I really enjoyed this story of mid 1800s Australia. This is a historical setting that I had read little about prior to this novel. "Exiles" focuses on a woman who was accused out of spite then convicted and sentenced to transport to Australia. The other focal character is an Aboriginal girl. An aristocratic woman decides to civilize the girl and keep her as a pet. The two women's lives never exactly intersect. However their interwoven stories work well together. One of the characters that I fully expected to be a part of the story until the end was killed mid-way through. This was completely surprising. I kept expecting her to show up, soap opera style, later in the story. While I was invested in this character, I was also impressed that the author made the bold move of killing off a major character.
The detail of the English women's prison, the transport ship, and the convicts' living conditions in Australia were all very well written. So convincingly written, in fact, they were painful to read about, as were the details of the injustices the women suffered. The relationships among the characters were well-developed. The author provided satisfying closure to the various story lines.
I would definitely read another book by this author.

I was provided with an advance reading copy by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This historical fiction story takes place in England and Australia. The setting was a large character in the story and was well described. The story was told from two women’s perspectives which eventually intersect. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend the audio edition!

The author was able to draw you into the story with atmospheric displays and character development.. I thoroughly enjoyed the background and to see through the narrators voices.

The Exiles is unlike any other book I've read before. The hardships these characters went though broke my heart. It's a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.

Engrossing tale of criminals from England being sent to serve their sentences out in Australia. Following a native black girl and sentenced thief as their worlds enmesh in the 1800s.

This book absolutely blew me away. The historical accuracy of the writing as indicated in the acknowledgements is painful to believe. As a reader, I wanted to believe the fiction is fiction and not based on fact. After putting it down, I was literally haunted by the stories of the female convicts and the aboriginal people...both groups are "the exiled". The British convict women were brutally treated and transported to the Australian penal colony with the underlying purpose to help colonize Australia. The native aboriginal people (or those that remained) suffered an unconscionable fate, pushed out of their homelands, exiled to an island where they were sick and ultimately died.

The book follows the stories of various women. Mathinna, the young aboriginal girl who is taken like a souvenir from her people, forced to live with the governors family and made to change to fit in. But she never really “fits”. Evangeline, the young governess, falsely accused of theft and attempted murder, who remains strong and hopeful, a light to everyone around her, in spite of her overwhelming circumstances. Hazel, the young Scottish girl who carries a bitterness and strength and compassion far beyond her years. And Ruby, who is the future.

There are themes of parallel exiles throughout the book (female convicts, Mathinna and the aboriginal people, the bird, the surgeon, the British sent to Australia to govern). The exile of the aboriginal people, and specifically Matthina, is particularly sad because they have no voice, no reason to be exiled, exiled to an island, exiled to live in the government house as an experiment, exiled to live in an orphanage, exiled back to the island where they no longer belong, exiled back to a town where don’t belong, ultimately ending up as lost souls.

The other theme that flows throughout the book is that of women’s strength and the transition of their rights and place in history. The book ends with a tribute to the strong women that Ruby carries inside of her like rings of a tree that give her strength. I also love the parallel symbolism in the aboriginal culture of the shell necklace... how each shell represents people who love you and you are the string holding it all together.

The writing is striking, the author takes you right to the heart of the painful stories. Unexpected turns have you riveted around, and then not sure what to expect next. As a reader, you are hoping for the best, yet heartbreakingly finding the worst...and then given hope. I loved every minute of this book and will very likely read it again. Definitely my favorite this year, and I've read some really good books!

Thank you, Christina Baker Kline!

This book will make a really good book discussion book and the audio is excellent (although the audio app needs work-- it kept skipping around when I turned the car off.) I did feel that there were too many characters to follow and I was quite upset when a major character died. Kline again did her research on the life of women sent to the Australia/Tasmania as prisoners and the life of the indigenous people.

This book had truly lovable characters and was a very engaging, if horrifying, read. The best historical fiction tells a great story, but also teaches the reader something about history. The details included in this tale of British convicts sentenced to transport to Australia were educational and memorable. The audiobook narrator was fantastic, too.

