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Amazon.co.uk Review
Sarah Murgatroyd's book looks beneath the myths to find the truth about the ill-fated expedition. Some of the truths are not very flattering, particularly to the expedition's leader, Robert O'Hara Burke. Burke was "a man who had never travelled beyond the settled districts of Australia, who had no experience of exploration and who was notorious for getting lost on his way home from the pub." Unsurprisingly, he made a series of disastrous decisions that, effectively, doomed all but one of the men who accompanied him on the last leg of the journey to death in the desert. By his blinkered refusal to accept the help offered by the aborigines of the region he turned his back on the one remote hope of survival. Yet The Dig Tree is not a simple de-bunking of a heroic myth. Murgatroyd, in a compelling, page-turning narrative, reconstructs the expedition in such a way that the genuine heroism of men striving against impossible odds and against their own limitations emerges. Her descriptions of the last days of Burke and Wills, as they realise that they cannot survive, are very moving. Her clear-sighted view of the follies and farce of much of the expedition, in the end, does more justice to those involved than any amount of mythologising.--Nick Rennison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Historical Novels Review, Augsut 2002
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Sarah Murgatroyd's account of the ill-fated expedition demonstrates meticulous research and a considerable capacity to imagine how the men must have felt facing dire situation after dire situation in the wild, uncharted heart of Australia. Eccentric, full of false confidence, a natural magnet for bad luck, and yet persistent in the face of anything that came his way, Burke led his team to tragic ends. Murgatroyd writes with rueful humour, describing for example their inadequate provisions which included an oak table and chairs and a bath, but pitifully few water bottles.
Woven into this fascinating story are her vivid, poetic descriptions of Australia, which have inspired me to make a trip as soon as possible.
A tragic adventure story told with humour, empathy and contagious enthusiasm.
could not put this thing down#!!!
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