A classic, prize-winning novel about an epic migration and a lone woman haunted by the past in frontier Waipu.In the 1850s, a group of settlers established a community at Waipu in the northern part of New Zealand. They were led there by a stern preacher, Norman McLeod. The community had followed him from Scotland in 1817 to found a settlement in Nova Scotia, then subsequently to New Zealand via Australia. Their incredible journeys actually happened, and in this winner of the New Zealand Bo...

When Betty Guard steps ashore in Sydney, in 1834, she meets with a heroine's welcome. Her survival during a four-month kidnapping ordeal amongst Taranaki Maori is hailed as nothing short of a miracle. But questions about what really happened slowly surface within the ,lite governing circles of the raw new town of Sydney. Jacky Guard, ex-convict turned whaler, had taken Betty as his wife to his New Zealand whaling station when she was fourteen. After several years and two children, the fami...

A bestselling and influential novel, this compulsive story examines women's changing lives. 'One thing she had learnt was that she and Leonie belonged to a breed of women who were indestructible. They were survivors.' Taking risks is something Harriet seems driven to do as she struggles to retain her identity as a woman in the face of opposing demands from society. Through her adolescence in rural New Zealand, two marriages and a television career, she steadfastl...

**Plumes of flame pierced the night sky, curling and licking and caressing the hurrying clouds, and there was nothing anyone could do except watch the crop burn ...**In 1952, war widow Irene Sandie takes up work in New Zealand's tobacco fields, hoping to build a new life for herself and her daughter. But this bold act of female self-sufficiency triggers a sequence of events whose repercussions are still felt long after lrene's death. Against a backdrop of immense social and political chang...

Evocative, wry and thought-provoking, this is a rewarding journey with one of our finest writers. It is a little over a decade since Fiona Kidman wrote her last volume of memoir. But her story did not end on its last page; instead her life since has been busier than ever, filled with significant changes, new writing and fascinating journeys. From being a grandmother to becoming a widow, from the suitcase-existence of book festivals to researching the lives and deaths of Je...

FIONA KIDMANS Roman erzählt die spannende Lebensgeschichte der neuseeländischen Flugpionierin Jean Batten (1909-1982). In den 1930er Jahren wurde sie als »die Garbo der Lüfte« zur Ikone der modernen Flugkunst. Bei ihrem ersten Versuch, nach Australien zu fliegen, scheitert sie grandios mit einem alten Flugzeug des Prinzen von Wales. Doch sie gibt nicht auf. 1936 gelingt ihr der erste Soloflug überhaupt von England nach Neuseeland. Zuvor war sie von England aus schon solo nach Indien, Austr...

A powerful collection of stories exploring love and longing from an exceptional writer. Fiona Kidman’s early stories about New Zealand women’s experiences scandalised readers with their vivid depictions of the heartbreaks and joys of desire, illicit liaisons and unconventional love. Her writing made her a feminist icon in the early 1980s, and she has since continued to tell the realities of women’s lives, her books resonating with many readers over the years and across the...

A beautiful collection of stories by a pre-eminent writer, shortlisted for major awards. Fiona Kidman has a genius for peeling back the lives of ordinary people to reveal their hidden passions and complexities. In this brilliant new collection, she explores - with her customary subtlety and insight - how we are all touched and sometimes scarred by the flames of emotion - whether it be the impossible love of a pregnant woman for a married man, grief for a dead baby or loss ...

Who is trying to scare Rose? This gripping novel is a vivid portrayal of New Zealand in the 1980s. Rose Kendall is alone. She is isolated from her children, her friends, and her political ideals, and there is someone trying to scare her - she doesn't know why and she doesn't know who. True Stars shows the tensions and divisions in 1980s New Zealand, which were echoed both on a national level and in family relationships, which were crystallised by the 1981 Springb...

A collection of six compelling stories linked by a central issue in the lives of the main characters, the defining incident that shapes their futures: the disappearance of a brother; an illegitimate child born to a young girl; a traumatic court case; a woman caught between the deep friendship of two men; a lost lover; a betrayal. They are generally stories about country women, whose children have grown up and moved away to the cities, while they have remained surrounded by tight communitie...

Life isn’t always like it appears in the movies. In 1952, Irene Sandle takes her young daughter to Motueka. Irene was widowed during the war and is seeking a new start and employment in the tobacco fields. There, she finds the reality of her life far removed from the glamour of the screen. Can there be romance and happy endings, or will circumstances repeat through the generations? Each subsequent episode in this poignant work follows family secrets and the dynamics of Irene’s children. Th...

A moving novel, with intelligent and compassionate insight into post-natal depression and the complexities of relationships. 'When Roberta falls pregnant her whole family is filled with joy.' Fallen is not exactly how Roberta would describe it, for she and Paul have planned the baby and it has been conceived at exactly the time that they chose. But the birth itself is not as anyone chooses and the circles that radiate from this crisis affect everyone involved and change R...