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Kate Grenville
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Sarah Thornhill Kindle Edition

by Kate Grenville (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,769 ratings
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The Orange Prize–Winning author of The Secret River delivers “brilliant fiction and illuminating personal history” in the finale of her Australian trilogy (The Independent).
 
With The Secret River, Kate Grenville dug into her own family’s history to create an unflinching tale of frontier violence in early Australia. She continued her bold exploration of Australia’s beginnings in The Lieutenant. Now Sarah Thornhill brings this acclaimed trilogy to an emotionally explosive conclusion.
 
Sarah is the youngest daughter of William Thornhill, an ex-convict from London. Unknown to Sarah, her father has built his fortune on the blood of Aboriginal people. With a fine stone house and plenty of money, Thornhill has reinvented himself, teaching his daughter to never look back or ask about the past. Instead, Sarah fixes her eyes on handsome Jack Langland, whom she’s loved since she was a child. Their romance seems idyllic, but the ugly secret in Sarah’s family is poised to ambush them both.
 
Driven by the captivating voice of the illiterate Sarah—at once headstrong, sympathetic, curious, and refreshingly honest—this is an unforgettable portrait of a passionate woman caught up in a historical moment that’s left an indelible mark on the present.
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  1. Print length
    321 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Grove Press
  5. Publication date
    June 5, 2012
  6. File size
    2805 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A wrenching conclusion to a tough-hearted trilogy . . . Exuberant, cruel, surprising, a triumphant evocation of a period and a people filled with both courage and ugliness.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
“Laudable . . . exquisite and vibrant.” —The Atlantic
 
“Beautifully written . . . Can be read as a dissection of a cultural clash or an allegory for colonialism, but at heart, the novel uses fiction to search for reason within history.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“A major achievement in Australian literature.” —Australian Book Review
 
“[An] exceptional historical novel, with mutilayered characters and a beautifully styled plot.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Grenville’s Early Australia trilogy comes to a brilliant conclusion . . . Lovingly detailed . . . Full of fascinating characters.” —Booklist
 
“Sarah Thornhill displays [Grenville’s] gift for creating character . . .What unfolds is a box of surprises, richly wrapped in language so colorful and lively, you can taste it . . . A wonderful novel.” —The Scotsman

From the Back Cover

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0087GK4G4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press (June 5, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 5, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2805 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,769 ratings

About the author

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Kate Grenville

Kate Grenville

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Kate Grenville (kategrenville.com) was born in Sydney, Australia. She's published eight books of fiction, including the multiple prize-winners 'The Secret River', 'The Lieutenant', 'The Idea of Perfection', and 'Lilian's Story'. She's also published three books about the writing process that are classic texts for Creative Writing classes, and a memoir about the research and writing of 'The Secret River'.

Grenville writes about Australia, but her themes are universal: love, violence, and survival. Her characters are often inspired by real historical characters: her own nineteenth century convict ancestor, an early Australian settler; a bag-lady on the streets of 1950s Sydney who quotes Shakespeare for a living; a soldier in the Sydney of 1788 who shares an extraordinary friendship of tenderness and respect with a young Aboriginal girl.

Grenville's international prizes include the Orange Award, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and a shortlisting for the Man Booker Prize. Her books have been published all over the world and translated into many languages, and two have been made into feature films.

