What do you think?
Rate this book
More Than I Ever Had
1789, Birmingham, Theo makes a life changing decision and sails to the other side of the world as part of the notorious Second Fleet to Australia. Desperate for a new life and confronting the harshness of this foreign land, he meets the woman of his dreams, raising his hope for the family he’s always wanted since being orphaned as a child. But, the military and circumstances conspire to throw obstacles in his way, forcing him to face a devastating loss, possible execution, famine, fires and bushrangers. But his biggest test is ahead of him. Will he sacrifice his family to keep his son safe from war? Based on a true story.More than I ever had shows us the extreme struggle of early colonial life through the eyes of a rank-and-file soldier. It is an emotional tale of a man’s duty, and what he will do to protect the ones he loves.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 24, 2022
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 31, 2022
A historical fiction about the early years of settling Australia and Tasmania told through the eyes of a British army private. This tale spans 1790 through 1820. Hardships in a cruel land. Loves gained and lost. New South Wales and the penal colonies set up by the British. Of course corruption. Where there is history, there is corruption starting with the very first voyage to the "new land."
Fast paced snapshots of the period.
Fast paced snapshots of the period.
July 11, 2022
‘I’ll be lookin’ for a job in the mornin’,’
Bilston, England, 1789. Eighteen-year-old Theophilus (Theo) Feutrill finds himself unemployed when a fire destroys the factory he works in. Theo was orphaned as a child, and lacking family ties and owing money, he enlists in the New South Wales Corps in Birmingham. As a soldier, he sails to the newly created penal colony in New South Wales aboard the Neptune, one of the ships of the notorious Second Fleet which arrived at Port Jackson in 1790.
After surviving the misery of the journey, Theo works hard to make a new life for himself. He marries, only to tragically lose his wife after childbirth. Theo feels that he let his wife down and vows to take good care of their surviving son, Joseph. Theo marries again, and he and his second wife have a large family. They move from Sydney Cove to Van Diemen’s Land and find happiness there. But Theo and his son Joseph, both in the Army, are posted to Ceylon. While Theo could have left the Army, he chooses to stay in order to accompany Joseph. He believes that his other children will be safe in Launceston with their mother:
‘They’ll have their mother, which is more than I ever had.’
We accompany Theo to Ceylon, a journey with tragic consequences.
This novel is based on the real-life story of Theophilus Feutrill (1771-1821), an ancestor of Ms Blair’s family. Ms Blair brings Theo to life: first as a young man trying to find his own place in the world, then as a soldier, a husband and father. Ms Blair also takes us deep into the challenges of the new penal colony in Sydney Cove and then into the early settlements in the north of Van Diemen’s Land. While I enjoyed the entire novel, I particularly enjoyed those elements set in Van Diemen’s Land.
If you enjoy historical fiction set in Australia’s colonial past, I recommend this novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Bilston, England, 1789. Eighteen-year-old Theophilus (Theo) Feutrill finds himself unemployed when a fire destroys the factory he works in. Theo was orphaned as a child, and lacking family ties and owing money, he enlists in the New South Wales Corps in Birmingham. As a soldier, he sails to the newly created penal colony in New South Wales aboard the Neptune, one of the ships of the notorious Second Fleet which arrived at Port Jackson in 1790.
After surviving the misery of the journey, Theo works hard to make a new life for himself. He marries, only to tragically lose his wife after childbirth. Theo feels that he let his wife down and vows to take good care of their surviving son, Joseph. Theo marries again, and he and his second wife have a large family. They move from Sydney Cove to Van Diemen’s Land and find happiness there. But Theo and his son Joseph, both in the Army, are posted to Ceylon. While Theo could have left the Army, he chooses to stay in order to accompany Joseph. He believes that his other children will be safe in Launceston with their mother:
‘They’ll have their mother, which is more than I ever had.’
We accompany Theo to Ceylon, a journey with tragic consequences.
This novel is based on the real-life story of Theophilus Feutrill (1771-1821), an ancestor of Ms Blair’s family. Ms Blair brings Theo to life: first as a young man trying to find his own place in the world, then as a soldier, a husband and father. Ms Blair also takes us deep into the challenges of the new penal colony in Sydney Cove and then into the early settlements in the north of Van Diemen’s Land. While I enjoyed the entire novel, I particularly enjoyed those elements set in Van Diemen’s Land.
