The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
This book explores the huge themes of friendship, the conflict between cultures, and courage. As one man discovers himself he finds that he has it within him to follow his conscience no matter what the cost. All intertwined with the magic of language, mathematics, and astronomy. The prose of Kate Grenville is stunning, almost poetic at times, and very readable. This book should have strong appeal for book groups. I will be reading it again, as well as some of Kate Grenville's earlier books.
Rated of 5
by Susan B. (Cape Coral, FL)
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
This book is a great read. Kate Grenville writes with a prose of words that become a visual and mental picture. The historical background adds a new dimension to a story you may think you know. Questions of culture and morality left me thinking about this book long after I finished it. Book clubs will enjoy this as will readers who liked The Forgotten Garden or Olive Kitteridge.
Rated of 5
by Eileen P. (Pittsford, NY)
Australia's origins and the importance of words
In this beautifully written and delightful novel, Grenville seamlessly weaves historical fact together with a multitude of philosophical questions in order to create a vivid and compelling story. As Daniel Rooke and his fellow Englishmen explore a new and challenging land, Rooke makes equally important discoveries about what kind of man he is and what friendship can mean. The Lieutenant would be an outstanding discussion book.
Rated of 5
by Ruth Harris D. (Tyrone, GA)
The Lieutenant
Kate Grenville does an excellent job of writing in a 1800's Englishman's voice. Daniel Rooke and others travel from England to New South Wales. Daniel, a student of math, astronomy and languages, goes to study weather and the nighttime skies. Though an outsider in a strange land he finds himself feeling, for the first time in his life, as if he belongs. He befriends the natives and tries to learn their language, their ways. The story is based on historical records but doesn't read as such. Interesting story written well.
Rated of 5
by Beverly D. (Palm Harbor, FL)
Australia & the Astronomer
I very much enjoyed this book. Grenville's fictionalized account of the British colonization of Australia gives an immediate & intimate perspective of the newly formed penal colony. The interactions between the "natives" and eccentric protagonist Daniel Rooke are small jewels of description. His interest and friendship with the natives rings true, as does his realization of what's important in his life. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy literary fiction; a thought provoking read.
Rated of 5
by Judy (Marysville, OH)
Beautifully written; based on historical events
In the late 1700s, Daniel Rooke, a naive astronomer/scientist with his head and heart set squarely on the stars in the sky, sails as a lieutenant with the first fleet taking English prisoners to colonize New South Wales. Two things happen. A single terrible incident foreshadows for Rooke the brutal impact of a colonizing force on the native people. And Rooke's heart opens to an astonishing native girl who teaches him how deeply the heart can feel. The inevitable choices he must make change his life forever.
If you love this book as much as I did, you will also love the books of Andrea Barrett.
Rated of 5
by Sally G. (St. Johns, Florida)
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
A quiet, thought provoking book that was so well written and interesting. A story based loosely on a William Dawes. The Lieutenant is the story of a young man that never quite belonged as he was a genius and maybe autistic. I found him shy, naive, and innocent even after encountering war. After the war he ended on a ship taking prisoners to New South Wales. It is here that the real story takes place and Kate Grenville writes a clean and clear story of the behavior of humans.
This was a hard book to finish because I found myself lost in thought and not reading. A beautiful book.
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of 5
by Maryanne K. (Spanaway, WA)
