The Exiles: A Novel

By Christina Baker Kline

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

OPTIONED FOR TELEVISION BY BRUNA PAPANDREA, THE PRODUCER OF HBO'S BIG LITTLE LIES
“A tour de force of original thought, imagination and promise … Kline takes full advantage of fiction — its freedom to create compelling characters who fully illuminate monumental events to make history accessible and forever etched in our minds." — Houston Chronicle
The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant novel about three women whose lives are bound together in nineteenth-century Australia and the hardships they weather together as they fight for redemption and freedom in a new society.
Seduced by her employer’s
son, Evangeline, a naïve 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 Diemen’s 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, Hazel—a skilled midwife and herbalist—is 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 Diemen’s 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.


 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062356352

Christina Baker Kline

Christina Baker Kline is the author of ten novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Orphan Train, The Exiles, and A Piece of the World. Her novels have received the New England Society Book Award for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and several bookseller awards, among other prizes. Born in England, she was raised in the American South and Maine. She lives in New York City and in Southwest Harbor, Maine.

Book preview

Prologue

Flinders Island, Australia, 1840

BY THE TIME THE RAINS came, Mathinna had been hiding in the bush for nearly two days. She was eight years old, and the most important thing she’d ever learned was how to disappear. Since she was old enough to walk, she’d explored every nook and crevice of Wybalenna, the remote point on Flinders Island where her people had been exiled since before she was born. She’d run along the granite ridge that extended across the tops of the hills, dug tunnels in the sugary dunes on the beach, played seek-and-find among the scrub and shrubs. She knew all the animals: the possums and wallabies and kangaroos, the pademelons that lived in the forest and only came out at night, the seals that lolled on rocks and rolled into the surf to cool off.

Three days earlier, Governor John Franklin and his wife, Lady Jane, had arrived at Wybalenna by boat, more than 250 miles from their residence on the island of Lutruwita—or Van Diemen’s Land, as the white people called it. Mathinna stood with the other children on the ridge as the governor and his wife made their way up from the beach, accompanied by half a dozen servants. Lady Franklin had a hard time walking in her shiny satin shoes; she kept slipping on the stones. She clung to her husband’s arm as she wobbled toward them, the expression on her face as sour as if she’d bitten an artichoke thistle. The wrinkles on her neck reminded Mathinna of the exposed pink flesh of a wattlebird.

The night before, the Palawa elders had sat around the campfire, discussing the impending visit. The Christian missionaries had been preparing for days. The children had been instructed to learn a dance. Mathinna sat in the darkness on the edge of the circle, as she often did, listening to the elders talk as they plucked feathers from muttonbirds and roasted mussels in the glowing embers. The Franklins, it was widely agreed, were impulsive, foolish people; stories abounded of their strange and eccentric schemes. Lady Franklin was deathly afraid of snakes. She’d once devised a plan to pay a shilling for every dead snake turned in, which naturally spawned a robust market of breeders and cost her and Sir John a small fortune. When the two of them had visited Flinders the previous year, it was to collect Aboriginal skulls for their collection—skulls that were obtained by decapitating corpses and boiling the heads to remove the flesh.

The horse-faced Englishman in charge of the settlement on Flinders, George Robinson, lived with his wife in a brick house in a semicircle of eight brick houses that included rooms for his men, a sanatorium, and a dispensary. Behind this were twenty cottages for the Palawa. The night the Franklins arrived, they slept in the Robinsons’ house. Early the next morning, they inspected the settlement while their servants distributed beads and marbles and handkerchiefs. After the noontime meal, the natives were summoned. The Franklins sat in two mahogany chairs in the sandy clearing in front of the brick houses, and for the next hour or so the few healthy Palawa males were made to perform a mock battle and engage in a spear-throwing contest. Then the children were paraded out.

As Mathinna danced in a circle with the others on the white sand, Lady Franklin kept looking at her with a curious smile.

The daughter of the chief of the Lowreenne tribe, Mathinna had long been accustomed to special attention. Several years ago, her father, Towterer—like so many of the Palawa deported to Flinders—had died of tuberculosis. Mathinna was proud to be the chieftain’s daughter, but in truth she hadn’t known him well. When she was three, she’d been sent from her parents’ cottage to live in a brick house with the white schoolteacher, who made her wear bonnets and dresses with buttons and taught her to read and write in English and hold a knife and spoon. Even so, she spent as many hours a day as she could with her mother, Wanganip, and other members of the tribe, most of whom did not speak English or adhere to British customs.

It had only been a few months since Mathinna’s mother had died. Wanganip had always hated Flinders. She’d often climb the spiny hill near the settlement and gaze across the turquoise sea toward her homeland, sixty miles away. This terrible place, she told Mathinna—this barren island where the wind was so strong it spun vegetables out of the ground and fanned small fires into raging infernos, where the trees shed bark like snakes shed their skin—was nothing like her ancestral land. It was a curse on her soul. On all of their souls. Their people were sickly; most of the babies born on Flinders died before their first birthdays. The Palawa had been promised a land of peace and plenty; if they did as they were told, the British said, they’d be allowed to keep their way of life. But all of that was a lie. Like so many lies we were foolish to believe, Wanganip said bitterly. What choice did we have? The British had already taken everything.

Looking into her mother’s face, Mathinna saw the fury in her eyes. Mathinna didn’t hate the island, though. It was the only home she’d ever known.

Come here, child, the governor’s wife said when the dance was over, beckoning with a finger. When Mathinna obeyed, Lady Franklin peered at her closely before turning to her husband. Such expressive eyes! And a sweet face, don’t you think? Unusually attractive for a native.

Sir John shrugged. Hard to tell them apart, quite frankly.

I wonder if it might be possible to educate her.

She lives with the schoolteacher, who is teaching her English, Robinson said, stepping forward. She’s quite conversant already.

Interesting. Where are her parents?

The girl is an orphan.

I see. Lady Franklin turned back to Mathinna. Say something.

Mathinna half curtsied. The arrogant rudeness of the British no longer surprised her. What shall I say, ma’am?

Lady Franklin’s eyes widened. Goodness! I am impressed, Mr. Robinson. You are turning savages into respectable citizens.

In London, I hear, they’re dressing orangutans like lords and ladies and teaching them to read, Sir John mused.

Mathinna didn’t know what an orangutan was, but she’d heard talk of savages around the elders’ campfire—British whalers and sealers who lived like animals and sneered at rules of common decency. Lady Franklin must be confused.

Robinson gave a short laugh. This is a bit different. The Aborigines are human, after all. Our theory is that by changing externals you can change personalities. We are teaching them to eat our food and learn our language. We feed their souls with Christianity. They’ve surrendered to clothes, as you can see. We’ve cut the hair of the men and impressed modesty on the women. We’ve given them Christian names to aid the process.

The mortality rate is quite high, I understand, said Sir John. Delicate constitutions.