Beyond my expectations! Caroline Lee brings this new release from Christina Baker Kline to life and the characters leap off the page. As with "The Orphan Train," a period of history is shown in technicolor with all its injustice all the more glaring as we watch the characters we have come to know and love suffer. Evangeline, Hazel, and Ruby show us the realities of the transport ships taking convicts to serve their time in the new settlements of Australia. Mathinna's story is parallel to that of Evangeline and Hazel, highlighting the ignorance and cruelty many showed to the Palawa people who were displaced an marginalized by the settlers. Although the setting is at times stark and hopeless, the women in this book support each other and utilize the resources in their past and present to overcome and thrive. An outstanding depiction of a slice of history I knew little about. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a stellar audiobook and it could only be that way because it is a fascinating peek at a period of history that I was not familiar with personally. Most of us have heard that Australia was originally a penal colony but imagine being a naive vicar's daughter in 1840 London who is wrongly accused of theft. The justice system works quickly and she is promptly sent to Newgate Prison where she is sentenced to transport for 14 years on Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania.) Wow.

Evangeline's story takes some twists and turns along the way which means I cannot reveal very much about the plot for fear of revealing too much. Those who love historical fiction will be quickly drawn into this survival while learning about the hardships faced by women during this time.

Not only do we meet Evangeline but also Mathinna, a native girl who is brought to the island by the governor's wife as a pet project so she can be 'civilized'! There is no way you cannot feel compassion for these women but you will be cheered by the way they unite to help each other through these ordeals.

Pub date for this book is 8/25/20; thanks to @NetGalley for this audiobook download

A book that met my expectations of interest, but surprised me with its tale--every time I thought I knew where the story was going, I was surprised. The general story--of British female prisoners being shipped to Australia--is one I know of historically, but haven't read any novels about, and to delve into an array of theirs experiences was fascinating as well as heartbreaking. But this book doesn't only tell the tale of those who were sent to Australia; it also shines a light on how the British treated the native population, as well--introducing you to one young girl's fate at the hands of a wealthy immigrant family. While I'm not always a fan of back-and-forth story lines, the way these different perspectives wove together created a piercing overview of what happens when people aren't valued as people, whoever they may be. The author brought these characters to life in such a way, that I have to remind myself they're not actually a part of history.

Wow what a great book! This is a time and place I've never read about before, a situation I've only heard of, I love being exposed to new stories! The writing is stellar, Kline has an amazing way of drawing you in by giving you extremely minute details of life, what is seen, what is heard, what is felt, to make you feel the story personally. And what a story, twists and turns you could never see coming, heartbreak, redemption, friendship, family, vileness, beauty, tragedy, amazing.

The Exiles follows a variety of women and their experiences living in 19th century Australia. First is Evangeline, a vicar's daughter and governess, who is accused of stealing an heirloom of the family she works for. She didn't do it, but she did get pregnant with the half-son of her charges. And that's the greater "crime" she committed, which found her sentenced to transport from Newgate Prison in London across the oceans and to Australia. Second is Mathinna an Aboriginal 9 year-old who is "collected" by the Governor of Australia and semi-fostered in his household. But, when she proves to be too "out of control," she is banished to the orphanage and left wholly alone. Thirdly is Hazel, a fellow convict Evangeline meets en route to Australia. Unlike Evangeline, Hazel is very poor, had no support from her single mother, and is a midwife. But Hazel and Evangeline grow very close, and Hazel takes on a great responsibility when Evangeline cannot. Lastly is Ruby, the generation after Evangeline and Hazel who is raised by former convicts. How can she, a woman wanting to study medicine, find her way in the patriarchal world?

