Captivating reading. Patrick White is incomparable as an artist. Wonderful understated prose is sustained throughout.
This is an enthralling story. At the moment White is apparently out of favour because of his "high modernist" style. More pity to those who think so.

The Roxburghs are on their way back to England from Van Diemen’s land when their ship is wrecked off the coast of Queensland. The frail hypochondriac, Austin Roxburgh, had made the perilous journey to Tasmania to see his younger brother, the brutal Garnet, who had left England many years before to escape the consequences of his criminal activities. Roxburgh is accompanied by his wife Ellen, a farmer’s daughter. Ellen now has a ladylike veneer, the result both of her mother-in-law’s training, and living with her fastidious husband.

A Fringe of Leaves takes as its starting point the true story of Eliza Fraser who was shipwrecked then saved by aborigines. In A Fringe of Leaves, this is Ellen’s fate, and the first half of the book is taken up with establishing her background. What was it about Ellen that enabled her to survive the harsh existence with the aborigines then convince an escaped convict to accompany her hundreds of miles through the bush, living off the land?

Other reviews of White have mentioned his wordiness. A Fringe of Leaves is full of descriptions of people and places, but they contribute to the narrative and the language is beautiful.

Highly recommended. ( )

I have added this to my Reviews from the Archive series, but beware, it is more of a retelling than a review. See https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/12/09/a-fringe-of-leaves-by-patrick-white-winner-o... ( )

Au début du 18ème siècle, une jeune femme de la campagne anglaise, Ellen Roxburgh, voyage, avec son mari âgé, vers les colonies australiennes. Après avoir visité le frère de celui-ci et été témoin des brutalités se passant sur son domaine, ils repartent et s’échouent sur l’île de Fraser. Elle sera la seule survivante, et sera prise en charge par une tribu aborigène d’où elle s’enfuira avec l’aide d’un bagnard évadé. Ce livre présente bien les contrastes existant entre hommes et femmes, les différentes classes de la société ainsi que blancs et noirs dans le contexte de l’époque.

През поне половината време, което прекарах с книгата, имах усещането, че чета "Робинзон Крузо", но написана от Томас Харди. Стори ми се невероятно, че романът е писан през ХХ век, тъй като по мое мнение носи белезите на късното Възраждане в английската литература (все пак Уайт е възпитаник на Кеймбридж). Идеята на Патрик Уайт за фабулата на романа безспорно е интересна, но реализацията, според мен, е далеч от стила на средния Нобелов лауреат. Образно казано, имах усещането, че гледам модел от оригинална колекция на Долче и Габана, ушит в квартален гараж от посредствен шивач...
Централният образ на романа - госпожа Елън Роксбъро (Глойс) преминава през изключително много трансформации на житейско и съзнателно ниво, които са главна тема на романа. От резките завои в емоционалната пътека, следвана от госпожа Роксбъро, наистина ми се зави свят, и ме наведоха на неволната (и уви - неизбежна) асоциация с начина, по който Силвия Плат изгражда женските характери в своите творби. ( )