Audiobook

Finished December 6
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville, read by Bill Wallis
This story follows the life of Daniel Rooke. Touching on key points in his childhood, it focuses on his work as the astronomer with the First Fleet and its work in New South Wales. We see how, as a child, he was an outsider. He found a mentor and eventually a passion as an astronomer. Due to the lack of a job market for this profession, he joined the marines, and went to America before his trip to New South Wales.
Various things along the way influenced his interest and his character, but as he tries to establish himself in his profession in New South Wales, he not only charts the stars, but begins to establish a relationship with some of the native people. In particular he grows close to a young girl and it is his feelings around the natives and their identity that sets his future in ways he had never dreamt.
This is a book around character more than events, but the setting also plays a role. I really enjoyed the book, but found the execution of the audio inconsistent, with some varying volume and some sections were harder to hear.