Synopsis
English Passengers is a big book in every sense: an ambitious and successful epic novel that matches the high seas adventure of The Voyage of the Narwhal with the wit and masterful intelligence of An Instance of the Fingerpost and the historical depth of Robert Hughes's The Fatal Shore.
When Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley and his band of smugglers from the Isle of Man are intercepted by British Customs, they are forced to put their ship Sincerity up for charter. The only takers are two eccentric Englishmen, the Reverend Geoffrey Wilson and Dr. Thomas Potter, who want Kewley to take them to the Garden of Eden, which the Reverend believes is on the island of Tasmania. Fortunately for all concerned, British Customs has failed to confiscate all the smugglers' contraband, and so they're willing to embark for the other side of the globe via a circuitous route designed to evade authorities.
Meanwhile, in Tasmania, the British "civilization" of the aboriginal tribes is in full force. The clever and charming Peevay narrates the British colonials' genocidal assault on his tribe, which is being violently forced from its lands. In fact, every character of any significance has a voice in the narration of English Passengers, and so when Sincerity finally reaches Tasmania, the clash of cultures on all fronts gives rise to the outrageous confrontations, hysterical mayhem, and uniquely rendered personal truths of conquest and devastation.
The novel is truly a bravura performance by a writer of exceptional skill and talent, a novel that will set new standards for historical and nautical adventure writing.
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About the Author
Matthew Kneale lives in Oxford, England. English Passengers is his first book to be published in North America.
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English Passengers
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English Passengers
Published by
Doubleday New York 2000, 2000
ISBN 10: 0385259492
ISBN 13: 9780385259491
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: A Good Read, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition; First Printing. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY - customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery. Some creases on edges of d/j. Foxing to edges of text block. ; 9.3 X 6.5 X 1.4 inches. Seller Inventory # 175600