具体描述
Book Description
A seafaring story with a twist -- the incredible voyage of a shipload of "disorderly girls" and the men who transported them, fell for them, and sold them.
This riveting work of rediscovered history tells for the first time the plight of the female convicts aboard the Lady Julian, which set sail from England in 1789 and arrived in Australia's Botany Bay a year later. The women, most of them petty criminals, were destined for New South Wales to provide its hordes of lonely men with sexual favors as well as progeny. But the story of their voyage is even more incredible, and here it is expertly told by a historian with roots in the boatbuilding business and a true love of the sea.
SiGn Rees delved into court documents and firsthand accounts to extract the stories of these women's experiences on board a ship that both held them prisoner and offered them refuge from their oppressive existence in London. At the heart of the story is the passionate relationship between Sarah Whitelam, a convict, and the ship's steward, John Nicol, whose personal journals provided much of the material for this book. Along the way, Rees brings the vibrant, bawdy world of London -- and the sights, smells, and sounds of an eighteenth-century ship -- vividly to life. In the tradition of Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea, this is a winning combination of dramatic high seas adventure and untold history.
Synopsis:
In July 1789, 237 women convicts left England for Sydney Cove in Australia's New South Wales on board a ship called the Lady Julian. The women, most of them petty criminals, were destined to provide the colony's hordes of lonely men with sexual favors as well as progeny. This is the enthralling story of that extraordinary group of women and their voyage halfway around the world.
Historian Sian Rees delved into court documents, letters and journals to extract firsthand accounts of the women's experiences on board a ship that both held them prisoner and offered them refuge from their oppressive existence in London. Forced by the economy of the times to beg, steal and sell themselves, the women of the Lady Julian defined resourcefulness, and set up profitable businesses in their various ports of call. Many formed relationships with the ship's officers and sailors, and when the ship landed in New South Wales, they had newborn babies to show for it. At the heart of this riveting history is the passionate relationship between Sarah Whitelam, a convict, and the ship's steward, John Nicol, whose personal journals provided much of the material for this book.
Along the way, Rees brings the sights, smells and sounds of an eighteenth-century ship vividly to life. Rollicking and exhaustively researched, The Floating Brothel ends with a grand beginning - the landing of these "disorderly girls" on a rugged continent that they would make their own.
From Publishers Weekly
In July 1789, the Lady Julian set sail from England, bound for the penal colony at Sydney Bay, New South Wales, and bearing some 240 women sentenced, mostly for petty crimes, to "transportation to parts beyond the seas." The intention of this voyage was twofold: to relieve overcrowding in British jails and t0 provide sexual comfort and eventually children to the male prisoners, from whom nothing had been heard in more than a year. One year later, the ship arrived, its cargo augmented by a number of infants born along the route to the "wives" of her officers and crew. But when it finally dropped anchor, the Lady Julian proved something of a disappointment to the half-starved colonists, who had been hoping more for food than for recreation. The colony was eventually resupplied with food, and these women, salvaged from jails and saved from the gallows, survived and occasionally prospered. Rees descends from a Cornish shipbuilding family and, in her first book, marvelously evokes the sounds and sights of a ship under sail. She is just as good ashore, where her meticulous scholarship vividly re-creates the social conditions of late-18th-century England that produced both the criminal activities of her subjects and the terms of their punishment. Despite the title, relatively little space is given to sexual hi-jinks on the high seas. Instead, Rees uses every scrap of information she can muster to produce a lively, vibrant sense of these women as they must have lived their lives. 17 illus. (Mar.)Forecast: This outstanding debut sheds light on a fascinating, dark corner of history and will appeal to readers of women's studies; good reviews should also help it reach a wider audience.