An unfortunate inevitability, Robinson said. We brought them out of the bush where they knew not God, nor even who made the trees. He gave a small sigh. The fact is, we all must die, and we ought to pray to God first to save our souls.

Quite right. You’re doing them a great service.

What is this one’s name? Lady Franklin asked, returning her attention to Mathinna.

Mary.

And what was it originally?

Originally? Mathinna was her Aboriginal name. She was christened Leda by missionaries. We decided on something less . . . fanciful, Robinson said.

Mathinna didn’t remember being called Leda, but her mother had hated the name Mary, so the Palawa refused to use it. Only the British called her Mary.

Well, I think she’s charming, Lady Franklin said. I’d like to keep her.

Keep her? Mathinna tried to catch Robinson’s eye, but he didn’t return her gaze.

Sir John looked amused. You want to take her home with us? After what happened with the last one?

This will be different. Timeo was . . . Lady Franklin shook her head. The girl is an orphan, you said? she asked, turning to Robinson.

Yes. Her father was a chieftain. Her mother remarried, but recently died.

Does that make her a princess?

He smiled slightly. Of a sort, perhaps.

Hmm. What do you think, Sir John?

Sir John smiled beneficently. If you wish to amuse yourself in such a fashion, my dear, I suppose there’s no harm in it.

I think it will be entertaining.

And if it isn’t, we can always send her back.

Mathinna did not want to leave the island with these foolish people. She did not want to say goodbye to her stepfather and the other elders. She did not want to go to a strange new place where nobody knew or cared about her. Tugging on Robinson’s hand, she whispered, Please, sir. I don’t—

Slipping his hand from her grasp, he turned to the Franklins. We will make the necessary arrangements.

Very well. Lady Franklin cocked her head, appraising her. "Mathinna. I’d prefer to call her that. It will be more of a surprise if she achieves the manners of a lady."

Later, when the governor’s party was distracted, Mathinna slipped behind the brick houses where everyone was gathered, still wearing the ceremonial wallaby-skin cape her father gave her before he died and a necklace of tiny green shells made by her mother. Wending her way through wallaby grass, silky against her shins, she listened to the barking dogs and the currawongs, plump black birds that warbled and flapped their wings when rain was on the way. She breathed in the familiar scent of eucalyptus. As she slid into the bush at the edge of the clearing, she looked up to see a geyser of muttonbirds erupt into the sky.

Evangeline

I never know an instance of any female convict coming out that I would consider a fair character. Their open and shameless vice must be told. Their fierce and untamable audacity would not be believed. They are the pest and gangrene of the colonial society—a reproach to human nature—and lower than the brutes, a disgrace to all animal existence.

—JAMES MUDIE, The Felonry of New South Wales: Being a Faithful Picture of the Real Romance of Life in Botany Bay, 1837

St. John’s Wood, London, 1840

FROM WITHIN THE DEPTHS OF a restless dream, Evangeline heard a knocking. She opened her eyes. Silence. Then, more insistent: rapraprap.

Thin light from the small window high above her bed cut across the floor. She felt a surge of panic: she must have slept through the morning bell.

She never slept through the morning bell.

Sitting up, she felt woozy. She leaned back against her pillow. Just a minute. Her mouth filled with saliva and she swallowed it.

The children are waiting! The scullery maid’s voice rang with indignation.

What time is it, Agnes?

Half nine!

Sitting up again, Evangeline pushed back the covers. Bile rose in her throat, and this time she couldn’t keep it down; she leaned over and vomited on the pine floor.

The knob turned and the door swung open. She looked up helplessly as Agnes twitched her nose and frowned at the viscous yellow splatter at her feet. Give me a minute. Please. Evangeline wiped her mouth on her sleeve.

Agnes didn’t move. Did ye eat something strange?

I don’t think so.

Feverish?

Evangeline pressed her hand against her forehead. Cool and clammy. She shook her head.

Been feeling poorly?

Not until this morning.

Hmm. Agnes pursed her lips.

I’m all right, I’m just— Evangeline felt a roiling in her gut. She swallowed hard.

Clearly you’re not. I’ll inform Mrs. Whitstone there’ll be no lessons today. With a curt nod, Agnes turned to leave, then paused, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the chest of drawers.

Evangeline followed her gaze. On the top, beside an oval mirror, a ruby gemstone ring glowed in the sunlight, staining the white handkerchief it lay on a deep red.

Her heart clenched. She’d been admiring the ring by the light of a candle the night before and had stupidly forgotten to put it away.

Where’d ye get that? Agnes asked.

It was . . . a gift.

Who from?

A family member.

"Your family?" Agnes knew full well that Evangeline had no family. She’d only applied to be a governess because she had nowhere else to turn.

It was . . . an heirloom.

I’ve never seen ye wear it.

Evangeline put her feet on the floor. For goodness’ sake. I don’t have much occasion, do I? she said, attempting to sound brusque. Now, will you leave me be? I’m perfectly fine. I’ll meet the children in the library in a quarter of an hour.

Agnes gave her a steady look. Then she left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Later Evangeline would replay this moment in her head a dozen ways—what she might have said or done to throw Agnes off the trail. It probably wouldn’t have mattered. Agnes had never liked her. Only a few years older than Evangeline, she’d been in service to the Whitstones for nearly a decade and lorded her institutional knowledge over Evangeline with supercilious condescension. She was always chiding her for not knowing the rules or grasping how things worked. When Evangeline confided in the assistant butler, her one ally in the household, that she didn’t understand Agnes’s palpable contempt, he shook his head. Come now. Don’t be naive. Until you arrived, she was the only eligible lass in the place. Now you’re the one drawing all the attention—including from the young master himself. Who used to flirt with Agnes, or so she believed. And on top of that, your job is soft.

It isn’t!

It’s not like hers, though, is it? Scrubbing linens with lye and emptying chamber pots from dawn till dusk. You’re paid for your brains, not your back. No surprise she’s tetchy.

Evangeline rose from her bed, and, carefully stepping around the puddle, went to the chest of drawers. Picking up the ruby ring, she held it to the window, noting with dismay how it caught and refracted the light. She glanced around the room. Where could she hide it? Under the mattress? Inside her pillowcase? Opening the bottom drawer, she slipped the ring into the pocket of an old dress tucked beneath some newer ones.

At least Agnes hadn’t noticed the white handkerchief under the ring, with Cecil’s cursive initials—C. F. W. for Cecil Frederic Whitstone—and the distinctive family crest embroidered onto a corner. Evangeline tucked the handkerchief in the waistband of her undergarments and went about cleaning up the mess.

MRS. WHITSTONE MATERIALIZED in the library while the children were taking turns reading aloud from a primer. They looked up in surprise. It wasn’t like their mother to show up unannounced during their lessons.

Miss Stokes, she said in an unusually high-handed tone, please conclude the lesson as expediently as you can and meet me in the drawing room. Ned, Beatrice—Mrs. Grimsby has prepared a special pudding. As soon as you are done you may make your way to the kitchen.

