A Fringe of Leaves

By: Patrick White

Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein

Returning home to England from Van Diemen's Land, the Bristol Maid is shipwrecked on the Queensland coast and Mrs Roxburgh is taken prisoner by a tribe of Australian Aboriginals, along with the rest of the passengers and crew.

In the course of her escape, she is torn by conflicting loyalties – to her dead husband, to her rescuer, to her own and to her adoptive class.

©1976 Patrick White. Originally published by Jonathan Cape. (P)2019 Bolinda Publishing

Epic

Words fail me... the only word I have for this book or any of the three books I've read by Patrick White is 'epic.'

How else would you describe this book? It's the dramatic story of survival. There's so much turbulence in this novel. White's Shakespearean command of the English language brings to life both the interior world of every character as well as the rich narrative of shipwreck and the struggle to adapt and stay alive.

Deirdre Rubenstein's performance narration is wonderful. It was fun to read and listen to simultaneously, so that you could see how White wrote the accents of various characters and how Rubenstein brought those voices to life.

"Epic." I apologize I don't have a better word for this novel. Trying to summarize the magnificence of White's prose is like trying to describe the beauty of the Grand Canyon.