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The Lieutenant

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The Lieutenant

By: Kate Grenville
Narrated by: Nicholas Bell
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Summary
 Simultaneous release of the new novel by the author of the universally acclaimed prize-winner The Secret River, The Lieutenant is a major new novel that will captivate readers and continues the author's enthralling exploration of historical themes.

Set a quarter of a century before The Secret River, at the moment when the British arrive in Australia, The Lieutenant tells an unforgettable story about friendship, language and power.

In 1787 Lieutenant Thomas Rooke sets sail from Portsmouth with the First Fleet and its cargo of convicts, destined for New South Wales. As a young officer and a man of science, the shy and quiet Rooke is full of anticipation about the natural wonders he might discover in this strange land on the other side of the world.

After the fleet arrives in Port Jackson, Rooke sets up camp on a rocky and isolated point, and starts his work of astronomy and navigation. It's not too long before some of the Aboriginal people who live around the harbour pay him a visit. One of them, a girl named Tarunga, starts to teach him her own language. But her lessons and their friendship are interrupted when Rooke is given an order that will change his life forever.

Inspired by the 1790 notebooks of William Dawes in which he recorded his conversations with a young Gadigal woman, The Lieutenant is a story about a man discovering his true self in extraordinary circumstances.

©2008 Kate Grenville (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Solider Friendship

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Sarah Thornhill By: Kate Grenville
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the book had a slow start but picked up, could have had a better ending as well.
all in all -average

well read

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This book is a fascinating narrative of a brutal time. Kate Grenville brings such humanity to the characters, and the context of early invasion of Australia.
By referencing the main characters, both Indigenous and British, without using their actual names we gain insight into this time, without it being ‘definitive truth’, but instead, a range of possibilities.
Brilliant work Kate Grenville. Thank you for having the courage to revisit this precarious time, and sharing your words and insights.

A journey back through time.

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I loved this book. Kate is an outstanding author. I was much enriched by this book.

Wonderfully moving

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I was moved by this understated and meticulously crafted story based on historical accounts and imagined into life by the author. It was one of those rare books that changed my world view and deepened my understanding of what white settlement meant to Aboriginal people at the time and to the present day. Timely reading as we approach Australia Day.

Beautifully written and told

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I didn’t get past chapter 4 so I can only speak to that part of the book. Way too much detail about what the characters were wearing and not enough substance to the storyline to keep me interested.

A bit frivolous

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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.