English Passengers: A Novel

Told from several points of view--each a believable voice--the novel brings history to life. The condescending attitudes of the British toward (and their outrageous treatment of) the aborigines, a smuggling ship, a vicar in search of the Garden of Eden, and a doctor who theorizes about racial characteristics are all skillfully brought together to make a rollicking good read.

Forget anything you have heard about the characters in this book being less than "sea worthy". Using another simple minded pun I would describe them as all "ship shape and Bristol fashion". This novel is funny, thought provoking, sombre and deeply touching. The prudish, stubborn and humerous nature of Wilson the priest is set against the dangerous ideologies of characters such as Potter and presents a poignant image of a society that even today is not fully aware of the atrocious treatment of the aborigines.

I really enjoyed this book but not everyone will. It is not an easy "beach book." This is a thoughtful epic that is long and complex. The story is fascinating. It's told from many points of view -- at least 10 if I recall. The story always moves forward but from various viewpoints such as that of an Australian aborigine. It is handled superbly. I think this is sort of a "Berkeley" type book - I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my UC Berkeley graduate son and even his wife who is new to the English language. Very different.

The 1820s.The great humor of this book comes from the absurdity of the times it takes place in. The great horror of this book comes from the absurdity of the times it takes place in. So here we find ourselves companions with the Reverend Geoffrey Wilson in search of the Garden of Eden, along with the "man of science" Dr. Thomas Potter who's own agenda is the biologic proof of Saxon superiority. They make for Tasmania on the reluctant ship of Captain Illiam Quillian a pragmatic if not entirely honest Manx man.
The book travels back and forth between our traveling ship of fools bound for the Tasmania that will fulfill their preconceived notions. and the Tasmanian landscape of Peevay An aboriginal trying to cope with the subjugation of his people.
The clash of the English and Aboriginal Tasmanian people, lovingly written here, makes us all question what dark preconceptions might be floating around in our travels and what we might do differently upon our own arrival.

I received this book as a Christmas present this year, and finished it in a day and a half. It is amazing! I don't have many favorite books, but I suspect this book might just have earned a spot.
The story is extremely interesting. I really enjoy books about ocean voyages, although I usually tend to survival stories, such as Life of Pi. And even more, I loved reading about Tasmania and how the aborigines were treated, a subject I know very little about.
I also loved the humor. The story is told by multiple narrators, and it's extremely entertaining to read their different perceptions of the same situation and their judgements of their fellow explorers. And the fates of some of the characters? Well, I hate to use the word "amusing," but the surprises alone did make me smile to myself. I highly recommend this book!

Kneale wrote this book in about 20 different voices. All unique and fascinating to read. The book succeeds on several levels. It's great historical adventure fiction, it's a study of prejudice disguised as academia, and it's literary enough that the English teacher in our book club is adding it to her high school reading lists. I recommend this one.

Looking for a "sea tale"? Skip this one.
By chance I picked this up on the way to Australia and made the critical error of judging this book by it's cover. Strong suit - nautical dust jacket art and salty Celtic personae from the 19th century. Weakness - unremarkable, irratating and languid roles.
The hopscotch 30 year and dozen odd person narrative never developed and left me confused. Trying to pay attention to dated and disjointed "Journal Entries" and two dimensional characters, throughout an obscure era in Tasmanian history, only fueled my lack of interest. Unless you're truly turned on by Colonial Australian history, this will be a tough read.
I was hooked by the nautical thread the book starts with, anticipated a payoff worthy of a 440 page read and was dissapointed. By the end I simply didn't care and was only comforted by the fact that I could donate this novel to charity. Ouch.

And now for something different...The cover art seems to convey very well the tilted style of writing contained within. I found it very amusing and easy to read. Despite the light hearted style however, the book carries a dark theme, resplindent with the evil nature of mankind. Like real life however the author doesn't smack you too hard with the facts, so that if you choose to do so, you may ignor them and simply enjoy the sceenery. Read this if you think you need a change of pace from your regular reading list material.

One of the absolute best historical novels I've read. An epic story told from multiple perspectives, this novel his everything--terrific characters, a steadily-building plot, and just terrific writing throughout. A true pleasure.

This is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable books I have read in a good while. Mr. Kneale's use of the English language is amazingly satisfying, and his structuring is superb. Each of the over 20 characters who narrate this novel are fully fleshed out, and their stories are all fascinating. This is a writer to watch out for!

Reading the editorial reviews and seeing the cover of this book were very deceiving. I expected much more than I got. I loved THE HORNBLOWER SAGA and have a degree in Anthropology so I thought this book would be for me. Was I mistaken! I found this to be very slow moving and often just plain boring. I couldn't wait to finish this so I could start something good. Don't waste your time.