Ah, Penguin. It’s a rollercoaster ride with you, isn’t it? So far this year I’ve loved a book, hated a book, and now back to love. And there’s all those odd goings-on with plagiarism and such. They’re like the Microsoft of New Zealand publishing.

But, on to Cannibal Jack. What a great book! What a great story! What a great character! Jacky Marmon was a “Pakeha-Maori”, born in Sydney to Irish parents who first jumped ship around 1817 to live with Maori around Kerikeri River and other Ngapuhi hapu around the Bay of Islands. Eventually he ended up with Hongi Hika, survived the Musket Wars and settled in the Hokianga, much later becoming involved with Hone Heke.

Cannibal Jack has a great narrative flow – based on two versions of Marmon’s supposed “autobiography” that were published in New Zealand newspapers around the time of his death in 1880, it intersperses sections from these with Bentley’s detailed research into the truer story of Marmon’s life. This allows Bentley to highlight and use the more flowery and, frankly, adventurous account of Marmon with the drier details of, for example, ship movements around New Zealand, missionary reports and other, more reliable, sources of historical data.

And it presents a fascinating portrait of Pakeha early involvement with Maori and the way those Pakeha viewed Maori as individuals and as a people. There is lots of detail of Maori life pre-colonisation, and some great examples of Pakeha misinterpretations of Maori concepts of tapu, muru and mana. Bentley also does a skilful job of interpreting Marmon’s stories to tease out the details of Pakeha feelings towards the Maori “way of life” and show us why the histories of Pakeha-Maori like Marmon are still so relevant today.

Marmon became a subject of much myth and speculation by other Pakeha in colonial New Zealand, mostly due to his wild tales of engaging in cannibalism and… yeah, okay, it was mostly the cannibalism. Let’s face it, even now cannibalism has a particular hold on the collective gory imagination of just about every culture in this world, and whether Marmon witnessed and was really involved with quite as much cannibalistic practice as he claimed would have to be open to conjecture, as Bentley makes pretty clear. What isn’t in doubt, however, is that Marmon’s editors/ghost writers knew that including as many details as they could attribute to Marmon’s flippant stories of such things, or embellish, was a great way to ensure readership!

Cannibal Jack is also wonderfully illustrated with both recognisable and less well-known images from early Pakeha history. I hope the story of early Maori and Pakeha interactions is as intriguing for other readers as it is for me – because really this is the story of why we are now who we are. Once we were people on opposite sides of the world, and when we came together we muddled through mutual captivation and confusion to some semblance of a nation and culture of our own. Histories like this can only help that grow even more. Three cheers.

The Widow’s Daughter by Nicholas Edlin, Penguin, RRP $30, ISBN 9780143204091, Available now.

This review that has been haunting my brain for a few days now – well, ever since I finished The Widow’s Daughter. This should be a great book and I should have liked it – it has a great premise, it’s a debut novel, but the writing is technically good, it has a strong New Zealand connection… but nothing about it came together. And so much about it left me cold and wondering why I was reading it.

The Widow’s Daughter focuses on Peter Sokol – American marine and surgeon who arrives in Auckland in the early 1940s and becomes involved with a mysterious, self-proclaimed British family through a growing attraction/love/obsession for their daughter, Emily.

Much mystery then ensues, and the book switches between this setting and the Californian coast in the 70s, where Sokol lives with his partner and works as an artist - and the release of a new book written by a fellow Marine and essentially telling what Sokol believes is his story becomes the catalyst for revisiting within himself his time in New Zealand.

One of the downfalls is this switching between the two stories – particularly in the initial stages of the book, the chapters are quite short and there just isn’t enough time in each era to become comfortable and enthralled – or to take in what’s happening and become connected to events, locations and the characters. And it’s this sense of connection (which can really sort out the great books from the okay books) which then becomes a major problem later on.

