Oooo it's tricky when someone you know writes a book. What if you don't like it? But I did. I really really did like it. This is historical fiction, sOooo it's tricky when someone you know writes a book. What if you don't like it? But I did. I really really did like it. This is historical fiction, set just along the highway from the place I grew up in. It begins in 1928 and the story takes us through to the end of WW2 and this is the story of Wilhelm Erdinger, a young German man who has washed up, literally as his boat is wrecked and he is rescued by locals, in a town called Falters Mill. This is a town in the back of beyond, where strangers don't often arrive. After a series of misstarts Wilhelm who becomes Bill to the locals, acquires a piece of land and through trials, many and varied, begins to be able to support a frugal lifestyle with the things he grows following the teachings of Steiner and reading Goethe to soothe his soul and to give him company on the long evenings alone. Over time Wilhelm makes a few friends, suffers tragedy, is unlucky in love and then discovers love and companionship. All through the story his life is ruled by the vagaries of the harsh weather, he is plagued by drought, pests and angry farmers who are distrustful of this kind, sweet man so different from themselves.
This story deals with a lot of issues, the awful attitudes and suspicion of the local families towards Wilhelm, the awful thing that happened to him as a young man and the reason for his being in NZ. He is a lonely man, even when in good company he is inherently apart, and this pervades the book. I found this so moving. In this novel we are cheering for poor Wilhelm, hoping that things will work out for him. I felt such sadness for him when his beloved animals died and the tragedy that happens towards the end of the book is just crushing. While it is all very tragic, this book is infused with a love of his chosen lifestyle, a total appreciation for nature and the land he loves.
A beautiful book, a joy to read and I congratulate Kyle on creating a character that I became totally invested in. Lovely stuff.
I was a wee bit skeptical about this one, I so enjoyed Michael Bennett's first novel and I wondered if he could do it again. And he can. He has Hana dI was a wee bit skeptical about this one, I so enjoyed Michael Bennett's first novel and I wondered if he could do it again. And he can. He has Hana down pat now, through his writing you live and breathe her life, now a new life in a small town, away from the police force and living a simpler life. Trouble has a way of finding her though and while she works teaching youth to drive alongside her Dad, trouble is looming in the background. A body is discovered in the sand dunes, and then an investigation begins. In this novel there are layers and layers and the body leads us down lots of side stories. We learn more about Hana's family, about the history of the town she's from and we begin to understand why she wanted to leave town long ago. There is a little bit of a love interest and a really large cast of characters. It is all handled well and the story dips and dives, delving into Māori myth and premonitions but it all works well.
To me this felt far more like a thriller rather than an exploration of the politics and trauma of an event from the past. This one is way less political and yet still manages to pay attention to social issues and tensions. It is well handled and I liked the change of pace. I'll happily read another of these books and I love that we have a great new crime writer in our midst. ...more
I love David Hill’s books. I’m biased because I like David Hill. But I like him because he writes books that are perfect for his audience. He doesn’t I love David Hill’s books. I’m biased because I like David Hill. But I like him because he writes books that are perfect for his audience. He doesn’t over complicate things, there are always plenty of issues to consider and he does exactly what needs to be done to drive a story forward. This is perfect for reluctant as well as keen readers. With realistic characters who have realistic conversations and an excellent build to the climax I’m a big fan of this book. More please David ...more
I enjoyed the first in this series, set just north of Auckland in a particularly gorgeous beachside town, I was very pleased when the author sent me aI enjoyed the first in this series, set just north of Auckland in a particularly gorgeous beachside town, I was very pleased when the author sent me a copy of the second one in the series.
This one has a different feel to the first one, partly this could have been the wintery setting, everything is rain splashed and muddy, even though both books feature some of the same characters. Regular readers of the series are going to enjoy following Bill and Annika's characters I think. This book starts with a body and there are plenty of those scattered through it, it's a pretty dangerous place to live I think. I wonder if the residents of Matakana are looking sideways at each other these days. Despite the high body count it is a book with a lot of domestic detail, the minutiae of daily life is slightly too well-documented for my taste. while it helps you know the characters intimately, it spends good police time on breakfast and lunch. The main characters are memorable and their proximity to danger made me concerned for all of them. Don't go out alone in Matakana!
The second half of the book is nicely tense and I was very worried about the fate of one of Bill and Annika's kids, the drama escalates really well and the story is very well-paced. I swallowed up the second half in the course of an afternoon of reading.
