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I started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it... Continue »

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A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful
Gideon Lewis-KrausGideon Lewis-Kraus 9781594487255

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English Passengers

by Matthew Kneale

ISBN13: 9780385497442
ISBN10: 038549744x
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In 1857 when Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley and his band of rum smugglers from the Isle of Man have most of their contraband confiscated by British Customs, they are forced to put their ship up for charter. The only takers are two eccentric Englishmen who want to embark for the other side of the globe. The Reverend Geoffrey Wilson believes the Garden of Eden was on the island of Tasmania. His traveling partner, Dr. Thomas Potter, unbeknownst to Wilson, is developing a sinister thesis about the races of men.

Meanwhile, an aboriginal in Tasmania named Peevay recounts his peoples struggles against the invading British, a story that begins in 1824, moves into the present with approach of the English passengers in 1857, and extends into the future in 1870. These characters and many others come together in a storm of voices that vividly bring a past age to life.

About the Author

Matthew Kneale, the author of several novels, lives in Italy. English Passengers is his American debut.

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

: thestwood, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by thestwood)
English Passengers is both sad and riotiously funny. It is sad because it recounts how the British exterminated the aboriginal inhabitants of Tasmania. It is funny because the passengers on the ship sailing from England to Tasmania in the 1850s are unique characters with bizarre ideas (such that the Garden of Eden was located on Tasmania).It is certainly one of the best novels of the last decade.
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: gregorka, September 25, 2007 (view all comments by gregorka)
One of the best reads in a long time. The story is told from various characters perspectives, which is confusing at first. Ultimately, everything is intertwined - Awesome!
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Product Details

ISBN:: 9780385497442
Author:: Kneale, Matthew
Publisher:: Anchor Books
Location:: New York
Subject:: Historical
Subject:: Historical - General
Subject:: Historical fiction
Subject:: Tasmania
Subject:: Tasmanian aborigines.
Subject:: Aboriginal Tasmanians
Subject:: General Fiction
Subject:: Literature-A to Z
Edition Description:: Trade paper
Series Volume:: 106-777
Publication Date:: 20010131
Binding:: TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:: General/trade
Language:: English
Pages:: 464
Dimensions:: 8 x 5.2 x 0.98 in 0.75 lb

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Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z

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