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The Exiles

By: Christina Baker Kline
Narrated by: Caroline Lee
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Publisher's summary

An instant New York Times best seller

Optioned for television by Bruna Papandrea, the producer of HBO's Big Little Lies

"A tour de force of original thought, imagination and promise.... Kline takes full advantage of fiction - its freedom to create compelling characters who fully illuminate monumental events to make history accessible and forever etched in our minds." (Houston Chronicle)

The author of the number-one New York Times best seller Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant novel about three women whose lives are bound together in 19th-century Australia and the hardships they weather together as they fight for redemption and freedom in a new society.

Seduced by her employer’s son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early 19th-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to "the land beyond the seas", Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: The child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land.

During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazel - a skilled midwife and herbalist - is soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors.

Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by White colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen’s Land.

In this gorgeous novel, Christina Baker Kline brilliantly recreates the beginnings of a new society in a beautiful and challenging land, telling the story of Australia from a fresh perspective, through the experiences of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity: for redemption, for a new way of life, for unimagined freedom. Told in exquisite detail and incisive prose, The Exiles is a story of grace born from hardship, the unbreakable bonds of female friendships, and the unfettering of legacy.

©2020 Christina Baker Kline (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Exiles

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Tragic

Although "Exiles," has a good ending, I found the whole book to be terribly depressing. There is no doubt in my my mind that it is an accurate description of the cruelty and unfairness of that time. The story is very well written with wonderful characters that you genuinely care about and your heart breaks for them. I just find it hard to truly enjoy a story that is so tragic.

Caroline Lee is my all time favorite narrator. She could read the dictionary and make it sound fascinating.

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95 people found this helpful

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Moving and insightful

This was a heart wrenching story that was difficult yet rewarding to read. A great book club read a it has alot of parallels to today.

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2 people found this helpful

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English Prisoners shipped to Australia

This historical (and true) novel is heavy, with no end in site. Much grief. Although, many people don’t know about this historical practice, so in that is some benefit.

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Deeply moving and insightful

So moving.
Historical fiction is so insightful.
Circumstances change, context change but the underlying message can be applied to our current world.
Perhaps a movie so more will gain an understanding of our world, how it works and how things must change.
Critical race theory, critical economic theory, critical sexism … only acknowledging the history will allow others to be more aware and seek change.

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  • Overall
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Interesting and inspiring

Interesting history of Australia and the convicts who helped to settle there. A good portrayal of strong women who overcame so much difficulty and the prejudices they faced. Excellent narration.

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Fabulous historical novel

The characters are very well developed and the reader cares about each of them. I still am in shock at the treatment of petty criminals in England and the sentence of transport to Australia. What these women had to endure is mind-boggling. How little any care or thought was given to the most unfortunate and how horribly they were treated. Those that made it to the shores of Australia and managed to survive their continued incarceration and treatment, were indeed made of very strong stuff. And the treatment of the Aboriginals is an other black eye for the English then. Assuming that the author did her research, it is a novel that will enlighten the reader while enjoying some incredible tales of the strength of the women she has characterized. The narration is stellar, too. Wonderful use of various accents from Scots to upper and lower class English as well as Australian. I recommend highly.

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Interesting

I really enjoyed this novel. It would interesting to see a movie version of this book.

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Fabulous narrator who breathed life into each char

The story is an important piece of history, about the brutal treatment of prisoners sent from Great Britain to Australia, and especially how the women were treated. It is a story of heartbreak, resilience and ultimate truimph. The narrator was spectacular. She nailed each accent and character beautifully. I will look for more narrations by Caroline Lee.

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Emotional and magical

I loved the story and the narration. Kline never disappoints. This one will be on repeat.

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Fantastic!

Compelling story on a topic I was completely unfamiliar with. I loved how the stories merged and the closure was extremely satisfying with the daughter asking questions that her mother would’ve wanted the answers to.

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