The Playmaker (Paperback)

Clark's task is the staging of a play in celebration of the king's birthday. Assembling a cast from the convicts, he's confronted with a range of personalities from house maids to forgers. Keneally's research has dredged up backgrounds of these transported felons; the thieves' guild oath is a particularly fine touch. His real talent, however, is in presenting this material through his characters . Each of his figures projects a reality surpassing other writers of historical fiction. While his descriptive narrative may make modern allusions, none of his persona are dragged out of their original time frame. Ralph Clark is particularly well drawn. Keneally has a special talent for presenting us with an 18th Century man's feelings and aspirations as much as it's possible for us to know them.

That this book has been returned to the active sales list is a testament to its value. It should be read by more people. The 18th Century setting is less important than what Keneally has to say about people. Add this book to your shelves with confidence. It's worth more than a single read.

The characters and incidents described are based on fact, and is an excellent snapshot of Australian history.

The young protagonist, Ralph Clark, is given the responsibility of staging the play using convict actors. Ralph loves his wife and child back home but comes to feel the isolation of the new colony, descibed by Keneally a new planet.

The sense of isolation is one of the most compelling aspects of the colony as Keneally makes clear. Using imagery of planets and the universe - a comparison can be made with the isolation that would be felt if we settled a colony on Mars or a moon of Jupiter today, and affects all the characters.

As an Australian I found the novel fascinating. The sense of isolation and distance of the story is even greater if you know some Australian history.

The most surrealistic aspect of the novel for me is the knowledge that about 6 months after the story closes the colony's food began to run out. By the time relief ships arrived 12 months later (bearing food, news and more convicts) the colony was virtually starving. The Playmaker represents the lull before the famine, and is more poignant to me for the knowledge of what is about to befall the characters.

Lt. Ralph Clark's decision to produce George Farquhar's early 18th century comedy, The Recruiting Officer, with an all-prisoner cast leads to many emotional conflicts. Though the play provides the participants with a way to achieve a measure of dignity, they must still bow to the strictures of the colony off stage. Many prisoners wield cruel powers over other prisoners, while Marines and administrators exert power over both the prisoners and the aborigine inhabitants of the area. The church imposes additional restrictions on behavior. Against this backdrop of the restrictions on their lives, Keneally's characters are set in high relief, their humanity contrasting sharply with the impersonal forms of government which are imposed upon them.

Meticulously depicting 18th century England, its government, its penal system, and its social structure, along with early Australia, its first western inhabitants, the decimation of the aborigine population, and the social conflicts faced by its characters, this is one of Keneally's greatest novels, a timeless story based on real journals, stunning in its effect.