Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville- 2011 - A Sequel to The Secret River

My Post Upon The Secret River by Kate Grenville

My great thanks to Max u for The Amazon Gift Card that allowed me to read this book

Sarah Thornhill is a sequel to The Secret River.  It focuses on the born in Australia last daughter of William Thornbill and his first wife.  You should for sure  read The Secret River before Sarah Thornhill.  The Secret River is a significantly better work, the prime driver in Sarah Thornhill, for me, was to see what will happen to the Thornhill family.  I really enjoyed the sequel, relaxing my literary standards a bit.

William Thornhill was transported to Australia in 1806 for petty theft.  His wife and young child were sent out also.  We follow them through trials and tribulations as hard work and determination raise the family to affluence and five more children are born, all in New South Wales.

In both novels Grenville does a wonderful job describing the Australian countryside.  She masterfully depicts the impact the settlers and the aboriginal people have upon each other.  There are not enough Australian Women so lots of settlers get involved with native women, some in a kind and loving way, others brutal and cruel.  By the time Sarah is in her teens mixed race children are common.  Sexual contact with native men by white women is deeply frowned upon.  Blacks, as they are called, are viewed by most as savages, thieves, beggars, drunken near beasts.  Some settlers pity them and give them food, others see as dangerous vermin.  Almost no one sees them as equals.  The very last thing William Thornhill and his new wife wanted was for Sarah to get involved with a man of mixed blood.  Grenville helps us see the very real traditions of the natives.

It was great fun to see William Thornhill now the lord of the manor.  His first wife died before this book began and he has remarried.  His new wife is a bit snobbish, wanting to hide the convict roots of the family.  Sarah and her siblings receive no formal schooling.  She never learns to read.  She is maybe 12 when we  meet her, girls grow up fast there,  she has her first period, her older sister Mary helps her.  Her sister tells her this means she can have a baby now.  When she asks how this happens Mary tells her like with the horses and dogs.  This is not much of a turn on for Sarah.  Her body develops curves.  The outdoor physical life is good for children, way better than London.  

In this novel we see the boys mature, the brother who left, Dick, plays a very important part in the story line.

I do not want to reveal a lot as the plot has simply a number of unanticipated turns.  The characters are very well developed.  The ending was really interesting.  It was a lot of fun to read.

As I suggested, first read A Secret River, then Sarah Thornhill.

There is a third novel Grenville set in Australia thirty years earlier, The Lieutenant I hope to read soon.

Mel u

In one line I loved Sarah Thornhill days New South Wales is such a healthy place a doctor would starve, a far cry from the slums of London!