See, I have a soft spot in my heart for Australia so I'm always thrilled to find books which are set there. The descriptive narrative is a pleasure to read - a slow unwinding of a tale that never becomes boring. More "tell" than "show" but in this instance it worked for me. Yes, I have a couple of niggles - the history isn't completely accurate and the prisoner's conditions, while well-described, came off much less gritty than reality would dictate - but all-in-all an enjoyable read!