From Library Journal
A Cornish Oxford graduate from a boat designer/builder family, Rees grants us a witty, learned, fun read. This work of nautical history recounts the 1789-90 voyage from England to Australia of a ship full of female convicts. The book covers the women's crimes, trials, and appalling jails back home, which for many put a more favorable cast on the prison ship and the near-starving colony receiving them in Sydney Cove. Using primary sources (including court, colonial, and ships records; the ship's cooper's memoirs; and other convict transport accounts), Rees weaves her spell. Following custom, officers and sailors took shipboard "wives," leading to enforced separations of lovers and of parents and infants. Given the alternatives, these unions were apparently not coerced. In exchange, the select gained comforts, privileges, and protection from convict gangs. The Lady Julian was the first Second Fleet vessel to reach the despairing, fledgling colony. Rees fills gaps with judicious speculation and corrects modern assumptions by providing historical context. Aimed at a wide audience, this history is highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Nigel Tappin, Huntsville, Ont.
About Author
SiGn Rees was born and brought up in Cornwall, England, in a family of boatbuilders and designers. She holds a degree from Oxford University and first became interested in the Lady Julian and the transportation of female convicts to Australia while she was living in Sydney. This is her first book.
Book Dimension
Height (mm) 240 Width (mm) 168
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评分《The Floating Brothel》这个书名，就像一个古老而又充满诱惑的海图，吸引着我深入探索。我知道，这本书所描绘的世界，必定充满了尘埃与荣光，充满了挣扎与希望。我期待着作者能够以一种极其细腻且富有感染力的笔触，为我展开一幅波澜壮阔的画卷。我尤其想了解，在那个特殊的“浮动妓院”里，生活着怎样的一群人？他们的故事又是怎样的？我期待着作者能够深入挖掘书中女性角色的内心世界，展现她们的坚韧、她们的脆弱、她们的梦想，以及她们在困境中如何寻找生存的意义。我希望作者能够用一种既深刻又不失温情的方式来叙述，让读者能够感受到她们的痛苦，但同时也能够看到她们身上闪烁的人性光辉。我希望这本书不仅仅是描绘一个充满争议的场所，而是能够通过这个场所，去折射出更广阔的社会现实，去探讨人性的善与恶，去审视那个时代的文化和道德观念。我期待着，在读完这本书后，我能够对那些曾经被遗忘的故事有更深刻的理解，并且，能够从那些人物的命运中，获得某种启示。
