Had I done that, maybe I wouldn't have added it to the collection of fiction on my Kindle; it is what you could call a religious novel, and since I am not part of any religion myself, the constant references to the importance of all-enduring Christian love and faith were a bit much for my liking. Having said that, it does fit the story well, since I suppose in those days for many people their faith was the only thing that kept them going, as it is probably the case for a vast number of people today, although maybe less so in what we like to call our "Western" society but more in developing countries.
We start in London in the year 1804, and meet the two main characters independently of each other. Hannah is a seamstress who, by no means wealthy, leads a sheltered and modestly happy life with her widowed mother, sharing a small rented place where they both live and work, making fine clothes for London's elegant ladies.
John is a wealthy business man, married and well established with his tool-making company, a trade he has learnt from his late father.
When Hannah's mother dies of a fever, the former customers don't show loyalty to Hannah and move their orders elsewhere. Now that she can not pay the rent anymore, she is turned out of the only place she has known as home, and wanders the streets of London, trying to find work.
She does find employment as a scullery maid with a magistrate and his wife, but after a terrible incident, she flees the house and is once again on the street. When hunger leads her to steal a loaf of bread, she is caught and sentenced in court to 14 years of deportation to New South Wales.
John's cousin betrays him, and he is left with no money, no business, no wife and almost no life - only by intervention of his attorney, who still trusts in his innocence, he is spared the gallows and sent to serve a life sentence in New South Wales instead.
The inevitable happens: Both "passengers" on the prison ship taking them on the horrible journey to Australia, Hannah and John meet, and are instantly drawn to each other, knowing very well that they do not stand a chance to anything ever becoming of their relationship.
They first have to survive the six month journey and of course there is no guarantee they will ever set eyes on each other again once arrived at the prison colony.
To begin with, live does not seem to improve much on land compared to the apalling conditions on the ship, but then the tide turns, and John and Hannah get a chance for happiness.
The morale of the story is that one should never lose faith, and leave all revenge to God; now, one can simply read this book as historical romance and still find it a pleasant read, which is what I did. It kept me company all day yesterday on the train to and from work; I finished the whole book in about five hours.
Everything the book says about how crime - even something as insignificant as stealing bread out of real need - was dealt with in those days, and how little a human life was regarded (not that this has changed much in some parts of the world). Also, how the system of deporting "criminals" to the prison colonies worked is certainly well described and researched, and I do not consider having read this book a waste of time.
My next read is going to be some non-fiction again.
I am glad you didn't discount the book entirely simply because it mentions the Christian faith.
ReplyDeletePaul was very much against the church and he went on to write most of the New Testament.
I recently read reviews of one of my favorite books in the world, Devil At My Heels, and was very surprised to read the level of hostility against Mr. Zamperini and his faith.
I don't know much but I know that there is evil in this world but there is also good. This might be a silly novel but if it even hints at God's love then it can't be that bad.
I have told you before of my tiny candle flame of faith. That really may not be true, it might even be much bigger than I have realized.
Non-fiction? I wish you would read Devil At My Heels! :-)
What I believe does certainly not mean I discard what someone else believes, or what they have written. Like I said in my review, the book was a good read, and I found the deep faith demonstrated by some of the characters entirely believable, it did fit the story.
DeleteWell the time frame for the novel is one of my favorites. Its so important the author does the research and if it is right it adds so much. I'm just finishing up The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and her research is very thorough. Now I'm looking for a new book; I've decided on Ken Follet!
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julie
The Forgotten Garden is great, isn't it? I am quite sure I have mentioned it on my blog. Ken Follet is an author whose books I really like, too, although I have not read one in a long time. So very well researched, too!
ReplyDeleteI saw your comment on Letter from a Hill Farm. My daughter gave me a Kindle for my birthday but I have not used it yet – I have so many books at home. My blog is not about books but I am a bookworm and read constantly. Right now I am reading about Paris in the 20s, mostly non-fiction books. I, also, am not very interested in religious type books but have read some. The information on criminals sent to Australia must have been interesting. I’ll come back to your blog to read about your trip.
ReplyDeleteHello and thank you for stopping by! I am certainly going to have a look at your blog, too.
DeleteFor some reason when I am reading books for pleasure I find coping with injustice just as hard as I find coping with it in real life. Silly, I know, but that's how I feel. I even had difficulty with Pride and Prejudice! We do tend to forget that even in our developing countries life was unimaginably hard by our standards even as recently as the early 20th century. Back in 1804 the penalty for many seemingly minor offences on board naval vessels was keelhauling which meant almost certain death.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you'll be surprised to hear that I have never read Pride and Prejudice... But I know what you mean about injustice in a book (or film) making one so upset.
DeleteWhile I was reading this story, I often thought, life for the sailors aboard that ship was only marginally better than for the prisoners. Once while I was in London, I visited the Cutty Sark, where they told us a lot about what it was like, from the food to hygiene to discipline and so on.
I really enjoy books that make me grateful for the social justices we (mostly) take for granted today. I have trouble with those who romanticize and idealize the past too much and this book sounds true to the time.
ReplyDeleteTrue, Sonia! The so-called Good Old Days never really existed, did they!
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