Immersive & atmospheric fictionalised account of Mary Bryant’s heroic struggle for liberty.
Fled is Meg Keneally’s fictionalised account of one of history’s most incredible woman and is inspired by legendary Cornishwoman, Mary Bryant. Jenny Trelawney is the author’s creation and although her story adheres loosely to the known facts about Bryant’s life some elements do differ, most obviously the characters and place names. Prior to reading Fled my knowledge of Mary Bryant’s story was woefully inadequate and despite being throughly engrossed in Jenny’s story, I never lost sight of the fact that much of it is a figment of Keneally’s imagination. Despite yearning for factual accuracy on occasions, Fled gave me a much clearer idea of the trials, ordeals and final triumph of Bryant’s lifetime and Meg Keneally uses a fictional Jenny to convey a sense of the woman to whom such a feat would be conceivable.
Jenny’s story begins in the village of Penmor, Southern Cornwall in the late 1700’s when the death of her lifelong mariner father, who had raised her to be at ‘creature of the seas’, left her family destitute and her mother in a torpor of grief. Forced to leave Penmor in order to support her family she relies on her acumen and courage to survive and when a meeting with a mysterious villain demanding a share of her earnings sets her in the road to life as a highwaywoman she lives by her wits alone. After an error of judgement draws blood from her victim she is apprehended with the expectation of meeting the noose, despite her fierce proclamation that constrained by the kings taxes she had little choice but to rob in order to survive. Instead her punishment for a violent crime is seven years’ transportation to Sydney Cove, a colony in the Tasman Sea and close to Botany Bay.
Keneally’s story follows Jenny as she crosses the ocean as one of the many convicts aboard the ‘Charlotte’ and gives a colourful account of life amidst such unsanitary and brutal condition in the hulk as she is forced to sell her body to ensure protection and bears a child. Arriving at the ships destination and finding a barren landscape that stubbornly refuses to grow crops or offer much hope of sustainable living, Jenny assiduously orchestrates a marriage of mutual benefit to a Cornish seaman and it is their steady union that sees her husband placed in charge of fishing. It is use of the governor’s cutter that sets in motion Jenny’s audacious plan for escape via narrowboat and it is this journey, her resourcefulness and vision of a better future that impels her to take risks beyond measure.
There were occasional moments where I felt the story did flag and lose its impetus, most notably towards the end of Jenny and her fellow convicts escape at sea from Sydney Cove, but for the most part I found the story wholly involving and unexpectedly emotional. For all my quibbles about the line between fact and fiction, if author Meg Keneally’s intention was to convey the essence of Mary Bryant, a fraction of her determination, courage and bravery, then Fled is an absolute triumph. Jenny’s unsentimental and realistic approach to life and her unstinting dedication to fighting for a better future and her children’s liberty is every bit as worth celebrating as any modern day female trailblazer. Not only is this a story steeped in atmosphere but the evocative descriptions call to life a time, conditions and experiences beyond imagination and I found it hugely inspirational. The rousing ending made me proud to be a woman and I was fist-pumping in support of one magnificent woman’s right to liberty. Compelling reading.
Jenny’s story begins in the village of Penmor, Southern Cornwall in the late 1700’s when the death of her lifelong mariner father, who had raised her to be at ‘creature of the seas’, left her family destitute and her mother in a torpor of grief. Forced to leave Penmor in order to support her family she relies on her acumen and courage to survive and when a meeting with a mysterious villain demanding a share of her earnings sets her in the road to life as a highwaywoman she lives by her wits alone. After an error of judgement draws blood from her victim she is apprehended with the expectation of meeting the noose, despite her fierce proclamation that constrained by the kings taxes she had little choice but to rob in order to survive. Instead her punishment for a violent crime is seven years’ transportation to Sydney Cove, a colony in the Tasman Sea and close to Botany Bay.
Keneally’s story follows Jenny as she crosses the ocean as one of the many convicts aboard the ‘Charlotte’ and gives a colourful account of life amidst such unsanitary and brutal condition in the hulk as she is forced to sell her body to ensure protection and bears a child. Arriving at the ships destination and finding a barren landscape that stubbornly refuses to grow crops or offer much hope of sustainable living, Jenny assiduously orchestrates a marriage of mutual benefit to a Cornish seaman and it is their steady union that sees her husband placed in charge of fishing. It is use of the governor’s cutter that sets in motion Jenny’s audacious plan for escape via narrowboat and it is this journey, her resourcefulness and vision of a better future that impels her to take risks beyond measure.
There were occasional moments where I felt the story did flag and lose its impetus, most notably towards the end of Jenny and her fellow convicts escape at sea from Sydney Cove, but for the most part I found the story wholly involving and unexpectedly emotional. For all my quibbles about the line between fact and fiction, if author Meg Keneally’s intention was to convey the essence of Mary Bryant, a fraction of her determination, courage and bravery, then Fled is an absolute triumph. Jenny’s unsentimental and realistic approach to life and her unstinting dedication to fighting for a better future and her children’s liberty is every bit as worth celebrating as any modern day female trailblazer. Not only is this a story steeped in atmosphere but the evocative descriptions call to life a time, conditions and experiences beyond imagination and I found it hugely inspirational. The rousing ending made me proud to be a woman and I was fist-pumping in support of one magnificent woman’s right to liberty. Compelling reading.