Remember Me by Lesley Pearse

An epic story, one of my favorites. Mary is a 19 y.o. woman who gets transported for a simple crime of theft, after first being sentenced to hang. The jailers don't intend to transport her immediately, so she is sent to one of the prison hulks in the harbor near England, for quite some time. Conditions are deplorable, everyone is kept in chains all the time, locked in the dirty, dank holds of the ship. People die all of the time. There is never enough of anything, especially food, clothing, or water. Mary has a strong personality, she fights for basic human rights for herself and those around her. Some battles she wins, some battles she loses.

Eventually, she is transferred to a sailing vessel, the Charlotte, which will carry her to New South Wales, to a new continent that the English have discovered and intend to put Mary ashore with hundreds of other prisoners, male and female. The book follows Mary, as she struggles to survive in this hostile environment. This is a work of historical fiction, but it has many details that are based upon true events that occurred with the first waves of ships to England's new penal colony.

If you have children while you are in the colony, they become prisoners, also. Poor little children whose only crime is to have been born on the wrong side of the ocean. Mary is frantic that her children will be raised in such a grim environment. Never knowing that elsewhere in the world, there are people who behave humanely and lovingly.

Highly recommended. Much gratitude to #netgalley @netgalley and #rememberme for the complimentary copy, I was under no obligation to post a review.

Not much historical fiction is written about the transfer of criminals to Australia - but I am so glad Lesley Pearse did. Her heroine is very likeable, and you can feel her desolation at being sentenced and then transported, and you can sense her strength as she choose to live her life the best she can. Really enjoyed this book!

This is an amazing book! I was totally gripped the whole way through. You must read it!
One of the best most absorbing books I have ever had the pleasure of reading also based on true events.
This was just brilliantly written!

Based on the true story of Mary Broad, Remember Me is a powerful and amazing story. From the harrowing journey to the terror of landing in a new prison colony, Lesley Pearse has managed to write a book that is both terrifying and informative.

Thank you to netGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Based on a harrowing true story of a woman who defied expectations and beat the odds."

Good book, put this on your list To Read. Mary Broad is a woman to admire, sympathize with and learn from.

4☆

I loved this novel. It tells the story if Mary, who is arrested in Cornwall on a minor charge, and her voyage to Botany Bay in Australia. I feel like this time period is often not represented in novels and as an avid historical fiction reader, I loved learning more of the hardships of starting a new life in Australia.

At first I was intimidated by the length of this book. My normal book is around 300 pages and this is over 500! I worried if get bored and want to cast it aside. But I was pleasantly surprised and didn’t want to put it down!
What a wonderful journey Lesley Pearse takes us on. We follow the story of Mary, a young girl sentenced to being sent to Australia for stealing food to survive. She is thrown in a boat with other convicts and surprisingly survives the rough trip.

Then we follow her life on the new island and the harrowing tale of escape. I won’t say to much more to avoid spoilers but this was a fantastic ride. I was engaged and loved every minute!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for making this copy available to me!

This was a most compelling read of a difficult chapter in British history - the first convict transport to Australia and the travails suffered by Mary Broad Bryant and her fellow convicts. Author Lesley Pearse, through her extensive historical research, has put soul into a well-documented person of history. Pearse's writing is fine and highly descriptive without being flowery. Her writing calls to the reader's senses as they smell the sweet tropical plants of "Down Under" as well as the tang of the sea mist or that horrendous odor wafting up from deep within the ship's hold. They see the flagging convicts with their vacant visages as well as the encouraging dawn of a new day. One hears the angry voices of native islanders, the roiling surf of a stormy sea and the harrowing cries of hopeless convicts. One feels the tender touch of a caring friend and the horrific grip of a would-be rapist. Mary had been a foolish young woman who embraced her lot in life, yet inspired courage, engendered compassion and managed to survive the transport experience. Pearse has held nothing back. This is a horrific and yet amazing true story which needs to be told again and again. I for one am richer for having spent these hours with Mary, an amazing woman of history.

I am grateful to author Lesley Pearse and publisher Agora Books for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My honest review? I LOVED this book. I couldn’t put it down. I learned a lot about the criminal justice system of the time and about the settling of the New South Wales penal colony. And the story. Wow. What a brave woman Mary was. The story was absolutely heart-wrenching. The writing was really well done. The characters wonderfully fleshed out. I was disappointed at the ending until I read the author’s Afterthoughts, which explained why it ended the way it did. And it turns out, I think the ending was perfect. I highly recommend this book!

Powerful story of life and survival. From a simple theft to deportation to Australia. Mary lives unimaginable hardships to get back home.

This was an exhilarating tale of a woman sent to a prison colony in Australia during the roughest of times which she manages to overcome despite the obstacles thrown her way. Highly recommended!

I love this book with a passion! I dont usually go for historical fiction, so I was wary going in, but the cast was so interesting, and to find out that this was all based on the real Mary just makes me love it even more. Leslay Pearse truly brought everyone to life. You will become invested in the characters, good and "bad." Pearse did not glorify anything. Things were harsh, and Mary and the people around her had to to do things that made them uncomfortable, and we were privy to every part of it. She didnt gloss over anything, which made it so much more realistic. I will be recommending this to any lover of historic fiction and to anyone who's even considering picking it up. It was so worth the read.