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I finished this novel more than 1 month ago but for some reason or other I preferred to write other reviews before this one. The postponement gave me the opportunity to see how my memory of the novel and my enjoyment fades with (a little) time. If initially I was thinking about 4*, I think I will settle with 3.

In short, the novel is about the colonisation of Australia by British convicts to the detriment of locals aboriginal population. William Thornhill is arrested for stealing and is saved from hanging at the last moment. The salvation comes as a trip to Sydney where he settles together with his family. Each convict had to have a guardian (in this case his wife) but he soon realises he could get a pardon from His Majesty if he worked hard enough. He could even choose a piece of land and become its owner. Being a land owner became his dream but in order to achieve his goal he had enter in conflict with the locals.

The writing was beautiful, quiet, and maybe a bit too descriptive. I liked reading the novel but I did not feel the need to come back to it after closing the book. The book was a good insight in the mentality of the early settlers in Australia and it also tried to delve into the damage and hurt it provoked to the Aboriginal population.