The Commonwealth of Thieves

The Commonwealth of Thieves chronicles the establishment of Britain's first Australian penal colony in 1788. Thomas Keneally presents the stories of both the convicts and their overseers as they attempt to build a settlement in New South Wales. The narrative follows key figures including Governor Arthur Phillip, officers of the First Fleet, and various convicted criminals transported from British prisons. Through military reports, letters, diaries and court documents, Keneally reconstructs the daily challenges of creating a functioning society in an unfamiliar and often hostile environment. The book examines the complex relationships between guards and prisoners, colonists and Aboriginal peoples, and the settlement and its distant British rulers. The text covers the first four years of the colony's existence, from the Fleet's departure through the critical early period of establishing agriculture, shelter, and social order. This account of Australia's origins reveals themes of redemption, reinvention, and the price of empire-building. Keneally's work raises questions about justice, survival, and the human capacity to forge new beginnings from desperate circumstances.

Readers appreciate Keneally's detailed research and portrayal of early Australian settlement through personal stories rather than dry historical accounts. Many note his ability to bring alive the experiences of both convicts and officers during the First Fleet journey and initial colony establishment. The main criticism centers on the book's pacing - several readers mention it moves slowly through the early chapters and gets bogged down in excessive detail about ship preparations. Some found the large cast of characters difficult to track. "Brings humanity to what could have been a stark historical record," notes one Goodreads reviewer, while another states "too much minutiae about provisions and supplies." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (90+ reviews) LibraryThing: 3.7/5 (60+ ratings) The book receives particular praise from Australian readers for illuminating their national origins without romanticizing the harsh realities of convict transportation.

The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes Chronicles the complete 80-year history of Australia's convict transportation system through primary sources and first-hand accounts.

Botany Bay: The Real Story by Alan Frost Documents the strategic and economic factors behind Britain's decision to establish the New South Wales penal colony.

The Secret River by Kate Grenville Follows a Thames River bargeman transported to New South Wales in 1806, depicting the conflicts between settlers and Aboriginal peoples.

1788 by David Hill Provides a detailed account of the First Fleet's journey and the establishment of Sydney through sailors' journals and official records.

The First Fleet: The Real Story by Alan Frost Examines the logistics, planning, and execution of the First Fleet's mission through naval archives and government documents.

🌟 Thomas Keneally won the Booker Prize in 1982 for "Schindler's Ark," which later became the basis for Spielberg's film "Schindler's List" 🌟 The First Fleet that sailed to Australia consisted of 11 ships carrying 1,373 people, including 732 convicts, of whom 188 were women 🌟 The indigenous Eora people had inhabited the Sydney region for at least 50,000 years before European settlement, with an estimated population of 1,500 at the time of colonization 🌟 Captain Arthur Phillip was specifically chosen to lead the colony because of his experience in establishing farming communities and his reputation for being humane to subordinates 🌟 Many of the convicts transported to Australia were sentenced for minor crimes like petty theft, with some being as young as nine years old