I love everything about this little treasure of a book. The story of the good Captain Arthur Phillip bringing the First Fleet to Sydney Cove in 1788 is familiar, but Trent Dalton’s retelling is refreshing and so beautifully written.

Great short history of the first fleet. Short tales about Arthur Phillip and his control of the 11 ships. Loved reading of the first sighting of coves and land and fresh water. Read it while sitting on Bondi Beach and finished it walking along the windy bluff at La Perouse.

Reading this book made me feel almost like I had discovered Australia! Insightful description of the journey and hardships of all on the fleet. Disappointed there was not too much reference to the indigenous people, especially as it is noted at the start of the book that it was to be written from both perspectives. Amazing really to think of the bravery and hard work of these people have led to what we are today.

A simple, easy read that paints a beautiful picture of the first fleet. Turns out there’s a lot I didn’t know about the social experiment that formed the basis of my country as it stands today... and when you think about it, what an insane project it was!

By Sea & Stars tells the stories of some of the people whose lives were changed forever by the intrepid journey of the First Fleet from England to Australia in the late 18th century. This is not a textbook, filled with dry facts & explanations, but rather a collection of vividly drawn character sketches & vignettes, drawn from diaries, letters & court records & inspired by the true stories of the convicts, soldiers and local Eora people whose lives were so dramatically altered. The First Fleet c...

A well written, concise book. After reading the introduction, I was looking forward to reading “...from two critical vantage points - the view form the ship and the view from the shore. European and Indigenous”There was little from the shore and I don’t feel that the viewpoint of the Eora people was really presented fully.

Is this man capable of writing rubbish? Because this is excellent.Discovered that his series of articles on the first fleet had been published as a book. Second discovery was finding that my local library had a copy and it was available now. The universe is being kind for once.Taken from diaries, correspondence, and official records of the First Fleet held by various libraries and archives, it takes the story from the dry sanitized version we learned at school and made it real, highlighting spec...

Read in a few hours, riveting story of Capt Arthur Phillip and his leadership of the first fleet to colonise Australia. Against all odds he delivered 1420 souls, including free men, convicts and children and led them to build the colony that became Sydney and eventually Australia. Lots of historical pictures and journal entries make the book fascinating.

Beautifully presented and researched. A different perspective.

A very readable, brief account of the first fleet and the trip to Oz. Personal anecdotes in there, snippets from journal entries. A very brief account of what it would have been like from the POV of the aborigines.

The British in Philips first fleet meet the indigenous Australians at Botany Bay in 1788. Pizarro's conquistadors meet the Inca at cajamarca in 1531. Compare and contrast.While the stories in this account are probably somewhat familiar to most Australians, it is in comparison to other colonization efforts that the Australian effort becomes so remarkable. Rather than letting loose some the nations worst it have them an opportunity to be better, and largely restrained them from their worst instinc...

A very interesting take on the First Fleet’s voyage to Australia. Written in a light and breezy style, introducing the factual backdrop of the First Fleet against some of the personal stories. The book made me admire the fortitude of Captain Arthur Phillip whilst feeling the despair of the convict group.

This isn't an academic/historical retelling but a very human re-telling of the First Fleet's voyage based on original journals and articles from that time. I wish it was longer and had more detail but it was an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this quick read detailing the journey to Botany Bay of the First Fleet in 1788. Whilst a lot of the information was not new to me, I appreciated the writing style that drew in snippets from the stories of various people - the youngest, the oldest etc. and also the way that reference to modern day times was also alluded to on occasion. The thing I liked the most was how different perspectives were explored, from the range of people travelling in the fleet to the indigenous people who gr...

I had no idea that history, even the contentious history of Australia's beginnings, could be so poetic. Dalton's prose could teach textbook writers a thing or two about a compassionate and personal recounting of the past. Focused around Arthur Phillip's vision of Australia as a nation, not simply a colony, and plenty of tales from real convicts, sailors, and First Nations people populate the narrative too. A well-rounded success of a book. I reccommend to all who have contended with a sonorous r...

This is a dazzling concise rendering of the voyage of the First Fleet and those that undertook it. Trent used information from the existing journals from the First Fleet. One of the 9 journals held in the State Library of NSW by the priggish Ralph Clark. Clark mentions my First Fleet ancestor, who was 20 when he arrived as one of the 780 convict in the First Fleet and who was transported on The Friendship, the same boat that Clark was on. It's a lovely produced little hardcover book that only ta...

Was quite a good read, especially to gain insight into the first fleet into what is now known as Australia. I thought there would have been more of a storyline, however I felt it was disjointed. It was writer like it’s a newspaper. I’m glad it was only short, as I probably would not have read any further purely due to is structure. Definitely alright for a brief insight into Australia’s history.

2.5 stars. After reading the introduction of this “dazzling” book, I was expecting more from Dalton. I did like the the excerpts from the historical journals and letters. However, I never found the promise “…from two critical vantage points: from the ship and the shore. European and Indigenous.”What happened to the view from the shore?

This is an original perspective on the story of the First Fleet. It is highly readable and I enjoyed the new way to tell the tale.I did find at times that there were characters introduced where I would have liked to know more but they were skimmed over - I suppose in such a short tale this was necessary, however I probably would have preferred a bit more depth in some areas rather than so much breadth of coverage.There was a lot made of this being about Phillip's hope and vision and I felt a bit...

A human perspective of the First Fleet, that history lessons and history books have never touched upon. Beautifully written with a nod towards the classical style of writing in which the original journals and articles were written 230 years ago. Researched thoroughly and interpreted respectfully to tell the stories of the people who made up the First Fleet, from the convicts and the officers, through to Captain-General Arthur Phillip and his vision for the colony. Not a long book, I really enjo