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The Exiles
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel that captures the hardship, oppression, opportunity and hope of a trio of womens livestwo English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl in nineteenth-century Australia. Seduced by her employers son, Evangeline, a nave young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to the land beyond the seas, Van Diemens Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land. During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazela skilled midwife and herbalistis soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors. Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled, and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by white colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemens Land. In this gorgeous novel, Christina Baker Kline brilliantly recreates the beginnings of a new society in a beautiful and challenging land, telling the story of Australia from a fresh perspective, through the experiences of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity: for redemption, for a new way of life, for unimagined freedom. Told in exquisite detail and incisive prose, The Exiles is a story of grace born from hardship, the unbreakable bonds of female friendships, and the unfettering of legacy.
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lynneamch
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

A few #ShipsOrSailing mementos pictured with this book I loved. CBK crafts a complex story of the early days of VanDiemen's Island (later to become Austrailia): the voyage on a former slave ship across hostile seas, the establishment as a penal colony, the forced relocation of the Aboriginal people, and personal ramifications for Evangiline, Hazel, and Mathinna. Highly recommend. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful 😍 ⛵️ 3mo
Eggs Inspiring tableau 🌊 ⛵️ 🩵 3mo
Leftcoastzen Nice! 3mo
32 likes3 comments
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CampbellTaraL
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

A good story considering the brutal time period (penal colonization of Australia) following women (girls, really) and the way their lives intersect at the mercy of British patriarchal rule. An unexpected twist left me so mad but it was realistic of the times. One character I badly wanted a good outcome for but again, the story stayed true.

LoverOfLearning I listened to this audiobook for my bookclub.... and wow! What a powerful story. 5 stars 2mo
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CrystalE02
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

I loved this book!! I loved the duel timeline and the characters were amazing!!! I didn't know anything like this had ever happened in the past. I rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars!!! This is the eighth book completed for #RushAThon readathon hosted by @Andrew65

Andrew65 You are doing brilliantly 👏👏👏
Sounds an excellent read.
8mo
14 likes1 comment
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LeafingThroughLife
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

I liked but didn‘t love this historical offering from Christina Baker Kline. I enjoyed learning more about Australia‘s penal colony beginnings from the perspective of women sentenced to “transport.” Kline made a bold and unexpected narrative choice around the midpoint of the book and I…didn‘t love it. A good and enlightening read, but that weird choice about where to take the story makes this a soft pick for me.

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Djspens
Exiles | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

Loved this one! 5⭐️This historical fiction story takes place in 1840, telling the story of two women on a convict boat from England to Australia, sentenced to hard labor for minor crimes and a young aboriginal girl sent to the Governor‘s house to add to their “collection” of oddities. What they endure is unimaginable and it‘s definitely a sad tale but it‘s also a story of endurance and perseverance and shows the strength that women can carry

tpixie Loved this book!! Precious puppy 🐶 #dogsoflitsy 12mo
tpixie The author made a bold, quite unexpected move with a main character in the middle of the book! I was so surprised! It worked though! 12mo
Djspens @tpixie Yes! For awhile I kept waiting for her to pop back in but then sadly realized that‘s probably how life actually was back then and that made me appreciate the story even more! 12mo
tpixie @Djspens yes!! 12mo
41 likes4 comments
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Jas16
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Historical fiction set in Australia centered around the stories of two female convicts transported from England and one Aboriginal girl who is taken from her home on the careless whim of another. Their stories are harsh but I found the book so ensnaring I could not even put it down to eat.
#wronglyincarceratedmaincharacter #booked2023 @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @alisiakae

Cinfhen Sounds good !! Thanks for posting and sharing 💜📚 1y
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LiseWorks
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

This is an Historical Fiction that was pretty brutal. I cringed with how prisoners were treated especially the woman. I would never have survived. There were two stories in this book: One was about survival of a couple of woman prisoners and the other the treatment of the Aboriginals when the white men colonized Australia. It's a fast paced read with good characters.

