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A Man of Honour

The target is a man. I am the bullet.
By Simon Smith
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Man of Honour by Simon Smith transports readers to a vivid historical setting, where the protagonist grapples with societal and personal dilemmas. As he navigates the complex web of duty, morality, and the quest for identity, the story explores themes of honour and sacrifice. Set against the backdrop of historical events, the narrative delves into the challenges he must face to uphold his values amidst escalating conflicts.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy diving into tales of loyalty and ambition set against a richly detailed historical backdrop. Its compelling characters and gripping narrative bring the past vividly to life, making it an engaging read for anyone who appreciates the complexities of honour and duty.

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'I deserve to hang. I did this deed. No doubt about that. I had my reasons, though, and not the ones people believe.'

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

One fine March day in 1868, gunshots rang out at a society charity event in Sydney's harbourside suburb of Clontarf. In the aftermath, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh – son of Queen Victoria – lay close to death, while the assembled crowd seized and beat his attacker, Irish-born Henry James O'Farrell. Who was this character who began the day a complete unknown and ended it as the young colony's most hated man?

A Man of Honour is a richly textured, lyrical reimagining of O'Farrell's life, before and after the would-be assassination. Simon Smith paints a portrait of a very modern anti-hero: a man whose love for his family, his God, his birth country and his Fenian brotherhood is strong, but whose life is ultimately skewed by illness and by the cruelty of some of those closest to him.

Drawing on contemporary newspaper accounts and on O'Farrell's actual words as revealed in gaol-cell interviews, court transcripts and his own writings, Smith asks: What makes a charming, sensitive and erudite man want to arm himself and shoot the son of the world's most powerful ruler? Is he a terrorist, a patriot, a hero?

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781760687854

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 February 2023

Country: Australia

Imprint: Echo Publishing

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 472g

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Simon Smith

About the Author

Simon Smith is a respected cinematographer who has spent the last four decades shooting documentaries for Australian TV and film. He has been privileged to hear and record the stories of First Nations communities, survivors of the atom bomb and the genocide of Cambodia, soldiers and artists and thinkers of all kinds the world over. With his camera, he has travelled all over Australia, China, Japan, Indonesia, PNG and Vanuatu, North America and Europe.

'Someone in our family shot a prince' was a story told to Simon by his mother when he was a young boy. It thrilled him then, and thrilled him again when he stumbled on it, in magical ways, almost a decade ago. He knew he had to find out more, and tell the world.

Simon plunged into researching the facts behind the family story. Then he began to write. The result is his first novel: A Man of Honour. Simon lives with his partner Ron, and their beloved cat Danny Boy, on Gadigal Land at Darlinghurst - only 100 metres from where his relative, Henry James O'Farrell, was incarcerated, tried and executed.

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