The Exiles: A Novel

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline was a great read. I enjoy historical fiction but find that I’ve mostly read books based on World War II, so I was excited to focus on a different time and place. I enjoyed learning more about the settlement of Australia as I’d heard reference to the fact that England sent prisoners there to help settle it but hadn’t given much thought to how it all happened. I had no idea the “criminals” were often victims of their time and a terrible system of justice. It’s really horrific how women were treated and how the judicial system worked. It makes you realize how far we have come.

The characters were interesting and very likeable, and I feel like I learned a bit about that time in history. The writing and characters were engaging. The book follows the lives of three main characters and the chapters bounce around between each character as the subject, which I enjoy, although in the end they all relate to one another. It was well written and fun to read. I would recommend this to others and look forward to sharing it with friends.