The Recollections of Geoffrey Hamlyn

by Henry Kingsley

"The Recollections of Geoffrey Hamlyn" by Henry Kingsley is a novel published in 1859. This sweeping chronicle follows three families—the Buckleys, Thorntons, and Brentwoods—across nearly eight decades, from 1780s Devon to colonial Australia. After rejected proposals and elopements drive characters from England, the families emigrate to New South Wales, settling as pastoralists in the Monaro district. The story spans generations, exploring fortunes made and lost in what critics called a "pastoral Eden" that shaped Australian fiction's romantic tradition.