Lieutenant

Kate Grenville wrote a poignant historical novel about a lonely heart lost among the endless ocean, about love and tenderness shattering the shell of solitude, and about the care in relationships with those who are close to nature and the land they have lived on for centuries.

In 1788, colonists land on the shores of Australia with rifles and unwavering faith in the omnipotence of the British Empire. Among them is Lieutenant Daniel Rook. In his youth, an outsider and a mathematical prodigy, he is now a magnificent astronomer and meteorologist, possessing yet another undeniable talent: he communicates effortlessly with the indigenous people. Moreover, alongside him is the beautiful girl Tagaran, with whom he finds it easy to bridge the chasm of language and culture. But is such communication necessary for the white settlers claiming the richest lands of New South Wales? And why does Rook decide to rebel against the governor of the colony?

The novel is based on the notebooks of Lieutenant William Dawes, an officer of the Royal Marine Corps.