First published 2014
The year is 1788, and the First Fleet has just landed on the shores of New South Wales. A thousand British convicts, marines, and officials step onto unfamiliar sand to face the Aboriginal people who call this land home. At first, curiosity wins over fear. The two groups approach each other cautiously, and something remarkable happens: they dance together on the beach. British observers record these extraordinary moments when strangers from opposite sides of the world find common ground in movement and music. But this fragile connection cannot last. Cultural misunderstandings multiply. Trust erodes into suspicion. The initial wonder gives way to conflict that will echo through centuries. Clendinnen weaves together firsthand accounts and historical documents to recreate these pivotal encounters. She reveals how brief moments of human connection dissolved into the patterns of mistrust and violence that would define Australian colonial relations for generations to come.
Genres: history, historical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-clash, first-contact
Setting: New South Wales
Period: 1788
Kindle Edition · Not Avail
Content warnings: colonialism, violence