Learn more about Kate Grenville, her books, and how to get hold of them, at kategrenville.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
1,769 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Booboo
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2013
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This is a wonderful book, a well crafted storyline is complemented by thoughtful and careful writing. The characters are compelling.
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Robert J. Piro
4.0 out of 5 stars correction
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2012
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I wrote a review of this book but it was intended as a review of Greenville's first book in the series-------The Secret River. I just finished Sarah. It is beautifully written and deals with second generation Australians. Characters are fully fleshed out and very real and descriptions are exceptional. Gave it 4 stars because the concluding episode is totally inconsistent with the characters she has so meticulosly described and because the impact of "the secret" had an implausable effect on the protagonists.
4 people found this helpful
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Dolores Patty
5.0 out of 5 stars Sarah Thornhill
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2021
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I was moved by how the inner feelings and thoughts of Sarah were revealed.
Her inner strength and determination motivated her to be daring.
The author’s subplots could have been expanded to several stories. Grenville explores the difference in language and culture. Not only the natives and settlers have stark differences but I enjoyed how she presented the subtilizes of differences between men and women, women of different educational levels, and the unspoken social expectations of people who come together from different lands.
This book made me want more stories. A good read.
One person found this helpful
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Suburban mont
3.0 out of 5 stars The saga continues
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2015
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The Secret River had a dominant position in literature of the contact/conflict period of australian history, it was impossible to put the book down without speculating on what life would have been for the protagonist, William Thornhill, as he enjoyed his success and was plagued by guilt. Sarah Thornhill addresses these questions and develops a new and very interesting character who was both confronted by issues of race relations and the realisation of her father's misdeeds. Great evocation of the early colonial era and the tough life all endured.
One person found this helpful
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Janetka
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2012
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Having just read one of the 50 Shades books reading Sarah Thornhill was like sitting down to a gourmet meal after so much junk food.

The book is beautifully written and I felt I was right there in the house and experiencing everything Sarah did. I have read the Secret River but I don't think that is an essential pre-read, this is a fabulous book in its own right and a great show piece of early Sydney good and bad.
One person found this helpful
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Toni Montreuil
5.0 out of 5 stars Black lives matter
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2020
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My favorite of her 4 books I’ve read so far. I just love her prose and her story line so much. I can’t wait to read her memoir about her Mom
One person found this helpful
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Jacqueline Tritt
4.0 out of 5 stars Another triumph for Grenville
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2012
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I almost always enjoy her writing. This is another Australian novel set in the past, seen through the eyes of a young woman. It is complex, looking at relationships between ex convicts and their families, between settlers and Aborigines, at family secrets, at the social norms in different strata of society. Once more, however, I was faced with a character who has apparently done something she couldn't have. In several books recently,it's been characters who tell the story after their death. In this case, it's a clever but illiterate girl who's produced this novel. That is, she can't read or write, but she's written this novel. I find it pulls me out of the story when I come across this type of anomaly. Interesting to see how the extremely literate Grenville has made her voice uneducated, with her could ofs and would ofs etc.

So, once I'd suspended my disbelief, I found this a fascinating novel. Sarah's character and her story have stayed with me.
4 people found this helpful
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Steven Nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly valuable
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2020
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I would recommend this trilogy to any one who enjoys historical novels. The location added a lot of extra interest for me. I'll remember it for a long time.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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mr ray d johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2023
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Can't put this book down. It's a great story and a compelling read. Good condition and fast delivery.
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Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in Germany on August 10, 2020
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I love this book - I recommend reading it after the first book "The secret River".
It makes a lot more sense and has more emotional impact with the back-story. Perfect for young teens to get an insight into reality of early Australian life.
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Christopher Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Rivetting
Reviewed in Australia on May 1, 2023
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The whole trilogy has been fascinating and so original.
Even though theLieutenant was separated from the first and last the whole was totally absorbing.
My admiration!
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Jenny
5.0 out of 5 stars Une histoire forte
Reviewed in France on August 10, 2014
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La suite de "The Secret River". Si vous avez aimé ce dernier, n'hésitez pas à lire Sarah Thornhill. Une approche concrète de la vie des premiers colons australiens et de leurs descendants et surtout de leurs contacts avec les aborigènes. Passionnant et édifiant.
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Nick_Melbourne
4.0 out of 5 stars Guilt passed on to the next generation
Reviewed in Australia on April 5, 2021
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Following on from the Secret River, this book gives us a beautifully written and highly readable story with some likeable characters. It gives a fascinating glimpse into life in the early days of white settlement. The main theme is how guilt can be passed on from parents to children and what can be done as redemption. A main character, who runs away midway through the book returns near the end, as was necessary for completeness. Still, I found the ending unfulfilling and disappointing.
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