评分我对《The Floating Brothel》的期待，源于它名字背后所蕴含的强烈戏剧张力。我知道，这不是一本轻松读物，而是一次深入人性幽暗之处的探索。我希望作者能够以一种极其写实、甚至是残酷的笔触，展现那个被边缘化的世界。我期待着书中能够刻画出在这个“浮动妓院”中生存的形形色色的人物，特别是女性角色，她们的命运如何？她们在绝望中如何寻找生存的希望？我希望作者能够深入挖掘她们的内心世界，展现她们的痛苦、她们的屈辱，同时也要捕捉到她们身上可能存在的尊严和反抗。我期待着故事情节能够引人入胜，但更重要的是，我希望作者能够用一种不带评判的态度，去呈现这些人物，让读者能够理解她们的处境，而不是简单地去谴责。我希望这本书能够引发我对于社会底层人群生存状态的思考，以及对于人性复杂性的深刻认识。我期待着，在阅读的过程中，能够被书中人物的命运所牵动，并且在合上书本之后，仍然能够感受到一丝震撼和思考。
评分当《The Floating Brothel》这个名字映入眼帘的时候，我的脑海里立刻勾勒出一幅充满波涛、烟雨朦胧的画面。我知道，这本书注定不是一个轻松愉快的旅程，而是一次深入人类情感和生存边缘的探索。我期待着作者能够以一种极具感染力的文字，将我带入那个充满矛盾和挣扎的世界。我希望书中能够展现那些生活在“浮动妓院”中的女性，她们的命运是怎样的？她们是如何在这种环境中生存下来的？是选择顺从命运的安排，还是在暗中积蓄着反抗的力量？我非常关注作者在刻画这些人物时，能否展现出她们复杂而真实的一面，她们的痛苦、她们的无奈，以及她们内心深处可能存在的对美好生活的向往。我希望作者能够用一种既深刻又富有同情心的方式来叙述，让读者能够理解这些人物的处境，而不是简单地评判。我期待着故事情节能够跌宕起伏，但同时又不失细腻的情感描写，让我在阅读过程中能够被深深地吸引，并且对书中人物产生共情。我希望这本书能够不仅仅停留在描绘一个特殊场所的故事，而是能够引发我对社会、对人性的一些更深层次的思考。
评分当我第一次看到《The Floating Brothel》这个书名时，心中涌起了一股强烈的探究欲望。它仿佛是一个隐藏在历史深处的秘密，等待着被揭开。我期待着作者能够用她非凡的叙事能力，将我带入那个充满烟雨和传奇色彩的世界。我尤其关注书中女性角色的刻画，她们的命运在那个特殊的时代背景下，想必充满了艰辛与不公。我希望作者能够以一种真实且富有同情心的笔触，展现她们的坚韧、她们的无奈，以及她们在困境中可能存在的微弱反抗。我期待着故事情节能够跌宕起伏，引人入胜，但同时，我更希望作者能够深入挖掘人物的内心世界，展现他们复杂的情感和矛盾的挣扎。我希望这本书能够不仅仅是一个关于特定场所的故事，而是能够通过这些人物的命运，引发我对人性和社会现实的深刻思考。我期待着，在阅读的过程中，能够与书中的人物产生共鸣，并且在合上书本之后，能够对那个时代以及那些被遗忘的人们，有了更深的理解和感悟。
评分拿到《The Floating Brothel》的瞬间，我的脑海中立刻浮现出那些关于海上生活的古老传说，以及那个充满神秘色彩的职业。我猜想，这绝对不是一本轻松愉快的读物，而是一次深入人性黑暗角落的探险。我期待作者能够以一种极其写实甚至有些粗粝的笔触，展现那些生活在社会最底层，被文明抛弃的人们的真实状态。我希望能看到他们如何在这种极端环境下挣扎求生，他们之间的关系又是如何的复杂扭曲。我尤其关注那些女性角色的命运，她们的经历无疑是这本书中最具冲击力的部分。我希望作者能够毫不避讳地展现她们的痛苦、屈辱，但同时也希望能够找到她们身上闪烁的尊严和微弱的反抗。这种反抗可能不是惊天动地的，而是渗透在每一个细微之处，是对命运不屈的呐喊。我希望作者能够用一种不带道德审判的视角，去呈现这些人物，让他们活在纸上，而不是成为作者的工具。我期待着作者能够营造出一种压抑、窒息，但又充满生命张力的氛围，让读者能够身临其境地感受到那个时代的艰辛和人性的复杂。我希望这本书能够让我看到，即使在最黑暗的环境中，也可能存在着一丝希望的火苗，而那份希望，或许就藏在最卑微的人物身上。
