Bold Ben Hall by Sophie Masson

Title: Bold Ben Hall

Author: Sophie Masson

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 5^th March 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 240

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: A compelling historical fiction adventure, set during the Australian gold rush when daring, dangerous and bold bushrangers were both feared, and legendary. Award-winning author, Sophie Masson asks what makes a hero, or a villain?

Lily and her parents are travelling performers are delayed in Canowindra, just as famous bushranger Ben Hall and his gang – who has pulled off the biggest gold robbery ever – arrive. The gang hold everyone in town hostage– but instead of threats, hold a strange, giant three day party, and Lily is in enthralled. She writes a secret play ‘Bold Ben Hall’ and dreams of sending it to a famous theatre company in Sydney or Melbourne…
Meanwhile, in Forbes, stable boy Sam works for Sir Frederick Pottinger, Ben Hall’s nemesis. Sam who dreams of helping Sir Fred to catch Ben Hall…
When Lily and Sam meet, the two are soon at loggerheads about their heroes determined to prove the other wrong…and to try any means to do so!
A gripping and unusual adventure, set against a background of the hectic, action-packed atmosphere of the booming Gold Rush towns. It also asks important questions: what is a hero, what is a villain? And how do we separate fact from fiction?

~*~

Bushrangers and their stories are often points of contention in Australia. For some, they are heroes who act against the establishment, who are looked up to and admired for not taking things lying down. And for others, they are criminals who have robbed, murdered and taken people hostage – amongst their varied crimes. The mythology around bushrangers in Australia is often centred around figures like Ned Kelly, Captain Thunderbolt and several others whose names people recognise. One such bushranger is Ben Hall. In Sophie Masson’s latest story, it examines what happens when they take over a hotel in Canowindra, where Lily is staying with her parents and what happens during the three days they are there. What everyone thinks is going to be a hostage situation turns into a party – and Lily is enthralled, and even starts understanding the class disparities that Polly, the scullery maid talks about. And why people like Polly might support Ben Hall.

Later though, Lily meets Polly’s cousin Sam who thinks Ben Hall and bushrangers are criminals – and doesn’t believe Lily when she tells him that Ben Hall and his men didn’t hurt anyone at the hotel. Sam idolises the Forbes police officer, Sir Frederick Pottinger. And wants to help him catch Ben Hall. But Lily’s insistence that things are not always as the newspapers say does little to dissuade Sam. Both are sure their heroes are in the right – whatever it takes to prove it.

However, the novel explores the nuances of the issues around Ben Hall without turning him into a folk hero or contributing to that narrative. It allows both sides to tell their story, because it is one of those topics where people are always going to have different opinions, because of the prevalence of bushrangers in Australian history and culture, and because everyone had and has had different responses to them based on personal experiences at the time, how they viewed what they did and what they have read or learned in history. It shows both sides to Ben Hall, and how his actions affected class debates, or frictions between families, and what people thought was right and wrong. The nuanced approach to showing that dealing with Ben Hall may not always have been as straightforward as people thought. Because what it would have come down to is how different people responded to their experiences. How different people responded to what they were told.

The actions of Ben Hall and other bushrangers should never be condoned, because they did steal, kill and hurt people. But they’re part of Australian history like the ANZACs, like the First Fleet and like everyone who has lived on this continent, from the Indigenous people to today. Stories like this are a snapshot of one aspect of Australian history and culture and I have found that children’s books are doing a great job of exploring these diverse and nuanced stories lately. It just feels like whatever aspect of our history or cultures you want to read about, there is going to be something to read. It means that what we learned in school or are learning about in school if we’re still there can be examined beyond the text books, because often the historical fiction books delve into issues and scenarios that go beyond the facts. Books like this try to show the complexities and differences of opinion about controversial figures, as well as how important it is to try to get all the facts before making a decision.