‘Three quite different women, three different stories.’

From Flinders Island in 1840, to London and then to Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), this novel follows the life of three exiled women. We first meet Mathinna, an orphaned Indigenous girl ‘adopted’ by Sir John and Lady Jane Franklin. We then meet Evangeline, pregnant, convicted of stealing and imprisoned in Newgate. On board the prison ship Medea transporting her to Van Diemen’s Land, Evangeline meets Hazel, a Scots teenager, who has also been transported for theft.

Three quite different women, three different stories. Evangeline and Hazel are fictional characters, Mathinna is real. Each has been removed from the world she is familiar with. How will each of them manage? And what about Evangeline’s child?

Christina Baker Kline’s depiction of Newgate prison, of life on a prison transport and the female factory in Van Diemen’s Land is consistent with other accounts I have read. Evangeline and Hazel are both representative (at least in part) of women convicted and transported. Mathinna’s story (and I have read several different accounts) is a sad reflection on the treatment of Indigenous Tasmanians. Those who read this novel will, if they are so tempted, find a list of additional books and sources to explore. I have read a number of these books.

If you enjoy historical fiction set during the nineteenth century and have an interest in Tasmania’s colonial past, you may enjoy this novel. If you are looking for more information about the history and human impact of transportation, you will find several sources to explore. And, if you ever have an opportunity to view Thomas Bock’s painting of Mathinna, look into those eyes and see a young woman trapped between two worlds. A tragedy.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The story is set in London in 1840, aboard a boat bound for Australia and in Australia itself. The story is richly drawn and the author has well researched real life history, incorporating it easily into the story.

Governess and former Vicar's daughter, Evangeline finds herself pregnant and accused of theft and attempted murder. Before her eyes she's shipped off to Newgate Prison where her nightmare really begins. She's sentenced to 14 years transportation and becomes friends with another convict, Hazel whom she teaches to read on the long hard voyage. She also becomes friends of sorts with the ship's surgeon. When disaster strikes onboard (this part of the book really saddened me) Hazel is there to lend a hand.

Life is hard in Australia and at the Cascades Female Factory where the convicts are sent to do their time on Van Diemans Land located in Hobart, Tasmania. Hazel meets aboriginal girl, Mathinna who is the Governor's wife's plaything. They thought nothing of tearing her away from her tribe and all she knew just to please the mistress.

When Hazel is betrayed she asks the doctor for help with Ruby, although the sailor from the boat is biding his time for revenge.. I thought the ending was quite succinct and I felt Ruby finally got closure. I really enjoyed the book which was sometimes heartbreakingly sad, was interesting and had well rounded characters who I grew to care about. Would highly recommend.

"The Exiles" is a historical novel dealing with the displacement of the Australian Aborigines and the convict transports from England to Australia.

I really liked the dual plot lines and the main characters were all interesting and well-rounded. I loved how the plot developed and I was shocked at some of the twists.

I loved everything about this novel except for its ending. The last chapter felt rather tacked on and unnecessary, but except for that, I definitely enjoyed and would recommend it.

I was so excited to be lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, it was high up on my reading list for 2020! The writing was great and clearly a lot of research had been done, however I think my expectations were too high with for this one. I really enjoyed the first 70% of the story, but then I kind of lost interest a little and felt let down by the end. I loved Evangeline the most and second was Mathinna, which was a let down when her story wasn't continued further. Overall a wonderful story filled with some of Australia's sad and tragic history, lots of emotional writing and the power of friendship between female characters each different and having strength in their own way. Thanks so much!

This was a new author for me and I really enjoyed this book. Surprised with what happened on the ship as not expected. Had some tears and had some chuckles. Sorry to turn the last page . Would love a sequel.

The Exiles tells the stories of many women. Mathinna, an aboriginal child, taken from her home. Evangeline, formerly a governess, now accused of stealing and sentenced to ‘transport’ and Hazel, another convict, barely more than a child herself. While the story is fiction, it is based on real events.

The characters were all well written and I felt eager to read their stories. I didn’t like the big event on the ship (no spoilers here!) and would have preferred to see what happened on arrival in Van Diemans land.

The ending felt rather an afterthought- it would have been nice to see how they got there.

All things consisted, I did enjoy this story and found it an interesting read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.