English Passengers -- Matthew Kneale, Paperback

In 1857 when Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley and his band of rum smugglers from the Isle of Man have most of their contraband confiscated by British Customs, they are forced to put their ship up for charter. The only takers are two eccentric Englishmen who want to embark for the other side of the globe. The Reverend Geoffrey Wilson believes the Garden of Eden was on the island of Tasmania. His traveling partner, Dr. Thomas Potter, unbeknownst to Wilson, is developing a sinister thesis about the races of men.

Meanwhile, an aboriginal in Tasmania named Peevay recounts his people's struggles against the invading British, a story that begins in 1824, moves into the present with approach of the English passengers in 1857, and extends into the future in 1870. These characters and many others come together in a storm of voices that vividly bring a past age to life.

Author: Matthew Kneale
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Published: 01/16/2001
Pages: 464
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.04h x 5.20w x 1.05d
ISBN: 9780385497442

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 7.4
Point Value: 31
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 66993 / English Passengers

Award: Costa Book Awards - Winner
Award: Costa Book Awards - Winner

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 01/07/2001 pg. 28
Entertainment Weekly 02/09/2001 pg. 69

About the Author
Matthew Kneale, the author of several novels, lives in Italy. English Passengers is his American debut.