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The Secret River Study Guide

by Kate Grenville

The Secret River study guide contains a biography of Kate Grenville, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Kate Grenville's The Secret River is a sweeping tale of the founding of Australia and the moral choices that created a nation. The Secret River tells the story of William Thornhill, a poor waterman from London who is deported, along with this family, to New South Wales in 1806. The novel opens on William's first night in the convict settlement in Sydney. As William sits outside the mud hut, an Aboriginal man materializes out of the darkness. Scared for his family, William yells at the man, “be off!” The man doesn't move. Instead, he angrily repeats William's words, “be off!” In this scene, Grenville sets the stage for the conflict at the center of the novel: the battle for control of the land between the white settlers and the Aborigines…

Read the full The Secret River Summary

• The Secret River Summary
• About The Secret River
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Quotes and Analysis
• Summary and Analysis of Strangers
• Summary and Analysis of London
• Summary and Analysis of Sydney
• Summary and Analysis of A Clearing in the Forest
• Summary and Analysis of A Hundred Acres
• Summary and Analysis of Drawing A Line
• Summary and Analysis of The Secret River
• Summary and Analysis of Mr. Thornhill's Villa
• Controversy Surrounding The Secret River
• Related Links on The Secret River
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• The Secret River: Major Themes
• The Secret River: Questions
• The Secret River: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Kate Grenville: Biography