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A review by nelsta
A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia by Thomas Keneally
2.0
While the idea behind "A Commonwealth of Thieves" is excellent, the book itself drags. I lost interest almost immediately and struggled to maintain what remained for the rest of the read. Keneally begins by describing the hellish conditions of British prisons at the latter end of the 18th century. It is an important context. However, he spent far too much time on the subject. By the time he began to describe the various inmates and officers who participated in the voyage, I was struggling. I kept reading in the hopes that things would eventually turn around, but it never happened.
Keneally obviously conducted a prodigious amount of research. It pays off when he chronicles the best part of "A Commonwealth of Thieves:" the politics between the British colonizers and the aborigines. Every time the aborigines show up in the story, it felt like a breath of fresh air. The stories are dramatic, interesting, and relevant. But the point of view invariably shifts back to the prisoners and settlers like a wet blanket.
This book is probably more interesting if you are already familiar with the story and its characters. Australians, read away.
Keneally obviously conducted a prodigious amount of research. It pays off when he chronicles the best part of "A Commonwealth of Thieves:" the politics between the British colonizers and the aborigines. Every time the aborigines show up in the story, it felt like a breath of fresh air. The stories are dramatic, interesting, and relevant. But the point of view invariably shifts back to the prisoners and settlers like a wet blanket.
This book is probably more interesting if you are already familiar with the story and its characters. Australians, read away.