Sarah Thornhill (Grove, 6/2012) is the final novel of Kate Grenville’s trilogy about the settling of Australia.  William Thornhill was sent to Australia as a convict and bought success at the expense of the natives.  Now Sarah, his youngest child who is unaware of the brutality in the family’s past, falls in love with a man who is part Aborigine.  Grenville has drawn on her own family history in writing these books.  Her books are a vivid and honest recreation of the violence and social turmoil of pioneer Australia.  Strong and passionate, Sarah proves equal to the vicissitudes she meets.  Grenville’s earlier books have been well-received by both readers and critics.

–posted 6/4/2012