The children exchanged curious glances.

But Miss Stokes always takes us downstairs for tea, Ned said.

His mother gave him a thin smile. I am quite sure you can find the way on your own.

Are we being punished? Ned asked.

Certainly not.

Is Miss Stokes? Beatrice asked.

What a ridiculous question.

Evangeline felt a tingle of dread.

Did Mrs. Grimsby make a sponge cake?

You’ll find out soon enough.

Mrs. Whitstone left the library. Evangeline took a deep breath. Let’s finish this section, shall we? she said, but her heart wasn’t in it, and anyway the children were distracted, thinking about the cake. When Ned reached the end of his singsongy recitation of a paragraph about boating, she smiled and said, All right, children, that’s enough. You may run along to your tea.

THERE IT WAS: the ruby ring, sparkling in the glow of the whale-oil lamps in the gloomy drawing room. Mrs. Whitstone held it out in front of her like a treasure-hunt find. Where did you get this?

Evangeline twisted the corner of her apron, an old habit from childhood. I didn’t steal it, if that’s your implication.

I’m not implying anything. I’m asking a question.

Evangeline heard a noise behind her and turned, startled at the sight of a constable standing in the shadows behind a chair. His moustache drooped. He wore a black fitted waistcoat and a truncheon in a holster; in his hands were a notebook and pencil.

Sir, she said, curtsying slightly. Her heart was beating so loudly she feared he could hear it.

He inclined his head, marking something in the notebook.

This ring was found in your possession, Mrs. Whitstone said.

You—you went into my room.

You are in the employ of this household. It is not your room.

Evangeline had no answer to that.

Agnes spied it on the dresser when she went to check on you. As you know. And then you hid it. Holding up the ring again, Mrs. Whitstone looked past Evangeline toward the constable. This ring is my husband’s property.

It isn’t. It belongs to Cecil, Evangeline blurted.

The constable looked back and forth between the two women. Cecil?

Mrs. Whitstone gave Evangeline a sharp look. The younger Mr. Whitstone. My stepson.

Would you agree that this is your stepson’s ring? His moustache twitched under his bulbous nose when he spoke.

With a pinched smile, Mrs. Whitstone said, It belonged to my husband’s mother. There is a question, perhaps, about whether the ring now belongs to my husband or to his son. It most certainly does not belong to Miss Stokes.

He gave it to me, Evangeline said.

Only a few days earlier, Cecil had pulled a small blue velvet box from his pocket and rested it on her knee. Open it.

She’d looked at him in surprise. A ring box. Could it be? Impossible, of course, and yet . . . She allowed herself a small surge of hope. Wasn’t he always telling her that she was more beautiful, more charming, cleverer than any woman in his circle? Wasn’t he always saying that he didn’t give a fig about his family’s expectations for him or society’s silly moral judgments?

When she’d opened the lid, her breath caught in her throat: a band of gold, ornately filigreed, rose in four curved prongs to support a deep red stone.

My grandmother’s ruby, he told her. She bequeathed it to me when she died.

Oh, Cecil. It’s stunning. But are you—

Oh, no, no! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, he’d said with a small laugh. For now, just seeing it on your finger is enough.

When he extracted the ring from its slot in the cushion and slipped it onto her finger, the gesture had felt both thrillingly intimate and strangely constricting. She’d never worn one before; her father, a vicar, did not believe in adornments. Gently Cecil bent his head to her hand and kissed it. Then he snapped shut the velvet box, slipped it back into the pocket of his waistcoat, and withdrew a white handkerchief. Tuck the ring into this and hide it away until I return from holiday. It will be our secret.

Now, in the drawing room with the constable, Mrs. Whitstone snorted. That’s ridiculous. Why in the world would Cecil ever give you . . . Her voice trailed off. She stared at Evangeline.

Evangeline realized that she had said too much. It will be our secret. But Cecil wasn’t here. She felt desperate, trapped.

And now, in defending herself, she had given away the real secret.

Where is the younger Mr. Whitstone now? the constable asked.

Abroad, said Mrs. Whitstone, at the same time that Evangeline said, Venice.

An attempt could be made to contact him, the constable said. Do you have an address?

Mrs. Whitstone shook her head. That will not be necessary. Crossing her arms, she said, It’s obvious the girl is lying.

The constable raised an eyebrow. Is there a history of lying?

I have no idea. Miss Stokes has only been with us a few months.

Five, Evangeline said. Summoning her strength, she turned to face the constable. I’ve done my best to educate Mrs. Whitstone’s children and help shape their moral character. I’ve never been accused of anything.

Mrs. Whitstone gave a dry little laugh. So she says.

Easy enough to find out, the constable said.

I did not steal the ring, Evangeline said. I swear it.

The constable tapped the notebook with his pencil. Noted.

Mrs. Whitstone gave Evangeline a cold, appraising look. The truth is, I’ve had my suspicions about this girl for some time. She comes and goes at odd hours of the day and night. She’s secretive. The housemaids find her aloof. And now we know why. She stole a family heirloom and thought she would get away with it.

Would you be willing to testify to that effect?

Certainly.

Evangeline’s stomach dropped. Please, she begged the constable, could we wait for Cecil’s return?

Mrs. Whitstone turned on her with a scowl. I will not tolerate this inappropriate familiarity. He is Mr. Whitstone to you.

The constable twitched his moustache. I believe I have what I need, Miss Stokes. You may go. I’ve a few more questions for the lady of the house.

Evangeline looked from one to the other. Mrs. Whitstone raised her chin. Wait in your room. I’ll send someone for you presently.

IF THERE WAS any question in Evangeline’s mind about the gravity of her predicament, the answer made itself clear soon enough.

On her way down the stairs to the servants’ quarters, she encountered various members of the household staff, all of whom nodded soberly or looked away. The assistant butler gave her a wincing smile. As she was passing the room Agnes shared with another housemaid on the landing between two staircases, the door opened and Agnes stepped out. She blanched when she saw Evangeline and tried to duck past, but Evangeline grabbed her arm.

What are ye doing? Agnes hissed. Let go of me.

Evangeline glanced around the hallway and, seeing no one, pushed Agnes back into the room and closed the door. You took that ring from my room. You had no right.

No right to retrieve stolen property? To the contrary, it was me duty.

It wasn’t stolen. She twisted Agnes’s arm, making the maid wince. You know that, Agnes.

I don’t know anything except what I saw.

It was a gift.

An heirloom, ye said. A lie.

"It was a gift."

Agnes shook her off. "‘It was a gift,’ she mimicked. Ye dimwit. That’s only half the trouble. Yer pregnant. She laughed at Evangeline’s befuddled expression. Surprised, are ye? Too innocent to know it, but not too innocent to do the act."

Pregnant. The moment the word was out of Agnes’s mouth, Evangeline knew she was right. The nausea, her recent inexplicable fatigue . . .

I had a moral responsibility to inform the lady of the house, Agnes said, smugly self-righteous.

