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  • South of Darkness

  • By: John Marsden
  • Narrated by: Paul English
  • Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (25 ratings)

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South of Darkness

By: John Marsden
Narrated by: Paul English
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Summary

Thirteen-year-old Barnaby Fletch is a bag-and-bones orphan in London in the late 1700s.

Barnaby lives on his wits and ill-gotten gains, on streets seething with the press of the throng and shadowed by sinister figures.

Life is a precarious business. When he hears of a paradise on the other side of the world - a place called Botany Bay - he decides to commit a crime and get himself transported to a new life, a better life.

To succeed, he must survive the trials of Newgate Prison, the stinking hull of a prison ship and the unknown terrors of a journey across the world. And Botany Bay is far from the paradise Barnaby has imagined.

When his past and present suddenly collide, he is soon fleeing for his life - once again. A riveting story of courage, hope and extraordinary adventure.

©2014 John Marsden (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing
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What listeners say about South of Darkness

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

What a ride! Learnt something along the way too.

Once it got going I couldn't turn this book off. From the slums of London, through rough justice to the Australian penal colonies to the wilderness beyond this story just got more and more compelling.

I learnt some things about that time and place along the way. Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this audiobook.

I've listened to Paul English before and his reading is always excellent. This was the first of John Marsdens books I've experienced and I'll definitely look for more. I thought it was a great story, it never lagged, always kept me interested.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

too many coincidences!

Well worth reading - enjoyed it a lot but a little unbelievable! The story of an extraordinary life.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great historical novel

Really interesting book about transpirtation to Australia for the convicts. Describes all the convicts had to endure well X really enjoyed it

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2 people found this helpful