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Sarah Thornhill

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Sarah Thornhill

By: Kate Grenville
Narrated by: Emma Fielding
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Summary

*NEW NOVEL RESTLESS DOLLY MAUNDER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024*
FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AND WOMEN’S PRIZE-WINNING AUSTRALIAN NOVELIST

Sarah is the youngest daughter of William Thornhill, a ruthless man who made a life for himself and his family in New South Wales after being sentenced from England. When Sarah finds true love with Jack, an older boy with mixed ancestry, she also encounters disapproval: someone in her family will not tolerate their relationship.

The reason lies in both the past and the present, and it will take Sarah across an ocean, to a place she never imagined she would go, to discover if her love is ever going to be enough.

©2012 Kate Grenville Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature

Critic Reviews

"Grenville inhabits characters with a rare completeness . . . She writes with a poet's sense of rhythm and imagery"
"Here is someone who can really write" (Peter Carey)
"I was thrilled to find myself back beside the river I'd come to know so well in The Secret River. The power with which Kate Grenville evokes places and people is so remarkable that I could remember the smell of the air there - and it was no surprise to discover that Sarah Thornhill's story is as gripping and illuminating as her father's was" (Diana Athill)
"A graceful, passionate story of love, loss and treacherous family histories."
"Beautifully written."
"Be warned: [Sarah Thornhill] will wrench your heart ... Grenville's description of the harshly beautiful Australian landscape is unforgettable, more poetry than prose."
"Immensely readable"
"Both brilliant fiction and illuminating personal history" (Arifa Akbar)
"This powerful saga of colliding histories blends romance and honesty" (Mary Shine Thompson)
"It is with often marvellous vividness and clarity that Grenville evokes Sarah's world [she] is well inhabited by her creator, and through the eyes of this young woman, the physical and cultural strangenesses of a nation still clambering into existence spring richly to life" (Belinda McKeon)
"Her voice has an attractive personality and proves adept at describing the landscape and those who struggle to survive in its unforgiving beauty"
"Kate Grenville has completed her trilogy with another enthralling tale" (Ion Trewin)
"Richly wrapped in language so colourful and lively, you can taste it" (Tom Adair)
All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed the story, a follow up to “Secret River”. Tells the story of the tragic influence (racism) of the colonials in early settling of Australia.

Great Story

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Pleasant sorry but spoken with undertones of despair when, at times, there could have been joy. Rather a bleak story but made moreso.

Dreary

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Hi and low this story is so good and an intriguing story that is the first to talk about the destruction of the First People. Sad that lessons weren't learned then

Wonderful Story

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I loved the Secret River and was looking forward to continuing the story, unfortunately this book didn't quite deliver, it lacked the punch of the previous books. The story starts off well enough, the characters are strong, but it just seems to lose its way somehow. There was too much emphasis on Sarah's attempts to attone for her father's wrongs. The story had built up beautifully to the point where Sarah meets her estranged brother and discovers her father's dark past, then it seems to rush along disjointedly. Was it really necessary for Sarah's character to travel all the way to New Zealand with Jack, I understand Grenville was trying to "complete the circle" but I just didn't feel it worked. And as much as I enjoyed following Sarah's story I would have loved to have seen the grandchild's character explored more.
That said I still enjoyed it and finished it in a day. The book works as a stand alone novel, but I would recommend reading/listening to the Secret River first as it does help build a picture of those early days of colonisation in New South Wales.
Emma Fielding's narration was very good, and worked well with the story.

OK follow up

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I enjoyed The Secret River and was left wondering what happened in the years that followed these characters. I enjoyed the focus on a daughter and the switch to first person narration. Some parts were a little hurried and I’m not sure quite matched up in terms of believeability but it was a sweet coming of age story that explored first love. The journey to New Zealand felt rushed and distracted from the issues of racism and the horrific treatment of indigenous Australians. But overall, the narrator was good and I couldn’t stop listening to this and finished it quickly. A few days later and I’m still thinking of these characters and Grenville’s message about the importance telling our ancestors’ stories.

Worthy sequel

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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.