Cecil’s velvet words. His insistent fingers and dazzling smile. Her own weakness, her gullibility. How pathetic, how foolish, she had been. How could she have allowed herself to be so compromised? Her good name was all she had. Now she had nothing.

Ye think you’re better than the rest of us, don’t ye? Well, you’re not. And now you’ve had your comeuppance, Agnes said, reaching for the doorknob and wrenching the door open. Everyone knows. You’re the laughingstock of the household. She pushed past Evangeline toward the stairs, knocking her back against the wall.

Desperation rose within Evangeline like a wave, filling her with such force and velocity that she was helpless against it. Without thinking, she followed Agnes out onto the landing and shoved her, hard. With a strange, high-pitched yelp, Agnes fell headlong down the stairs, crumpling in a heap at the bottom.

Peering down at Agnes as she staggered to her feet, Evangeline felt her fury crest and subside. In its wake was a faint tremor of regret.

The butler and head footman were on the scene within seconds.

She—she tried to kill me! Agnes cried, holding her head.

Standing at the top of the landing, Evangeline was eerily, strangely, calm. She smoothed her apron, tucked a wispy strand of hair behind an ear. As if watching a play, she noted the butler’s contemptuous grimace and Agnes’s theatrical sobs. Observed Mrs. Grimsby flutter over, squeaking and exclaiming.

This was the end of Blenheim Road, she knew, of primers and white chalk and slate tablets, of Ned and Beatrice babbling about sponge cake, of her small bedroom with its tiny window. Of Cecil’s hot breath on her neck. There would be no explaining, no redeeming. Maybe it was better this way—to be an active participant in her demise rather than a passive victim. At least now she deserved her fate.

IN THE SERVANTS’ hallway, lighted with oil lamps, two constables fastened Evangeline into handcuffs and leg chains while the constable with the droopy moustache made the rounds of the household staff with his notebook. She were awful quiet, the chambermaid was saying, as if Evangeline were already gone. Each of them, it seemed to her, overplayed the roles expected of them: the staff a little too indignant, the constables self-important, Agnes understandably giddy at the attention and apparent sympathy of her superiors.

Evangeline was still wearing her blue worsted wool uniform and white apron. She was allowed to bring nothing else with her. Her hands shackled in front of her, her legs shuffling in irons, she required two constables to guide her up the narrow back stairs to the ground-floor servants’ entrance. They had to practically lift her into the prison carriage.

It was a cold, rainy evening in March. The carriage was dank, and smelled, oddly, of wet

Reviews for The Exiles

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Colonialism is evil. The existence of that horrid orphanage. Mathinna's tragic life. The death of prisoners on the trip there. Any novel with historical boat travel -- prepare for a lot of unjustified "accidental" deaths.

[squirrelhead_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This historical fiction starts off in nineteenth century London giving us a glimpse of the good and bad in society. Two of our main characters, Evangeline and Hazel, are exiled to prison in Tasmania or as it's refered to in the book, Van Dieman's land.
Evangeline is an educated woman employed as a governess in an affluent household. She is an innocent and when the adult son takes a liking to her, she is easily seduced in believing it's true love. He gifts her an expensive ruby ring before going away on a holiday, telling her to keep the gift a secret. As you can imagine, she is "caught" with the ring, accused of stealing and sent to prison. Can it get worse? Yes. Yes it can. Evangeline finds she is pregnant while awaiting her court date. Her sentence is transporation and she is sent to a prison in Tasmania.

On the ship she meets Hazel, a very young woman who knows a good deal about natural medicine and midwifery. Hazel was accused to stealing a silver spoon and for that, she is also sentenced to transportation. They form a friendship and take care of one another. Hazel learns to read as Evangeline teaches her during their time together. Eventually she is able to assist the ship's doctor with other pregnant prisoners and minor ailments.

Our other main character is a nine year old aboriginal girl named Mathinna. She lives with a group of extended fanily on Flinders island as the aboriginals were exiled there with promises of a better life. This is a heartbreaker of a story. The Governor's wife fancies the looks of Mathinna and takes her from all she knows to "become civilized" in their household. She is a toy, a pet, to the the woman who only cares about parading her about to friends to show Mathinna can dance and learn to speak French. It's despicable.
She doesn't fit in with the white culture and they've stripped her of her connections with her heritage.

The fates of the young women in this book could be explored further and I wish the author had done so. While it wrapped up sufficiently, I would have rather the book were longer and more detail about the character's fates and conditions on Van Dieman's land. More of Mathinna in later life would have been good as well.

Sharing with Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the Historical Fiction Challenge.

[ombwarrior47 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was super disappointing. The book is advertised as an inspirational storyline of three women who become friends in their journey and while Australia starts laying new ground with British prisoners.
Reality is, all 3 of them never become friends, more like 2 of them in pairings. The main character is killed off half way through the book, and overall the storyline was slow and boring and in the end completely pointless.
If you can get through all the slow parts you’ll eventually come to a highly predictable and happy ending for only one of the three women.
Kline also tries to pride herself in being historically accurate but if you look this book up a lot of her historical suggestions in the book have been discredited.
★★ Don’t recommend it.

[japaul22 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was just what I expected it to be. Historical fiction that is easy to read with characters you care about, a straight ahead plot that pulls you along, and a few interesting historical details.

The setting is 19th century Australia, Tasmania actually, when convicts from England are being sent there to serve their sentences. The focus is on female prisoners. Evangeline has been accused of stealing a ring that the son of her wealthy employer gave to her. She is also pregnant with his child. But, he turns a blind eye to the situation, and off to Australia she goes. The story of what happens to her, her child, and a few friends she makes along the way makes the story. There is also a second storyline of a young native girl who is adopted as a curiosity by a wealthy, white couple. The two stories intertwine a bit by the end, but the author sort of misses the mark on trying to connect these two, in my opinion.

I enjoyed this but it wasn't anything special.

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The amount of research Kline describes in her afterward is just incredible and the result is this absolutely fasciinting book that is so detailed in the descriptions---you, as the reader, are right there watching these often horrific things happen to women who wound up as convicts for frequently ridiculous reasons, resulting in just terrible things happening to them. We follow the lives of several women, most particularly Evangeline and Hazel. Mathinna is another part of the story of an exile because of her treatment as a child, brought in from her homeland near Australia. Although she was intelligent she was treated as an object, just another part of a collection....could they change her from her origins? It is another terrible example of truly, an exile. She waws never allowed to "fit in." An amazing book.

[burritapal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A shameful history that England, France and Spain shares with the United States is that of stealing land and the torturous genocide of its rightful owners. In this book the author deals with Van Dieman Land, a large island southeast of australia. Whytes from England kicked off the aboriginal occupants, the Palawa, and transported them to a tiny island to the north where they were starving. A visit from the governor and his wife was unlucky for Mathinna, the chieftain's daughter, as the governor's wife, Lady Franklin, wanted to add Mathinna to her collection of aboriginal "curios."

