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Product Description
THE Magazine
'With so much to tell... Drysdale’s gripping storyline manages to balance historial detail with a cracking good yarn.'
THE Magazine
'Her faithful descriptions…are unforgettable’
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous Historic Read,
By
This review is from: Strangerland: A Family at War (Paperback)
Strangerland A Family at War by Helena Drysdale
Picador 2006 For an historical read that appears to be fiction I have never read anything better that Helena Drysdale's Strangerland: A Family at War. The wars involve the British Colonial forces in India and New Zealand but as the truth unfolds there is an inexplicable war within the family that is tragically poignant. Helena Drysdale an acclaimed British travel writer turned her attention to her great grandfather Governor George Bowen, who was New Zealand's Governor General during the land wars, and discovered letters from a distant cousin Isabella Gascoyne revealing glimpses of a romantic but tragic story. Assiduous international research brings together a fascinating story that is told with objectivity and impartiality granted by time and distance. Written for the British market the story reads well for the New Zealander reader giving an historical overview of our past; of which many of us are ignorant. The story begins when Britain had been in India for over 200 years and the Gascoyne family, as part of the military presence enjoyed a superior life style before coming to NZ, thirteen years after the Treaty of Waitangi: expecting to become landed gentry they endured a life of heart rendering poverty. The family was in India during the first British invasion of Afghanistan instigated by Lord Auckland, then Governor General of India,(for whom Auckland was named),the first Sikh war and the Indian Mutiny and then came to New Zealand only to face the horrors of the Land Wars. The injustices of the land grabs, the massacres by Te Kooti and the attempts of the New Zealand and British authorities to govern intractable situations are vividly portrayed and balanced. Graphic descriptions of the people, the animals and the countryside make for a compelling read and the foot notes throughout the book are informative and interesting. (e.g. The British soldiers were known as "Bloody Backs" for their excessive use of flogging as a means of discipline) But it is in the post script that the book ends on an intriguing note. Confiscated land at Pukearuhe is being returned under the Treaty of Waitangi Settlement but the Ngati Tama iwi say they were not involved in the fighting and want the land back, as it was. That means a memorial to members of the Gascoyne family and the Reverend John Whitely who were massacred there will be removed leaving only this book to tell the story.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
History that reads like a blockbuster!,
By
This review is from: Strangerland: A Family at War (Hardcover)
Fabulous! Even if you're not normally a history buff, you'll be turning the pages as if it were a fiction blockbuster. There is something here for everyone. Female readers who love a family saga or relationships drama will be in turn delighted and then devastated by what happens to the lead character, Isabella. Male readers who enjoy battles and political intrigues will be absorbed in the adventures of her son, Fred. And not many will be left unmoved by the horrifying events that were largely suppressed at the time they happened and long hidden away in the archives.
Helena Drysdale's non-judgmental approach is refreshing and her descriptive details are just marvellous: the rich, languid days of the mid-19th Century Indian Raj contrasting with the lonely, rugged pioneering life in New Zealand. For us living with all the comforts of the 21st Century, it is almost impossible to believe the challenges and hardships these people had to face and we must admire their grit and endurance, even if their attitudes are sometimes difficult to understand. Being non-fiction, the book comes with quite a few footnotes, and although history purists may find fault with the lack of an index, I actually found it a relief as I wasn't losing my flow of concentration with annoying little numbers littering the text. Besides, it hardly matters, as there is an excellent postscript giving a background as to how the story came about, which is fascinating in itself. Helena Drysdale has demonstrated great passion for her subject with an easy style of writing that more historical non-fiction writers should aspire to if they want to reach a wider audience. I can't wait to read more of her work!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabbadoo,
By Field Walker (Heaven) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Strangerland: A Family at War (Paperback)
This is a work of scholarship (just look at that bibliography!) a compelling narrative (murder, war, marriage and a weird adultery, religion and other diseases), and a great history (the East India Company, Sikh wars and early colonisation of New Zealand), and an adventurous piece of travel writing (Helena Drysdale's various journeys to uncover the places and the people), all wrapped up in pitch-perfect prose, delivered with grace and authority. I'm concerned that Mr Hargreaves, above, gives this book an excellent review but only two stars. This seems mean to me - either that or his finger was a bit wobbly on the mouse when he dragged it across the star rating. So I thought I'd add my five - no, six, ten - stars to blitz his miserly two. This is an excellent book. I loved it.
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