Historical fiction of an era! Beautifully descriptive in parts however at times my interest waned.
This is a story of Elizabeth a young girl from Devon being forced into a marriage to a person she did not like. It was not an ideal situation to find herself in because of one mistake but then to discover he is in enormous debt and the only way to repay this is for him to set off to New South Wales in Australian penal colony taking Elizabeth with him while she was expecting their first child. It must have been almost intolerable.
However, Elizabeth showed how resilient she was both as a good wife but also finding her place in a male dominated society where she made the most life.
Elizabeth integrated where possible. She also understood the situation the Aboriginal people found themselves in and the terrible burden of colonisation for these displaced people. It is a pity more was not made of this in the book
Elizabeth was the real business person in the marriage but John MacArthur claimed all the credit.
Living with a narcissistic husband, John MacArthur who was totally self-centred and extremely dislikeable person who was portrayed as thinking he was superior to all others.

I loved this novel! I was pretty sure that I would enjoy it, but didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Loved the characters and the setting, and the Grenville's writing is beautiful, absolutely flawless. I raced through it because I didn't want to put it down.

As a lover of historical fiction I was very excited to read this book and I really enjoyed the idea that it was based upon found diary entries. Whilst the early part of Elizabeth’s life was quite interesting to me, once they had set sail to Australia I found that my interest began to drop rather than build. I found the sea voyage rather oddly told, it must have been beyond disgusting and so very difficult with a child and another on the way but it was made to be more about her husband and his petty squabblings. I found the characters a little flat all but a few and it didn’t quite grab my attention in the way that I’d hoped. In some areas of the book I could read and read, others I lost interest rather quickly and had to go back over paragraphs - to the point where I was becoming lost in the narrative. I think I was expecting a little bit more grit and drama than was told. Thank you to the publisher and net gallery for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Great read for those who love historical fiction, Kate Grenville’s portrayal of the wife of the wool baron John MacArthur is sympathetically told. A young lady desperate to escape the boredom of life in Devon, herself the ward of a local clergyman, falls for a reckless narcissist of a man but soon realises her mistake. A life in New South Wales with a man she abhors ensues however Elizabeth is shown to be resilient, she resolves to make the best of her life, forming friendships and bonds with those around her, moulding her husband so that he can be managed.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for a copy of the novel in exchange for this honest review.

A ROOM MADE OF LEAVES - Kate Grenville

Kate Grenville has taken the Australian national celebration of John Macarthur as a pioneering hero and questioned why, when Macarthur spent many years in England leaving Elizabeth in charge of Elizabeth Farm, he is given full credit as the father of the Australian wool industry which played an enormous part in the success of the country. Research into the husband-censored letters of Elizabeth Macarthur led Grenville skilfully to read between the lines and so A Room Made of Leaves was born.
John Macarthur was not so interested in his army duties in the penal colony as in grabbing whatever land he could and making money. He was not a pleasant man, with a very argumentative nature and a false sense of his own superiority.
A Room made of leaves is a very readable alternative history. Elizabeth comes over as a resourceful, intelligent sociable woman who was the real architect of the success of the introduction of merino sheep which made the Aussie wool much sort after. A woman who had no choice but had to bear life with a dominating, acquisitive, self regarding husband. It is a book which sent me to Google all I could read about the Macarthurs and to come to the conclusion that Kate Grenville's reading between the lines of Elizabeth's letters home to her mother and to her friends was most likely very accurate. You won't be disappointed with this book.

I love Kate Grenville's books and was excited to read this one. It was an enjoyable and well written story about early white settlers in Australia and their impact on the lives of each other and the indigenous people. Told by one of the few women it was a glimpse into the mores of "polite society" and being married to a self proclaimed gentleman.
However, it felt quite superficial at times and not of the enjoyable depth and complexity of previous books and historical characters such as Sal and Sarah Thornhill.
Thank you to netgalley and Canongate for an advance copy of this book.

