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y separately published work icon The Raking of the Embers single work   novel   historical fiction  
Issue Details: First known date: 1981... 1981 The Raking of the Embers
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Early in the spring of 1783, a young man stood in the dock of the small, crowded courtroom of Thetford in Norfolk. His offence was burglary, and his sentence - to be hanged by the neck until he was dead - was swift and merciless. The young man was Henry Cabell, and The Raking of the Embers, vividly written and meticulously researched by June Whittaker, a descendant of Cabell, is both his story and the story of the first settlement at Sydney Cove.' (Source: dustjacket, 1982 edition)

Notes

  • Dedication: To Della Scott / who provided the inspiration

  • Epigraph: 'When I was a lad, my father showed me, / as his grandfather has shown him, / how to rake the embers of the fire / and bank them over with ashes. / Before we retired to our beds / he would pour a snort of rum for himself, / and a few drops for me, and say, / "Here's to the raking of the embers, lad, / and the new flame in the morning!" / Next morning we would take away the ashes / and put fresh kindling on the embers. / Sure enough, up would shoot the new flame!' / Recollections of Walter Francis Kable / 1877-1971

  • Novel comprised of 'Part One: 1783-1787' and 'Part Two: 1788-1791'.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

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Other Formats

  • Also large print.
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Related Works

y separately published work icon The Flame in the Morning June Whittaker , London Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1983 Z1488942 1983 single work novel historical fiction 'Henry and Susannah Kable have risen from the ashes of their convict past to become settled, prosperous citizens in the fledgling colony of New South Wales...But even though they are on the other side of the world, Henry and Susannah must still come to terms with their former life in Norwich gaol...This story of the Kables' fortunes is set against a turbulent period in the colony's history, a time when the increasing power of John Macarthur leads him and the Rum Corps to challenge Governor William Bligh.' (Source: dustjacket, 1983 edition)
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Last amended 15 Jul 2008 17:50:01
Subjects:
  • Sydney Cove, Sydney, New South Wales,
Settings:
  • c
    England,
    c
    c
    United Kingdom (UK),
    c
    Western Europe, Europe,
  • New South Wales,
  • 1780s
  • 1790s
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