Hardcover 2020
Mathinna:
P.75:
"It had been 200 years since the first white men came to their shores – strange looking creatures with freakishly pale skin, like white worms or ghosts out of legends. they appeared as soft as oysters, but the spears they carried roared with fire. For many years the only white people hardy enough to remain through the winter were the Whalers and sealers, many of whom were so crude and vicious they seemed to the Palawa half man, half beast. Even so, over time, a bartering system developed. The palawa traded crawfish and muttonbirds and kangaroo skins for white sugar, tea, tobacco, and rum – vile substances that took root in their brains and stomachs, Palle [her stepfather] told mathinna, fueling cravings and dependence."

Living in the governor's mansion is hard for Mathinna the orphan, as there was no one to speak her language with, and she was tutored in French and English, allowing the governor's wife to trot her out in front of company: her "educated savage." Her only memory of home is her little pet brought from home. But even that was taken from her.
Mathinna's pet ring-tailed possum:
P.195:
"Mathinna felt a sudden coldness – a sickening alarm. waLuka didn't stray. he was afraid of everything. but the fire... The tumult... Her gaze drifted toward the doorway which mrs. Wilson had thrown wide when the room filled with smoke. She could make out something. . . something in the courtyard.
She moved as if in a trance through the doorway and out into the cold air. as she got closer, stumbling over the cobblestones, her eyes fixed on the small white lump.
Matted fur, a trickle of red.
No . . .
when she reached it, she collapsed on her knees. She touched the soft body, slick with something viscous. it was broken and bloody, its eyes dull, half open.
she heard a low growl, and then a shout: 'move away!' She looked up, her vision murky with tears. Montagu's dog was charging toward her, nose down, trailing a chain that clanged along the cobbles, Montagu waving madly behind it. 'bloody hell, get away from that thing or Jip will eat you too!' "

England sent convicts to Australia and Van Dieman's Land. Any little thing could earn you transportation. Hazel, the daughter of a midwife, was transported from Scotland, when she was caught with a stolen silver spoon that her mother had sent her out to thieve. Hazel had grown up observing her mother's knowledge of herbal medicine, so when Evangeline, another prisoner, gave birth to a baby girl on the voyage to Van Dieman's Land, she helped the ship's surgeon. But Evangeline was drowned by a vengeful sailor, and Hazel named the motherless girl Ruby.

The author shares some of Hazel's knowledge of herbal medicine:
P.233:
"Some of the native plants were dangerous – and dangerously tempting. in small quantities they produced a pleasant sensation, but if misused they cause hallucinations, or even death: yellow oil from the sassafras tree, the combination of ingredients that made up absinthe – wormwood, hissop, anise seed, and fennel, marinated in brandy. Maeve pointed out a bush along the side of the road with fluted pale pink flowers hanging upside down. 'angels trumpet. Beautiful, in't it? Eating these flowers makes your troubles go away. Problem is, too much will kill ye.' She laughed. 'it got its name because it's the last thing you'll see before ascending into heaven.' "
P.312:
"motherwart, they told him, with its leaves like the palms of an old woman, quieted anxiety. a syrup made of water and the Bark of the umbrella Bush relieved coughing. The stewed bark of hickory wattle soothed inflamed skin. crushed leaves of the spotted emu Bush could be inhaled to clear nasal passages. catnip tea fought croup; red alder Eased hives."

Hazel suffers in the women's prison, but then is assigned to work as a servant in the governor's house. This is where she meets Mathinna, and does what she can to help her.
Mathinna gets her shell necklace back. The shells that her dead mother had collected, carefully tapped holes in, and strung with thread, gifted to her daughter as a toddler. They were confiscated by Lady Franklin and added to her collection:
P.283:
" 'I have something for ye.'Hazel was beside her now, on the barrel. 'I'm going to slip it in your pocket.' She sat closer, and mathinna felt a tug on her apron. 'put your hand in.'
It was... Tiny shells. Strung together. A big clump of them. She looked at hazel.
'all three necklaces. Yes, I nicked 'em. I doubt lady Franklin will notice. Anyway, I don't care. They belong to ye." reaching for Mathinna's hand, she said, 'there's something I want to tell ye.'
Mathinna looked down at her Brown hand in Hazel's pale freckled one. they were almost the same size.
'my friend – the one who died – taught me a trick to play in your mind when you're troubled. ye think of yourself as a tree, with all the rings inside. and every ring is someone ye care about, or a place you've been. Ye carry them with ye wherever ye go.' "

I loved this idea, of keeping your loved ones who have died inside you.
This book was a superbly researched book that opens our eyes, the readers, to what life was like for women prisoners transported from England.
I wish the author had followed Mathinna's life, later, after Lady Franklin and the governor returned to England and turned her out of their home. The last we see of this Chieftain's daughter is when Hazel has served her sentence, and gone to serve Dr Dunne in his home, the former prisoner's ship's surgeon, and Ruby, whom he has adopted. Ruby and Hazel see Mathinna, now an adult, in Hobart Town's marketplace. Mathinna shares with Hazel that she lives with a seamstress who also owns a grog shop, where Mathinna helps to serve. She has become an alcoholic.

[farrhon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

simple, sweet, and shallow

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this book which was ably narrated by Caroline Lee. I quite enjoyed this historical fiction novel about women prisoners sent to Tasmania in the 1800s. Most of the books that I have read about the convict transportation from England to Australia centred on men and I had never really thought about women being transported although of course there must have been women or how else could children have been born.

This book centres on three women, two English and one aboriginal. The aboriginal girl/woman, Mathinna, is based upon an actual person who was picked by Sir John Franklin (yes, the Franklin who went on to a tragic end in Canada's Arctic) and Lady Franklin when Sir John was the governor of Van Dieman's land (as Tasmania was then called). It was sort of an experiment for the Franklins to see if they could change her into a proper English lady. They brought her to live with them and their daughter in the Governor's Mansion, dressed her in English clothing and had her tutored with their daughter. Other than that they practically ignore her and Mathinna is lonely and depressed. In England a well-born but poor young woman, Evangeline, takes a job as a governess to a London family where she captures the attention of the oldest son. Evangeline may be well-educated but she is very naive in the ways of love and she becomes pregnant. When she is found with a ruby ring that the young man gave her she is charged with theft and sent to Newgate Prison. She is sentenced to be transported. Hazel, the daughter of a Glasgow healer, who has been sentenced to the same for stealing a silver spoon befriends her. On board the ship Medea Hazel concocts remedies for the crew and prisoners alike, eventually assisting the ship's surgeon. As one of the few literate prisoners Evangeline also comes into contact with the surgeon. When it comes time for her to give birth Hazel assists the surgeon to deliver a healthy baby girl. In Tasmania Hazel is sent to work in the Governor's Mansion where she encounters Mathinna. Recognizing how lonely the girl is Hazel treats her with kindness. Evangeline is separated from her daughter who is sent to an orphanage. She manages to see her about once a week but is desperate to have more contact. All three of these main characters will overcome their travails but I won't spoil the book by revealing any more.