An enjoyable crime novel that would have benefited from some tighter editing in the first half but which is redeemed by the action-packed second half. It's great to have authors like Madeline writing and publishing thrillers that are relatable, local and with such great production values, the cover is fantastic! Thanks for the opportunity to read this Madeline. ...more
I'm a big fan of Sarah Laing and have been hanging out to get hold of this book since it was published. So I went into it with a predisposition to lovI'm a big fan of Sarah Laing and have been hanging out to get hold of this book since it was published. So I went into it with a predisposition to love it. And love it I did! There is such a lot to love. The format is interesting. It is part graphic, part informational, part photographic journey. It really does have it all. And it is all tied together in a really appealing way.
This is above all a memoir of Sylvia and her love of birds, her passion to save as many as she possibly can and her passion for training others to work alongside her and to pass her legacy onto. The story of her life, growing up in foster care, what it was like to be a young child who was abandoned by her parents, given to families who had often as many as 10 other kids to look after, it was not an easy life. I loved reading about Sylvia and her life and loves. All captured so beautifully in graphics and in wonderful photographs.
The final part of the book is a call to action. It shows you how to look after birds who have lost their parents, who have damaged themselves and how to feed the wild birds in your neighbourhood. None of this is preachy, the tone is just right.
This is a book for young and old. A really lovely present book. I just adored it and think of all the kids who love birds that I've met doing my project who would appreciate it. A gem of a book. ...more
Fiona Farrell is one of the major talents in writing today in New Zealand, this book proves that she is continuing to produce excellent and interestinFiona Farrell is one of the major talents in writing today in New Zealand, this book proves that she is continuing to produce excellent and interesting works. Not only is this a great story, but it's structure is also incredibly interesting.
This is the story of a group of people waiting out a pandemic in an amazing architecturally designed beach house that is made of separated pods. In the evenings of their isolation, they share stories that connect them and stories of their pasts. The stories give insights into the lives they have shared together and separately. As time goes on and the relationships between the people grow and change we begin to understand what it is that ties them together and also what keeps them apart. Stories of long-ago hurt and loves come to light as well as fantastical experiences. Each of the temporary residents takes a turn to tell their tale while a guitar gently plays the songs of their youth. As their period of isolation draws to a close revelations have an impact on the group and those who may have appeared on the surface to be one thing, are ultimately shown to be something else. There are some fantastic scenes in this book, some of which will stay with me for a long time. This is powerful stuff.
In the pages of this book you can feel the concerns of the author on the state of the planet, the challenges of dealing with constant information from the media and the dangers of constant connection through socials. There is a deep political thread throughout the novel, a heartfelt plea for kindness and for people to pay attention to the needs of others. Overall you feel that the experiences of youth are carried with you throughout your life.
I know Fiona a little bit. She is one of the most glorious people, wise and incredibly smart. This book really feels like her. It feels genuine and thoughtful. I love that she refers to New Zealand's Covid response and compares it to other countries, that she has thought deeply about what it is that differentiated our response from other places. I love that Fiona's life has informed some of these stories and I'm looking forward to talking to her about the book.
A friend loaned me this book because I was poking around in his collection and he had just finished it and enjoyed it. This is the story of the beginnA friend loaned me this book because I was poking around in his collection and he had just finished it and enjoyed it. This is the story of the beginnings of tourism in NZ. It goes from the top to the bottom of the country discussing the attractions and wonders that Edwardian travellers wanted to see when visiting. In 1902 Thomas Cook published a guide to NZ this book follows the recommended routes that travelers followed, the guide was considered the definitive guide to visiting. It is interesting to see the writings and compare them to what guides would say now. The attitudes of the Edwardians are so different to now, especially their attitudes to Māori. Some of these are positively cringeworthy.
It is interesting if a little dry. I do absolutely love the cover. It is glorious, and makes the book incredibly pickupable....more
I spent a very pleasant time last Saturday talking about this book with a friend who is an English lecturer and who was not a fan of this book. I enjoI spent a very pleasant time last Saturday talking about this book with a friend who is an English lecturer and who was not a fan of this book. I enjoyed it but the differences in the way that we read the book, made me really think about how different people look for different things in novels. My friend was very keen to find the parallels with Macbeth, searching for them all throughout the novel. I, however, just wanted to read the thing for the story. What we both agree on, is that this is a very strong statement of the author's politics. You can't come away from this without knowing what she thinks of the government we had in New Zealand during 'the Key years'.
