The Fatal Shore : The epic of Australia's founding

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time...
Review: I hate to disagree with most of the other reviews..well, no I don't...but out of the hundreds of history books I have read this has to be one of the worst. I found myself skimming whole chapters. It is poorly organized and boring. A masterpiece? Bravo? Books like this are the reason most people hate history.

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Summary: RH's "The Fatal Shore" made learning history a pleasure!
Review: I have travelled to Australia, thus far, eight times since 1990. In all of my travels I have focused on learning the evolutionary significance of Australia's fascinating fauna, as well as the the culture of its people, past and present. But in all of my travels in Australia (I have yet to go to Tasmania) I have never learned so much about its people (non-Aboriginal) and their colonization, as I have from reading The Fatal Shore. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a historian or even one who "likes" history. But Robert Hughes's book was so well written, and so insightful, that I can truly say I could not put it down. What I learned from this book really put my travels to Australia in perspective, and it made me want to learn so much more. If I could, I would give this book ten stars! This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who is interested in travel to Australia, or wants simply to learn about Australia's fascinating, albeit horrific, past. Robert Hughes has quite a talent for impecable research as well as for bringing his readers into the heart of unimaginable horrors. Australians need not be ashamed of their past (as is implied in the book) - on the contrary - they should relish in their success as a colorful and awe-inspiring nation (which is something they already do)!

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Summary: A Worthy Entry in the Annals of Crime and Punishment
Review: I read this book in anticipation of a trip to Australia, and indeed it was an excellent backdrop to travel there. But it proved to be much more: a deep insight into the genesis and nature of institutional evil, with its low-key, meticulous depiction of the brutality and sadism visited upon Australia's transportee convicts. Anyone who contemplates the Holocaust or any other of humankind's planned atrocities must wonder at the essential question of how bascially sane people end up doing such horrendous things, with state sanction. Hughes' book illustrates how overly rigid, rationalistic bureaucracies, implementing theoretical constructs about human behavior without having to face the immediate consequences, tend toward sadism and self-justifying cruelties. His book is of great value not only to students of Australia, or of history, but to anyone in the criminal justice field, law enforcement, or penology.
Oh, and the book also is extremely sound, well researched and documented, and well written. This is not a quick read, but it is a rewarding one.

Rating:
Summary: First Class Book About Australia's Convict Past.
Review: I think most of the reviews herein outline the reasons why this book is rated so highly, and I agree wholeheartedly with most. As an Australian living in London, it has even inspired me to demand a street name (Foveaux Street) in Sydney be changed upon my return, given it is named after the mindless barbarian Captain Foveaux who took pleasure in torturing (and killing) convicts on Norfolk Island.
I have rated the book one star lower as, I am sure North American readers would agree, it was written in American English rather than Australian English (esp. `ize instead of `ise). I found this extremely irritating and a little offputting given the author is Australian (albeit a long term NYC resident) and it is book about Australians. It is one question I pose to ask the author if we ever have the chance to meet.

Rating:
Summary: Informative but difficult read
Review: It took me over a year to finally get through this book!!!! I found the subject matter interesting and Australia rise from its very humble beginnings is impressive. Still the book certainly drags at points.

Rating:
Summary: incredibly entertaining and inspiring page turner
Review: Let me just say that i never read a book that's more than 200 pages and i don't care a lick about history. Yet i COULD NOT put down this 600 plus page book on australia's founding until i finished it! it, to me, is an incredible story about the human spirit in the face of suffering the likes of any work by Solzhenitzyn (which i also love). the description of how the founder-prisoners were cruelly treated by their fellow brits is really a study in evil. i don't know or care if the "statistical figures" add up for all the historical bean counters out there. this is an extremely entertaining as well as inspiring work.

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Summary: Outstanding -- of Australia and the England we came from
Review: Maybe not as polished as a Michener book but certainly on par with his best historically.

Rating:
Summary: Hughes vs. Hughes
Review: Much as I enjoyed this work, and as informative as it is bound to be to any American reader who grew up learning nothing of the history of Australia, I found Hughes' violent swings of attitude about the colonization of his native land to be a major drawback. He simply can't make up his mind as to whether settling Australia with convicts was a good idea, a bad one, or something in between. He sometimes goes from pole to pole in a single paragraph.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Writing, Highly Recommended
Review: On the book jacket, a reviewer said that it was one of the best non-fiction books he had ever read, and I would have to agree. The convict past of Australia is not a topic that has much written about it, and Hughes' book will become the benchmark for all to come. Hughes has made the past come alive. The characters are larger than life: the man flogged 2000 times, the prison warden who walked among his prisoners and insulted them, etc. The best part of the history for me was Hughes' continual use of primary source material, such as songs of the time period and journals of the convicts. These items, along with the great writing made it very hard to put down. Highly recommended for those interested in traveling to Australia, or those wanting to know more of its history

Rating:
Summary: Superb detailed history of Australia
Review: Packed with information about the history of Australia. Take plenty of time to read this because every page presents a great deal of information that is a revelation on aspects of life, hardship, and the justice system of England.