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Magical vibe in YA novel

29/4/2021

The King’s Nightingale
by Sherryl Jordan

I chose this book because I’ve always been fascinated by ancient cultures, and although this story’s setting is fictionalised, it is based on historical locations and events.
The author paints a rich tapestry by using all the senses, which seamlessly transitions the reader into this exotic world.
The underlying theme revolves around slavery and its brutal injustices but it also addresses when the lines become blurred with personal choices. Love and sacrifice, betrayal and trust, loyalty, and family devotion flow through the pages.
Elowen is an endearing protagonist, who struggles to not only free herself but find and rescue her younger brother. Favoured by the King, she never forgets those less fortunate, and cannot stop herself from intervening when she sees others being treated unfairly, even if it’s detrimental to her own circumstances.
I believe this story will resound with fantasy readers because while this created world doesn’t include magic there is a magical vibe to the story.

Review by Wendy Scott
Gold Medal Winner The Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK
Silver Medal Winner International Readers' Favorite Book Awards

Title: The King’s Nightingale
Author: Sherryl Jordan
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 9781775436560
RRP: $24.95
Available: paper: bookshops

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Intricately interwoven stories to tease apart

22/4/2021

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Portrait of a Man
by Vicky Adin

When Matteo Borgoni steps ashore in Port Chalmers in January 1863, he is a man on a mission, and it isn’t to scurry off to the Otago goldfields. Instead, he is determined to set up business in Dunedin. Soon he is hanging out his shop sign as a picture framer.
In the months and years that follow, up to 1892, Adin takes us through the growth of Dunedin from a town built in wood to the majestic city of brick and stone that we know today.
There is sadness in Matteo’s life but he finds solace in his friendship with William Hodgkins.
This first part of the book is thoroughly researched with frequent references to actual events such as the laying of the Cook Strait telegraph cable, Henry Farley’s development of the Vauxhall Gardens, the sinking of the Tararua and many more.
Part 2 sees the focus shift to the years 1913-18 in Invercargill. Matteo’s nephews, Riccardo and Tommaso, having joined him from Italy, have inherited and expanded the business and it is in the Invercargill branch that we meet the man whose story and portrait form the intriguing puzzle which his descendants set out to solve in part 3.
Fast forward now to Auckland in autumn 2020. Against a backdrop of Covid-19, we catch up here with people from one of Adin’s earlier books, The Cornish Knot. Although Portrait of a Man is a sequel to that one, the key players have moved on so that this second book is a completely stand-alone story.
Readers with even just a passing interest in family trees and genealogy will be drawn into the fragments of a mosaic-like mystery that need to be pieced together in the third part of the book. During lockdown last year, many of us used the time to delve into our families’ pasts: this time in our lives plays out in Portrait of a Man, giving the book a real sense of immediacy and recognisable drama.
Adin has cleverly placed Portrait of a Man apart from other historical novels set in New Zealand’s pioneer years. By keeping Matteo in Dunedin in the 1860s instead of sending him off to Gabriel’s Gully, and by showing us the World War I years from the viewpoint of Italian immigrants, there is nothing at all predictable about the story. The mould is broken even further by referring back from time to time to events and attitudes in Italy, making this a refreshingly different family saga which I enjoyed on many levels.

Review by Carolyn McKenzie

Title: Portrait of a Man
Author: Vicky Adin
Publisher: AM Publishing New Zealand
ISBN: 978-0-473-53801-9
RRP: $30
Available: Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Man-secrets-destroy-artists-ebook/dp/B08JPR1D2D ebook and print
Print books Chooice https://chooice.co.nz/store/vicky-adin-author/
Writers Plot Bookshop, Upper Hutt https://writersplot.org.nz/book/author/vicky-adin/
or by email vicky@vickyadin.co.n

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Wit and humour in seagoing adventure

14/4/2021

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Wild Seas to Greenland
by Rebecca Hayter

This book records a voyage under sail by the New Zealand author Rebecca Hayter and her sailing partner Ross Field. Starting from Lymington in the South of England they sail to Greenland and back. But it is much more than a record of a voyage.
In relating their adventure Rebecca imparts awe for the changing moods of ocean and sky. She achieves freshness in her writing by the skilful use of original metaphor and simile while its occasional cheeky use adds sparkle and makes the book a delight to read. At times I almost believed I could feel the thump as their vessel came off the top of a big one and ploughed into the following breaking crest.
This is a book that will hold a special appeal to members of the yachting fraternity. Readers unfamiliar with boats may have some difficulty with a few of the technical terms but this shouldn’t be considered detrimental to enjoying this delightful adventure.
With extensive experience in ocean racing Ross persuades an initially reluctant Rebecca to transit the Northwest Passage – arguably the World’s most hazardous maze of islands, ice and ocean. It runs between Northern Canada and the Arctic Ocean – a graveyard of failed attempts.
The preparation for the voyage started in France with the purchase of Rosemary, an elderly aluminium vessel notable for its hull strength rather than its equipment or standard of maintenance. At what must have been eye watering expense, the hull was refitted in preparation for the hazardous voyage ahead. Those with an interest in boats will find these preparations provide an insight into the character of Ross.
The voyage starts from Lymington – a mariner’s port I personally know well. It’s a place where weekend sailors mingle with ocean going yachtsmen and merge into, and become part of, the history of sail.
The book contains numerous excellent photographs relating to the voyage and took me a little way towards experiencing the spirit of Rebecca’s Wild Seas to Greenland. It’s a journey that along the way captures vibes of the Irish during a port call to Dingle before they face the North Atlantic storms, ice, fog and crazy compass readings as they get closer to the Magnetic North. Lacking a gyro compass meant they had to steer manually.
Knowing nothing about either Nuuk – the capital of Greenland – or Greenland’s fiords I absorbed Rebecca’s descriptions with fascination.
With the Northwest Passage closed, lacking a gyro compass and up to date charts, Ross made the decision to attempt a return journey across the North Atlantic. Pressed hard by heavy weather they sailed along isobars rather than across them thus avoiding more severe storms. This technique was supported by weather routing the North Atlantic using meteorological satellite data transmitted to them. It got them home and resulted in an outstanding story.
I recommend Rebecca Hayter’s book to any nautically obsessed readers and those interested in a seagoing adventure told with wit and humour.

Review by Peter Thomas

Title: Wild Seas to Greenland
Author: Rebecca Hayter
Publisher: Oceanspirit Publishing
ISBN: 9780473544683
RRP: $39.95
Available: paper: bookshops

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Magical vibe in YA novel

Intricately interwoven stories to tease apart

Wit and humour in seagoing adventure

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