Audio only
Daughters of Batavia: From the winner of the Banjo Prize 2023 comes a tender and moving historical novel, perfect for readers of Natasha Lester, Kirsty Manning and Tea Cooper
By Stefanie KoensNarrated by Kristy Best, Jessica Spies, Angus McGrutherLength12h 18m
About this audiobook
A woman searching for answers in her own life finds them - and much more - in the wreckage and haunting stories of the Batavia shipwreck.
The powerfully moving historical debut from the winner of the Banjo Prize for Fiction. For all fans of Natasha Lester, Lauren Chater and Tea Cooper.
Shortlisted for Best Debut Fiction in the Indie Book Awards 2026
Two women. One shipwreck. And four centuries of secrets.
Shortly before Christmas in 2018, Tess McCarthy, after years as a hard-working English teacher who never did anything out of the ordinary, flies to Western Australia's remote Abrolhos Islands. She is in search of answers - both to the infamous Batavia shipwreck and her personal family crises.
Amsterdam, 1628. Saskia, an orphaned young Dutchwoman, boards Batavia with relatives, bound for a new and potentially dangerous life in the East Indies - only for her world to first collide with Aris Jansz, the ship's taciturn under surgeon.
Tess, Saskia and Aris - their lives linked by secrets that span generations - carry the baggage of past losses and the uncertainty of their futures. And, in the most unlikely circumstances, they may find qualities that echo through centuries: faith, acceptance, and love.
'Evocative and compelling! An immersive and engrossing mystery. This wonderful debut by Stefanie Koens kept me enthralled to the last page. A beautiful synergy between the present and the past, between history and a richly drawn portrayal of the personal stories of those who perished and those who survived the famous shipwreck of the Batavia. Heartbreaking and heartwarming' Tania Blanchard
'A masterfully crafted dual timeline that seamlessly weaves past and present into a rich tapestry, bringing four centuries of secrets vividly to life' Tea Cooper
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.8 (453)
Includes Goodreads
GenreRomance, Dystopia, Action and Adventure
Length12 hrs 18 mins
Narrated byKristy Best, Jessica Spies, Angus McGruther
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateJul 29, 2025
LanguageEnglish
More from Stefanie Koens
Following the TrailLynette Eason6h 35m4.6 (2.3K)$12 · $0.00
Her Duty Bound DefenderSharee Stover6h 30m4.6 (559)$12 · $0.00
Defending from DangerJodie Bailey5h 46m4.6 (588)$24 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
Explosive RevengeMaggie K. Black6h 18m4.6 (545)$12 · $0.00
Her Brand of JusticeB.J. Daniels6h 48m4.6 (1.3K)$12 · $0.00
Search And DetectTerri Reed5h 51m4.6 (706)$24 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
Danger in the WildernessDarlene L. Turner6h 54m4.7 (299)$12 · $0.00
Yukon JusticeDana Mentink6h 15m4.6 (751)$12 · $0.00
The Rogue WarriorCindy Roland Anderson5h 44m4.6 (410)$17 · $0.00
Trail Of ThreatsJessica R. Patch5h 47m4.6 (425)$24 · $0.00
Ironwood, a Fae Universe SeriesAlessa Thorn26h 57m4.6 (835)$30 · $0.00
Ready to ProtectValerie Hansen5h 38m4.6 (981)$24 · $0.00
Searching For EvidenceCarol J. Post6h 21m4.6 (552)$24 · $0.00
New Beginnings at Lullbury BayGeorgia Hill6h 59m4.6 (423)$13 · $0.00
Hiding in MontanaLaura Scott6h 18m4.6 (1K)$12 · $0.00
Christmas K-9 Unit HeroesLenora Worth, Katy Lee5h 51m4.6 (507)$24 · $0.00
Three ComradesErich Maria Remarque15h 50m4.5 (47.3K)$2 · $0.00
Craft BrewLayla Reyne7h 50m4.5 (986)$26 · $0.00
The Consequences of FearJacqueline Winspear10h 28m4.4 (26.1K)$29 · $0.00
At the Foot of the Cherry Tree: The bestselling, heart-warming novel based on a true story of forbidden love & heartbreak SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYMOCKS 2023 BOOK OF THE YEARAlli Parker10h 8m4.4 (5.6K)$29 · $0.00
Counting Lost StarsKim van Alkemade13h 55m4.4 (22.7K)$33 · $0.00
The German WifeKelly Rimmer13h 49m4.3 (70.3K)$33 · $0.00
