This is the story of Kate Grenville's search for her family's ancestral history, starting in London and ending in Australia. Her 3-great grandfather came to Australia as a convict. She researched all of that as well as what the world in Australia was like at the time. The result was her writing of the book, "The Secret River," which is one of my favorites.
Both "The Secret River" and "Searching For the Secret River" are excellent books; a thorough look into Australian history, a look into culture clash, a family's arrival and establishment in Australia, as well as the native culture that, like America's, was pushed aside, often with violence, and later ignored. She also shares a lot about her writing process and how a book comes about. Very interesting!
Another thing I learned is about Lillian's Story, which I read recently, also written by Grenville... that book was based on an actual person named Bea Miles who used to roam the streets of Sydney and was well known for her eccentricity. I wish I had known that when I read the book. I think it would have added a lot to the interest.
I highly recommend any of Kate Grenville's books!
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