Dangerous Women

Dangerous Women tells the story of the women on the Rajah, a transport ship headed for what would later become Tasmania. 200 women all sentenced to transportation for various crimes many of them minor they are packed on board for three months in less than salubrious conditions.
The story is told through three women; Kezia the 23 year old matron who believes In redemption through work and enterprise, Clara who is trying to escape her past and build a new life with a stolen second chance and Hattie who is murdered on board.
As Kezia tries to find out who murdered Hattie we get a glimpse into the lives of the women on board how they came to be there, what they have left behind and what they hope to find in their new lives.
Adams has based the story on a real transport ship, Kezia and Captain Fergusson were real people and this gives the story added weight. It is an exploitation of the lives of Victorian women, the limitations they faced and the consequences for stepping outside of them.

Based on a true story this historical fiction was truly emotional. The women and a few children were sent to Australia for petty crimes. They were doing what they needed to do to survive.

I found this book heartbreaking and sad but also uplifting and inspirational. I found the coming together to make the quilt really heartwarming. It is really beautiful. I enjoyed the history of the quilt it was a good read.

A remarkable read and so fascinating! Inspired by the story of the Rajah quilt which was made by the female convicts taken from London to Tasmania on the Rajah ship. They had three months to travel and they made the most amazing quilt on the way. The material having been gifted by a charity - the Ladies Society of the time. Someone from that society was allowed to travel on the ship if they looked after the welfare of the prisoners. You can actually see the quilt now in the National gallery in Canberra. Imagine a quilt holding so many hopes, dreams, fears and tears of the women on board. All their stories intertwined with the threads of history.

The author has done some amazing research and woven it into the novel like an expert seamstress.

A cleverly written and engaging novel about a part of history that I’ve never considered - the convicts sent to Australia. Told from the perspective of three women - two prisoners and the matron - this is a murder mystery which slowly unfolds going back and forth between the beginning of the journey and then the investigation of the stabbing. It shows the huge difference between the rich and poor particularly for women. I recommend this brilliantly researched novel. It is as bright and colourful as the patchwork that the women work in during their three month journey.

Historical fiction based on true facts.

200 women, petty criminals, sail on ship Rajah from England to Tasmania. Some begin to work on a big patchwork quilt, which connect them in many ways. Each woman is different, they are practically the parts of a big patchwork, everyone with their own story.
One of the woman is murdered, the killer is unknown. Who is it and is everyone really who they claim to be?

Beautiful written novel about love, sadness, awful battle for survival and especially about women and their role in history.

I sat down and read Dangerous Women in one go. I don't think I could have put it down if the house was on fire! Kezia, Sarah, Hattie, Emily and the others gripped me so strongly and I was genuinely desperate to understand the mysteries behind them.

YESSS. I love a well researched historical fiction so this was a massive hit for me. I knew nothing of the Rajah quilt before this book and have been thoroughly entranced by the story of it - I cant wait to do my own research into it now!

The story itself is a great page turner, I felt that it moved at a really nice pace and the fictional aspect of the plot was exciting and a great murder mystery that kept me guessing throughout. A real joy to read. 5/5.