Bring Larks And Heroes

On a personal level this reminded me in style of Voss by Patrick White. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1734167.Voss

The differences being that the story itself was stronger, the occasional stream of consciousness delivery at least made sense and I found the characters believable. Voss I detested for confusing me. Bring Larks and Heroes on the other hand never once made me feel like I was missing something.

As far as the story goes it was grim reading. The brutality of a convict settlement, in what I presumed was present day Sydney, made harsh reading. There was a foreboding sense of danger throughout the book that culminated in an ending that was sadly gripping. The main protagonist, Halloran, was a character I could relate to. He was not saccharine sweet by any stretch of the imagination but had a humane touch and was consciously thoughtful in a manner that made him compelling.

Only my 2nd Keneally, I read the more well-known Schindler's Ark many years back, but I may read him some more. Very good.