The Lieutenant

Kate Grenville was the surprise winner of the Orange prize in 2001, beating the Booker-Prize winning Margaret Atwood as well as Ali Smith and Jane Smiley. Then practically unknown, she has gone on to become a bestselling author, thanks to the remarkable success of Booker shortlisted The Secret River. The Lieutenant, however, is a book to rival both these novels; a wholly believable piece of historical fiction.

The eponymous Lieutenant is Daniel Rooke, a young man on an incredible journey to the wild and unknowable hinterlands of New South Wales. There he installs a observatory to measure and better understand the passing of stars and planets. But it is earthly pursuits which soon begin to overtake his life. Against a strange and unusual background, Rooke forms a friendship with a young aboriginal child - a relationship that will not only change his life, but of those around him - and across the oceans.

Quiet, tender and enchanting, The Lieutenant is a superb piece of historical imagination. Based on a true story, the narrative zips along in lucid, unforced prose that drags you in to the story. Like English Passengers and The Star of the Sea this is a classic of its kind.