Rating: 
Summary: Best Social History of Australia/Georgian England
Review: Hughes has done the nearly impossible-written a page turner of a social history. Roughly the first third of the book is in fact mostly about Georgian England and the "Hogarthian" conditions that led to the system of transprtation, the "First Fleet" and the founding of Australia. He amply demonstrates one of his basic theses: Australia conclusively disproves the genetic theory of transmission of criminal behavior: the continent was first populated by 160,000 theives, burglars, pickpockets & etc., and eventually became one of the most respectable, law abiding societies on earth. His other pregnant conclusion, that the Australian sublimation of the "convict stain" of their past kept Austrailians from coming to terms with their convict origins until the last 20-30 years seems spot on. The book is full of colorful characters, glorious detail and paints a panorama of a system and a period in the history of two societies that deserves a careful read from anyone even vaguely interested in either country, penology or just cracking good social history. I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Best Social History of Australia/Georgian England
Review: Hughes has done the nearly impossible-written a page turner of a social history. Roughly the first third of the book is in fact mostly about Georgian England and the "Hogarthian" conditions that led to the system of transprtation, the "First Fleet" and the founding of Australia. He amply demonstrates one of his basic theses: Australia conclusively disproves the genetic theory of transmission of criminal behavior: the continent was first populated by 160,000 theives, burglars, pickpockets & etc., and eventually became one of the most respectable, law abiding societies on earth. His other pregnant conclusion, that the Australian sublimation of the "convict stain" of their past kept Austrailians from coming to terms with their convict origins until the last 20-30 years seems spot on.
The book is full of colorful characters, glorious detail and paints a panorama of a system and a period in the history of two societies that deserves a careful read from anyone even vaguely interested in either country, penology or just cracking good social history.
I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Definitive
Review: Hughes has written the definitive work on the founding of the British colony in Australia. He spends just enough time discussing the social woes of the United Kingdom that lead to the founding, and provides an excellent counter to attempts to glorify Australia's past. There is no sensationalism in this book. The nature and behavior of the prisoner-colonists is depcited without shame or apology. Rich language, historical integrity, and some excellent maps make this book a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive
Review: Hughes has written the definitive work on the founding of the British colony in Australia. He spends just enough time discussing the social woes of the United Kingdom that lead to the founding, and provides an excellent counter to attempts to glorify Australia's past. There is no sensationalism in this book. The nature and behavior of the prisoner-colonists is depcited without shame or apology. Rich language, historical integrity, and some excellent maps make this book a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Crabby Book
Review: Hughes is a compulsive and bitter man. His book on Australia shows Australians as bigots. Read his section on immigration. If the majority of Australians are bigots how did their elected politicians pass legislation that expanded immigration to non-English and non-Europeans and remain in power? Perhaps the explanation of Hughes anger is that he enjoys it. What would he do in Utopia?
Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable but Fatally Flawed
Review: Hughes is a powerful writer, and he did a prodigious amount of research for this book. As noted by other reviewers, it is a great narrative and an enjoyable read. It is indeed history, of a sort, but it is far from a balanced view of the events it describes. Enjoy this book by all means, but don't think that you have a comprehensive or well-rounded understanding of the events that it describes. His opening chapters on England are astoundingly biased. Although amply supported by (selective) facts, he is clearly intent on telling a story and not portraying events. Two examples- he calls English criminal law in the late eighteenth century "judicial terrorism," and trots out numerous examples of what, today, one would view as horrifying. However, he notes in a third of a sentence that English law was considerably more "advanced" than that of the rest of Europe, and then dismisses this thought. Another typical ploy is shown when he compares ship tonnes per person during transportation to that of "a modern passenger liner," which is ludicrous. Unfortunately for him, a comparison to British (not English, but that's another argument for another day) Naval standards or American passenger standards of the day didn't support his point as well, so he went for the cheap thrill. Nothing wrong with that, on one hand, but people tend to view this book as scholarly, not polemical.
Rating:
Summary: A great read.
Review: Hughes writes so well. He takes what is a fascinating andmostly untold history and presents it in his earthy, muscular prose.Non-fiction is rarely like this, I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: History Well Told
Review: Hughes' account of Australia's early history is solidly researched, informative, and entertaining (albeit shocking, and disheartening). Hughes is to be commended for eschewing the prevailing revisionism in Australian historiography and taking his subject head on. Were I able to, I would give Fatal Shore 4.5 stars. My only criticism is that Hughes' thematic approach is at times a bit repetitive and yields a somewhat confusing chronological picture. Overall, however, Fatal Shore is a terrific piece of social, political, and institutional history. An important read.
Rating:
Summary: The best history of convict Australia you will ever read
Review: I am an Australian. I am also descended from a convict.
I knew very little about the convict experience in Australia apart from the story of the First Fleet which arrived in Sydney in 1788. I have been to Tasmania and visited Port Arthur, the remnants of the convict prison. It is a ghostly, sad place, very reminiscient of European concentration camps. Often convicts were sent to Australia for doing nothing but stealing a piece of bread. Robert Hughes' absorbing book is a poignant testimonial to their story. You will find no better book about early Australian convict history than this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes
Review: I am Naomi Stanley Mrs. Daniel I am still in the process of reading this book. I have had it for ages and have not just devoted my time to it. I love Australia with all my heart and soul. Since a little girl and I loved geography and when I learned about Australia, I have wanted to go there. I really do like this book and I like Robert Hughes, yes he is a grouch like me. Maybe he has a reason to be grouchy. Who knows. Did you see his series on PBS b/4 the Olympics. Fabulous. We got our chance to go to Australia in April 96 through July 18, 96. We did not want to leave. I would have stayed and just forgot my junk in Texas. They wouldn't let me stay, we are to old, unless you have lots and lots of money. It's the medical system. You would have to be able to pay for bad health. The people are the best on earth. I have dear, dear friends there forever. We talk all the time and e-mail also. If only 30 years ago we had sense enough we could have applied to move there. You would not believe how we were invited to go there and no room here to say. My husband insisted we go back Sept.3. 97. We should have waited. Diana had just died and it was really a sad time. And it was too soon after we were there. We went for 6 months but came home Dec 1. You talk about heat. I thought Texas gets hot. I don't know how they stand it. I suggest anyone that wants to see scenery, unusual animals, great people to go there. March through November. The rest is really hot. We were fortunate to have people to stay with while there. It is expensive but you get more of their money for ours. However, when you get home and re convert what you have left you lose a lot. It is worth every dollar. I never met a hateful person in 90 days each time. We went to Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Canberra, Kuranda and in between. South Australia, Adelaid, Kangaroo Island. Tasmania-what a place. Please save your money and go to the most beautiful place on the face of the earth. Thank you Robert Hughes for telling us the story of the land that only God could have made. There are so many untold stories it would take the rest of our forest's to tell them. The tour guides are so informed you just stand with your mouth open listening to them. They are proud of their country. They do not feel any shame. They should not feel any shame. AND DON'T forget if America hadn't already been taken, those ssame prsoners would have been sent here. Personally, I think we would have been better off for it. The place to hear history is go to Port Arthur and take the tours. Take your hankies. Thanks for listening. Naomi Stanley Dallas, Texas DJS2001@att.net GOD BLESS AUSTRALIA! Robert Hughes what the devil are you doing living in New York, YUK!
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