The Lieutenant Book

Daniel Rooke was five years old when it was confirmed to him how different he was from his peers. His love of numbers set him apart, made him a person to tease and ridicule, and this was his life until in 1775 and at thirteen, he met Dr Vickery who was a kindred spirit. His love of astronomy lit a passion and enthusiasm which would last Rooke his lifetime.

As a lieutenant who narrowly avoided death during the war, Daniel was assigned to the First Fleet which arrived in New South Wales in 1788. The rugged country was filled with aggressive but fearful natives and when Sydney Cove was named, the settlement in the new country began. Rooke's great desire was to locate an area where he could live and work quietly and without the company of the other men; his observance of the night skies - so different to home - and the anticipation of the predicted Halley's comet, excited him.

But it was Rooke's friendship with a young Aboriginal girl named Tagaran which caused his life to change…

The Lieutenant is a fictionalized version of the life of William Dawes (Rooke), of the Marine Forces which landed with the First Fleet in 1788. Aussie author Kate Grenville has made it easy to feel empathy for Daniel Rooke; to take his journey with him and feel his heartache, his uncertainty and the connections he made. Recommended.