SilversReviews It is an excellent, educational read!! I enjoyed it. 1y
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cinda.marie
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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September #Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks 📚📚Thanks for the pretty postcard @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🌺🌺

tpixie I enjoyed this book! 2y
cinda.marie @tpixie Oh, I‘m glad to hear that. It was a birthday gift from my son so I‘m going in blind! 😎 2y
tpixie @cinda.marie great characters, unique story, interesting history. I‘ll be curious to hear your thoughts! Tell your son I said good job! 2y
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cinda.marie @tpixie I will! 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
tpixie @cinda.marie 🌺 2y
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AmyK1
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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I loved the tagged and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

#letterE #alphabetgame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Tagging @wideeyedreader

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing 2y
24 likes1 comment
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Deblovestoread
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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A day late for #BookReport & #WeeklyForecast

The Exiles 4 🌟 #DoubleSpin #Booked2022 #Nautical
the tremor of forgery #AuthorAMonth. 2.5 🌟 Unlikeable people without a plot.I finished it but not sure why.

DNF: Not in the right headspace for the abusive mom. I might pick it up again someday.

Liking my current reads and have no idea what‘s next.

Cinfhen Yay!!! So happy you enjoyed your #NauticalNovel 2y
Cinfhen I guess we both ditched 2y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2y
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sblbooks
Exiles | Christina Baker Kline
This post contains spoilers
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#OverbookedClub question found on the book browse book club.

megnews I don‘t think it is the only way but it is definitely more pronounced and less forget in those circumstances. 2y
sblbooks @megnews well said! I agree. 2y
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sblbooks
Exiles | Christina Baker Kline
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tpixie My heart breaks for Mathinna - she didn‘t fit in her oldworld because she was gentrified , but she didn‘t fit in the new world either 2y
sblbooks @tpixie oh, I know. it's just heartbreaking! 2y
tpixie @sblbooks yes! And poor Mathinna, never fitting in anywhere. So tragic. 2y
6 likes3 comments
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sblbooks
Exiles | Christina Baker Kline
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vlwelser It's pretty aggressive to kill one of the main characters at the beginning of the book. 2y
megnews I completely agree with @vlwelser I was shocked. I couldn‘t imagine how the story would go. In addition, the description of her death was very haunting. You could feel what she did. It was awful but extremely well written. 2y
sblbooks @vlwelser @megnews I expected some people to die during the voyage, but not her. Like you said I was not expecting that they would kill off a main character. Sad😢 2y
Deblovestoread I was shocked as well. 2y
CoverToCoverGirl I didn‘t see it it coming… it was horrific and the captain was entirely callous individual to not make any attempt at a rescue. 2y
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sblbooks
Exiles | Christina Baker Kline
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megnews Unfortunately those who hold power have always felt entitled to make these decisions. Hence, colonialism, annihilation of indigenous peoples, and chattel slavery wrecked the globe, leaving lasting effects that negatively impact us to this day. 2y
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sblbooks
Exiles | Christina Baker Kline
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vlwelser They do all seem to be at a loose end. But I'm not sure they would be in this situation (novel) otherwise. 2y
megnews A mother can be a powerful force that could have sheltered them from these circumstances. 2y
sblbooks I think if Evangeline's mother were still alive she wouldn't have ended up in this situation. @vlwelser @megnews unfortunately that would not hold true for the other two ladies. 2y
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sblbooks
Exiles | Christina Baker Kline
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Deblovestoread I knew that this happened but had no details. 2y
vlwelser I did know about this, but the author added extra details to my super basic knowledge. 2y
CoverToCoverGirl I was aware of some facts but not to the level revealed in this novel. 2y
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Readswithcoffee I had NO IDEA, so it was all new. 2y
megnews I was aware convicts (for often petty crimes) were sentenced to Australia. Beyond that, I knew nothing. 2y
sblbooks I knew it was a penal colony but I didn't know any specifics. 2y
22 likes6 comments
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vlwelser
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

This was excellent. Glad I pulled it off my shelf. Also glad I stole it from my aunt at Xmas. I mean she was done but I snagged it before my mum saw it. 😂

