The Commonwealth of Thieves: The Story of the Founding of Australia

This is indeed an interesting book and for the most part I enjoyed it. I didn't find it a particularly easy read, however. With the enormous cast of characters hard to keep track of and the author's sometimes convoluted grammar necessitating the rereading of numerous sentences. It would also benefit from some maps.The time period that the book covers is quite narrow and it has left me wanting to find out what happened next. One book leads to another, c'est la vie.

Really enjoyed this history of the first British settlers of Australia. Very readable and informative. Scores of different characters but so well written that you stay adrift of who is who. Some heroes, such as Phillip, and some villains (but these are rarely the convicts as you might have expected).

This is a really well researched book. (Amazon should make sure it pays its taxes in UK). The detail is incredible and makes you feel you really understand what things were like in the 1780s. The plight of the aborigines is dealt with, and the deeds of the key characters are insightfully described without too many assumptions. It's a long read with much detail, but a super introduction to the first years of the British colonization.

An intimate description of the creation and establishment of the first, penal settlement at Sydney, Australia. Immaculate historical detail, featuring the lives and significance of a wealth of individuals, page by page. The narrative includes fascinating historical background detail of Britain and 18th Century British law and society, which gave rise to the Penal Transportation. An excellent and often moving book, beautifully written and well worth reading.

The book arrived in plenty of time and in good condition. I bought this book partly for my history studies but primarily due to my interest in the treatment of indigenous people and the behaviour of those who arrived either by courtesy of the British Crown or those who arrived for a new beginning. I think it will be invaluable for my understanding of the Australian people as part of the British Empire.

It was a bit too documentary, rather than a novel.

I was expecting a literary representation of the experience of individuals being sent to Australia but this read more like a very well researched but rather dry text book. We were reading it for our book club and most participants didn't finish it but appreciated that it was extremely well researched and an accurate portrayal.

An historical read that adds to the enjoyment of Remember Me by Lesley Pearse