I was gifted a free eARC* of this book by the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

*eARC: electronic Advanced Readers Copy

TWs: Marital rape.

A Room Made of Leaves is presented in the form of found diary entries, the writings of a woman named Elizabeth Macarthur, confessing the truth of her life story. This tale is, in fact fictional, though Grenville presents it as a found document. Elizabeth claims that everything published about her and her husband while he was alive were all obscuring the truth of their relationship and the nature of her husband. I thought going into this book that it would be somewhat epistolary, written in a diary-like form, but Elizabeth never dared to write anything down while her husband was alive, so the book is written retrospectively.

I was already somewhat familiar with the Australian penal colonies from having read about them previously, but I had never read anything from the perspective of one of the colonisers as opposed to one of the convicts. Elizabeth is originally from Devon, but after a tryst with a solider — Mr Macarthur — she falls pregnant and they are forced into marriage. She later discovers he is deep in debt, and in an effort to earn enough to repay this debt, he takes a job in the New South Wales penal colony. The majority of the novel chronicles their lives after they depart from Devon, living in a makeshift settlement, always aspiring to more.

As this novel is written from a retrospective perspective, Grenville shows Elizabeth’s distaste for Mr Macarthur from the earliest scenes he is present in. While Elizabeth writes about her desire for him, I never felt particularly convinced by it, as her retelling is coloured by the events that happen later in the novel. Their marriage is loveless, but Elizabeth does her best to twist their relationship to her advantage, learning to never be too enthusiastic about an idea of his. She learns that by expressing doubts about his ideas, he becomes more and more determined to carry them out, and so she manipulates this to work to her advantage.

The character of Elizabeth was really interesting as I could not imagine being able to carry on being a mother and playing the role of wife after having been isolated from the only friends I knew, taken to the other side of the world to live in a barely-built colony with no real society or social interaction. Somehow, Elizabeth manages to keep on going, building relationships she can use to her advantage, using her status as Mr Macarthur’s wife to secure a place in the male-dominated society. She establishes herself as a host, and plays the role of the good wife in front of all the other soldiers in the colony, which helps to cement Mr Macarthur’s status in the colony, allowing them to claw their way up.

The novel did drag in the middle somewhat, but as it’s quite a short novel I persevered through, and the pacing picks up towards the end, perhaps to the point of rushing things. The earlier part of the novel, though, flows really well, capturing my interest enough to keep me engaged even when the pacing dropped. I also felt as though the novel was lacking something as the end approached. Elizabeth’s change of heart, and sudden affection for Australia and desire to stay seemed to come out of nowhere. For most of the novel, she is dreaming of home, Devon, and maintaining her hope that Mr Macarthur would make enough money that they could return to England, pay off his debts and make a pleasant life for themselves back in Devon. The switch to suddenly seeing Australia as home didn’t seem to make much sense to me, or have enough of a build up to be believable.

It would have been nice to have been able to see more from the perspective of the Aboriginal people, as Elizabeth does foray somewhat into their society through her friendship (and eventual relationship) with Mr. Dawes, who has managed to befriend several of the Aboriginal people and has learnt their language and their customs. Aside from a couple of scenes between Elizabeth and these people, the Aboriginal people and the effects of colonisation on them are largely missing from the book. The only other mentions of the Aboriginals is when they are attacking the settlements, destroying farmland, and the eventual ‘fight’ they are tricked into by the colonisers.

The final thing I want to mention in relation to this book is the writing style Grenville uses. Elizabeth’s voice is strong and consistent throughout the novel, and as such the writing does carry you along, but I felt like something was lacking. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly this would be — something to make Elizabeth even more unique perhaps? I just found the writing style a little simple, which I didn’t really feel fitted Elizabeth as such a strong, manipulative, savvy woman.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

This is the story of Elizabeth Veale who, through a momentary lapse, becomes Elizabeth MacArthur. Married to a man who cares little for her and who makes enemies wherever he goes, she finds resources within herself to make a bearable life.

