Fled by Meg Keneally

 “This novel is based on the life of Mary Bryant, the woman behind one of history’s most daring escapes.” Mary Bryant (1765 – after 1794) was a Cornish convict sent to Australia. She became one of the first successful escapees from the fledgling Australian penal colony.

Southern Cornwall, 1783: Jenny Trelawney grew up helping her father on a boat, but when the sea claims his life, her family is forced to sell the boat to help with the money.

Jenny already has a reputation of an odd one, and with an unladylike mouth it’s even more difficult to find a husband. With no prospects for a husband or a job in Cornwall, she travels to Plymouth in search for some work.

On her way to Plymouth, she witnesses highway robbery and this puts an idea into her mind, which leads her only to prison.

The extension of the Royal Mercy takes her to England’s newest colony of Australia to settle it.

After months of brutal journey through rough waters and deplorable conditions, they arrive at sandy beaches with the ground unsuited for growing anything. The land hasn’t been explored fully yet, but the officials of the new colony, already encourage marriages between the convicts here.

As the vegetables fail to grow and the ground turns even challenging for building huts, the new ways of the new land had to be learned in order to survive. The waters are to be explored for fish instead.

With more convicts coming to the settlement and not enough food, Jenny starts hatching a plan of escape. She learns of an island called Coepang, which was colonized by Dutch people, who are friendly and hospitable to those who get wrecked on the ocean.

This atmospheric novel gives glimpses into each step of the life’s journey of the heroine. Her missteps on her home land, the rough journey to the new colony, the reality and struggle to survive on the new land, and her escape and encounters with the natives some more friendly than the others – keeping a reader on their toes.

With interesting characters, the story is told with engaging prose and moving dialogue injected with some humor. When Jenny is called the heroine of the seas, her husband accuses her, “it rests around your shoulders like a shawl.”

And above all, it is a touching portrayal of a very strong woman who voraciously fought for survival and even more for her children to be in a safe environment and have enough food.

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Release date: July 9th, 2019