评分《The Floating Brothel》这个书名，就像一个古老而神秘的符号，在我心中激起了层层涟漪。它预示着一个被遗忘的角落，一群被命运捉弄的人，以及一段充满艰辛和不为人知的岁月。我拿到这本书，仿佛踏上了一艘驶向未知海域的船，我期待着作者能够用她精湛的笔触，为我描绘出一幅幅生动而感人的画面。我最想了解的是，在这个特殊的“浮动妓院”里，人们是如何生活的？他们的日常是什么样的？他们之间的关系又是如何的？我尤其关注书中女性角色的塑造，她们的命运无疑是这本书的核心。我希望作者能够深入挖掘她们的内心世界，展现她们的挣扎、她们的痛苦，以及她们身上可能存在的坚韧和智慧。我期待着作者能够用一种深刻而不失温度的笔调，去描绘她们的故事，让读者能够感受到她们的无奈，同时也能够看到她们身上闪烁的人性光辉。我希望这本书不仅仅是一个关于禁忌场所的故事，更是一次对那个时代社会现实的深刻反思，以及对人性的复杂和多样性的探讨。
评分这本书的封面就足够吸引人了，深邃的夜色下，一艘孤零零的船只在波涛汹涌的海面上若隐若现，仿佛承载着无数不为人知的秘密。我拿到这本书时，就被这种压抑而又带着一丝神秘的氛围所感染，迫不及待地想要翻开它，探寻其中的故事。作者的文字功底可见一斑，开篇便以极其细腻的笔触描绘了海上的景象，浪花的每一次翻涌，船身每一次摇曳，都仿佛真实地呈现在我眼前。而人物的塑造更是立体而饱满，即使是初次登场，也能感受到他们内心的挣扎与渴望。我尤其对那些在命运洪流中挣扎的小人物们感到好奇，他们的生活究竟是怎样的？又有着怎样的故事？我总觉得，最动人的情节往往藏匿在那些平凡人物的命运转折之中，而这本书，似乎就有这样的潜力。我期待着故事能够循序渐进地展开，让我一步步走进那些人物的世界，感受他们的喜怒哀乐，见证他们的成长与蜕变。我猜想，这本书不仅仅是关于一个地方，或者一群人的故事，更可能是一次对人性深处探索的旅程，那些隐藏在表象之下的真实情感，那些在压抑环境中迸发出的生命力，都将是让我沉醉其中的关键。我希望作者能够用她独到的视角，为我呈现一幅波澜壮阔的人生画卷，让我不仅仅是作为一个旁观者，更能与书中的人物一同呼吸，一同感受。
评分《The Floating Brothel》这个书名，就如同海面上的一抹暗影，带着神秘和一丝危险的气息，勾起了我强烈的好奇心。我迫不及待地想翻开它，去探索隐藏在名字背后的故事。我期待着作者能够以一种极其引人入胜的方式，为我展现那个特定的时代背景和地理环境，让我能够身临其境地感受到那个世界的独特魅力。我最想知道的是，在这个“浮动妓院”里，生活着怎样一群人？他们的生活是怎样的？他们的命运又将如何？我尤其关注书中女性角色的塑造，我希望作者能够深入挖掘她们的内心世界，展现她们的坚韧、她们的脆弱、她们的挣扎，以及她们在绝望中可能存在的希望。我期待着故事情节能够跌宕起伏，但更重要的是，我希望作者能够用一种深刻而不失温度的笔调，去描绘这些人物，让读者能够感受到她们的痛苦，但同时也能够看到她们身上闪烁的人性光辉。我希望这本书能够不仅仅停留在描绘一个充满争议的场所，而是能够通过这些人物的故事，引发我对人性和社会现实的深刻思考，让我对那些被遗忘的角落，有了更深的理解和感悟。
评分当我拿到这本《The Floating Brothel》时，我怀着一种既期待又有些忐忑的心情。我对“浮动妓院”这个名字本身就充满了遐想，它预示着一个边缘化的、充满禁忌的场所，也暗示着其中可能发生的种种不为人知的事件。我希望作者能够深入挖掘这个特殊环境下的生存状态，展现那些被社会边缘化的人们的生活图景。我特别关注故事中女性角色的刻画，她们在这种环境下将如何自处？是选择屈从，还是奋起反抗？她们的内心世界是否同样复杂而充满矛盾？我期待作者能够突破脸谱化的描绘，赋予她们鲜活的生命力，让我看到她们不仅仅是符号，更是有血有肉、有思想、有情感的个体。我也对故事的时代背景和地理环境充满了兴趣，是怎样的历史和社会因素造就了这样一个“浮动妓院”的存在？它又处于何种地理位置？这些背景设定无疑将为故事增添一层厚重的历史感和地域风情，让我能够更深入地理解人物的处境和选择。我希望作者能够以一种写实又不失人文关怀的笔触，将这个充满争议的主题呈现出来，让我看到在黑暗中也可能闪烁着人性微光的故事。我希望它能够引发我的思考，让我对社会底层人群的生活有更深刻的认识，甚至对人性的复杂和多面有更深的理解。
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