With no option but to follow her husband to Australia, she makes the most of the rough conditions, does her best for her children and develops friendships among the settlers and transported convicts of the growing town of Sydney, New South Wales.

This is a quiet book, steadily telling the story of a woman's survival and ability to thrive in harsh conditions, both physical and emotional. There are beautiful descriptions of the landscape alongside accounts of adversity brought on by Mr MacArthur and his obnoxious ways.

Purporting to be a newly discovered account written by Mrs MacArthur herself, this novel shows us one woman's strength and determination and her ability to win through against all the odds. A wonderful book full of insight and compassion.

A room made of leaves tells the story of Elizabeth Macarthur who was married to John Macarthur. This man was not familiar to me, but according to the book’s introduction, he was a famous wool merchant in Sydney. Kate Grenville has set out to write a historical narrative from a woman’s perspective and describes how a young Elizabeth finds herself in the family way, and therefore married the arrogant John. He then decides they will be starting a new life in Australia so they embark on the 6 month sea voyage to get there. The book then follows their new life and how Elizabeth settles into this alien land.
This would be great for fans of historical or period novels, and I thought Elizabeth’s character was incredibly well written. My interest did wain slightly but that is probably because this isn’t my favourite genre of books.

Kate Grenville is one of my favourite authors and this didn't disappoint. Written from the fictional memoirs of a female settler , Elizabeth Macarther, who finds herself in a loveless marriage and forced to emigrate to a new country facing an unknown future. Rather than resign herself to her fate, Elizabeth learns more about the workings of her husband's mind than he hers. She plays his ego and gradually achieves a life that feels settled and privilaged.

I love Kate Grenville's work anyway, so it was a massive treat to get a copy of this from NetGalley. Thank you.

This is the story of the early days of the wool industry in Australia. Very, very early - Elizabeth MacArthur travels to Australia with her totally unsuitable husband when the colony is still a convict settlement. I guess those early settlers had the choice to hate or to love their new home, to regret England, or embrace Australia. Elizabeth is canny enough to embrace things. She learns to manipulate her husband as much as possible - she's a powerless woman in a man's world.

The heat of Australia, the light, the bush - they shine through this book. Grenville is great at conjuring an atmosphere. She is also constantly aware of the impact of European settlement on the Aboriginal communities, reminding you of what was destroyed as well as created.

This is a great read.

I quite enjoyed this book in parts but it didn't "sing" for me. I found I started to lose interest, the narrative seemed quite flat. At times it said far too much about something and not enough about another. For example, onboard the ship to Australia MacArthur has one of his monumental fallouts with a superior and the family has to transfer to another ship in the middle of the ocean, all the lead up to this is described in detail but not the transfer which would have been incredibly stressful and dangerous with a small baby in tow. The story had potential but the writing style was very pedestrian and it all seemed at bit dull.

"This land - this dirt and stones and trees - was connected to me now by a thousand days and nights of breathing its air, a thousand filaments of memory."

As an expat Australian, I was drawn to reading this novel about the early settlement years of New South Wales and indeed, it was also a joy to read a book set so close to family - Toongabbie, Parramatta, Sydney Cove, Dawes Point, all of the places recognisably home; and yet also, as with Elizabeth Macarthur's experience, no longer "home" in a way because new memories and foundations are laid down on the other side of the world. I had also visited Elizabeth Farm as a school excursion when I was younger but hadn't appreciated then the importance of her role.

The book also recognises that this colonial past comes at a heavy price: the displacement of the indigenous population of the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Burramattagal, Wangal and and others belonging to the Eora population.

The book is less sympathetic with John Macarthur, a despicable man, from the account given here (well before any decree of lunacy was made, which makes him much more sympathetic). I enjoyed time when the book veered away from that poisonous well and spent time focussing on the positive elements of Elizabeth's life and learning.