I felt no connection to the characters in The Widow’s Daughter and little connection to the location or story. I found myself being less interested in the characters as the book went on – which is bottom about face, right? But the characters were cold, and unpleasant without charm. With this happening it then became difficult to connect to the location (despite a very obvious reason for why it should have been an easy connection – one of the reasons I wanted to read The Widow’s Daughter in the first place) and to the story – if I’m not caring about these characters I’m not caring about where they’re going, what will happen to them before they get there – and I had no emotional involvement in any possible redemption/epiphany of any of them. 

The depiction of Auckland begins charmingly and truthfully with a focus on the nature of the light in New Zealand – sharp, hard, all-revealing and dazzling. I had a moment of “yes!” that got drowned out by the repetition of this insight – again and again and again and again and… again. Oh wait, metaphorical, right? *sigh* And any reader looking for an interesting sense of place from the setting of New Zealand, or any authentic sounding voice of the inhabitants, will finish very disappointed. Beyond the tidbit about Victoria Park being a rubbish tip/burner (again, repeated too many times) there is little detail about either the New Zealand/Auckland of the time or the Americans who found themselves there. One finished with the impression that the Kiwis at the time were all boofheads and the Americans were all drunks who spent all of their days with prostitutes. Really?

In the final equation I was simply frustrated and annoyed by The Widow’s Daughter. At heart it is not a badly written book but it all feels a bit like a show. In a twist the tagline on the cover – “When love becomes obsession” – ends up being quite apt – a meaningless phrase that doesn’t seem to have had a lot of time put into it or a critical eye cast over it.

I’ll email you shortly!

And the loser is… me. For not announcing this on Tuesday night like I was supposed to. No excuses – epic fail on my part.

I’m so sorry you guys!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Chris is the winner of Shadow Sister

Sandra is the winner of Thief

Marcushobson is the winner of A Matter of Life and Death

I’ll email all of you for your postal addresses. Thanks again everyone, and don’t forget you can still win Gunshot Road or The Crime of Huey Dunstan.

Usual blurb: As usual,  judges decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into, yada yada yada. Oh, and sorry overseas readers, but I can only post to New Zealand addresses, so New Zealand address holders only, please.  And, uh, I reserve the right to change these rules because there may have been something I’ve forgotten.

This giveaway ends Monday 12 July at 5.30pm and I’ll announce the randomly drawn winner at 8pm.

Usual blurb: As usual,  judges decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into, yada yada yada. Oh, and sorry overseas readers, but I can only post to New Zealand addresses, so New Zealand address holders only, please.  And, uh, I reserve the right to change these rules because there may have been something I’ve forgotten.

Right, I’ve got myself together and here’s the first book giveaway! Leave a comment on this post and you could win one of three books – Shadow Sister by Simone van der Vlugt, Thief by Maureen Gibbon or A Matter of Life and Death by Sue Armstrong.  This giveaway will run until Sunday night at 5pm, and I’ll post the winner at 8pm Sunday 11 July.

Tomorrow I’ll start a giveaway for Gunshot Road by Adrian Hyland and on Friday it will be The Crime of Huey Dunstan by James McNeish. You can enter all giveaways!

As usual,  judges decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into, yada yada yada. Oh, and sorry overseas readers, but I can only post to New Zealand addresses, so New Zealand address holders only, please.  And, uh, I reserve the right to change these rules because there may have been something I’ve forgotten. One winner will be drawn at random for each giveaway.

So comment away free book lovers! And don’t say I never do anything for you!

CAN IT TEXT?

BLOG?

SCROLL?

WI-FI?

TWEET?

No . . . It’s a book.

For lovers and defenders of book culture of all ages – arm yourselves with this book and unite!

 

A new technological breakthrough! It doesn’t involve tangled cords, won’t  require the upload of apps and never needs charging.

Who can deny the simple appeal of a good book?

Playful and lighthearted with a subversive twist that is signature Lane Smith, IT’S A BOOK is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age. This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to all readers of all ages.

Monkey is reading a book, but his friend wants to know what the book can do. Does it have a mouse like his computer? Can you make the characters fight? And does it make loud noises? No, it’s a book. Monkey’s friend has a delightful epiphany when he discovers that a good book doesn’t need fancy electronic accessories.