When the Franklins left Van Dieman's Land they left Mathinna behind without a second thought. It certainly gave me another view of Sir John and Lady Franklin from the one portrayed by all the books written about the loss of Franklin Expedition which was only two years after they callously abandoned Mathinna.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Digital audiobook performed by Caroline Lee
3.5***

Historical fiction that looks at the issues of “transport” wherein women convicted of crimes were sent to Australia territories to “work off” their sentences. Kline also deals with the issues surrounding colonialist’s treatment of the indigenous population, with the story of Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of an Aboriginal chief, who is taken in by the new governor of Van Diemen’s Land (now known as Tasmania).

Evangeline, a governess in a “respected household”, is arrested on a trumped-up charge when her pregnancy is discovered. Hazel, a skilled midwife and herbalist who has had to live by her wits from a young age, is arrested for stealing a silver spoon. Hazel is canny and a seasoned survivor, while Evangeline is naïve despite her education, and unprepared for motherhood. On the journey aboard a former slave ship the unlikely pair form a friendship.

Meantime, Mathinna is being educated to be shown off to the governor’s associates as a “triumph” of Western education and values. She is little more than a living doll to the governor’s wife. But she never loses sight of her origins.

Eventually these two storylines intersect. The treatment these women endured was brutal and dehumanizing, but Kline’s characters band together to support one another and triumph. I was interested from beginning to end, and learned a bit more about this episode in history.

Caroline Lee does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. There are a lot of characters to handle and she was up to the task.

[dara85 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Evangeline becomes a governess in England. She is seduced by the lady of the house's stepson. She is then accused by the maid, Agnes of stealing a ruby ring. However; the ring was given to her by the stepson. Agnes continues to harass and threaten Evangeline and she becomes angry and pushes Agnes down the stairs. Evangeline is charged with attempted murder and sentenced to 14 years and transport to Australia. Evangeline has a daughter aboard ship. Other prisoners help to take care of the baby. The life in Australia is hard. Prisoners are punished and treated harshly for infractions such as talking to each other. If they are lucky they get to work for the new settlers in the nearby town. If you are interested in life in Australia or this time period you might enjoy this book. Today nearly 5 million people in Australia are descended from prisoners transported from England to the area.

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Christina Baker Kline, whose last novel was The Orphan Train, now turns her attention to the transport of British criminals to a penal colony in Australia. Evangeline Stubbs, a young and very naïve governess finds herself not only pregnant by the son of the house, but also accused of theft of a family heirloom. Arrested and sent to Newgate prison she is befriended by Olive, a prostitute, who helps the hapless Evangeline survive the harsh ways of prison.

Both women are sentenced 15 years in a penal colony on an island off the coast of Australia. On the boat there, they meet Hazel, a very young girl who is being transported for stealing a silver spoon. Hazel is also a midwife & herbalist and quickly makes herself useful to both the ship’s doctor and the sailors of the ship in exchange for food and other favors

Meanwhile, the story jumps to a young aboriginal girl who is taken in by the governor of the island and his wife to see if they can “civilize” her. This sub-plot line really has little to do with the main thrust of the story and the only reason I can see for introducing Mathinna into the story is to give the reader a history lesson on the tragic treatment of Australia’s native population by the British.

For those who have no knowledge of Australia’s history, this is an entertaining way to get a beginning lesson. However, the main plot is predictable from beginning to end, making this a quick if mediocre read.

[tara35 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I did not care for this story, the writing was flat for me as were the characters. It was general a very depressing story.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very unput-downable historical fiction that brings light to transportation of prisoners and the colonization of Australia.

[mrstreme · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Exiles is the kind of book I wish I could write, the kind of book I am glad to have read, and the kind of book that makes me want to read everything else by the author.

Told from the viewpoint of three female characters, The Exiles explores what happened to two groups of disenfranchised people: women convicts from England and the original peoples of Australia. While these two groups do not have much in common demographically, through this book, you will see how they are exploited, unfairly treated, and unjustly punished. The settings of the HMS Medea and colonial Australia are almost characters themselves.

A pitch-perfect historical fiction story, Christina Baker Kline expertly takes her readers on a journey of self-discovery, perseverance, love, and family. With that said, this book is not sugar-coated. People die. People are mean. Unfair things happen to really good people. You'll turn the page, holding your breath, anxiously awaiting what happens to these characters.

This book will definitely be one of my top reads in 2021. Highly recommended to lovers of historical fiction and women's history!

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I learned much about the origins of the disturbing settling of Australia. Hadn't ever made the connection between American Revolution and the British needing a new place to send their convicts (Australia). Brings a different light to our British roots here in America.
This is a well researched book. Good story.

[karenherndon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written quick read good story
I really enjoyed it

[diana.hauser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THE EXILES is written by Christina Baker Kline.
This title is one of the selections of MPR (Maine Public Radio) ‘All Books Considered’ book discussion group. (Year 2021)
The selected books (written by Maine authors) have been brilliant.
I could never review the book sufficiently in my own words. It is a brilliant, brilliant work.
A book in the historical fiction genre, it is meticulously detailed, involving countless hours of research and study. The story begins in London, with a stint in the infamous Newgate Prison, a sea voyage on a convict ship and the Australian penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land.
“The perfect book club pick. An evocative, beautifully written, exquisitely researched historical novel that will both teach and enthrall the reader. A must-read for anyone who loves history and art.” (K Hannah)
“Kline’s deep research into characters, place and time period provides the outlines of a compelling story, which she then expertly brings into three dimensions.” (Christian Science Monitor)
The map of Van Diemen’s Land (renamed Tasmania) is fascinating and very helpful in understanding the geography and sense of place of Australia.
Five Stars *****

[smits_52 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The exiles is the story of Evangeline , an innocent governess accused of theft who winds up on a transport ship to Van Diemen's land which is now Tasmania in Australia. On the voyage she meets Hazel who had stolen a silver spoon. Hazel is a skilled midwife and healer and winds up taking Evangeline's daughter off the ship and into prison . We also meet Mathinna, an aboriginal young girl who gets taken from her home by British govenor's wife as a oddity. How this little girl is treated is deplorable. Evangeline's trreatment as a woman and a convict is also inhumane. But these are strong women characters who create a powerful story in "the Exiles". I enjoyed it very much.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about this piece of historical fiction. The historical aspects of the transportation of prisoners to Van Dieman's Land (Tazmania), the horrifying treatment of female convicts, the humiliating procedures the female convicts endured during their sentences, the racism towards Aborigines, and the sexism was beyond deplorable, yet important to know about. The plot, however, was basically predictable, although there were a couple of unexpected twists in the story. I felt that the plot was just a mechanism to tell the reader about some shameful, colonial history. Not bad, but not as good a novel as I had anticipated.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A diverse collection of women's lives intertwine due to the circumstances of their lives. A governess, a poor Scots teen, an aboriginal girl all find themselves separated forcibly from all they have known, and thrown together.

