Excellent historical novel giving an account of the hardship, heartbreaks and triumphs of the first settlement of Australia by convicts in Sydney Harbour in the early 19th Century from the perpective of one family, by one of Australia's leading authors. The devastating effects of the culture clash between early convict settlers and Australia's indigenous Aborigines is understanding to both sides, while sparing us none of the horrific impact of combining ignorance with a sense of entitlement on the part of the settlers. Their fear of these 'savages' and of the bush and all that is strange and new is palpable -- and it leads to devastating consequences for the local peoples.