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English Passengers

By: Matthew Kneale
Narrated by: Ron Keith, Simon Prebble, Gerard Doyle, Gianfranco Negroponte, Jenny Sterlin, Patrick Tull, Davina Porter
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Publisher's Summary

It is 1857, and Reverend Geoffrey Wilson has departed England to prove the literal truth of the Bible. The expedition heads towards Tasmania, where he is convinced he will find the real Garden of Eden. But the other passengers have their own agendas.

Dr Potter is developing a sinister thesis, and the ship is crewed by smugglers of contraband brandy and tobacco. As the English passengers near Peevay's land, their bizarre notions become painfully at odds with reality. Their destination is no Eden but a world of hunting parties and colonial ethnic cleansing. A mighty collision is approaching....

©2000 Matthew Kneale (P)2001 W. F. Howes Ltd

What listeners say about English Passengers

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What a treat

I loved this from the very beginning to the end. The misadventures of the characters held me in thrall and the multiple narrative voices were outstanding.

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A brilliant work

Never will you see a more excreble cast of characters so finely rendered. An adventure detailing an epic sea voyage and the tragic consequences of colonisation and genocide that followed. The story is brought to life by voice actors of extraordinary talent. Far and away the best performance I've ever heard from an audio book. You would missing a dimension if you read the hard copy.

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Brilliant

I read this book many years ago and it stayed with me, as good books do. To hear it read with such great readers was a delight! Thanks for including it. A must listen.

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a brilliant and extraordinary tale

this is one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to
. this historical novel is both entertaining and moving with extraordinary, varied and historically believable characters. the narrators of the various individuals are perfect so the listener is swept along in this exciting saga almost breathlessly.

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A fantastic book

A rollicking good story which I enjoyed so much. Even though it deals partly with a bleak period of history, there is a stream of wonderful humour and colourful characters running through it so that it remains highly entertaining as well as informative. Performance of this extremely well written book was excellent.

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Fascinating Historical Tale, excellent narration

I especially liked the variety of narrators and personalities portrayed, even to including an Indigenous voice. And I was impressed by the historical research supporting this tragic, inevitable story of yet more near- genocide, with a faintly encouraging, uplifting element reflected in the resilience of particular protagonists.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.