AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROPTIONED FOR TELEVISION BY BRUNA PAPANDREA, THE PRODUCER OF HBO’S BIG LITTLE LIES“A tour de force of original thought, imagination and promise … Kline takes full advantage of fiction — its freedom to create compelling characters who fully illuminate monumental events to make history accessible and forever etched in our minds.” — Houston ChronicleThe author of … history accessible and forever etched in our minds.” — Houston Chronicle
The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant novel about three women whose lives are bound together in nineteenth-century Australia and the hardships they weather together as they fight for redemption and freedom in a new society.
Seduced by her employer’s son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to “the land beyond the seas,” Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land.
During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazel—a skilled midwife and herbalist—is soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors.
Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled, and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by white colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen’s Land.
In this gorgeous novel, Christina Baker Kline brilliantly recreates the beginnings of a new society in a beautiful and challenging land, telling the story of Australia from a fresh perspective, through the experiences of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity: for redemption, for a new way of life, for unimagined freedom. Told in exquisite detail and incisive prose, The Exiles is a story of grace born from hardship, the unbreakable bonds of female friendships, and the unfettering of legacy.
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Many of us alive today cannot imagine having to leave our country forever. Much to think about. And most of us have not had to lose our home to changing times. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones and more people have lost their homes and families than I realize. If you read this, you will not forget it—ever.
This is yet another great story by Christina Baker Kline. It was meticulously researched and educated me about how Great Britain sent convicts to Australia in the 1800s. The characters were well developed and made you care about what happened to them. It takes the reader on a deeply moving journey.
Loved the history in this book. Learned a lot!
well written Great story well researched
Really good
If I could give more stars to this book, I would. This is a wonderful story told about a very unfortunate time in the history of Australia. The author writes so the reader can become a part of the story.
Great story that has a ring of truth.
The characters were interesting. The story informative.
A gritty, realistic view of the mid-nineteenth century lives of women and girls sent to the penal colony of what is now Tasmania. A great read for anyone who’s British, Scottish and Irish ancestors may have been the undesirable ones that Britain so cruelty used to populate its Van Diemen’s land.
I loved these female characters who faced the challenges of Australia in the 1840’s. I hope there is a sequel because I wanted to see more of what became of them.
So much to learn from this historical fiction. Fortunately in most ways we have outgrown these practices.
It kept me interested throughout
Too drab fro the time we’re in. and dreary
This book is a captivating work of historical fiction, describing the transport of nineteenth-century prisoners to Australia. The novel also provides a glimpse into the lives of Australia’s native people and their relationship with the British settlers. The book seems to be very well researched and contains many lurid details. However it is also sentimental and nostalgic, returning often to the importance of human bonds, kept alive through memories.
I loved this book. The characters were wonderfully developed and engaging. The historical background was intriguing. A great read.
I’m a big fan of Christina Baker Kline and was swept up instantly in the story of Evangeline, a young governess who finds herself transported to Australia’s penal colonies in the mid-18th Century. As the title implies, Evangeline is not the only exile. There is also Mathinna, a young aboriginal girl, taken from her tribe to be ‘civilized’ by the wife of the Governor of Van Diemen’s Land. The writing sparkles, the characterization is spot-on, and I loved all the historical details, especially on the long voyage from England to Oz. Why not 5 stars… well there were a couple of turns in the story that rubbed me up the wrong way… but that shouldn’t put anyone off. This is another really great read from Baker Kline.
I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Lately, I’ve found some books drag in the middle or other parts, but this story kept me engaged throughout. I connected with the characters, and the descriptions of the surroundings gave the book an excellent sense of place. Highly recommend!
With harrowing descriptions of prison life circa 1840 in England and Australia, where many British inmates were relocated, and heartbreaking insights into how Aborigines were treated in their native land by colonists, this is a compelling read enhanced by beautiful passages about the country’s flora and fauna.
Christina Baker Kline’s novel made me want to travel to Australia.
I was lucky to get chosen for an advance print copy of The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline and I had high expectations based on how much I loved The Orphan Train.
This one did not disappoint!
The Exiles is the experience of three girls in England and Australia in the 1840’s. Mathinna is an aboriginal girl who has lost nearly everyone in her tribe and is taken in by a spoiled and ridiculous British woman as a project.
Evangeline and Hazel are two young women thrown on a convict ship from Newgate prison to serve out their sentence in Australia.
This novel is rich with historical detail and heartbreak and the reader has no choice but to feel outrage about the injustice all of the women face.
Despite the heavy topic and historical feel this reads at a fast pace and is never dull. I was concerned during the convict ship section that it would lag and there would be non-stop descriptions of sea sickness, scurvy and bad weather. There is that…but it is never repetitive or exhausting.
I highly recommend this novel for readers of all ages who enjoy learning about the roles of women, convicts and aboriginal orphans in Australia.
Excellent book! Very well written and informative. Highly recommended.