tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14676701.post5035289668049127516..comments2023-03-19T00:48:46.336+11:00Comments on Ocean without end: Who owns history?Kelly Gardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02606354441688595341noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14676701.post-58095829266137579972006-12-17T13:44:00.000+11:002006-12-17T13:44:00.000+11:00I loved Mister Pip, which I'd been dreading due to...I loved Mister Pip, which I'd been dreading due to the hype, and was disappointed by The Secret River, which I was looking forward to because of the hype. Odd. Re. The Secret River, I agree that it is a fine work of fiction. I, too, was expecting something amazing in terms of looking at the history of indigenous/settler contact, a whole new insight and perspective. I didn't get that. Grenville said in an early interview that she expected the book to be very controversial, which was part of what created my expectation I suppose. There was no real controversy over the content (as separate from her claims about history and fiction), because she was working from a perspective that had already been mapped by the historians you mention. Perhaps, because it was a new way of thinking for her about her ancestors' impact on the land (which she has also said in interviews), she projected some of that onto how readers would react?<br /><br />Interesting post - sorry to hog your comments space.Arielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17570339715916432947noreply@blogger.com