, her mother, the commanding General of the Basgiath War College, insists that Violet volunteer for the cut-throat Riders Quadrant, like her siblings before her. At a distinct disadvantage because of her physical frailties, Violet knows that even if she is among those who survive the first terrifying challenge, crossing a narrow parapet more than two hundred feet in the air to make it through the door, her chances of making it to graduation are slim. Not only is Violet likely to be targeted by the other candidates because of who she is, but dragons choose only the strongest Riders to bond with, and incinerate those who show weakness.

Violet, of course, proves to have unexpected strength. Her physical weakness reflects the author’s own health condition so it’s authentically represented, and well integrated into Violet’s character. It’s with a mixture of sheer grit, smarts, and help from some loyal allies, that Violet not only survives the ongoing threats, but begins to thrive. She undergoes changes over the course of the novel, but her core personality remains steady. I liked her a lot, willing her through every challenge and cheering every success.

Violet’s allies, including childhood friend and crush Dain, and fellow student Rhiannon, are almost outnumbered by her enemies inside the Quadrant. There’s not only her fellow cadets which view Violet as vulnerable, but also the conscripted children of those who Violet’s mother executed for their part in the Tyrrish Rebellion around a decade ago, the eldest of which is Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

The stakes are high in the Riders Quadrant for everyone, all the time. Violence and death are almost a daily occurrence so there is plenty of ongoing action. Surviving each other, and their training is just the first step, Riders have to face the dragons who are easily annoyed, and even if they are chosen, they then risk death when they begin to channel the bonded power, and again when their signet magic manifests.

The romance in Fourth Wing goes someway to countering the brutality in the novel. Though I usually prefer the friends to lovers trope, I loved the enemies to lovers romance. There’s lots of sizzling tension between Violet and Xaden, believable emotion, and some truly explosive sex scenes.

Then there are the dragons, each with distinct personalities of their own, who are absolutely fabulous. Yarros offers some information about the bargain between the Navarre kingdom and the dragons, and the bond between dragons and their Riders, but there is still more to learn.

The cliffhanger ending, after an absolutely epic betrayal and battle, was not entirely unexpected but I did find it frustrating, tempered only by the knowledge that the sequel is being published this November. For fans of fantasy series, Fourth Wing could be described as a cross between The Scholomance by Naomi Novak, Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas, and Divergent by Veronica Roth, but it has a magical appeal all of its own. Loved it!

++++++++

Available from Hachette Australia

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2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #4

 

Welcome to the Monthly Spotlight for the

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge!

Each month I highlight some of the reviews shared for the challenge in the linky

Don’t forget to link each book you read as you read during the year!

I encourage you to support all participants who have shared what they are reading for the challenge. Give them a like, leave them a comment, share their posts on Facebook, twitter, or instagram #ReadNonFicChal

—————

IN APRIL…

[FOOD]

“Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG will appeal to readers who love food memoirs and are also very interested in the law. Karst covers both in great detail, while also depicting the life and accomplishments of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in this story about a single dinner.”

Learn more at The Book Stop

***

[SOCIAL MEDIA]

“In this fascinating and inspiring portrayal of the modern feminist movement in South Korea triggered by the phenomenon of #metoo, author Hawon Jung explores the legal, social and cultural changes in its wake, and the women who fought for them.”

Learn more at Book’d Out

***

[SCIENCE]

“While I’ve never been one for physics, I was in safe hands here. Storm in a Teacup – The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski was a nice jumping off point that held my attention throughout, despite not knowing much about the topics covered. Czerski’s enthusiasm for physics shines through and this was an informative listen.”

Learn more at Carpe Librum

***

[TRAVEL]

“The Fish Ladder by Katharine Norbury is a memoir/travelogue in which Norbury, trying to heal from a miscarriage, decides that she wants to follow a river from the sea to its source. At the same time, Norbury, who was adopted as a child, is trying to find her birth mother. The book feels like Norbury is constantly walking off the edge of a map, exploring uncharted terrain in both her life and in nature, which makes for very interesting reading. She intersperses her journey and personal history with smatterings of poems and Celtic mythology.”

Learn more at Shoe’s Seeds and Stories

***

[HISTORY]

“If you have ever wondered about the background to the formation of the Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America) then you may wish to read this book. Mr Kerbaj, a journalist, includes several true spy stories going back to Nazi spy rings in the 1930s. While I was aware of some of these stories, others were new to me.”

Learn more at Tasmanian Bibliophile @Large

***

What will you be reading in MAY?

Need some inspiration? Check out these posts

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #HISTORY #MEMOIR

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #SCIENCE #CRIME&PUNISHMENT

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #HEALTH #TRAVEL

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #FOOD #SOCIALMEDIA

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #SPORT #RELATIONSHIPS

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Inspiration #THEARTS #PUBLISHEDIN2023

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #1

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #2

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #3

Just a reminder, it is helpful when you post your review if you indicate which category it fulfils for when I put together the Monthly Spotlight.

And don’t forget to share your latest read/review in the Linky

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight -APRIL #ReadNonFicChal Check out some of the latest #Nonfiction book reviews shared last month #readingchallenge at Book’d Out 

Review: That Bligh Girl by Sue Williams

 

Title: That Bligh Girl

Author: Sue Williams

Published: 2nd May 2023, Allen & Unwin

Status: Read May 2023 courtesy Allen & Unwin

++++++++

My Thoughts:

In That Bligh Girl, Sue Williams blends historical fact with a fictionalised narrative to tell the story of Mary Bligh, the daughter of New South Wales fourth Governor.

The controversial role of Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame) in Australia’s colonial history is well known. Appointed the 4th Governor of NSW in 1806, Bligh was ousted by a coup, known as the Rum Corps Rebellion led by grazier and officer John Macarthur, less than two years later. But few probably remember that while Bligh hid under a bed from the 300 armed soldiers who stormed Government House, his daughter, Mary Putland (née Bligh), who had reluctantly accompanied her father to Australia, stood bravely at the gates wielding only a parasol, indignantly refusing them entry.

Mary’s courageous stand may be mentioned in historical records, which tend to favour men, but generally only in the context of her father’s biography. In That Bligh Girl Williams draws on meticulous research to give Mary her own voice and place in history.

Bright, spirited, stubborn, and a little spoilt, Mary had been planning on making a home with her new husband, Lieutenant John Putland, in Ireland when her father imperiously announced the couple would be accompanying him to New South Wales, where Mary would serve as the Lady of Government House in her mother’s stead.

Williams’s novel, unfolding from the perspective of Mary, and her convict maid, Meg Hill, stretches from Mary’s arduous six month journey to Australia, past the events of the Rum Corps Rebellion, to her eventual death in Paris in 1864. It shares her complicated relationship with her father, the tragic death of John Putland, and her life with her second husband, who later also served as the (acting) governor of NSW. I enjoyed learning more about Mary and admired her fortitude.

The character of Meg is mostly based on one of Mary’s maids, Susannah Harrison, but is more properly an amalgamation of several. Meg’s perspective provides additional context to Mary and her life in NSW, as well as information about the experience of female convicts in the colony.

Well written and interesting, That Bligh Girl is an engaging historical novel about adversity, courage, friendship, and love.

++++++++

Available from Allen & Unwin RRP$32.99

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