Mary Moore married Francis Greenway in 1809 in England. The Talented Mrs Greenway is the reimagined life of this lady that’s a mixture of fact and fiction. Her husband became a renowned architect in Australia. Tea Cooper suggests his success was due in no small way to his talented wife.
Historical documents indicate that Mary had two children (George in 1807; William in 1808) before she married Francis. The author deals with this circumstance expeditiously: a first marriage to a drunken tyrant.
After Mary’s second marriage, there was a flurry of activity – an arrest, a commuted sentence and Greenway in irons was sent to the colony of NSW. Mary followed, sailing to Sydney in 1814 with, by then, three sons: George, William, and Frankie, born in 1813. She was fortunate to be befriended on arrival by Elizabeth Macquarie, wife of the governor.
Although still a convict, Greenway’s architectural drawings were admired and many public buildings were created. According to Tea Cooper, Mrs Greenway had a major input but allowed her husband to take the credit. However, the governor’s wife had seen Mary’s private sketch book. There were fears that this family secret would become general knowledge to the detriment of Greenway’s career.
The Talented Mrs Greenway, well-crafted and appealing, would make an ideal television series. It presents us with an intelligent, courageous, and confident woman, the mother of seven children, who achieved so much but was praised so rarely.
Reviewed by Clive Hodges
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Téa Cooper is an Australian author of historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling.
For many years writing remained the stuff of fantasy. Her family, a herd of alpacas, a protea farm and a full time teaching job kept her occupied until one day she decided it was time to do or die. No more procrastination. The characters and plots that had lived in her head for so long were clamouring to escape.
In August 2011 Tea joined Romance Writers of Australia and her debut novel Tree Change was published in November 2012. She has written several Australian rural stories both contemporary and historical but more recently she has become enmeshed in twisty historical mysteries.
Tea is a member of the Historical Novel Society of Australasia, The Australian Society of Authors, and Sisters in Crime. She is currently working on her next historical mystery.
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