''Isles of Despair'' is a 1947 historical novel by

Ion Idriess Ion Llewellyn Idriess (20 September 18896 June 1979) was a prolific and influential Australian author. He wrote more than 50 books over 43 years between 1927 and 1969 – an average of one book every 10 months, and twice published three books i ...

based on the true story of

Barbara Thomson Barbara Thomson (alternatively spelled Barbara Thompson) is the current Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs in South Africa. See also *African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights *Constitution of South Africa *History of the African Na ...

, a white woman who was the sole survivor of a shipwreck and was raised by

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

islanders, before being rescued in 1849. It had a follow-up, ''

The Wild White Man of Badu ''The Wild White Man of Badu'' is a 1950 novel by Ion Idriess. It is about two convicts who escape from Norfolk Island and travel to Badu Island on the Torres Strait. It is connected to Idriess' novel '' Isles of Despair''. References Extern ...

''.

References

{{1940s-hist-novel-stub 1947 Australian novels Novels set in Oceania Fiction set in the 1840s Coral Sea Islands Novels by Ion Idriess Angus & Robertson books