The Strength of Old Shale
by Kirsty Powell
The Strength of Old Shale is a sequel, 20 years on, to The Strength of Eggshells. However, it is completely stand-alone. Readers can dive into The Strength of Old Shale without the frustration of not knowing who the people are or what is going on, or any fear of wishing they had read The Strength of Eggshells first.
The story interweaves three main threads from the Otago goldfields of the 1860s to modern day Whangamōmona, on the Forgotten Highway between Taumarunui and Stratford. The result is very convincing historical fiction and taut present-day drama.
Young Shetland Islander Isbell has a way with horses and is sent to Gabriels Gully gold diggings to establish a base for a Cobb & Co coach service. Here she is joined by her friend Mary Ann.
Brin has turned his back on his legal practice in New Plymouth and has taken up beekeeping in Whangamōmona. He cares for Mickey, who suffered brain damage in a childhood accident.
And then there’s Ariel. Studying Archaeology at university in Dunedin, she is far from home in Whangamōmona. She prefers solitude to people and carries the guilt of past tragedies on tough young shoulders, except, that is, for a recent traffic accident in which she killed someone: she has no memory of what or how it happened.
The story lines weave together seamlessly. Details of the goldrush to Central Otago are well researched: Powell vividly describes those harsh, desolate and dangerous times, when grit and courage were essential to survival.
The thread which connects Otago to Whangamōmona are Ariel’s journeys, hitch-hiking and by motor bike. Powell takes the reader along on the journey, riding windswept pillion through beautifully portrayed countryside.
Although many of the characters in The Strength of Old Shale are troubled souls, haunted by sorrows and guilt, Whangamōmona brings them, if not peace, at least a place to be themselves, and to lick their wounds. Here Powell immerses her readers in the quirky normality of an isolated rural community which has unexpectedly found itself on a well-trodden tourist trail.
The intertwining of the stories of Isbell, Ariel and Brin make The Strength of Old Shale a compelling read, with characters who will linger long after the last pages.
Is there a sequel to this sequel on the way? I certainly hope so.
by Kirsty Powell
The Strength of Old Shale is a sequel, 20 years on, to The Strength of Eggshells. However, it is completely stand-alone. Readers can dive into The Strength of Old Shale without the frustration of not knowing who the people are or what is going on, or any fear of wishing they had read The Strength of Eggshells first.
The story interweaves three main threads from the Otago goldfields of the 1860s to modern day Whangamōmona, on the Forgotten Highway between Taumarunui and Stratford. The result is very convincing historical fiction and taut present-day drama.
Young Shetland Islander Isbell has a way with horses and is sent to Gabriels Gully gold diggings to establish a base for a Cobb & Co coach service. Here she is joined by her friend Mary Ann.
Brin has turned his back on his legal practice in New Plymouth and has taken up beekeeping in Whangamōmona. He cares for Mickey, who suffered brain damage in a childhood accident.
And then there’s Ariel. Studying Archaeology at university in Dunedin, she is far from home in Whangamōmona. She prefers solitude to people and carries the guilt of past tragedies on tough young shoulders, except, that is, for a recent traffic accident in which she killed someone: she has no memory of what or how it happened.
The story lines weave together seamlessly. Details of the goldrush to Central Otago are well researched: Powell vividly describes those harsh, desolate and dangerous times, when grit and courage were essential to survival.
The thread which connects Otago to Whangamōmona are Ariel’s journeys, hitch-hiking and by motor bike. Powell takes the reader along on the journey, riding windswept pillion through beautifully portrayed countryside.
Although many of the characters in The Strength of Old Shale are troubled souls, haunted by sorrows and guilt, Whangamōmona brings them, if not peace, at least a place to be themselves, and to lick their wounds. Here Powell immerses her readers in the quirky normality of an isolated rural community which has unexpectedly found itself on a well-trodden tourist trail.
The intertwining of the stories of Isbell, Ariel and Brin make The Strength of Old Shale a compelling read, with characters who will linger long after the last pages.
Is there a sequel to this sequel on the way? I certainly hope so.
Review by Carolyn McKenzie
Title: The Strength of Old Shale
Author: Kirsty Powell
Publisher: Cloud Ink Press
ISBN: 9781738594375
RRP: $34.95
Available: bookshops
Author: Kirsty Powell
Publisher: Cloud Ink Press
ISBN: 9781738594375
RRP: $34.95
Available: bookshops
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