It is obvious Kline has spent a great deal of time and effort researching prison life in Newgate and Australia, what transport consisted of, and what the lives of some of the first British women in Australia was like. However, there wasn't much of a plot structure. It seemed to be all exposition: how Evangeline ended up in Newgate, what it was like in Newgate, what the transport ship and daily life there was like, what it was like in the Australian prison camp, and so on. There are a few small rises in action (Buck, I'm looking at you), but it was mostly all one level-- there was no rising or falling action in the plot diagram of this story. That said, I did enjoy getting this inside look into some aspects of 19th century life that I was not very familiar with-- especially low SES women.

The audiobook was very good. I think if I had read the book instead of listened to it, I would have quit some 50 pages in. But the voice actor was stellar-- she did all the different accents, they were all distinguishable to my American ear, and overall compelled me to keep going back. Brava!

If you tend to like history-based nonfiction, especially that focuses on the "little people's" stories instead of the (in)famous people's stories, you'll probably enjoy this one. If you're looking for the same enthralling story as The Orphan Train, go somewhere else.

There are multiple storylines centering on three females in this story set in the early 1800’s in England and Australia. Evangeline is an orphan who has become a governess. She is very naive and easily seduced by her employer’s son. Now she finds herself imprisoned, pregnant, and sentenced to spend 14 years in the Australian penal colony. The ship that is transporting her will take 4 months to reach the colony. On board she meets and befriends Hazel, a young Irish lass who has learned skills from her midwife mother. The two look out for each other during the difficult voyage.

The third central character is Mathinna, an Australian aboriginal child. She is an orphan and is summarily removed from the home of her uncle by a British woman who treats her like a pet. The British look down on the indigenous people and their continual disparagement is unsettling. In fact, the British family’s supposedly charitable care of the child, amounts to unnerving and unfeeling condescension.

The three girls have all been treated abysmally by family, by authorities, by their supposed superiors. They are victims of the times and their circumstances. As they become more assertive, they gather the strength needed to face the future.

This story has its share of tragedy and cruelty. It exposes a time when a woman had little rights, especially if you are an indigenous person, poor or a domestic. The story is riveting and once again proves Kline’s skill as an author. Like in The Orphan Train, child abuse and inequality are central themes. Lovers of historical fiction will become entranced by this book and the audio version is superb.

Caroline Lee is the talented narrator of the audio version. She switches between accents and brogues with ease and facility; enhancing the reading experience. Thanks to Net Galley for providing this audiobook as one of their early offerings. My review is based solely upon my personal opinion.

This novel was engrossing from beginning to end. I have tremendous respect and admiration for the research that Christina Baker Kline does for her novels. Once again, she has created an immersive experience into another world for the reader. The setting and voices in this novel feel as though they came straight from Australia and London in the mid-nineteenth century. The strong historical fiction novel is driven by memorable female characters. I loved Evangeline, Hazel, Ruby, Mathinna and even Olive. The story is compelling and at times disheartening, moving, frustrating but finally uplifting and unforgettable. I loved it.

I listened to the audio book thanks to an advanced copy from Netgalley. The audio book narrator has an Australian accent which lends an authenticity to the narration.

It's an interesting tale and well written. However, I felt that the historical setting was really just window dressing. It hardly impacted the actual plot points. I was also a bit disheartened by how the Aboriginal character was used. She was the only lens we really learned about Australia through, and once her part in the story finished, she was thrown away.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audio copy of this title in exchange for my honest review. This is a historical fiction tale of a young woman, Evangeline, sent to a penal colony in Australia for her out-of-marriage pregnancy. Evangeline befriends another woman, Hazel, on the ship sailing to Australia (on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea). This is a historical perspective of the people that were sent to Australia in the 1840s. Life is described in grim detail and the struggle of the characters is told in poetic detail. The British and their treatment of the aboriginal people of Australia is heartbreaking and will create a need to read more on the real history. I feel this story lends itself well to audio format and will completely engage the reader. An excellent addition to public libraries and a well worthwhile read about an important part of history.