The Tattooist of AuschwitzHeather Morris7h 26m4.3 (1.4M)$24 · $0.00
1984Eric Arthur Blair12h 41m4.3 (6.1M)$1 · $0.00
The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva DenaroViola Ardone8h 57m4.3 (14.7K)$29 · $0.00
The Pearl That Broke Its ShellNadia Hashimi13h 47m4.3 (125.6K)$8 · $0.00
Lord of the SilentElizabeth Peters6h 7m4.3 (14.9K)$24 · $0.00
The Little LiarMitch Albom7h 41m4.3 (122.5K)$26 · $0.00
The Benevolent Society Of Ill-Mannered LadiesAlison Goodman15h 33m4.3 (25.5K)$33 · $0.00
The Flight GirlsNoelle Salazar10h 21m4.3 (49.9K)$29 · $0.00
Scandalous WomenGill Paul10h 46m4.4 (1.5K)$29 · $0.00
Daughters of the OccupationShelly Sanders10h 59m4.3 (5.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Woman in the White KimonoAna Johns11h 55m4.3 (47.1K)$29 · $0.00
The Keeper of Hidden BooksMadeline Martin10h 53m4.3 (42.9K)$29 · $0.00
The Complete Western Stories of Elmore LeonardElmore Leonard6h 49m4.3 (4K)$24 · $0.00
The Home for Unwanted GirlsJoanna Goodman9h 59m4.3 (77.5K)$29 · $0.00
Reminiscences of a Stock OperatorEdwin Lefèvre10h 39m4.3 (50.9K)$29 · $0.00
Notes from UndergroundFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky4h 37m4.3 (313.6K)$1.20 · $0.00
An Inside JobDaniel Silva9h 28m4.4 (26.3K)$29 · $0.00
The CommodoreP. T. Deutermann11h 53m4.5 (2.4K)$20 · $0.00
A Closed and Common OrbitBecky Chambers11h 30m4.4 (140.7K)$29 · $0.00
Thud!Terry Pratchett10h 31m4.4 (112.6K)$8 · $0.00
All Quiet on the Western Front (Annotated)Erich Maria Remarque8h 34m4.4 (12.9K)$1.99 · $0.00
Crime and punishmentFyodor Dostoevsky22h 34m4.4 (1.3M)$3 · $0.00
Exit FeeBrad Taylor3h 16m4.5 (1.9K)$18 · $0.00
The Alice NetworkKate Quinn15h 7m4.4 (887.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Ohio River Trilogy: Betty Zane, The Spirit of the Border & The Last TrailZane Grey29h 8m4.4 (1.8K)$1 · $0.00
A Darkness ReturnsRaymond E. Feist19h 29m4.4 (1.9K)$40 · $0.00
THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN (Annotated)James Oliver Curwood8h 25m4.5 (420)$2 · $0.00
West of the TularosaLouis L’Amour5h 53m4.4 (3.6K)$20 · $0.00
The Emperor's FistJay Allan8h 37m4.5 (272)$26 · $0.00
The Amazing Interlude (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart8h 42m4.5 (365)$1.99 · $0.00
Hornblower and the Hotspur (Annotated)C. S. Forester14h 7m4.4 (17.3K)$2 · $0.00
Shades of WickedJeaniene Frost8h 51m4.4 (19.5K)$29 · $0.00
The Log of a Cowboy (Annotated)Andy Adams9h 47m4.4 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Everything She WantedJennifer Ryan9h 9m4.4 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Ballad of the White HorseG. K. Chesterton2h 43m4.4 (3.8K)$1.20 · $0.00
The Complete Huckleberry Finn & Tom Sawyer Adventures (Unabridged) (Annotated)Mark Twain26h 21m4.3 (16.7K)$2 · $0.00
You may also like
Bringing Home the BirkinMichael Tonello10h 14m4.0 (13.1K)$29 · $0.00
Hospital SketchesLouisa May Alcott3h 5m3.9 (7.2K)$0.60 · $0.00
Murder In MateraHelene Stapinski7h 47m3.8 (2.1K)$26 · $0.00
A Series of Catastrophes and MiraclesMary Elizabeth Williams9h 6m4.4 (1K)$20
RefugeDot Jackson14h 4m4.3 (5.9K)$23 · $0.00
Black BeautyAnna Sewell5h 31m4.2 (322.9K)$4 · $0.00
The Hotel TitoIvana Bodrožić5h 27m3.9 (1.9K)$17
Homesick NomadBrianna Madia6h 14m4.3 (2.1K)$24 · $0.00
The RavagedNorman Reedus8h 50m3.6 (4.2K)$20
ResoluteBenjamin Hall7h 16m4.5 (612)$28 · $0.00
Memoirs of Mrs. SeacoleMary Seacole7h 50m4.1 (4.4K)$2.99 · $0.00
LandfallsNaomi J. Williams13h 55m3.9 (1.4K)$23 · $0.00
Round the BendNevil Shute14h 19m4.3 (4K)$2 · $0.00
American DaughterStephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald9h 5m4.3 (5.5K)$29 · $0.00
Daughter in ExileBisi Adjapon12h4.0 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
StraysBritt Collins6h 44m4.2 (1.4K)$20 · $0.00
Lean on Pete movie tie-inWilly Vlautin7h 26m4.1 (13.7K)$24 · $0.00
Eric Krasno Plus One, Vol. 1Eric Krasno5h$20
MermaidGrant M. Overton7h 40m$2 · $0.00
Surviving ParisRobin Allison Davis7h 9m4.5 (102)$24 · $0.00