What do readers think of The Secret River by Kate Grenville? Write your own review.

The Secret River is the first in the Thornhill family series by Kate Grenville. It tells the story of William Thornhill and his wife Sarah (Sal) from their childhood together in London, through William’s career as a Waterman, his eventual transportation to New South Wales and the life his family made for themselves in the harsh landscape of 19th century Australia. Grenville’s thorough research is apparent in the level of detail about everyday life in the new colony, detail that gives the reader a good idea of how life was for the early settlers. Grenville’s beautiful prose captures well the characters’ hard life and their fleeting glimpses of happiness, as well as the timeless landscape of the Australian continent. The settlers’ ignorance of the indigenous population’s philosophy and lifestyle becomes clear as the story progresses and the white man’s attitude to the blacks is skilfully rendered with a violent climax. In order that he and his family survive, William Thornhill finds himself not only turning a blind eye to injustices, but eventually taking part in atrocities he never dreamed he would encounter. A moving and powerful read.