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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'In August 1833, the Amphitrite, a small convict ship bound for the colonies of Australia, was wrecked in a terrible storm on the coast of France. She carried 102 female prisoners, 12 of their children, along with the captain, the crew, a medical officer and one passenger - the medical officer's wife. Only three people survived.
It was the convict era's first major shipwreck. The death of so many women and children, largely due to the incompetence and blind bigotry of those responsible for their safety, was a scandal that threatened to rock the very foundations of the transportation system. The reaction of the British Government was to cover it up, refusing to release even the names of the dead, depriving those tragic women and children of their very identity, even in death.
Gerald Stone, bestselling author and acclaimed journalist, has written a brilliant narrative recreation of the voyage and its disastrous end that brings these lost women back to life, revealing the world they lived in, their crimes, their loves, their hopes, their fears, and their final tragedy. Beautiful Bodies is a masterful and compelling work of living, breathing history.' (From the publisher's website.)
Notes
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'A mix of fact and fictions, sometimes difficult to separate, Gerald Stone's Beautiful Bodies can most usefully be described as a creative historical re-creation.' (Ross Fitzgerald, 'Under Our Skins', Australian Literary Review 4.11 (December 2009): 18)
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Dedication: To Irene, for making life such a pleasure with her vivacity, wisdom and wit
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Shipwreck Shaped Policy on Convict Transportation
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 2 January 2010; (p. 14)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel -
Under Our Skins
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , December vol. 4 no. 11 2009; (p. 18)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel ; The Saviour of Living Cargoes : The Life and Work of Caroline Chisholm 1808-1877 2009 single work biography -
Alone in Stormy Waters
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 29 November 2009; (p. 10)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel -
Off the Shelf : History
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 21 November 2009; (p. 28)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel -
Within Reasonable Doubt
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 14-15 November 2009; (p. 16-17)
— Review of A Swindler's Progress : Nobles and Convicts in the Age of Liberty 2009 single work biography ; Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel
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Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 14 November 2009; (p. 26)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel -
Within Reasonable Doubt
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 14-15 November 2009; (p. 16-17)
— Review of A Swindler's Progress : Nobles and Convicts in the Age of Liberty 2009 single work biography ; Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel -
Off the Shelf : History
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 21 November 2009; (p. 28)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel -
Alone in Stormy Waters
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 29 November 2009; (p. 10)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel -
Under Our Skins
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , December vol. 4 no. 11 2009; (p. 18)
— Review of Beautiful Bodies 2009 single work novel ; The Saviour of Living Cargoes : The Life and Work of Caroline Chisholm 1808-1877 2009 single work biography
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cFrance,cWestern Europe, Europe,
- At sea,
- 1833