[donna.arnold · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book, well written historical fiction. This book is definitely my favorite book of 2020, highly recommend it!

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Exiles is a tale of two women; one a young lady of England who was betrayed by a man and thought to be a thief. She was exiled to New Zealand as punishment for a crime she did not commit. Her only bad act as it were was to fall in love and trust a man not of her station. He failed to do the right thing and she was left to deal with the brunt of his family's anger and the resultant pregnancy.
The other young woman is the daughter of an Aboriginal chieftan who, after his death is taken in by one of the rich white women who thinks she has the power to "change" her for the better by taking away everything that makes her who she is. It was a time of rampant colonialism and the evils inflicted upon natives in various countries is still resonating.
All in all there were the grains to two wonderful plots that could have woven together well but somehow it all fell short.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have always been interested in the colonization of Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania and have read some wonderful novels on the subject, including Richard Flanagan's Wanting and Kate Grenville's trilogy, beginning with The Lieutenant. Christina Baker Kline's latest, The Exiles, doesn't quite meet the same bar. Although she has certainly done her research and provides significant detail about the conditions in Newgate prison, on board a convict transport ship, and in the women's prison on Van Dieman's Land, for me, the characters and their stories were rather cliché. Evangeline Stokes, A person's daughter, find herself in financial distress and takes a position AZ a governess. She is seduced and abandoned by the family's eldest son and stands accused of stealing the ruby ring that he gave her. In her panic, she pushes a maid down the stairs and is charged with both theft and attempted murder. Of course, she is pregnant, a condition that makes the journey on the convict ship all the more difficult. Evangeline befriends two fellow convicts Olive, the typical good thwarted but rough tested prostitute, and Hazel, a pretty teenager who fortunately picked up herbal medicine and midwifery from her otherwise neglectful mother. The ship's doctor is another cliché: young, handsome, and empathetic. But the most predictable character is Buck, a former convict, now a seaman on the transport ship. Think of every evil sailor you've encountered in books or films, and you'll know Buck. He resurfaces near the end of the novel. Let it suffice for me to say that I found what happens quite over the top.

While I enjoyed The Exiles more than her last book (the one about Jamie Wyatt's model Christina, which I thought was truly awful), I probably won't be reading her next. Her writing is just too facile and overwrought for my taste.

Edited to add: After posting this review, I realized that I totally forgot a second interwoven plotline, that of Mathinna, orphaned daughter of an aboriginal king who is taken in by the governor's wife. Lady Franklin is a collector of what she considers oddities, and Mathinna is just another one. The governor's wife attempts to acclimate her to English dress and customs, but her project fails. Of course, that failure proves the inferiority of the black race, according to Lady Franklin. Abandoned and left between two cultures, Mathinna's story has a tragic outcome. The fact that I totally forgot about Mathinna testifies to the forgettability of the characters in this book.

[bereanna · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story about Australia’s beginning as a British colony; how the aborigines are treated and the women convicts who were sent from England to live out their sentences there. We follow an aboriginal girl who is moved to the governors house as a showpiece of what can be done to make a native act like an English lady. We also follow a governess who is unjustly accused of theft and attempted murder.

[nancyjcbs · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have been reading this novel on and off for nearly four months. I found it very difficult to return to. There is lots of misery with few signs of hope until the final hundred pages.

Set in Australia The Exiles focuses on two women. A young Aboriginal is taken away from her home to be “tamed” by an English governor. An English woman is convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison in Australia. The journey comprises much of the novel.

I would happily recommend other novels by Christina Baker Kline but this is one I’d skip.

[beckyhaase · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline
Evangeline, a young governess, is arrested on a false charge and “transported” to Australia. Her lover does not rescue her and she bears his child on the ship.
In the 1840’s Britain sent thousands of “undesirables” to exile in Australia. Baker’s book tells the story of jailing and transport from the viewpoint of an educated young woman fallen on hard times and her child. Even after transport, the exiles were still jailed and then “rented out” during the day in what amounted to slave labor until their sentences were served. The hardships of jail life and transport are set forth in detail. A parallel story is the true experience of Mathinah, a young Aboriginal woman taken from her ancestral home and “adopted” by the British governor and his wife. Hers is a sad tale sympathetically told by Baker.
This finely detailed and riveting book tells a little known side of British “transport,” a cost saving solution that also sent thousands of criminals to the present day state of Georgia. Beautifully written and well researched, this book deserves your time.
5 of 5 stars