If you enjoy historical fiction set in Australia’s colonial past, I recommend this novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
July 19, 2022
Curious about the founding of Australia? This novel paints it in vivid color!
In 1789, Theo Fuetrill enlists in the New South Wales Corps bound to settle the wild, uncharted island of Australia. The adventure he imagines pales compared to what he finds. So far from British soil, new ideals and leadership are hard fought and tentatively won. A gutsy new society is born, everyone carving out a stake for themselves amongst convicts, renegades and manipulative leaders. Theo struggles to start a family which he never had, only to have it ripped from him. Alone with his beloved son, Theo falls in love with a convict, giving him a second chance at a family, but it comes with a gut-wrenching choice.
More Than I Ever Had is a saga of down-trodden Brits having a second chance in life and using their courage, grit, and tenacity to create a courageous world called Australia. A tribute to the human spirit.
In 1789, Theo Fuetrill enlists in the New South Wales Corps bound to settle the wild, uncharted island of Australia. The adventure he imagines pales compared to what he finds. So far from British soil, new ideals and leadership are hard fought and tentatively won. A gutsy new society is born, everyone carving out a stake for themselves amongst convicts, renegades and manipulative leaders. Theo struggles to start a family which he never had, only to have it ripped from him. Alone with his beloved son, Theo falls in love with a convict, giving him a second chance at a family, but it comes with a gut-wrenching choice.
More Than I Ever Had is a saga of down-trodden Brits having a second chance in life and using their courage, grit, and tenacity to create a courageous world called Australia. A tribute to the human spirit.
June 19, 2023
I've just read 'More than I Ever Had' by Rae Blair. It's a true story written after researching her husband's family tree and the main character is his great, great, great, great grandfather. What an interesting read. Full of thorough research on the early settlements of Sydney Cove and Van Diemen's Land (Tassie). Theo was in the British Military as a soldier all his life and met his convict-wife in Sydney. She died birthing a son, Joseph. Although her death crushed him, he went on to have a second wife too, and eight children. We usually see stories of the wealthy leaders of the colony, so it was interesting to read of the struggles of everyone else. Their food supplies came all the way from England until, many years later, they worked out how to grow stuff more suitable for Australia's climate. Many of those ships didn't make the six month journey to Sydney, so they virtually starved. All food was given out through a central government store, no more and no less than each person needed. Sometimes it was very difficult to survive. There's a PS chapter at the end of the story, containing research relating to all those eight children and where they ended up in their lives. A lack of law and order, too many convicts, no medical help for birthing babies and catching Typhoid Fever. They all died very young. One boy died at 16 when he was into his second year of working on a neighbouring farm - he was kicked in the head by a horse. Of course, horses were transport back then. The girls mainly died having babies. Such a good, eye-opening read of Theo's life, completely from his point of view. I wondered how the author would hold my interest with only one point of view, but she certainly did this with her thorough research scattered through the sometimes tragic storyline.
July 22, 2024
Theo Feutrill is an orphan that makes the decision to join the New South Wales Corps and sails on the worst known ship, the Neptune, to Australia with a group of prisoners. It was an awful beginning to a life of suffering and hardship. Most of the prisoners died along with many of other passengers. All Theo ever wanted was to have a loving family, but he couldn’t read or write and he didn’t think he had anything to offer a wife. He eventually falls n love and starts a family, but his happiness is short lived. He ends up spending over 30 years in a place filled with constant turmoil, starvation, and misery. This is a great story of Australia’s beginning and it’s told from a soldier’s perspective.
September 18, 2022
Historical fiction that truly comes alive! Meticulously researched and deftly re-imagined, More Than I Ever Had is the life-story of rank and file soldier Theophilus Feutrill, who arrived in Sydney Cove on the notorious Second Fleet. Crammed full of fascinating details from a seldom-explored point of view, the author sweeps you though Theo's tumulus decades at a cracking pace while never loosing touch with the person he was. It's a suspenseful, poignant and thoroughly absorbing read. Theo's story stayed with me long after the final page.
September 18, 2022
I loved this book by Rae Blair telling of the horrific hardships and losses faced by the early settlers to this country. This historical fiction book held my interest from the first page to the very last page. The new generation of Aussie kids do not know enough about our heritage. This book should be incorporated into the school syllabus in Australia. It is a book is definitely worth reading and sharing with your families.