This is the story of the Birnam Wood guerilla gardening group and what happens to them when they become embroiled in a plan way bigger than them. They are offered the opportunity to set up on a high country station, to have plenty of land to grow their crops and live their alternative lifestyle in peace. It is an opportunity too good to turn down. However, it turns out they are merely pawns in a much bigger and scarier plan. There is an evil mastermind who is playing everyone and this isn't going to end when for anybody.
The book is an enjoyable read. There are some things that irritated me, how do you grow crops in high country reliably? The setting for this seemed to be a bit off for the gardening. There was a lot of forest cover for high country setting too. Small niggle but I did wonder. There are a lot of descriptions, some of which seemed to be padding.
I enjoyed the character of Tony, a journalist with a quest to tell the truth about what he discovers, I think his story is the most interesting part of the whole book. I learnt from him that you can put a phone in a thermos to stop the signal from being traced. Is that true?
I think this is the kind of book that you can pick apart and find a few niggles with, it isn't the next Ockham winner that is for sure. But, it is a good story. Plenty going on to keep you interested and the final parts of the book are totally action filled. I had a good time reading it and have passed it along to another friend, I'm sure we'll have discussions about it too. ...more
This book bought back memories for me. The beginning is set in 1978, a time when I was only just becoming politically aware and as a teenager then, I This book bought back memories for me. The beginning is set in 1978, a time when I was only just becoming politically aware and as a teenager then, I remember the huge arguments in our house and across the country about abortion. My mum was vehemently against abortion and I can remember the first (well probably not the first) stirrings or rebellion against this, and my conservative Catholic upbringing starting to seem very irrelevant to my life. Loop Tracks has a compelling start with the journey of a young girl, Charlie, who is being flown to Australia for an abortion as they were not available in New Zealand. Her decisions then impact her future in so many ways and the book moves to current times and the life she now has with the grandson she has cared for since he was a small child. This is a story that reflects on so many things, the ties of family that bind us, the sometimes inescapable drag of responsibility and how love can chain you and tie you up and influence your decisions sometimes to the point where you lose yourself. It is set in Wellington and it is so vividly written that you can see yourself tracking up the steep hills, the landscape is really clear throughout the book. As Tommy, Charlie's grandson begins to find his way in the world, at uni, finding a girlfriend who introduces him to the party and music scene, and politics he becomes interested in things outside the realm of Charlie's influence, they both try to navigate a new way of being. Charlie who has protected Tommy for all of his life, is forced to let go, to find a new way to be with him. It is all complicated by his father, Tommy's autism, the difficulties of his history and the complications of Charlie's past relationship with her son, Tommy's father. It's a small cast of characters, but it is full of intenseness and politics, the big picture stuff and the small stuff as well. As Tommy finds new passions to focus on and these are the opposite of what Charlie believes in, she finds herself caught in the fraught nature of managing a young person who is making his own decisions on what is important to him, with her long-held beliefs. A thought-provoking read which I loved. ...more
This book was an unexpected surprise for me. I really wasn't expecting it to go where it went, I think the child on the cover fooled me and when it tuThis book was an unexpected surprise for me. I really wasn't expecting it to go where it went, I think the child on the cover fooled me and when it turned out to be about gangs, kidnappings and a tenacious clerk from a rural police station I was a little flummoxed. In a good way. Set in Masterton, a town where everyone knows everyone else's business, where your mistakes are discussed and where Lorraine (Lo) does the filing and knows where all the secrets are buried, at the local cop shop. Lo's concerned, kids are disappearing and suddenly her niece who is hanging out with a bad element is starting to behave oddly, and then her little boy, a cherub that Lo is very fond of, goes missing too. She is horrified, and particularly horrified that the police seem to be unengaged from this situation, blaming the parents, not trying hard enough to find the kids and being generally slack. Until the young detective from Wellington arrives. He befriends Lo and despite the fact that she's been put on leave for kicking up a fuss, he is there to sort this situation out.
The action ebbs and flows and as the situation gets more and more dangerous you begin to sit up and pay attention and fear for Lo and her companion. It gets very creepy and downright dangerous.
This is a great book with good pace and I'd like to thank Text Publishing and NetGalley for giving me access to it. ...more