From New York Times bestselling author Lane Smith.

‘A must read for every publisher concerned about the impact of electronic publishing issues and every child who wants to enjoy more of their childhood and Lane Smith’s arch style. A devilish ending may scare a few . . . if it’s you? Lighten up.’

Publisher’s Weekly Staff Picks 2010

There was a bidding war over this book when it was presented at Bologna earlier this year and Walker scooped the ANZ rights! So far, It’s a Book is going to be published in Australia, New Zealand, England, Netherlands, France, Italy, Japan, Korea and Sweden!

Published: September 2010

AUD$27.95   NZD$29.99

Hardback Picture Book

Isbn: 9781921720147

For more information:  http://www.walkerbooks.com.au

It’s A Book! I love it!

First up:

A Matter of Life and Death : Inside the Hidden World of the Pathologist by Sue Armstrong, Text Publishing, ISBN 9781847675811

An interesting non-fiction book, if not exactly mind-blowing. Sue Armstrong interviews a range of pathologists from around the world, all working in different areas (disease research, historical research, forensics). There’s a lot of questions about how and why the interviewees got into pathology and these are some of the most compelling answers, as well as the historical information about epidemics like the Spanish Influenza.

Suffers a little from being a bit too clinical (ha!) due to the dry “transcription of questions and answers” format. For a book length read I personally find this format to be too limiting – it’s very hard to judge tone and context without any author assistance. But overall I’d recommend it if you find this sort of carry-on fascinating (like I do) and are happy with a touch of gore and the macabre (like me).

Strangers in Paradise graphic novel series by Terry Moore

Brilliant. Brriiiiiiilliant! (trill it with me). Sad, beautiful, ridiculous and ultimately incredibly satisfying reading. I loved every minute and can’t believe I’ve now finished all 6 books. Waaah! Previous musings on this series are here. READ THEM! I command you!

The illustration is phenomenal – a perfect mix of whimsical, realistic, fantasy, serious and amusing. And I dare you to not fall in love with at least ONE of the characters.

So what’s up next? Well I have more graphic novels, as well as Gold by Dan Rhodes, Chaucer by Peter Ackroyd and Diary by Chuck Palahniuk.

And look out this week for a ton of giveaways – I’ve got a small pile of books with which to reward you, my lucky readers! ♥

SO GOOD. Two words that sum up my entire reaction to this fabulous book. Yes, this is another crime/thriller but I have nothing bad to say about this one – what amazing writing! What fantastic characterisation! What a stunning hold on pacing and tension Hyland has!

Gunshot Road is Hyland’s follow up to Diamond Dove and, like that title, follows Emily Tempest – the new Aboriginal Community Police Officer for the outback town of Bluebush. We get straight into the problems involved for Emily in dealing with her white bosses and her Aboriginal friends and townmates, problems which only get compounded with the death of an old friend in a seemingly open and shut murder.

Emily, though, suspects that there is nothing open and shut about the case and embarks on an investigation of her own, one that puts her in physical danger. The story progresses at a great pace – not necessarily fast chronologically but perfectly timed to keep the reader hooked and involved. The tension is perfectly balanced with some beautiful domestic scenes and witty one-liners. The whole story really put me in mind (oddly enough) of the old TV mini-series Edge of Darkness (god, no, not the movie) – it had the same feeling of a local story that becomes something much larger and with genuinely thrilling moments interspersed with haunting personal introspection.

At the same time Hyland has an amazing ear for voices and Emily’s in particular is charming, rough and humourous – which describes the whole book, really. The location is outback Australia and there are no pulled-punches here – Hyland shows both the whites and Aborigines viscerally responding to and interacting with the land around them, and his portrayal of the social problems in the Bluebush community is both casual and heartbreaking. Over all of this looms the land itself – large, open, wide, hot, dusty. Empty. Watching.

It’s all brilliant stuff and I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough. Buy it! Don’t question me! Just do it!