Reviews with content warning for Cultural appropriation - The Exiles

Some books you start reading and instantly know are going to be five-star reads. The Exiles gave me that feeling that continued right up to the final page. What. A. Book.

Feeling extremely grateful to my book club for picking this one as I had never come across this novel or author, both of which have now become firm favourites.

Firstly, the writing was nothing short of stunning. It was beautifully descriptive, shockingly realistic, and truly captivating. The parts on the ship had my stomach churning - I've never read such a detailed description of a voyage and it showed just how much research the author put into her writing and characters. There was one part that left me gasping (IYKYK) and was a huge risk that the author took but it more than paid off.

The characters were so realistic that I feel like I'm missing a small limb now that I've finished the book. I became so attached to their stories and livelihoods that it felt especially hard to part from them. This is definitely one of those books where I could have quite happily had an extra 100+ pages to keep the story from ending. Evangeline's bravery, Hazel's determination, Mathinna's resilience, and Ruby's stubbornness were all traits that produced four strong, memorable leading females that will stay with me for a long time.

Another thing I appreciated was how the author blended fact with fiction. I love well-researched books that are based, to some extent, on historical events and The Exiles offered so much more than just a fictional tale. It was a poignant and shocking insight into colonialism, injustice, abuse and mistreatment of indigenous people, and the imprisonment of female convicts sent to Australia from Britain for the main purpose of breeding. While massively eye-opening, it was also educational and made me want to expand my knowledge, especially as I now live in this country myself.

A real gem of a masterpiece. I can't wait to explore this author's other works.

Rating breakdown

Plot/narrative - 4.8
Writing style/readability - 4.9
Characters - 4.8
Diverse themes - 4.8
Ending - 4.7

Overall - 4.8

Content Warnings

kimveach's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is precisely what historical fiction should be. It's an intimate story focusing on two young women and a girl against the backdrop of settling Australia by the British.

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