June 30, 2022
Richly detailed and engrossing
More Than I Ever Had chronicles the life, loves, and sorrows of Theophilus Fentruill, a young Englishman, from the defining moment when he realizes life in England holds nothing for him to his momentous decision to join the New South Wales Corp and sail to the newly-created colony of Australia in 1789.
Orphaned as a child, Theo longs for the love and security that he believes only a family of his own can provide. We follow Theo’s grueling life as a rank-and-file soldier, his joy as his wishes are fulfilled, his grief as his life is upended, and his sheer determination to carry on even when life, and the army, throws so many obstacles in his path.
Rae Blair gives readers a tale that is so richly detailed and atmospheric that our noses recoil at the stink of the former slaving ship than fights its months-long voyage halfway around the world, we breathe in lungfuls of eucalyptus-scented air upon arrival in Sydney Cove, and gaze in awe at the endless horizons of this faraway land. Later in Theo's life, there's Van Diemen's Land and Ceylon to contend with, both of which are also beautiful and brutal in different ways.
I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to immerse myself in Australian colonial history via Theo's story, and I highly recommend More Than I Ever Had to those who wish to do the same.
More Than I Ever Had chronicles the life, loves, and sorrows of Theophilus Fentruill, a young Englishman, from the defining moment when he realizes life in England holds nothing for him to his momentous decision to join the New South Wales Corp and sail to the newly-created colony of Australia in 1789.
Orphaned as a child, Theo longs for the love and security that he believes only a family of his own can provide. We follow Theo’s grueling life as a rank-and-file soldier, his joy as his wishes are fulfilled, his grief as his life is upended, and his sheer determination to carry on even when life, and the army, throws so many obstacles in his path.
Rae Blair gives readers a tale that is so richly detailed and atmospheric that our noses recoil at the stink of the former slaving ship than fights its months-long voyage halfway around the world, we breathe in lungfuls of eucalyptus-scented air upon arrival in Sydney Cove, and gaze in awe at the endless horizons of this faraway land. Later in Theo's life, there's Van Diemen's Land and Ceylon to contend with, both of which are also beautiful and brutal in different ways.
I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to immerse myself in Australian colonial history via Theo's story, and I highly recommend More Than I Ever Had to those who wish to do the same.
February 3, 2023
Great read.
Want to read
August 21, 2023More Than I Ever Had by Rae Blair is a true story that had to be written, part of Australia's colonial history told from the point of view of an ordinary soldier, Theo Feutrill. Rae Blair has given a vivid account of the hazards and challenges of life in the early days of the colony of New South Wales and later of Tasmania. Often brutal, this book has, nonetheless, a tender human story at its heart, the love of a father for his son, Joe, the only child of Theo's dead wife whom he adored.
Rae Blair has brought a poignant tale of a family ancestor to life which gives a greater understanding of Australia's past and the sacrifices made, allowing us to understand better the country we are today. A catastrophic accident at Theo's workplace in the Midlands, propels him into the military and out to New South Wales, Norfolk Island, Van Dieman's Land, Ceylon and and, ultimately, back to England.
A page turner and a great read.
Rae Blair has brought a poignant tale of a family ancestor to life which gives a greater understanding of Australia's past and the sacrifices made, allowing us to understand better the country we are today. A catastrophic accident at Theo's workplace in the Midlands, propels him into the military and out to New South Wales, Norfolk Island, Van Dieman's Land, Ceylon and and, ultimately, back to England.
A page turner and a great read.
July 5, 2022
Theophilus Feutrill, the main character of 'More than I Ever Had', is my 4 x Great-Grandfather, so I had a personal interest in reading this book. And what a great read it is! Rae Blair has done a wonderful job of melding fiction with genealogical and historical facts and as a result has created a riveting story of love, loss and survival. Highly recommened!
December 4, 2022
Australia's literary scene abounds with historical family sagas, but Rae Blair's More Than I Ever Had is a cut above many. The story of convict ancestor Theo is a skilful weave of research and creativity without the jingoistic glow that sometimes frames this genre. I was especially struck by the ending, which portrayed a fate almost incomprehensible to a modern reader.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews