Customer Reviews

Mayne Inheritance

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a terrific story, not only about the Mayne family, but also about the early settlement of Brisbane. The rapid changes in the city during the span of this book are incredible. The changes in how mental illness is viewed and the increased flexibility of society since James Mayne died are fortunate. The family's pain from real and percieved deeds is well described and yet the way they tried to maintain a dignified front is almost unfathomable. Great read!

This book by Rosamond Siemon was written nearly eight years before this review - and it has taken me until now to read it. That's the first tragedy. This is a compelling story about a moment in the history of one of Australia's fastest growing cities, and as a resident of that city it has always worried me about how largely unaware we are of our city's history. Sydney had the First Fleet, Melbourne Batman, Hobart the saga of its convict days, and Adelaide a claim to being the only state capital that didn't rely on convicts. Brisbane had, well? I'm not too sure, but the Mayne Inheritance paints a gruesome picture of a time and a person that all Brisbanites should be aware of.

And that is the second tragedy. Without giving away the plot, a poor man makes good, but at the cost of one man's murder, the execution of someone falsely accused of that murder, a descent into madness, and a family that bears both the benefits and the costs of those actions. If it wasn't based on historical fact, it would probably have sold well as a classic tragedy.

Which brings me to the last tragedy of this book - I dont know how many copies have been sold, but I suspect that it is unlikely to receive the readership it deserves. It is not just of importance to those of us who live in Brisbane, but to anyone with an interest in how wealth and status shaped the creation of modern Australia, how mental illness was viewed, of the ambiguous role of the Catholic Church, and how society can at once fete and ostracise individuals and families as fashion and elites dictate.

Do read it, even if you are not Australian. It is not a 'pretty' story - indeed, if it wasn't so solidly based in evidence one might imagine that it was a work of tragic fiction.

After a stint working in China, I stopped in Brisbane for a few days where a cab driver told me the story of the Mayne family. Once back in Canada, I searched and found this book online. The book arrived quickly in great used condition plus a good read. What more can you ask!?

A good book, but I think someone who lives or has lived in Brisbane would appreciate it more.