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29 March 2011

Book Review Mary's Guardian by Carol Preston




Product Description:
William is used to looking after the street kids in England, but when transported as a convict expectations change. Mary has been on the streets as long as she can remember as well and expects to have to fight for survival in Australia. She is surprised when she meets up with Williams, who she hasn't seen for 10 years. She is more surprised when he proposes marriage. But their journey through convict and family life is anything but happily ever after. Through grief, crisis after crisis, triumphs, friendships, love and faith they grow in the harsh new country. A fictional story based on true events and characters that are not only believable but based on true convicts and settlers of Australia.


Book Review:
I was given the opportunity to review this book for my bookshop and all I can say is I am so thankful. This book is wonderful. It starts with William and Mary on the streets in England and then they are sent to Australia as convicts on the first fleet. The horrid conditions on the ship were bad enough but arriving in Australia they have to build everything and the food is scarce and the behavior of many is deplorable. We see the settlement of Paramatta opened up then the Hawkesbury area opened up. Reading the trying conditions the early settlers and convicts had to work in makes me appreciate what they did to make my country so good. It was also interesting to see Australia wasn't founded on Christian foundations. There were ministers but alot of them where there for themselves and not for the people or for God. I love the story between Mary and William and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. This is a good read and for anyone who loves Australia history you will learn alot from this book.

1 comment:

Laetitia :-) said...

Yes, I get annoyed when people claim that we were 'founded' as a 'Christian' nation - it makes me want to box their ears and tell them to go back to Grade 3 (if they're Australian born and bred that is); same goes for the idea that Australia never had slavery. I think part of the problem is when people take a 'patriot' spam e-mail from the USA, change a few words to make it sound applicable to Australia and send it on without thinking to others who swallow it hook, line and sinker.

But enough of my rant. You might like 'The Katy Tree' by Dorothy Dart. While not based on real people it is set in colonial Tasmania with references to the penal system and some real people who would have been around at the time.

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