This is an historical novel with multiple story lines beginning with the story of Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley, the leader of a crew of Manx smugglers. It is here that both the authenticity and complexity of the novel begins to display itself. Kewley is a lively character as are his fellow Manx shipmates. Apparently the Isle Of Man, according to historical sources, was home to Manx smugglers who wandered widely and that some were forcibly transported to the New World, where they endured the hospitality of Port Arthur prison in Tasmania. I enjoyed this part as it was very amusing when Kewley and crew try to offload their ill-gotten gains. But then their ship attracts the attention of Customs, and Kewley is forced to consider the indignity of taking on board paying passengers.
This is divine timing for the Reverend Geoffrey Wilson, who needs a ship to go to Tasmania to prove his theory of Divine Refrigeration. His discourse offers the rather surprising argument that the Garden of Eden is to be found within Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). Wilson has been inspired by the writings of Darwinists, who believe that the Bible is not to be taken literally when it comes to the question of Genesis and the Origins of Species. Unfortunately, Wilson's sponsor is the infantile entrepreneur Jonah Childs whose notion of a good idea would be to use wallabies as pack animals. Childs further demonstrates his poor judgement when he chooses the odious Doctor Potter as botanist for the trip who also volunteers as ship's surgeon. It doesn't take long for Wilson and Potter to realise that they are natural enemies, and it seems that we could be in for a battle of the survival of the fittest, as each take turns to try to convert Kewley's crew. No matter how he tries, Kewley is unable to dump his passengers, so off into the New World they sail.
Another storyline retreats in time to the 1820s to detail the narration of Peevay, a Tasmanian Aborigine, who relates how the 'ghosts' take over the land of his people, and drive them to extinction. He is the product of a rape: his mother was snatched by a white sealer and imprisoned on his island. She escaped, but is forever haunted by the seething hatred she feels for the man who did that to her. When his mother rejects him due to his mixed blood, Peevay yearns for his father. One might think that a novel full of individual narrators would be difficult to navigate, but Kneale handles this well with vivid and vital characters who are engaging for the reader, even when they are as unlikeable as Potter is. I found Kneale's narrative always quite stimulating as did the rest of our Thursday evening book group. He artfully brings all of these narratives to life in a masterful display of black comedy. ( )

What a hoot this one is. A rollicking story of a hapless band of smugglers who get to Tasmania. Very funny and entertaining but also touches on the dark history of Tasmania and the treatment of the aborigines. Part historical, part fiction, a bit of both and a lot of both. Unlike other books that end up neither one thing nor the other, this one gets both right at the same time. Interesting window on history where the surgeon character is based on Robert Knox who wrote The Races of Men, a profoundly influential bestseller of its age which helped form the racial views of Adolf Hitler amongst others. ( )

Highly entertaining read! A cast of bumbling Manx rum-runners is forced to charter their boat in order to pay fines. They agree to take three Englishmen from England to Tasmania. This unlikely trio is led by a reverend who believes the Garden of Eden is located there. At the same time, we have the story of the terrible effects of colonization on Australian aborigines, centered on Peevay, who has vowed to learn the white man's ways in order to better fight him. As the pirates and the garden seekers approach, it easy to see there will be a clash.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, which gives is a richness of depth. Multiple perspectives has become a common style, but in this book, it works especially well. Great story, wonderful characters...I really enjoyed it. ( )

Holy rollicking sea adventure! Matthew Kneale managed to tell a tale of high adventure while at the same time relating the story of the horrors the English visited on the aborigines in Tasmania and the horrific penal colonies established by the British state. Historical fiction at its best. I could not put this book down.

Set between 1828 and 1858 and told in alternating chapters by the individuals on board the ship, or residing on the island we hear from the ship’s owner, the three individuals who hired the boat to explore what their leader thought was the garden of Eden in Tasmania, and one very savvy aborigine boy who was the real star of the narrative. An irresistible mix of adventure, horror, violence, humor and the indefatigable human spirit make this book a sure winner. For me anyway. Very highly recommended. ( )

> LES PASSAGERS ANGLAIS, par Matthew Kneale. — À Londres, en 1857, se prépare l'une des plus grandes aventures du siècle: mû par une révélation divine, Wilson entend prouver au monde que le jardin d'Éden se trouve en Tasmanie… Pendant ce temps, de l'autre côté du globe, Peevay l'aborigène raconte les luttes de son peuple contre les colons, ces fantômes à la peau morte et aux pieds sans orteils.
-- Ce roman d'aventure exploite deux visions du monde bien différente, met en évidence le choc entre deux civilisations bien opposées, soit le monde dit civilisé, et celui qui se doit de le devenir. La lecture de ce roman n'était pas sans me rappeler notre propre histoire ici en Amérique.
Extrait : « Alors j'ai décidé de boire du rhum. J'en avais jamais bu jusque-là, ça non, parce que je savais que ce serait ma perte, et la fin de toute survie. J'avais vu des Palawas qui en buvaient, vous voyez, et on aurait dit que leur vie s'était fatiguée et endormie, au point que tout ce qui restait en eux, c'était la rage, la titubation et le besoin d'avaler encore du rhum. p. 546 ».
—Pierrot Matteau, Blainville (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)

> LES PASSAGERS ANGLAIS, par Matthew Kneale. — La littérature a beaucoup donné dans le mythe du bon sauvage. Avec Montaigne, les cannibales étaient étranges mais humains, avec Diderot simples donc généreux, avec Rousseau purs tandis que nous étions coupables. Et puis ce genre littéraire s'est éteint peu à peu ; l'Autre, de moins en moins mystérieux ne faisait plus recette.
Les Passagers anglais ressuscite le genre avec flegme et humour. Une bonne douzaine de personnages s'expriment par chapitres interposés. Ils vont tous se retrouver en Tasmanie, au milieu des années 1850, au temps d'un colonialisme qui croit mordicus à la supériorité de l'homme blanc et à l'évangélisation de l'indigène. Le capitaine Kewley achète un bateau dans une petite île du Royaume-Uni. Il se contenterait bien de faire gentiment son trafic de cognac et de tabac dans le voisinage mais le hasard, en la personne d'un prêtre qui veut tester la validité des Écritures, risque d'en décider tout autrement. Les voilà partis vers les Indes…
Roman d'aventures et fable humoristique, Les Passagers anglais emporte le lecteur dans un voyage au long cours aussi drôle que palpitant. Les Anglais sont merveilleux. Ils nous prouvent une nouvelle fois qu'ils savent encore rire et écrire. Salué par une presse unanime, Les Passagers anglais a reçu le Whitebread Prize du meilleur livre et du meilleur roman 2000.
—Denis Gombert - Amazon.fr