Rating: 
Summary: Great Book...Lavish Detail...Great Historical Perspective!
Review: I was lucky to get an advance reading copy of this incredible book. Although the "old style" language is difficult to catch onto at first (example: " gaoul" for jail), this book was riveting. I really got engrossed with Richard Morgan and his incredible life, from Bristol, England during the U.S. Revolutionary War through his tortuous years setting up a new colony in Australia. What an amazing depiction of life on the slave ship!The author, I believe, truly captured what life was really like in those times. I was astounded by the cruel and unjust penal system she describes for those times. The book is well worth every minute, and it left me wanting more...more about Richard's life. A big round of applause for an incredible storyteller, thank you Ms. Colleen. P.S. When is the movie coming out?
Rating:
Summary: I was sorry to see it end!
Review: I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars! I loved the characters and the insights into the period's shocking treatment of virtually inocent people. No wonder our American founding fathers included so much protection for accused criminals! Colleen McCullough is a wonderful writer and this epic flows quickly. Don't be put off by it's size - you won't want to put it down!
Rating: 
Summary: slow going
Review: I'm glad I've read it, now that it's over, for the book provided many interesting historical details; however, as fiction it is less than first rate, particularly because of the slow pacing. I think 3/4 of the book was over before the characters ever made it to Australia. Also, the main character, Richard Morgan, did not have as much depth or complexity as I would have liked; at times he seemed to be too perfect, to have risen to a position of leadership and sustained good judgment too easily or quickly. Still, there were many fascinating details in the story.
Rating: 
Summary: An epic down under
Review: It's risky business diving into an 834-page book which begins quietly in England and sweeps you around the world to a tiny island in the South Pacific. These ambitious stories don't always click, particularly when the author doesn't know enough to put a bullet in his work when it can't get off the ground. But "Morgan's Run" bucks this unsettling trait. Colleen McCullough put her heart into this story - family ties help explain why - and the reader benefits from her careful research and enormous passion for her subject.
"Morgan's Run" follows the life of Richard Morgan, a tavern-keeper's son who is wrongfully convicted of a crime in England and is subsequently banished to the experimental penal colony on Norfolk Island to serve out his seven-year sentence. The book is certainly not without its foibles. McCullough, whose husband is a great-great-great-great grandson of the real Richard Morgan, depicts her hero with Roman, god-like qualities. It seems that there's no problem, either physical or mental, that Richard is incapable of solving, nor is there a man or woman whom Richard doesn't charm to the bone. That said, a unique cast of characters, coupled with an interesting historical narrative, more than compensate for the oh-so-romanticized qualities of McCullough's beloved über-convict.
Some may quibble that the book moves along too slowly, that we're still mired in England on p. 250 and stuck on that boat on page 400. If that's your beef, then steer clear of "Morgan's Run". The story is languid at times, and frustratingly contrived at others. But as far as historical epics are concerned, "Morgan's Run" rises above most others.
Rating:
Summary: Morgan's Run by Colleen McCullough
Review: Morgan's Run gets off to a slow start with in-depth background description. Once past the initial basic information of the story, Morgan's Run becomes a book that is hard to put down. Convicted unfairly of a crime whose penalty is seven years and transportation, Richard Morgan learns to live as a prisoner. Life aboard the prison ship is a job in itself to stay alive. Arriving in Botany Bay, Richard plies his trade as a gunsmith to the building of a convict community. Having lost his wife and child to death before being sentenced, he lives alone and desires no woman. As more and more convicts arrive, living quarters become sparse and each is required to take in a convict. A frightened young girl, half his age, ends up in his house and thus begins the thawing of his heart. Richard finishes his sentence and deems to stay in this new land and with his new love.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting history but not for the squeamish.
Review: Morgan's Run is an ambitious and engaging novel but it simply does not rise to the level of magical excellence we are accustomed to from Colleen McCullough. More than half the book is completed before our convict hero arrives in Australia. And most of these 334 pages (and those that follow) are devoted to vivid descriptions of the revolting conditions of 18th century English prisons and the slave ships used to transport convicts to Australia. This novel simply staggers under its weight of human filth, excrement, vermin, disease, suffering, cruelty, and starvation. I'm sure it is true to the savage history of the time, but I would have enjoyed a little more novel as a contrast. Much history can be learned from Morgan's Run but it isn't for the squeamish reader.
Rating:
Summary: Epic
Review: Morgan's Run is one of those novels that start off incredibly slow and creep along building up momentum until you finally find yourself caught up in the story of the hero. The plight of Richard, our hero, is a sad one and I can remember on more than one occasion thinking, "What other catastrophe can happen to this guy?" and yet Richard pulls through in the end as any hero will do.
Although the plot lags, McCullough's writing talents pass with flying colors when it comes to descriptions and long passages of exposition. You can tell she researched 18th century shipping and the founding of Australia extensively which definitely qualifies this novel in the rare breed of historical novels that are actually true to history.
If you have the time and are interested in the period I would recommend Morgan's Run, but if you are just looking for a good adventure/historical novel pass on by this one.
Rating:
Summary: Wish it wouldn't end..........
Review: Morgan's Run took about 70 pages to establish the story line. From then on it flowed and characters easily developed. I certainly appreciate modern conveniences more from this read. I couldn't get into the Roman series but loved this book as much as The Thorn Birds. If you liked an excellent historical novel like Rutherford's London, you'll enjoy this book.
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Summary: A boring Disapointment
Review: Morgans Run was a very strange and oddball novel. There were many literal gaps and parts that left you hanging. Although the characters were fun and enjoyable to read about, it was the only thing that made me put any stars on the book. The book seemed to long to read and not worth thee time. But I figured that I'd stick with it and read until the end. After the last page, I wasn't suprised that I was half asleep. If you like fun and exciting books, this, well, is not up your alley. Colleen McCullough has had much better novels.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book! Couldn't put it down
Review: Really enjoyed this book. I know Mrs. McCullough gets some grief sometimes from history-buff nit-pickers, but I love how her reasearch brings the eras she writes about alive. (If I wanted to read a text book, I'd read a text book!) Book felt a little rushed at the end, doesn't stop me from looking forward to the next installment. ps Mrs. McCoullough, please don't leave us hanging on the Masters of Rome series!!
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