Cirrus@Austlit

This work 'brings to life the diverse personal experiences of people living in and around Australia's first colony. It demonstrates the varied reactions of participants to their unique situation. It shows the situations of convict women, such as Esther Abrahams and Ann Inett and their relationships with military men. It relates the experiences of convict men like James Ruse, Henry Kable, William Bryant and others who saw and seized the possibilities of their new position. Some succeeded beyond their imagination; some failed disastrously.' (Source: Publishers website)