Set in New Zealand, this compelling, romantic tale is about three teenagers, Paul, Simon, and Fiona, who are trying to understand their past, their place in the present, and what the future holds for them.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10-- Three New Zealand teenagers question their self-identity; all feel like strangers in their own land. Paul, recently returned from Massachusetts, feels no connection to his birthplace, and is haunted by a portrait of his Great-great-grandfather Alexander Waite, who was successful in obtaining land from the Maoris during the last century's bitter Land Wars. His new part-Maori friend, Simon, is determined to discover the truth about his birth father, whom he has never known. The boys travel to the east coast town of Te Tutei, where they meet Fiona, Paul's second cousin, who is looking forward to inheriting the Waite family farm, or cattle station, when she is 21; but the Maoris' claim to the land as a sacred burial ground now threaten her plans. The story takes many twists and turns, but plot details that would seem like coincidences in a less skilled author's hands here seem plausible. By alternating the points of view of the main characters, Savage does an excellent job of integrating New Zealand history, Maori culture and religious beliefs, and issues of present-day racism into the fabric of the novel. By the time readers reach the epilogue, the book's confusing and mysterious prologue becomes clear. Those who relish intricate plots and complex characterizations will find this novel to their liking. A touch of romance and a realistic, but happy, ending create a satisfying literary experience. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
The author of Flight of the Albatross (1989) returns to New Zealand for another tale contrasting Anglo and Maori ways and involving young people seeking self-definition. Paul, after four years in America and contact with an activist uncle who once marched with Martin Luther King, is already observing racial divisions in New Zealand with a disenchanted eye when he strikes up a friendship with Simon--who was raised by his white mother and adoptive father but has just realized that strangers see him as Maori, like his birth father. The two go to a seaside area where they meet Fiona, Paul's second cousin, still living on land their ancestor wrested from the Maoris, and also her Maori friends--who, it turns out, still hope to regain the land where Fiona dreams of training horses: it is their tapu burial ground. Meanwhile, Simon begins to realize that his father's origins were also here, and both boys are attracted to the brittle, driven Fiona. In addition to this incompletely developed triangle and the mystery concerning Simon's father, there's a fair amount of melodrama to hold interest here, culminating in a fire that helps resolve both the land question and an old trauma troubling Fiona. At times, it all seems a bit overblown; yet Savage writes vividly and smoothly, entwining her themes with care and intelligence while alternating among her protagonists' points of view. An entertaining story with some depth. (Fiction. 11-16) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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