The Exiles

In "The Exiles," Christina Baker Kline weaves a powerful tale of three women in nineteenth-century Australia whose lives intersect amidst their struggles for redemption and freedom. Following Evangeline’s journey from a naïve governess in London to a convict on a voyage to a penal colony, the narrative explores her friendship with Hazel, another inmate with survival skills, and Mathinna, an Aboriginal girl navigating the impact of colonization. Through richly detailed storytelling, the novel illuminates the harsh realities of a fledgling society while celebrating the resilience of female bonds and the quest for liberation.