Flaxroots Productions
  • Home
  • Non-fiction
  • Fiction
  • Plays
  • Other Works
  • Professional
  • Blog
  • FlaxFlower
  • Review index
  • Contact
  • Archive
  • BMCWC

Home owner’s earthquake account

26/10/2021

Comments

 
Picture
​​You Can’t Rush an Earthquake
Repair, Rebuild, Repeat

by Brenda Greene


2010 was a year not to be forgotten in New Zealand History. My husband and I walked into New Zealand house in London to hear there had been an earthquake in Christchurch. My first reaction was – well, we are not called the Shaky Isles for nothing.
     Little did we know at the time how large and how devastating that earthquake was, and how it and the ones to follow would change the lives, the landscape and the people of Christchurch and Canterbury for years to come.
     “You Can’t Rush an Earthquake” is written by Brenda Greene, owner of a character home that was close to the epicentre of the 7.1 magnitude quake that hit Christchurch and those that continued to cause damage for months on end. The book documents the owners’ attempts over the next 11 years to have their home rebuilt to the condition that was laid down in their insurance policy. The process became a saga of mistakes, poor planning, rebuilding the rebuild, delays and changing insurance building and council policies.
     Throughout those years the Author, with her learned knowledge and a desire to have her home restored, dealt with at least 7 project managers, builders, electricians, plumbers, building inspectors. loss adjusters, quantity surveyors, architects, insurance companies and the Insurance Ombudsman to mention just a few, as she fought to have her policy rights enforced. The meetings were documented, as were the phone calls, reports, and photographs.
     Eventually the home repairs the Author and her family were entitled to were completed – but after what a journey! The reader will find it would give a lesser person a headache, equivalent to the original earthquake, to embark on such a rebuild, and to win.
     The book describes in detail the effect of being in an earthquake of such magnitude as the later major shake on 22nd February 2011, and those following. She describes the seismic boom, the bulging floors, the feeling of floating and falling, being tossed from one wall to another and the physical effects to her body as she processes her reaction to what was happening. These were so descriptive I felt I was in the kitchen with her.
     Throughout the narrative there are respites from the earthquake damage as she describes family events, trips away to the solitude and calmness of national parks as she and her family documented the returning birdlife after trapping pests. These sojourns were a welcome time of rest and recovery.
     The book with its many photographs is a tribute to the tenacity of the author and to the thousands of displaced, broken and traumatised people of Christchurch.
     It is a great read.

Review by Merilyn Mary
Title: You Can’t Rush an Earthquake. Repair, Rebuild, Repeat
Author: Brenda Greene
Publisher: Brenda Greene
ISBN: 978-0-473-58005-6
RRP: $49.99
Available: Scorpio Books 120 Hereford St, Christchurch 8011
Writers Plot Readers Read, 893 Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt 5018
Comments

Future classroom classic

19/10/2021

Comments

 
Picture
Hine and the Tohunga Portal
by Ataria Sharman


Author Ataria Sharman says Māori lore of ancient Aotearoa captivated her as she was writing the book, allowing her imagination to run wild.
     “Sometimes, I'll be out in my garden and I'll imagine the patupaiarehe, the fairy people are there, and I mean I can't actually see them but it just feels magical to just imagine they're there.”
     Sharman is a writer, editor, social entrepreneur and researcher who advocates for wāhine Māori and has recently published a new book for young readers.
     'Hine and the Tohunga Portal' is a fast-paced fantasy adventure. Hine and her brother, Hōhepa, unwittingly step through a portal into an ancient realm inhabited by the atua Māori (Māori deities), Kea bird tribes, patupaiarehe (fairy people), moa and giant eagles. This world is in turmoil as evil sorcerer Kae has built a cursed army and intends to rule this world and everything in it. He sees the opportunity to dominate the modern world as well, by kidnapping Hōhepa and using his life force to reopen the portal between the worlds. This sets Hine on a quest to learn ancient knowledge from the goddesses Hineteiwaiwa and Mahuika and her ancestors, find the medicine to revoke the curse on the warriors and gain the support of the Kea and patupaiarehe to fight Kae and rescue Hōhepa.
     The weaving of Māori iconography and beautifully incorporated reo is impressive. I found the use of te reo and concepts of manaakitanga useful in extending my knowledge. I would recommend this book be bought for school libraries and for teachers interested in furthering children’s knowledge of te reo. I would read it to a class and have a list of Māori words they can use to look up the meaning. It was what l did when l read the book. 
     Multiple narratives take the reader between the two main characters of Hine and Hōhepa as they traverse this magical environment separately. 
     'Hine and the Tohunga Portal' would make a superb Read Aloud for Year 6 students and up, with all the topics that could turn into their own studies – NZ flora and fauna, extinct native birds, Māori legends, traditional Māori foods, and even the Treaty of Waitangi. It is easy to see this becoming a classroom classic in the near future.
     This land’s forests are full of the patupaiarehe – brave and fierce fairy warriors when their forest home and animals are threatened. There are kea armies, serious about their lands and any trespassers who dare enter into it. Animals too are drawn up into the battle between good and evil. 
     Sharman feels that her editorial work helped her to become a better writer, and she hopes that ‘Hine and the Tohunga Portal’ will ultimately become a seven-book series to inspire rangatahi, similar to Harry Potter.

