A Long Way Home: The Life and Adventures of the Convict Mary Bryant

by Mike Walker

Mike Walker takes us on a journey from a tiny village in Cornwall, through the criminal stews of Georgian London, to the hold of a disease-ridden convict ship and on to the far end of the Earth. Then, in an isolated prison colony with only a few weeks of supplies between it and starvation we follow Mary Broad on a 3000 mile journey in a 20 foot boat from freedom to shipwreck and re-incarceration in a London prison cell where she faces the death sentence for the second time, or the possibility of starting the terrible experience all over again. Her salvation comes in the unlikely form of James Boswell, lawyer and gentleman who defends her case and wins her freedom. Mary Broad’s story is brought to life in Mike Walker’s hands with the help of original diaries, state records and newspapers describing the conditions and events of the day, and the incredible hardships and losses suffered by our heroine.

Genres: History, Australia

424 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2005

About the author

Mike Walker is an award-winning dramatist, as well the author of several books for adults. He traveled extensively abroad, particularly in the region around the eastern Indian Ocean, although he is now living in the UK. BAD COMPANY is his first children’s book.

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on Mary Bryant, a pickpocket sent to Australia as a convict and who managed to make her way back again. The author has researched so much that it gets clunky at times, but it's a fun topic anyway.