#OverBookedClub @sblbooks

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

KristiAhlers Everyone is posting about this one. I clearly need to stop being a twit and just read it. 2y
vlwelser @KristiAhlers they picked it for a group read happening this Saturday. So you may see quite a few more of these posts. It's excellent though. I definitely recommend reading it. 2y
TheBookHippie I liked it as well. 2y
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vlwelser @TheBookHippie I really like her later books. The Andrew Wyeth one is quite good also. 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
melissajayne Read the book in November 2020 and really liked it. 2y
51 likes6 comments
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Readswithcoffee
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

I never would have read this if not for #OverBookedClub. Thank you! Interesting period of history with characters that draw you in and make you care about them.

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sblbooks
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
I enjoyed this one so much! Great storytelling, compelling characters, set in Australia, what's not to love? #OverbookedClub I can't wait for our discussion.

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megnews
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

A stark reminder of the hardships women and children have faced throughout history. #overbookedclub

SilversReviews Yes….such a good read!! 2y
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LitsyEvents
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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repost for @sblbooks:

#OverbookedClub Is reading The Exiles in May. A few of you have already told me you want to read with us. If there's anyone else who wants to join us, comment on the post in sblbooks feed. We would love to have you.

original post: https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2403651

31 likes1 comment
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sblbooks
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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#OverbookedClub Is reading The Exiles in May. A few of you have already told me you want to read with us. @megnews @thebookhippie @Kdgordon88 @melissajayne if there's anyone else who wants to join us, comment below. We would love to have you. @LitsyEvents
@Butterfinger @CoffeeNBooks @Readswithcoffee @BarbaraJean @katy4peas @julieclair @SamanthaMarie @Roary47 @Crazeedi @kspenmoll @catebutler

julieclair I am definitely in! It sounds like a great story. 2y
megnews I‘m an hour into the audio and enjoying it. 2y
CoverToCoverGirl I‘ll join in! 2y
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melissajayne @julieclair it is a great story 2y
Butterfinger Yes!!!! I found an audio version. 2y
Readswithcoffee I‘m in! As always, thanks for being inclusive. 2y
vlwelser I really want to do this but that date is bad for me. 2y
sblbooks @vlwelser you're welcome to answer the discussion questions the next day, lots of people do that. 2y
vlwelser In that case, definitely sign me up. I don't know why I thought this was live. 2y
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canbku
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Mehso-so

Read the Exiles for a book club. I love historical fiction, do the depictions of life on a ship full of convicts being transported to Australia was very interesting. The details were so lurid, though, that I had trouble enjoying it. I read it very swiftly with a constant sense of dread

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canbku
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Can't wait to start this new book club title!

kremi Oh, it's one of my favorite books ever!!!! 2y
canbku @kremi I binged a hundred pages last night! 2y
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tpixie
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Captain Sir John Franklin‘s Lost Expedition to the Arctic- his great failure- was mentioned in ❄️ The Arctic Fury ❄️, an excellent book of intrepid, brave, resilient women.
In The Exiles, the Franklins are featured characters, now living in Australia.
In both, Mrs Franklin rules the roost!

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ncsufoxes
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

This book gives me #bookspinbingo for the month & also gave me my 50th book for the year. I liked this one a lot, the author does meticulous research for her books. The story of women convicts being brought from England to Australia for basically slave labor is something that Australia is only starting to recognize & come to grips with. It‘s always frustrating to read stories of how women were treated in the 1840s. Overall great & quick read

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
14 likes1 comment
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Minibooktalks16
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Book 7 for 2021

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BookBosomed1
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Here are my historical fiction picks for #LMPBC #GroupJ

Let me know if you are interested in any of these choices. Thanks!

I realize that I have no idea how to tag additional books on Litsy. Tips?

