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Home>Services>For Book Lovers>Book Clubs>The Secret River by Kate Grenville
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| Story | | In 1806 William Thornhill, a man of quick temper and deep feelings, is transported from the slums of London to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. With his wife Sal and their children he arrives in a harsh land he cannot understand.
But the colony can turn a convict into a free man. Eight years later Thornhill sails up the Hawkesbury to claim a hundred acres for himself.
Aboriginal people already live on that river. And other recent arrivals—Thomas Blackwood, Smasher Sullivan and Mrs Herring—are finding their own ways to respond to them.
Thornhill, a man neither better nor worse than most, soon has to make the most difficult choice of his life.
Inspired by research into her own family history, Kate Grenville vividly creates the reality of settler life, its longings, dangers and dilemmas. The Secret River is a brilliantly written book, a groundbreaking story about identity, belonging and ownership.
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| Author Details | | Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s finest writers. She won the Orange Prize in 2001 for The Idea of Perfection. The Secret River, published in more than twenty countries, was awarded the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and was shortlisted for both the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Man Booker Prize. The Lieutenant was shortlisted for the New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australian Premiers’ Awards.
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| Discussion Points | | Discuss the effects of poverty on Thornhill and how it shapes the rest of his life.
Grenville’s descriptions of Sydney are very vivid and quickly establish a stark contrast with the urban landscape of London. How do the Thornhills react and adjust to their new surroundings and circumstances?
Right from the beginning when the Thornhills stake out “their” land there is always a vague feeling of intrinsic threat. What does the land mean to William? What are his biggest delusions? Did you find him aggressive, ignorant, innocent, naïve, full of rationales?
What is the biggest difference in Aboriginal culture and the white settlers’ culture? How does this impact on Thornhills’ life after they moved out of Sydney?
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| Discussion Points |
| How does William Thornhill change through the course of the novel? How does he react and adjust to their new surroundings and circumstance? | | How would you describe Kate Grenville’s style of writing? | | What does this novel say about fear, the unknown, aggression, ignorance, innocence, naivety? | | How does the environment impact on William Thornhill’s life? | | Is this a good history of colonial Australia? Why? Why not? | | Did you enjoy reading this novel?
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| Similar Titles |
| Sorry by Gail Jones | | His Illegal Self by Peter Carey | | Dancing with Strangers by Inga Clendinnen | | Searching for the Secret River: A Story Behind the Bestselling Novel by Kate Grenville | |
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