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Exiles, Christina Baker Kline, author; Caroline Lee, Narrator
When the book begins, in 1840, two women from different homelands, backgrounds and social class are featured. Both are orphans. Both are victims of cultural and racial prejudices, of social class distinctions, of male chauvinism, and of aristocratic haughtiness that is typical for that time and place in history.
Evangeline is barely out of her teens. When her father, who was a pastor, dies, she is forced to seek employment to support herself. Few jobs are open to unmarried women, but because she is literate and socially acceptable, she is able to obtain work as a governess for the Whitstone family, in London. She finds that the servants are jealous of her intelligence, background and exalted status in the household. She takes her meals with the family, has a nicer room accommodation, and is treated a bit better than an ordinary servant.
The lower class and uneducated servants resent her presence and believe she is haughty. Naïve and unworldly, she allows herself to be seduced by Cecil Whitstone, the stepson of her employer. When he gives her an heirloom ring, she is accused of theft. She attacks her accuser, is arrested and eventually sentenced to prison in Hobart, on Van Diemen’s land (Tasmania), in Australia. On the ship taking her to the Cascades Women’s Prison, she meets other prisoners, Olive, a woman also with child, and Hazel, a young teenager. They soon become somewhat devoted to each other. Both know they will be separated from the infants shortly after they are born, and will not be able to care for them full time until their release. The children are sent to an orphan’s home on Van Diemen’s Island.
Meanwhile, on Flinders Island, in Australia, there is a child named Mathinna. She is only 8 years old in 1840. She is used to running free, shoeless, obeying her own whims and disregarding the expected decorum of polite society, of which she has no real knowledge. After her mother’s death, she lives there with her stepfather. Her tribe had been exiled to this place, years before. Her father, who had been the chieftain, had already died.
When Governor Franklin and his wife, collectors of skulls, came to her island, she went into hiding. However, when the children had entertained the Governor, she had been there dancing with abandon, in the native style. Jane Franklin noticed her. She took a fancy to her, and actually, she wished to possess her. Jane was a collector of many things. Mathinna was a dark-skinned aboriginal, thought to be savage and uneducable. Jane Franklin wanted to “tame” her and present her to her society as her very own conquest.
Mathinna is forced to leave her home without even so much as a goodbye to her stepfather. She is taken to Hobart’s Island, in Van Diemen’s land, where the governor presided. Placed under the care of her matron’s stepdaughter, Eleanor, who became her tutor, she flourishes for awhile, but never fits in and is always viewed as a kind of objet d’art.
Hazel, who had midwife skills and had helped with the birth of Evangeline’s child Ruby, begins to work for the Franklins as a household maid. She befriends Mathinna, noting how lonely she is. Convicts were able to work outside the prison, for free, but soon the Franklin’s are transferred and Mathinna is sent to the orphan’s home where Evangeline’s child, Ruby, is living, as well. The women’s lives intersect only briefly and peripherally.
As the other female characters are introduced, the reader becomes aware of the ignorance of other, largely illiterate women in society and their harsh judgment of those bearing children out of wedlock is palpable. The hierarchy of the different classes of citizens in society is illustrated through their various prison experiences which are often cruel and barbaric. Punishment for minor infractions is overly harsh. Men mistreat and mishandle them, lauding it over them with their privilege in society. Criminals who have committed offenses, great and small, even being pregnant out of wedlock, regardless of the reason, are spat upon and despised, and they are powerless to defend themselves against the aristocratic tyrants who are in charge.
Females were subjected to the societal pressures and prejudices of that time. Women had no rights, were thought to be subservient and were often punished and imprisoned because of the lies of a haughty and unfair citizenry, the word of an employer or a male. While Mathinna’s color made her exotic, viewed as a strange kind of creature, like a rare bird, she was also more despised. Children teased her and wet her skin to see if the color would wash off. Her literacy made her appear to be someone assuming a position above her station in life.
Three women, Hazel, an innocent teen who was arrested for stealing a silver spoon to aid her drug addicted mother, who was a midwife, Olive an uneducated, illiterate woman, arrested for thievery and having a child out of wedlock, and Evangeline, wrongly accused of attempted murder, theft and having a child out of wedlock, become friends while on the “slave ship” that took them from London to Australia to their place of incarceration.
While in the prison, Hazel’s skill as a midwife and herbalist becomes obvious as Olive, who seems cold-hearted, learns to show compassion and becomes a wet nurse, although much to her own consternation.
Mathinna’s life experiences seem a bit capricious and meaningless. They seem to lend truth to the idea that once a savage, always a savage, which is untrue and unkind. The good ship’s doctor, and an ex-convict from the ship also find reason to reunite again with the characters, some time later, and the results are catastrophic.
There are some elements of confusion in the novel. First, the time line moves back and forth sometimes, without explanation. Then geographic locations seem to have several names. Often the narrative picks up in a new place and a character reappears or a new one enters, in a different time frame, with little or no explanation for the passage of time or the change of situation for the character.
Caste and class march across the page replete with the snobbery and injustices of the times writ large. The Quakers are introduced into the narrative as peace loving people attempting to lessen the plight of the abused convict women without explanation. They appear and reappear without preamble, much to my dismay, at times, as I tried to figure out the reason for their appearance in the scene.
I thoroughly enjoyed most of the book, but I found that soon it became somewhat of a fairy tale with the unrealistic and somewhat fanciful knitting together of the loose threads of the story.

[janarose1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After becoming pregnant by her employer's son, Evangeline is accused of stealing a ring that he gave her. Sentenced to transport and hard labor in Australia, Evangeline is put on a repurposed slave ship. On the ship, Evangeline befriends Hazel, a teenager who is skilled in midwifery and herbs.

This was a well written and engaging book. It was well paced and delivered many surprises. The characters were well developed and very interesting. I enjoyed reading about this topic, one I've rarely seen in books. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1840, on Flinders Island, Australia, Mathinna, an orphaned 8-year-old Aboriginal girl, is noticed by Lady Franklin who takes a fancy to the child and decides to take her away from her home and what little family she has left. In England, Evangeline, a young governess, is discovered with a ruby ring, an heirloom which she claims the son of the family gave to her but he isn't there to back up her claim Worse, she is clearly pregnant. She is arrested and sentenced to be transported to an Australian penal colony. On the ship, she meets Hazel, just sixteen, convicted for stealing a silver spoon, whose mother, when not drunk, has trained her in midwifery. As Evangeline's pregnancy progresses during the months of the voyage, Hazel takes over her care. The voyage is marked by hardship eventually leading to tragedy.

When the ship finally arrives in Australia, Hazel takes over the care of Evangeline's daughter whom she names Ruby. It is here Mathinna's story picks up again as she is treated as an object of fascination, something to be brought out to the amusement of visitors. Her adopted family ensures she is given an education in an attempt to make her more interesting to their guests while taking away everything from her old life. But, most of the time, she is left on her own. Eventually, her path crosses with Hazel and they become friends.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline is a beautifully written and completely engrossing epic. Kline has clearly done her research on the history of the period and place, giving a sense of truth to the story. The chapters alternate between Mathinna, Evangeline, and Hazel and they feel like real people with distinct personalities. Even the lesser characters, and there are many, are distinctive. Kline also gives the same attention to details to every aspect of the tale as she describes the conditions of the prison, the voyage, the penal colony. She also gives us a searing account of the treatment of Aboriginals at the time - as Mathinna's story unfolded, Kline didn't opt for a false uplifting narrative and, as much as I wanted a better outcome for her, given the history of colonialism, it was the more honest one.

The Exiles kept my attention throughout and I was completely absorbed in the tale throughout. This is the first book I have read by Kline and I'm left wondering how I've missed her - I will definitely correct that oversight in the near future. It is on my list of favourite books I've read so far this year and I recommend it highly to fans of historical fiction or who love a well-written story with great settings and characters one can easily care about.

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[maryreinert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is almost a tale of "how terrible can it get", but still a good read. Evangeline is a naive young governess in a well-to-do family who believes the young son of the family is to marry her. When he leaves and she is found with a ring which he gave her, and is pregnant, she is convicted of stealing and thrown into Newgate prison. Here her troubles only get worse.

Eventually she is put on a ship to Van Dieman's land (now Tasmania) where England sent criminals - especially women as there weren't enough women there. The conditions on the former slave ship are terrible and it is here she gives birth. It is here she also meets two women who become a part of her life: Hazel, a young woman who has knowledge of herbs, etc. as her mother was a midwife, and Olive, a hard, tough-talking convict. Evangeline gives birth on the ship to her daughter, Ruby, but is thrown overboard by a particularly drunken and mean sailor.

Hazel takes over the care for Ruby seeking Olive to nurse her as Olive has also recently given birth. Arrival in Van Dieman's land isn't any better as the women are forced to work in a laundry in the worse of conditions.

A companion to Hazel's story is the story of Mathinna, an aboriginal girl who was taken from her home on Flinder's Island to be the "pet" or experiment of the Governor's wife. Mathinna learns to read and speak English and French, learns numbers, and manners; however, she can never fully leave her aboriginal ways.

Mathinna and Hazel come together in service to the Governor's family and a slight bond is built between them. However, each eventually goes their own way -- Hazel's knowledge of herbs, etc. work to save her while Mathinna never finds happiness.

A good read - especially the ending. I always like endings where I know what happened in the future.