Scan barcode
A review by melbsreads
The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes
3.0
Well, I'm finally finished. THANK GOD. Look, it's a fascinating subject matter, if you're into colonial history. And I felt like I SHOULD read it, after spending two years of my life developing a museum display about convict life in Tasmania (among other things). I think in part, it took me such a long time to read it because there really is a limit to how much of your day you can devote to reading about secondary punishment and how convicts walked around with their shoes full of blood from the floggings they were given. *shudder*
I think also it has to do with when it was written (1986) - clearly it was part of the whole "Oh crap, it's the Bicentennial soon, we'd better write a lot of stuff about Australia's history!" thing. Historical writing has changed a lot since the 1980s - it's now less stuffy and more conversational (in my opinion, at least!). So to go back to that really dry style was a bit of a struggle.
Basically, I enjoyed it, but I won't be reading it again any time soon.
I think also it has to do with when it was written (1986) - clearly it was part of the whole "Oh crap, it's the Bicentennial soon, we'd better write a lot of stuff about Australia's history!" thing. Historical writing has changed a lot since the 1980s - it's now less stuffy and more conversational (in my opinion, at least!). So to go back to that really dry style was a bit of a struggle.
Basically, I enjoyed it, but I won't be reading it again any time soon.