Official Review: Incident at Myall Creek by Bruce Cooke
Posted: 11 Apr 2019, 18:56
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Incident at Myall Creek" by Bruce Cooke.]
3 out of 4 stars
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In the burgeoning colonial land of Australia, the social environment is rife with conflict. The English prison colonies are violent and brutal. The land the colonists are claiming for their own is unforgiving. As well, the natives of Australia aren’t always willing to share it with their new visitors. When simple social unrest erupts into unabashed violence, the governor’s proclamation that all citizens of Australia (the natives included) are to be protected under English law, is put to the test.
Incident at Myall Creek by Bruce Cooke follows a few key characters in the booming lands of Australia. Peter and Oates are released just prior to the fulfillment of their entire prison term with a conditional pardon. This means they are free men, but aren’t allowed to return to their homelands and must settle in Australia. Whereas Oates is bitter, jaded, and more than willing to resort to a life of crime to get ahead, Peter wants nothing more than to make an honest living as a homesteader. Their opinions about the Australian natives can’t be more opposite either. Oates, along with many other English in Australia, treat the natives of the land as if they aren’t human beings at all. This often comes down to violence, and even murder, whenever they interfere with a homesteader’s livestock. When an incident happens that is so big the justice system can’t ignore it, sparks fly on both sides of the debate. What actually happened at Myall Creek and how the Australian authorities deal with it are at the heart of this tale.
A good historical fiction boasts an entertaining story as well as the ability to teach the reader something about a specific time-period (and location). This book performs exceedingly well in both regards. The storyline kept the reader glued to the pages, worrying about the safety of the characters and hoping for the ethical resolution of the overarching problem. What I liked the most about this book, on the other hand, is it successfully conveyed the political and social aspects of Australia during the early 19th century to the reader. The reader is given a much better understanding of the dynamics between Australian colonists and the natives already occupying the land. Mistreatment is a big theme and, for those not aware, this book socializes the atrocities of that time period.
There are only a couple of negative things to mention about this book. First, and what I disliked the most, was the repetition at the end of the novel. As the judicial process was carried out, the accounts of the incident at Myall Creek are recounted amongst many different individuals and authorities involved. The author could have found a way to minimize the duplication each time the story was told. Next, although the story was entertaining, there were times that the writing lacked the elegant prose to be expected in a highly praised work of literature. Although not every author can write engaging prose the likes of Hemingway, Cooke’s writing sometimes lacked a bit of power. Finally, early on in the book, I did come across a number of errors. Normally I wouldn’t have held a small number of errors against the author, but misspelling the name of a main character is unacceptable.
I really enjoyed Incident at Myall Creek and loved the glimpse Cooke gave me into colonial Australia. For this reason, and as it did keep me flipping page after page, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The misspelling of a leading character and the repetition at the end was enough to remove one small star from my rating. That being said, I have no hesitation recommending this book to lovers of historical fiction or for those looking for a glimpse into Australia in the early 1800s. That being said, the story does deal with tough subjects including the mistreatment of natives, rape, murder and violence. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger readers or those that don’t want to read about those kinds of acts.
******
Incident at Myall Creek
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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In the burgeoning colonial land of Australia, the social environment is rife with conflict. The English prison colonies are violent and brutal. The land the colonists are claiming for their own is unforgiving. As well, the natives of Australia aren’t always willing to share it with their new visitors. When simple social unrest erupts into unabashed violence, the governor’s proclamation that all citizens of Australia (the natives included) are to be protected under English law, is put to the test.
Incident at Myall Creek by Bruce Cooke follows a few key characters in the booming lands of Australia. Peter and Oates are released just prior to the fulfillment of their entire prison term with a conditional pardon. This means they are free men, but aren’t allowed to return to their homelands and must settle in Australia. Whereas Oates is bitter, jaded, and more than willing to resort to a life of crime to get ahead, Peter wants nothing more than to make an honest living as a homesteader. Their opinions about the Australian natives can’t be more opposite either. Oates, along with many other English in Australia, treat the natives of the land as if they aren’t human beings at all. This often comes down to violence, and even murder, whenever they interfere with a homesteader’s livestock. When an incident happens that is so big the justice system can’t ignore it, sparks fly on both sides of the debate. What actually happened at Myall Creek and how the Australian authorities deal with it are at the heart of this tale.
A good historical fiction boasts an entertaining story as well as the ability to teach the reader something about a specific time-period (and location). This book performs exceedingly well in both regards. The storyline kept the reader glued to the pages, worrying about the safety of the characters and hoping for the ethical resolution of the overarching problem. What I liked the most about this book, on the other hand, is it successfully conveyed the political and social aspects of Australia during the early 19th century to the reader. The reader is given a much better understanding of the dynamics between Australian colonists and the natives already occupying the land. Mistreatment is a big theme and, for those not aware, this book socializes the atrocities of that time period.
There are only a couple of negative things to mention about this book. First, and what I disliked the most, was the repetition at the end of the novel. As the judicial process was carried out, the accounts of the incident at Myall Creek are recounted amongst many different individuals and authorities involved. The author could have found a way to minimize the duplication each time the story was told. Next, although the story was entertaining, there were times that the writing lacked the elegant prose to be expected in a highly praised work of literature. Although not every author can write engaging prose the likes of Hemingway, Cooke’s writing sometimes lacked a bit of power. Finally, early on in the book, I did come across a number of errors. Normally I wouldn’t have held a small number of errors against the author, but misspelling the name of a main character is unacceptable.
I really enjoyed Incident at Myall Creek and loved the glimpse Cooke gave me into colonial Australia. For this reason, and as it did keep me flipping page after page, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The misspelling of a leading character and the repetition at the end was enough to remove one small star from my rating. That being said, I have no hesitation recommending this book to lovers of historical fiction or for those looking for a glimpse into Australia in the early 1800s. That being said, the story does deal with tough subjects including the mistreatment of natives, rape, murder and violence. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger readers or those that don’t want to read about those kinds of acts.
******
Incident at Myall Creek
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Scerakor's review? Post a comment saying so!