Laughterhp You can add them to the comments by clicking the bookmark type tag in the comments. There is a bookmark and a spoiler mark and then you can look for the book. 2y
Laughterhp I haven‘t read any of these and they all sound really good! My top choices would be The Exiles and The Engineer‘s Wife. 2y
BookBosomed1 @Laughterhp That is helpful! Thank you. 2y
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BookBosomed1 @Laughterhp I have heard that The Exiles is really good 2y
kellyann28 I haven't ready any! I would go for The Book of Lost Names or The Forest of Vanishing Stars. I would happily read any of them! 😀 2y
BookBosomed1 @kellyann28 I've never done LMPBC before so checking my understanding - do I pick one of these books based on ya'll's feedback and then I pass that along at the end of November or is there a different process? 2y
kellyann28 Yes, the choice is entirely up to you though! So you'll read your book in November and then mail it to the next person that's on the address list that was sent to your email. You'll send to the same person each month until you get your original book back! 2y
kellyann28 And also, in this we mark up the books: Make comments on our thoughts, underline, highlight, or whatever your heart desires 2y
BookBosomed1 @kellyann28 got it. Thanks for the response! 2y
kellyann28 Of course! I've done this for two or three years now so let me know if you have any other questions! 2y
ncsufoxes I haven‘t read any of them & they all sound interesting 2y
BookBosomed1 @kellyann28 @ncsufoxes @Laughterhp I am going to go with The Engineer‘s Wife. I want to learn about the Brooklyn Bridge! 😉 2y
kellyann28 Sounds great! 2y
12 likes17 comments
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Texreader
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

This book tells the stories of (1) women sentenced to harsh sentences for minor crimes in England and then put on a convict ship to the Australian continent and (2) an Aborigine girl who was adopted as a scientific experiment. Many sad events, but probably minor compared to all the evil things that occurred IRL. The main story took a very unexpected turn midway & I‘m still deciding how I felt about it. But definitely a pick. #letterE #litsyatoz

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Texreader
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Chosen as my next audiobook. I decided I needed to start focusing on my #litsyatoz challenge this year and needed the #letterE amongst many more. Actually just missing 9 letters of the alphabet. Not bad since I haven‘t been working on this challenge all year and suffered a multi-month reading slump. I hope I can make it. I‘ve succeeded 3 years in a row so far.

BookishMarginalia Yes, you can! 3y
Ruthiella Good luck! 👍 3y
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Jess861
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

This book is definitely a pick for me. A story about women being displaced due to the circumstances they were born into and how some prevailed while others didn't. A book full of strong women where you learn about the convict system and transport as well as medicine in the 1800s. I only wish Mathinna's story line tied in a bit more to the others.

#AnyWayYouReadathon #Readathon #Australia #Tasmania #Women

@kimmypete1 @MidnightBookGirl @Eggbeater

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Jess861
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Little guy's first day of school and our little miss is down for a nap....I'm off work this week so maybe I'll get some afternoon reading in! Still reading The Exiles and still really enjoying it. If I had more time for reading I guarantee I would've already finished it - just don't want to put this one down!

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Jess861
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Finally sweater weather - my favourite time to read outside. Taking advantage of a cool and cloudy evening for some backyard reading. Decided to read The Exiles next a few days ago and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm enjoying the writing and I don't really have an inclination as to where the story is heading (I love that).

#CurrentlyReading #SweaterWeather #ReadingAndBooze #VodkaSoda #LemonLime

Tamra Definitely sweater weather all of a sudden! 3y
47 likes1 comment
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KAYCEE1
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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I just finished The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline. I really liked it and realized I have read and enjoyed 3 of her books now. 🤗

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Tamra
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

I appreciated the honesty about the colonial foundation of Australia.

Cuilin Stacked this. I loved 3y
Tamra @Cuilin I will have to try it - thank you for the suggestion. 😁 3y
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NovelNancyM
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

Another historical novel by Christina Baker Kline coupled with strong feminist themes. It's clear the author did substantial research and it was interesting learning about the convicts sent to what is now Tasmania as well as the development of medicine in the 1800s. Through her descriptive writing I easily visualized the setting and characters. An enjoyable read.

Tamra I‘m listening to this one. 😊 3y
22 likes1 comment
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Purpleness
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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TEArificbooks
The Exiles: A Novel | Christina Baker Kline
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Pickpick

I spent all night reading this book and drained the lantern battery. I love historical fiction that shows you a bit of history that is often not taught in school.