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English Passengers

A Novel

A Novel

By Matthew Kneale

By Matthew Kneale

By Matthew Kneale

By Matthew Kneale

Best Seller
Paperback $17.00

Jan 16, 2001 | ISBN 9780385497442

Ebook $11.99

Dec 10, 2008 | ISBN 9780307484314

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    English Passengers by Matthew Kneale
    Paperback $17.00
    Jan 16, 2001 | ISBN 9780385497442

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      Jan 16, 2001 | ISBN 9780385497442

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      Dec 10, 2008 | ISBN 9780307484314

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    About English Passengers

    In 1857 when Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley and his band of rum smugglers from the Isle of Man have most of their contraband confiscated by British Customs, they are forced to put their ship up for charter. The only takers are two eccentric Englishmen who want to embark for the other side of the globe. The Reverend Geoffrey Wilson believes the Garden of Eden was on the island of Tasmania. His traveling partner, Dr. Thomas Potter, unbeknownst to Wilson, is developing a sinister thesis about the races of men.

    Meanwhile, an aboriginal in Tasmania named Peevay recounts his people’s struggles against the invading British, a story that begins in 1824, moves into the present with approach of the English passengers in 1857, and extends into the future in 1870. These characters and many others come together in a storm of voices that vividly bring a past age to life.

    About English Passengers

    In 1857 when Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley and his band of rum smugglers from the Isle of Man have most of their contraband confiscated by British Customs, they are forced to put their ship up for charter. The only takers are two eccentric Englishmen who want to embark for the other side of the globe. The Reverend Geoffrey Wilson believes the Garden of Eden was on the island of Tasmania. His traveling partner, Dr. Thomas Potter, unbeknownst to Wilson, is developing a sinister thesis about the races of men.

    Meanwhile, an aboriginal in Tasmania named Peevay recounts his people’s struggles against the invading British, a story that begins in 1824, moves into the present with approach of the English passengers in 1857, and extends into the future in 1870. These characters and many others come together in a storm of voices that vividly bring a past age to life.

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    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Also by Matthew Kneale

    When We Were Romans
    Small Crimes in an Age of Abundance
    See all books by Matthew Kneale

    Also by Matthew Kneale

    When We Were Romans
    Small Crimes in an Age of Abundance
    See all books by Matthew Kneale

    About Matthew Kneale

    Matthew Kneale is the authorof the novel When We Were Romans, the short story collection Small Crimes in an Age of Abundance and the novel English Passengers, which won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and was short-listed for… More about Matthew Kneale

    About Matthew Kneale

    Matthew Kneale is the authorof the novel When We Were Romans, the short story collection Small Crimes in an Age of Abundance and the novel English Passengers, which won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and was short-listed for… More about Matthew Kneale

    Product Details

    Category: Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction

    Paperback | $17.00
    Published by Anchor
    Jan 16, 2001 | 464 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780385497442

    Category: Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction

    Ebook | $11.99
    Published by Anchor
    Dec 10, 2008 | 464 Pages | ISBN 9780307484314
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    Praise

    "English Passengers is what fiction ought to be: ambitious, narrative-driven, with a story and a quest we don’t mind going on. On page after page I found myself laughing or nodding or simply envious. I was compelled from first to last, and beyond. The characters are still living with me."
    –Nicholas Shakespeare

    "A triumph."
    –Margaret Forster

    "The brutal hand of British imperialism provides the foundation for this broad historical swashbuckler about the English colonization of Tasmania… Kneale’s careful research and colorful storytelling result in an impressive epic."
    –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    "A richly satisfying debut… an original, impressively knowledgeable, and very moving historical novel."
    –Kirkus (starred review)

    Awards

    ALA Best Books for Young Adults WINNER

    Whitbread Book of the Year WINNER 2000

    Booker Prize FINALIST 2000

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