Before We Were Free: A Novel of the First Fleet
A Novel of Henry Kable and Susannah Holmes
Henry Kable and Susannah Holmes were sentenced in England and sent across the world with the First Fleet. Their baby was born inside Norwich Castle Gaol before the voyage began.
Written by J S Daley, Before We Were Free follows their story from prison and transportation to Sydney Cove and the first years of colonial New South Wales.
The novel is based on recorded events and family history, with private scenes imagined where no exact record survives.
For readers of historical fiction
A historical novel about Henry Kable, Susannah Holmes, the First Fleet and the first years at Sydney Cove.
Read the SampleWhy this story matters
A Story Inspired by the 1788 First Fleet
Before We Were Free follows Henry Kable and Susannah Holmes from Norwich Castle to Sydney Cove. The novel is rooted in their First Fleet journey and the recorded legal battle over a lost parcel, with private scenes fictionalised where the surviving record is silent.
What readers will find inside
Read the opening pages
Start with a free sample from the Prologue, then continue into the full digital edition when you are ready.
Read a Free SampleHistorical fiction
Based on surviving records
Before We Were Free is historical fiction, not nonfiction. It follows recorded public events, then imagines private moments, speech, motives and sensory detail where no exact record survives.
For more on the historical ground beneath the story, visit About the Book.
About the author
J S Daley
J S Daley wrote Before We Were Free to tell the story of Henry Kable, Susannah Holmes and the family they fought to keep together.
Digital edition available
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