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There are currently 17 member reviews
for The Lieutenant
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Susan B. (Cape Coral, FL)
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
This book is a great read. Kate Grenville writes with a prose of words that become a visual and mental picture. The historical background adds a new dimension to a story you may think you know. Questions of culture and morality left me thinking about this book long after I finished it. Book clubs will enjoy this as will readers who liked The Forgotten Garden or Olive Kitteridge.
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Maryanne K. (Spanaway, WA)
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
This book explores the huge themes of friendship, the conflict between cultures, and courage. As one man discovers himself he finds that he has it within him to follow his conscience no matter what the cost. All intertwined with the magic of language, mathematics, and astronomy. The prose of Kate Grenville is stunning, almost poetic at times, and very readable. This book should have strong appeal for book groups. I will be reading it again, as well as some of Kate Grenville's earlier books.
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Susan K. (dartmouth, MA)
The Lieutenant
A quiet, thought-provoking account of a socially inept loner (based on the actual lieutenant William Dawes), The Lieutenant explores a host of questions: what is friendship; to whom should one be loyal; are the values one is brought up with necessarily good for all societies, and if not - what to do about it? Of particular interest to me was the way in which the author portrayed the young lieutenant's burgeoning preoccupation with the intricacies of the aboriginal language and culture. I very much liked Grenville's use of language and am looking forward to reading an earlier book of hers, "The Secret River" next.
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Jean T. (Paducah, KY)
Good, but I wanted more!
This book was my introduction to the writings of Kate Grenville, and I must say I am delighted to have finally made her acquaintance and plan to read more of her work. I thoroughly enjoyed the lush, lyrical power of her descriptive prose. However, I finished this book wanting more, wishing that she had explored the weightier themes more deeply. I think this is a good book, well worth reading, but feel the author missed the opportunity to develop it into a great book with a more powerful story.
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Bibliophile (New England)
The Lieutenant
Daniel Rooke was a lonely child, misunderstood by not only other children, but by his parents as well. He found comfort in books and astronomy. As an adult, he prefers solitude yet surprisingly he is able to form strong relationships with his fellow marines.
Rooke forges an unlikely friendship with a young Aboriginal girl, and their lives are forever changed.
I was so deeply moved by the treatment of the Aboriginal people.
The Lieutenant is a touching story, beautifully written, and thought provoking. The narrative was engaging, and my only complaint was that I wished the story was longer. Historical fiction fans should enjoy this book. I had not read Grenville's earlier book, The Secret River, but plan to do so now.
Recommended.
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Madeline M. (Sarasota, FL)
A Novel of Discovery
Author Kate Grenville has a new fan! Her simple and straightforward style belies a depth and complexity of both story and characters. This is not only a novel of science and exploration, but also of discovery - discovery of place and peoples and language, discovery of self and purpose.
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Katherine Y. (Albuquerque, NM)
Interesting subject, lovely writing, but too short
Ms. Grenville book has some lovely imagery and great writing and the historical theme is very interesting, but overall it seems that not enough time is spent on any of the elements of the story. I was left wishing for a deeper examination of the characters and events. Recommend reading English Passengers by Matthew Kneale, a book with a similar subject but deeper exploration of story and characters.
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