The Secret River

Awards:   Winner of ABIA Australian Literary Fiction Book of the Year 2006. Winner of Commonwealth Writers Prize 2006. Winner of Commonwealth Writers' Prize 2006 Winner of Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) Awards: Christina Stead Award 2006. Winner of Fellowship of Australian Writers' Christina Stead Award 2006 (Australia) Winner of NSW Premier's Literary Awards: Community Relations Commission Award 2006. Winner of The Commonwealth Writers Prize 2006.
Author:   Kate Grenville
Publisher:   Text Publishing
Volume:   1
ISBN:  

9781922147424


Pages:   352
Publication Date:   22 May 2013
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
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The Secret River


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Awards

  • Winner of ABIA Australian Literary Fiction Book of the Year 2006.
  • Winner of Commonwealth Writers Prize 2006.
  • Winner of Commonwealth Writers' Prize 2006
  • Winner of Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) Awards: Christina Stead Award 2006.
  • Winner of Fellowship of Australian Writers' Christina Stead Award 2006 (Australia)
  • Winner of NSW Premier's Literary Awards: Community Relations Commission Award 2006.
  • Winner of The Commonwealth Writers Prize 2006.

Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kate Grenville
Publisher:   Text Publishing
Imprint:   The Text Publishing Company
Volume:   1
Dimensions:   Width: 12.90cm , Height: 3.10cm , Length: 19.80cm
Weight:   0.246kg
ISBN:  

9781922147424


ISBN 10:   1922147427
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   22 May 2013
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Reviews

'When William Thornhill steps ashore in 1806, it's as if no one has described the scene before him. Such is the power of Grenville's imagination that everything seems newly minted.' Bulletin 'Fabulous historical fiction.' Australian 'A few sentences of Grenville's makes one realize that much of the writing one encounters in a novel these days is thin and perfunctory. Reading The Secret River may put you off anything less accomplished for a while.' Daily Express 'One of the most entertaining, accomplished, engaging novels written in this country...We always knew Kate Grenville was good but this one is brilliant.' Courier Mail 'There is no doubt Grenville is one of our greatest writers... A book everyone should read. It is evocative, gracefully written, terrible and confronting. And it has resonance for every Australian.' Sunday Mail


'When William Thornhill steps ashore in 1806, it's as if no one has described the scene before him. Such is the power of Grenville's imagination that everything seems newly minted.' Bulletin 'Fabulous historical fiction.' Australian 'A few sentences of Grenville's makes one realize that much of the writing one encounters in a novel these days is thin and perfunctory. Reading The Secret River may put you off anything less accomplished for a while.' Daily Express 'One of the most entertaining, accomplished, engaging novels written in this country...We always knew Kate Grenville was good but this one is brilliant.' Courier Mail 'There is no doubt Grenville is one of our greatest writers... A book everyone should read. It is evocative, gracefully written, terrible and confronting. And it has resonance for every Australian.' Sunday Mail 'The Secret River is a wonderful novel that will change the way we think about our past...I couldn't put it down.' -- Diana Gribble Reader '...a powerful, highly credible account of how a limited man of good instincts becomes involved in enormity and atrocity.' -- Peter Craven Age 'Kate Grenville's The Secret River stands out as a work of sustained power and imagination, of poetry and insight. No truer piece of fiction has been written about the Australian past.' -- Peter Temple Weekend Australian 'Splendidly paced, passionate and disturbing.' -- Salley Vickers The Times 'An outstanding study of cultures in collision...chilling, meticulous account of the sorrows and evils of colonialism.' Saturday Guardian 'A vivid and moving protrayal of poverty, struggle and the search for peace.' Independent '...Grenville's magnificent novel [is] an unflinching exploration of modern Australia's origins.' New Yorker 'The Secret River is a masterwork, a book that transcends historical fiction and becomes something deeply contemporary and pressing.' Chicago Tribune 'Grenville's powerful telling of this story is so moving, so exciting, that you're barely aware of how heavy and profound its meaning is until you reach the end in a moment of stunned sadness.' Washington Post


'Grenville's powerful telling of this story is so moving, so exciting, that you're barely aware of how heavy and profound its meaning is until you reach the end in a moment of stunned sadness.' * Washington Post * 'The Secret River is a masterwork, a book that transcends historical fiction and becomes something deeply contemporary and pressing.' * Chicago Tribune * '...Grenville's magnificent novel [is] an unflinching exploration of modern Australia's origins.' * New Yorker * 'A vivid and moving protrayal of poverty, struggle and the search for peace.' * Independent * 'An outstanding study of cultures in collision...chilling, meticulous account of the sorrows and evils of colonialism.' * Saturday Guardian * 'Splendidly paced, passionate and disturbing.' -- Salley Vickers * The Times * 'Kate Grenville's The Secret River stands out as a work of sustained power and imagination, of poetry and insight. No truer piece of fiction has been written about the Australian past.' -- Peter Temple * Weekend Australian * '...a powerful, highly credible account of how a limited man of good instincts becomes involved in enormity and atrocity.' -- Peter Craven * Age * 'The Secret River is a wonderful novel that will change the way we think about our past...I couldn't put it down.' -- Diana Gribble * Reader * 'There is no doubt Grenville is one of our greatest writers... A book everyone should read. It is evocative, gracefully written, terrible and confronting. And it has resonance for every Australian.' * Sunday Mail * 'One of the most entertaining, accomplished, engaging novels written in this country...We always knew Kate Grenville was good but this one is brilliant.' * Courier Mail * 'A few sentences of Grenville's makes one realize that much of the writing one encounters in a novel these days is thin and perfunctory. Reading The Secret River may put you off anything less accomplished for a while.' * Daily Express * 'Fabulous historical fiction.' * Australian * 'When William Thornhill steps ashore in 1806, it's as if no one has described the scene before him. Such is the power of Grenville's imagination that everything seems newly minted.' * Bulletin *


Author Information

Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers. Her international bestseller The Secret River was awarded local and overseas prizes, has been adapted for the stage and as an acclaimed television miniseries, and is now a much-loved classic. Grenville’s other novels include Sarah Thornhill, The Lieutenant, Dark Places and the Orange Prize winner The Idea of Perfection. Her most recent books are two works of non-fiction, One Life: My Mother’s Story and The Case Against Fragrance. She has also written three books about the writing process. In 2017 Grenville was awarded the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. She lives in Melbourne.

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