The Exiles

A Novel

By: Christina Baker Kline

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

An instant New York Times best seller

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 number-one New York Times best seller Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant novel about three women whose lives are bound together in 19th-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 19th-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.

©2020 Christina Baker Kline (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Wonderful Narration

This story is gut wrenching, and marvelous.
The narration by Caroline Lee is the best I have ever heard on Audible. Her voices and accents captured the the personalities of each character perfectly.

Wonderfull!

One of my favorite books ever. And Caroline Lee the narrator is by far the most wonderful storyteller. Her voice is soothing and never annoying like so many others I have listen to . I was not only entertained from beginning to end but I also learned quite a bit of history. I highly recommend this book for all women.

And enjoyable Chick Lit!

I wish there had been a little bit more history here as it was a very interesting story overall. There was good character development, though the story of my Mathena was left unfinished. A fun read that left me feeling that the story of the Governor’s wife and Mathena was rather redundant.

Best narration of a very good book! Wow!

thank you narrator for your gift of English accents throughout this very well written book. It really made the story come alive that reading it never could. Wonderful

Too short.

It felt as if the author just stopped and tied up the ends. Too abrupt of an ending. So much more could have been written about the characters. Disappointed.

Amazing Reader

The book, though very good, is brought to life by the amazing reading talents of Caroline Lee. She is able to capture multiple accents even in conversations! Truly astounding.

Excellent! I was disappointed that it ended

I really wish that The Exiles was a longer book AND a series. Excellent story and narration

Wonder story; terrible narration

This is a complex story that leaves you thinking. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t usually write reviews, but Caroline Lee did a terrible job narrating this novel. You cannot do accents, don’t read a book full of them. I was really disappointed. I managed to put that to the side and not let it ruin my enjoyment of the text.

Interesting Story

Although not a happy story, this was an enjoyable listen. The narrator - Caroline Lee - did a wonderful job. I found it very interesting to read about lives damaged & destroyed by selfishness, class discrimination, injustice and jealousy all set in the context of the convict transports to "downunder". But was happy it all comes to a positive ending.

Good story

An enjoyable listen about the strength of women convicts trying to survive their situations after being sent in transport to Australia. Somewhat predictable at times but worth listening to.