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    The Exiles: A Novel
    The Exiles: A Novel
    The Exiles: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Exiles: A Novel

    Written by Christina Baker Kline

    Narrated by Caroline Lee

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    OPTIONED 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 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.

     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 25, 2020
    ISBN9780063035485
    The Exiles: A Novel
    Author

    Christina Baker Kline

    Christina Baker Kline is the author of six novels, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Orphan Train as well as A Piece of the World. She lives outside New York City and spends as much time as possible on the coast of Maine. Learn more about Christina at www.christinabakerkline.com.

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    Reviews for The Exiles

    4.5/5

    686 ratings85 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Tough story of class system in 1800s England where a the service people and poor could be shipped off to Australia without fair trials for minor infractions. Brutal prisons, ships for transport and inhumane treatment of women were the norm for these service and poorer classes. Friendship, loyalty and new beginnings give some glimmer of hope. A bumpy ending - skipping 25 or so years felt a bit disjointed, but did tie up the storylines. Would have liked some follow up to how this brutal era came to a close.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Fast paced tale of English life and the convict station.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Pleasantly surprised by this beautiful story. This is my first time hearing this Author’s work. I came across it because I’m familiar with the narrator, who ALWAYS does an amazing performance. She was perfect for this novel.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This was a good book. It is also a sad and tragic story that captures some of the history of England and Australia! The story is not dull nor does it drag!

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Facinating and personal story of Australia's history and the people who survived the penal colonies and forged the culture and customs of Australia today... a country far more "civilized" than the one that created the colony.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Just listen to it, you will be glad you did.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      The last few chapters. The use of herbs. Learning about Tasmania

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Interesting and inviting characters into a world I'd never heard about.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This book was interesting with a different time period hat I am familiar with. It held my interest from beginning to end. You do have to know, though, it’s very hard to get a five rating for me

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A very interesting portrait of the beginnings of Australia

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Fantastic and captivating,is there a sequel to this novel?
      Am curious to know how Ruby fared on as a doctor,Hazel and Dr Dan?

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A great book, except I found that the Medea plot line should have been a book of its own (expanded) or something. It never really ties in much with the rest of the story.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I love how tawa-tawa leaves were being feature! What a great listen!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Interesting piece of history. A good story about the will to survive and perseverance.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The Exiles is a difficult book for me to review without rambling commentary, so I’m going to break it down in bullet points:

      Loved:
      *The writing style
      *The fully immersive atmosphere and setting
      *The overall content and learning experience

      Liked:
      *Most of the characters
      *The way the story unfolded

      Didn’t Like:
      *The absolute bleakness of the story. I desperately needed at least a drizzle of hope now and then.
      *I wanted more from Mathinna. I felt her character lacked development, and that her part was, sadly, a missed opportunity.

      Point of Interest:
      *Pacing is intentionally slow. The Exiles doesn’t have a traditional plot, but instead gives us a running theme throughout. The focus here is on the characters and their journey through a unified hardship.

      The narrator does a fantastic job with accents and emotion.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This historical novel was inspirational and brutal. The storytelling captivates you from beginning to end. The journey of these characters was difficult to read through. I loved this book because it tells the untold stories of those often neglected in society. I definitely recommend this audiobook if you enjoy inspirational and historical narratives.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful... Transporting all senses to a different era. Truly refreshing read for someone lioking for an adventure novel with female protagonists.
    • 5/5
      This was a great book! I thoroughly enjoyed the details and unexpected storyline. Great narrating with expressions and not over the top. Fun to listen to.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I've heard about England sending their criminals to Australia before, but had never really thought a lot about it. This book made that part of history come to life. Well written.
    • 5/5
      Masterful! Often, I find myself disappointed with an ending but this book did not disappoint.
    • 5/5
      Started off slow, but I’m so happy I stuck with it!!
    • 5/5
      This book was amazing. Really capturred the resilience and fragility of the human condition weaved within the levels of British society and colonization
    • 4/5
      Great narration and the story was well-written, but my god was it depressing.
    • 5/5
      An absolute page turner! Caroline Lee brought the book to life. She’s amazing. The story teaches us how the British expelled the unwanted to transport to Van Diemen's Land and how so many survived and flourished in their new country.
    • 5/5
      So well and descriptively reckon you can use your imagination and see everything. Also very well narrated.
    • 5/5
      The exiles by Christina baker Kline
      (Scribd autobook)
      A book set in Newgate prison, a transport ship, and a place in Australia. Through the eyes of three convict women (two pregnant and the other a midwife) the horrid conditions of a convict woman in transport is witnessed. Through the eyes of a little aboriginal girl the horrific exploitation and destruction of many aboriginal people is also witnessed. And through a convicts daughter, ultimately we see the future of Australia and small pieces of redemption occur. Very well written. At times very emotional but definitely worth the read.



    • 5/5
      Brilliantly performed, with so many different accents and voices. Loved every minute of this book!
    • 5/5
      Great story on the British cruelty and the beginning of life in Tasmania & Australia.
    • 5/5
      This book was excellent. Very emotionally moving and educational. Some sad plot twists had me sympathizing with the characters as if they were my own family. I love happy endings.
    • 5/5
      This was one of the best books. The story was so good. Just when you thought one person would be the main character it takes a crazy turn. I also loved the reader of this book!