Review by Renee Hollis
Title: Hine and the Tohunga Portal
Author: Ataria Sharman
Publisher: Huia Publishers
ISBN: 9781775506348
RRP: $25
Available: paper: bookshops
Comments

Refreshingly original novel

12/10/2021

Comments

 
Picture
[Lure the lie] 
by Cat Connor


At one point towards the end of this novel, one of the main protagonists describes its setting as ‘sleepy Upper Hutt’. And indeed, Upper Hutt can be said to be an essential part of the plot. Its streets, its pubs, its brewery, its restaurants, its retail outlets (particularly a bookshop) and many other actual establishments become minor features and give the story a remarkable authenticity. 
     Most of the major protagonists in the novel are, however, anything but ordinary people going about their ordinary lives. This is a story of mystery and intrigue, of international spies, of a behind-the-scenes world of personal danger and even of threats to humanity’s existence. It involves a panoply of characters including foreign mercenaries, an Australian bikie gang, home-bred thugs, a small group of elderly women in a Rest Home (who are given the name ‘The Cronies of Doom’), a greyhound called Romeo and a number of individuals whose motives are muddied, to say the least, and who learn to trust or mistrust each other as the plot moves along.
     Technology is another element that plays a huge part in the plot. This reviewer, being something of a technophobe, found much of it surprising, and more than a little scary. But these are the tools of the spies and missing-people hunters that provide the essential story. They are multi-faceted, these central characters. In some cases they are also apt to have more than one name. There are a number of significant players, but Ronnie (Veronica) and Crockett (Crocker) drive the plot along as they search for answers to the disappearance of a woman whose identity and loyalties are not clear. It all (or mostly!) does become clear in the end, but to give more away would spoil the story.
     There are also welcome elements of humour throughout the book, and of romance. The dialogue is mostly snappy, though at times it is required perhaps to carry rather too much of the plot. The reader does get to know the key characters well, though, through their interactions. But the reader should also be aware that any assumptions they make as to whether or not a particular character is on the side of the angels may well prove incorrect as the plot unfolds.
     It requires close attention to follow the plot’s twists and turns, but such close consideration is worth the effort. Could ‘sleepy Upper Hutt’ really be the nursery for such nefarious goings-on?  If so, then any other corner of the country could be the same. Not only is this a thrilling story of modern-day spies and their methods, it is a reminder that like it or not, New Zealand is part of the international world in which they operate.
     This is a refreshingly original novel, and a cracking good read. 

Review by Tony Chapelle
Title: [Lure the lie]
Author: Cat Connor
Publisher: 9mm Press
ISBN: Print: 978-0-473-57154-2. ePub: 978-0-473-57155-9. Mobi: 978-0-463-57156-6
RRP: paperback $33.00;  ePub and Mobi: $3.37
Available: paper: Universal Purchase Link: books2read.com/lurethelie
Paperback: Amazon and www.writersplot.org.nz
Comments
    Picture

    FlaxFlower Reviews

    Reviews on this page are of New Zealand books – that is, written by Kiwi authors.   
    They are written by independent reviewers not known to the authors.

    Join the posting list
    If you'd like to receive an email when a new book review is posted, please respond via the CONTACT function above.

    If you are a Kiwi author
    and would like your book reviewed send an email via this site and you’ll be sent further details. There is no charge, but you will need to provide one book free to the reviewer.

    If you’d like to be a reviewer
    send an email via this site giving details of your experience/expertise what genres interest you, and the formats you will consider – print, ebook (Kindle, Kobo etc). If possible, include a URL of one of your published reviews.
       Offer only if you take the task seriously and are certain you will deliver the review.
    ​

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.