Aboriginals versus convicts
If you are interested in the Aboriginals and how the first penal colony was settled in New South Wales in the 1780’s, The Lieutenant is the book worth reading. Although it is fiction loosely based on a real person, the rich details of daily life, conflicts, and diversity of language drives the story leaving its readers to want more.
Rated of 5
by Jerry P. (Santa Rosa, CA)
The Lieutenant
Kate Grenville is a terrific writer who writes elegant, simple prose. Many sentences clearly describing the dilemmas Lieutenant Rooke, the main character, experienced were short and contained words that were less than eight letters. (If only Carl Jung could write like that).
I enjoyed the book - yet I was left with ambivalent feelings about the widespread colonization that has occurred throughout history. In how many countries were the lives of the indigenous people improved after they were colonized? I'll leave that discussion to book clubs.
Rated of 5
by Madeline M. (Sarasota, FL)
A Novel of Discovery
Author Kate Grenville has a new fan! Her simple and straightforward style belies a depth and complexity of both story and characters. This is not only a novel of science and exploration, but also of discovery - discovery of place and peoples and language, discovery of self and purpose.
Rated of 5
by Bibliophile (New England)
The Lieutenant
Daniel Rooke was a lonely child, misunderstood by not only other children, but by his parents as well. He found comfort in books and astronomy. As an adult, he prefers solitude yet surprisingly he is able to form strong relationships with his fellow marines.
Rooke forges an unlikely friendship with a young Aboriginal girl, and their lives are forever changed.
I was so deeply moved by the treatment of the Aboriginal people.
The Lieutenant is a touching story, beautifully written, and thought provoking. The narrative was engaging, and my only complaint was that I wished the story was longer. Historical fiction fans should enjoy this book. I had not read Grenville's earlier book, The Secret River, but plan to do so now.
Recommended.
Rated of 5
by Jean T. (Paducah, KY)
Good, but I wanted more!
This book was my introduction to the writings of Kate Grenville, and I must say I am delighted to have finally made her acquaintance and plan to read more of her work. I thoroughly enjoyed the lush, lyrical power of her descriptive prose. However, I finished this book wanting more, wishing that she had explored the weightier themes more deeply. I think this is a good book, well worth reading, but feel the author missed the opportunity to develop it into a great book with a more powerful story.
Rated of 5
by Susan K. (dartmouth, MA)
The Lieutenant
A quiet, thought-provoking account of a socially inept loner (based on the actual lieutenant William Dawes), The Lieutenant explores a host of questions: what is friendship; to whom should one be loyal; are the values one is brought up with necessarily good for all societies, and if not - what to do about it? Of particular interest to me was the way in which the author portrayed the young lieutenant's burgeoning preoccupation with the intricacies of the aboriginal language and culture. I very much liked Grenville's use of language and am looking forward to reading an earlier book of hers, "The Secret River" next.
Rated of 5
by Carol J. (Isle, MN)
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
An enjoyable work of historical fiction, about a period and place I knew little about. The story seemed uneven and only really joined by the inclusion of the main character, Daniel Rooke, through out. Grenville's protrayal of Rooke's early life was poignant; making me think of a person with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Amazing how figuring out the prime numbers was such a draw for Rooke.
The interaction of Rooke, the rest of the crew and convicts with the local natives was very thought provoking. Made me wonder how our world would be now if more of the explores, conquerors and missionaries had viewed the native as Rooke did.
I felt the author left out a whole section when she went from Rooke leaving New South Whales to the end of his life. Would have preferred she fleshed that out much more.
This would be an interesting book for a book club discussion. Also enjoyed by young adults.
I plan to read some of Ms. Grenville's other books.
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by Marion C. (Litchfield, NH)
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by Madeline M. (Sarasota, FL)
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by Carol J. (Isle, MN)
