Pauline Marrington

At a time when Norfolk Island was one of the most feared penal settlements in Australia, one man came to govern the island with permission to test new ideas about the reform benefits of reward as opposed to punishment. Shackled by limitations imposed by authorities, this experiment was doomed to failure. The consequences to the island in general, and the Governor's family in particular, were to last a lot longer. While the author shields us from the worst of Norfolk's abuses, we are still treated to an engrossing and gripping drama set in a dark time in Australia's history. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I recommend it.… (meer)