Thank you very much to NetGalley, Canongate Books and Kate Grenville for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this fictional account of the lives of John MacArthur and his wife Elizabeth. I knew nothing about these people or the early settlement of Sydney so it was real history lesson. I always know when I've read a good historical novel because it makes me do my own research as I'm reading, checking facts. Whilst this is fiction the author takes Elizabeth's letters as her starting point. The period, background and place are brilliantly drawn. The blend of the facts and fiction are seamless and Elizabeth really comes alive for the reader.

In A Room Made of Leaves, Kate Grenville gives us her imagined memoir of early Australian settler and sheep farmer, Elizabeth MacArthur, Elizabeth was the wife of John MacArthur,a figure well-known in Australian history, who became a wealthy landowner but was shadowed by controversy throughout his life.

Not that much is known of Elizabeth directly, but Grenville has cleverly taken the thin pickings of historical evidence (some letters and a portrait, for example) and woven them into this very colourful tale of Elizabeth's life. Elizabeth tells her own tale in full and frank honesty, from her origins in Devon, the mistake that led her into marriage with John Macarthur and her adult life as one of the first female settlers to the colony.

I thought this book was so well-written. I know nothing of Australian history, and thought the topic could be a little dry but this is far from the case. The narrative moves at a cracking pace and is full of drama, Elizabeth's clever, honest and witty voice carries you effortlessly through the action. My only fault would be that once she is successfully established at Elizabeth Farm, in part five, the story rushes its way through to a conclusion when in fact, there was so much more tale to tell. I would love to see a sequel.

Elizabeth’s story might be familiar to many women throughout time. She has not heeded the warnings of becoming a fallen woman, and finds herself with a soldier husband she neither wants nor loves and must follow him in his relentless ambition and mischief making. Their marriage bed is not filled with passion, but it nevertheless is a duty she cannot avoid. This is based on a true story of a remarkable woman who finds resources to deal with her situation in a time when all too few women had control of their lives. This is a man’s world in gold rush towns of the eighteenth century in Australia, where the natives were ridden off their lands and fell to foreign diseases. The land is full of promise and hardship, and we see both land and native through her eyes.. The author writes in a truly authentic voice of the lure of nature and true feelings, as well as the gulf of displaced people, who like the convicts will never see home again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canongate for the opportunity to review this book. It was not what I expected but I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Elizabeth McArthur . Like many women of her time she was forced into an unsuitable marriage swiftly followed by a move to Australia. Her husband was a difficult,complex man driven by self ambition and rage ,taking every opportunity to fight grievances of his own making. Elizabeth was a resourceful, intelligent woman who managed her husband as best she could by guile. This book mainly centred around her early life and her personal struggle to navigate life in spite of James. Very enjoyable.

A Room Made of Leaves is an intriguing novel about a fascinating period in Australian history.
I devoured this book; it’s an easy read. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good fast paced book and you might find you can't put this one down!

Kate Grenville once again conjures up the all encompassing world of the early settlers in Australia. Featuring a lowly positioned officer McArthur with his pregnant wife Elizabeth as they travel on the high seas for six months to reach their new army posting the story is told eloquently and tellingly from her point of view. The struggles of the early settlers with the many tensions between the native people's and the convicts Elizabeth's insights into the machinations of her husband's unstable mind. She learns to harness and manipulate his moods to their advantage and together they accumulate substantial wealth and estate in their new home. Elizabeth is a dutiful wife who tolerates her husband but finds love and passion in an unexpected place -a room made of leaves providing the discretion and privacy that she needs.
A compelling and gritty read that is a fascinating glimpse into a world we can only imagine, based as it is on detailed research from letters of the time.

‘A Room Made of Leaves’ by Kate Grenville was a joy to read. So evocative of the era that it made me feel I was alongside Elizabeth all the way. A woman of her time Elizabeth was nevertheless a modern and brave woman.