Jennifer Browne

Sarjan: an Historical Novel Jennifer Browne

Sarjan is rattling good historical novel that spans twenty-five years and two cultures, as it weaves a tale around the establishment of the Swan River Colony in Western Australia. The adventures of its characters transport you from the arrival of Captain James Stirling and Thomas Peel, with the first settlers in 1829, through the skirmishes between settlers and local Aboriginals, which culminated in the Pinjarra massacre, to the Victorian Goldfields, the South African Cape Colony, the motherland and back to Fremantle. It follows the lives of three children orphaned in tragic circumstances who were rescued by tribal Aboriginals, but eventually forced to assume their given positions in contemporary society. The narrative sweeps the reader along through tales of hardship, heartbreak, despair, adventure and triumph. Written in an age where ill-informed comment is too freely offered, it is uplifting to read such a courageous book by an intelligent and impartial writer.