3.5 - 4 stars - The story is about a young British officer's wife who moved with her husband and his regiment halfway round the world to Australia in 1814. Confronted with servant shortages, convicts everywhere and a general lack of culture she is not happy with her life or her marriage. Her only solace is the development of her garden, which she sets up with the help of her convict manservant.

The book captivated me mainly with the writing - it sounds like Jane Austen on holiday in Australia, if one can imagine such a thing. Sadly, the plot was dragging on a bit and it took Dorothea, the main character, until page 400 to grow some backbone and take charge of her life. The explanation for her moodiness and that of her husband came very late, although if you are familiar with medical procedures in the 19th century you might work it out sooner. As it was, I found Dorothea's helplessness and apathy increasingly grating, which spoiled it for me a bit - it could have been a wonderful book otherwise. I would have liked to read more about her eventual change of life, only hinted at in the epilouge, and a bit less about her constant struggle with life in general and her husband in particular.

I think it's a good depiction of early colonial Australia, even for readers who are not familiar with the subject. ( )

Lovely romantic story about the niave Dorothea Brande who travels to the new colony of Port Jackson (Sydney) with her soldier husband in 1814, and discovers a world she cannot imagine as well as an inner strength she has no idea she possesses. Dorothea tries to make sense of this harsh unforghiving world into which she has been thrust by creating her own piece of England - a wonderful garden around her residence. She does so with the help of the ticket-of-leave manservant Daniel, as her husband Charles becomes more and more bitter as he is passed over for promotion , and falls in with some other officers whose superior attitudes to the convicts begin to poison his mind. A fascinating look into the structure of early colonial society between the "free" and the ex-convicts. Highly recommended for staff reading.
Excerpt from Chapter One as Dorothea tries to settle into her new life at Sydney.