A Room Made of Leaves cover art

A Room Made of Leaves

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A Room Made of Leaves

By: Kate Grenville
Narrated by: Valerie Bader
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About this listen

FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AND WOMEN’S PRIZE-WINNING AUSTRALIAN NOVELIST
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION

It is 1788. When twenty-one-year-old Elizabeth marries the arrogant and hot-headed soldier John Macarthur, she soon realises she has made a terrible mistake. Forced to travel with him to New South Wales, she arrives to find Sydney Town a brutal, dusty, hungry place of makeshift shelters, failing crops, scheming and rumours. All her life she has learned to fold herself up small. Now, in the vast landscapes of an unknown continent, Elizabeth has to discover a strength she never imagined, and passions she could never express.

Inspired by the real life of a remarkable woman, this is an extraordinarily rich, beautifully wrought novel of resilience, courage and the mystery of human desire.

©2020 Kate Grenville (P)2020 Canongate Books Ltd Fiction Historical Fiction Solider

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All stars
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I love this author. She is always informative, entertaining and inspiring. Please write something soon I’m in withdrawal.

Excellent as usual

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I absolutely adored this book. Very nice narration... Beautifully written..It contours up a vivid depiction of early colonial settlers in the penal colony of New South Wales.. It is wonderful to give a voice to Elizabeth McCarthur and women who due to social constraints were not permitted by society to speak their minds or given recognition....weaving a story around actual events and not to accept past colonial view on historical events.... Also wonderful to respectfully give a voice and acknowledge 1st inhabitants and that European settlers were the intruders.....

new Kate Grenville fan

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I loved the beautiful language in this book. The narrator was also very good and pleasant to listen. Although the story was interesting as such, for some reason I found it somewhat rambling. The characters remained impersonal to me.

Beautiful language

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This may not be historically accurate but it’s a beautiful retelling and elaborate painting of a challenging life of a woman in 18th century Sydney. Simply Stunning & very entertaining! Thanks

Awesome retelling of Sydney’s beginnings

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This was a great listen - a fascinating reimagining of life for the early European settlers - I loved it. Kate Grenville is a fantastic storyteller ..

Wonderful

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Brilliant narration, but let down by very poor editing. Parts are left in where you can hear the narrator get a word wrong, pause, and restart! Very long pauses between chapters that clearly haven't been edited etc. Overall though, it is still listenable. Story is intriguing, but in our postcolonial world I found myself much more interested in the indigenous people's untold than Elizabeth's.

Let down by poor editing!

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A beautifully told story of a woman's struggle with a difficult environment and a dreadful husband, in a time when women had very few rights or control over their life decisions. The main characters are each flawed in their own ways but despite those human traits, Elizabeth feels worthy of empathy, unlike the husband.

Loved this Story and it's Telling

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I know nothing about Australian history penal colonies and abuse of aboriginals. very interesting

fascinating Australian history

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Loved the short chapters always written from Elizabeth's perspective. Her way of seeing the world which was so sensitive to her environment and poetic in places. A believable invention of a remarkable woman

A compelling and creative and insight into a past life

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An interesting tale that at times resembles Vanity Fair in the unfettered ambitions of Mr McArthur and the feminine manipulations of his wife . Very poor narration though with several incomplete edits and long silences .

An interesting female perspective on the age of discovery

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