In 19th century London, Evangeline, a governess to an influential family, finds herself in Newgate Prison after becoming pregnant by her employer’s son. She is going to be transported to a penal colony in Australia. On board the ship transporting her to her now home, Evangeline befriends, Hazel, a midwife and herbalist. When they arrive in Australia, they are confronted with the fact that the British government has relocated many of the native people, whom they consider savages. And Evangeline meets a young woman named Mathinna, the daughter of a murdered local Chief who has been adopted by the governor of the penal colony. The story of these three young women, found guilty of nothing more than being female, poor and different strike up remarkable friendship that lights up the pages of this book with incandescent wonder. The narrator does an excellent job breathing life into the characters and landscape

Christina Baker Kline creates a powerful story about women whose voices will not be heard by those around them. Mathinna's voice is silenced because of her race, Evangeline's at first because she is not high-born and then because she is a convict, and Hazel because the surgeon does not trust a woman to be as knowledgeable as he is. Caroline Lee is a great narrator, using an Australian accent to read the story but also nailing the Cockney accent of the English women in Newgate prison. Hazel's Scottish accent seems a little off to me though, but I'm admittedly not as familiar with regional differences so it may be a nod to a Glasgow accent.

The story is heartbreaking at times, with characters suffering misfortunes and feeling tragedy keenly. There were moments when I had the feeling of watching a horror movie -- I wanted to yell at the characters "No! Stop! Don't do that!" just like you would when the girl runs to the roof instead of escaping the house. This is a credit to the author, who is able to build up a sense of foreboding before a tragedy is about to strike.

Mathinna is talked about as if she is an object or an animal, with the English being surprised she can speak, dance, and comprehend what they say. I feel the worst for her, as she is asked to perform like a circus animal and has no friends. Hazel's arrival helps her, as Hazel treats Mathinna as an equal. Mathinna's story feels incomplete; I wish there was more about her.

Evangeline, Hazel, and Ruby's stories all intertwine and feel more fleshed out and complete compared to Mathinna. Each woman's story has an ending that doesn't leave the reader wanting more.

This book is perfect for historical fiction fans. Readers who love family sagas and Australian stories will also find something to love here.

Women do not have an easy life in Kline's new novel. Unless they're rich. But this novel has very little sympathy for the rich. Instead, the focus is on the marginalized. Evangeline is a naïve governess, who finds herself pregnant and accused of stealing a ring (she didn't). After a stint in Newgate, Evangeline is sentenced to 14 years labor in Australia. On the months-long voyage, she meets Hazel, a fellow prisoner, and the two become unlikely allies. Kline does not soften her descriptions of the conditions they faced. One can almost smell it.

Methinna, an Aboriginal girl who is adopted by the governor's wife to be essentially a talking pet, rounds out our group. At 11, she's old enough to be somewhat independent, which is good, since no-one exactly takes care of her. But she learns French and learns how to dance, and is generally considered a marvel of civilization, until, suddenly she isn't. Unfortunately, she learns the hard way that you can't go home again, although in her case, it's as much to do with the depredations of the British on the Aboriginal way of life than with anything she does.

Evangeline and Hazel are well-realized characters, although in some ways they are mere stand-ins for the idea that women had no power in that era. But they fill that role more than adequately, not being shy with their desire to be treated with common decency. Methinna's inclusion in the novel is more curious, as her story barely intersects the other, and her impact on their lives isn't as dramatic as it could be, or vice versa. It almost seems as though Kline felt she couldn't write a story taking place in Australia at the time without including an Aboriginal voice, a sentiment which I applaud, but I don't think she does that voice much justice here. For the a fully-told plight of women prisoners sent to the colony, I recommend this book. For the same of the Aboriginals, one might want to look elsewhere.

A note on the audio: Narrator Christine Lee does a competent job with her narration, with one major flaw. Two of the characters are described as being quite young, and their youth is such a character trait that it is mentioned repeatedly throughout the narrative. Unfortunately, Lee's doesn't modulate her voice to reflect that youth, and I constantly had to remind myself that they were both young girls.