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The Denniston Rose #1
The Denniston Rose
The bleak coal-mining settlement of Denniston, isolated high on a plateau above New Zealand's West Coast, is a place that makes or breaks those who live there. At the time of this novel - the 1880s - the only way to reach the makeshift collection of huts, tents and saloons is to climb aboard an empty coal-wagon to be hauled 2000 feet up the terrifyingly steep Incline - the cable-haulage system that brings the coal down to the railway line. All sorts arrive here to work the mines and bring out the coal: ex-goldminers down on their luck; others running from the law, or from a woman, or worse. They work alongside recruited English miners, solid and skilled, who scorn these disorganised misfits and want them off the Hill.
Into this chaotic community come five-year-old Rose and her mother, riding up the Incline, at night, during a storm. No one knows what has driven them there, but most agree the mother must be desperate to choose Denniston; worse, to choose that drunkard Jimmy Cork as bedfellow. The mother has her reasons and her plans, which she tells no one. The indomitable Rose is left to fend for herself, struggling to secure a place in this tough and often aggressive community. The Denniston Rose is about isolation and survival. It is the story of a spirited child, who, in appalling conditions, remains a survivor.
Into this chaotic community come five-year-old Rose and her mother, riding up the Incline, at night, during a storm. No one knows what has driven them there, but most agree the mother must be desperate to choose Denniston; worse, to choose that drunkard Jimmy Cork as bedfellow. The mother has her reasons and her plans, which she tells no one. The indomitable Rose is left to fend for herself, struggling to secure a place in this tough and often aggressive community. The Denniston Rose is about isolation and survival. It is the story of a spirited child, who, in appalling conditions, remains a survivor.
365 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
91 people are currently reading
650 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Pattrick
14 books49 followersJenny Pattrick is an acclaimed historical novelist, whose The Denniston Rose, and its sequel Heart of Coal, are among New Zealand's bestselling novels. In 2009 she received the New Zealand Post Mansfield Fellowship. She has been active in the arts community, and has also written stories, songs and shows for children.
Jenny Pattrick has been awarded the OBE for services to the arts, the 1990 medal, is featured in the Wellington Girls' College Hall of Fame and has received the NZ Post Katherine Mansfield Prize.
Jenny Pattrick has been awarded the OBE for services to the arts, the 1990 medal, is featured in the Wellington Girls' College Hall of Fame and has received the NZ Post Katherine Mansfield Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
March 10, 2020
Damn Denniston
Damn the track
Damn the way both there and back
Damn the wind and damn the weather
God damn Denniston altogether
J.T. Ward 1884
Last time I was on the West Coast, we went for a drive and my sister pointed out the site of Denniston perched high in the hills. As beautiful as the West Coast is, it is also a challenging, wet environment.
To this most inhospitable place came the fictional characters of the fierce Evangeline and her daughter, five year old Rose. Why did they come? Certainly no one would travel up the Incline in a storm and travel up a wagon on the tracks by choice!
The opening scenes of their arrival up The Incline is one of the best I have ever read and had me hungry to read more. I was totally enthralled by Rose (nicknamed Rose of Tralee by her new Denniston friends) and her strong will to survive and triumph. Rose's flaws (among other things Rose is stop her becoming a Mary Sue character, her story is by turn inspiring and harrowing - I kept praying what was foreshadowed wouldn't happen to this little girl.
Loved the ending and I now want to read the sequel Heart of Coal
I am already certain this will be one of my favourite reads in 2020.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
Damn the track
Damn the way both there and back
Damn the wind and damn the weather
God damn Denniston altogether
J.T. Ward 1884
Last time I was on the West Coast, we went for a drive and my sister pointed out the site of Denniston perched high in the hills. As beautiful as the West Coast is, it is also a challenging, wet environment.
To this most inhospitable place came the fictional characters of the fierce Evangeline and her daughter, five year old Rose. Why did they come? Certainly no one would travel up the Incline in a storm and travel up a wagon on the tracks by choice!
The opening scenes of their arrival up The Incline is one of the best I have ever read and had me hungry to read more. I was totally enthralled by Rose (nicknamed Rose of Tralee by her new Denniston friends) and her strong will to survive and triumph. Rose's flaws (among other things Rose is stop her becoming a Mary Sue character, her story is by turn inspiring and harrowing - I kept praying what was foreshadowed wouldn't happen to this little girl.
Loved the ending and I now want to read the sequel Heart of Coal
I am already certain this will be one of my favourite reads in 2020.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
July 23, 2012
I was born on Denniston as was my Mother. My Father was a miner who left Scotland to escape a life in the mines for a better life in New Zealand, but arrived just as the depression was beginning, and mining was the only job he could get! I know from both my parents how hard life still was on Denniston much later than the era Denniston Rose was set in.. I loved this book and could picture it all in my mind. Great story, well researched background detail. We moved to Waimangaroa when I was four, and remember climbing the incline to Denniston with my sister one Sunday when I was 11. Arriving home to our Mother afterwards covered in coal dust to the roots of our hair, and every pore on our skin, left no way to lie our way out of what we had spent the day doing!
March 29, 2016
A splendid novel set in Denniston, a small mining community of NZ in the 1880s. It is a great story and the characters so three-dimensional that pop out of the pages. I loved this book and highly recommend it. 4.5 stars
Edited to add some pictures
The incline
The settlement and the people
More pictures available at West Coast NZ History website
Edited to add some pictures
The incline
The settlement and the people
More pictures available at West Coast NZ History website
October 25, 2010
Set in the town of Denniston in the 1880′s, a mining town on the western coast of the South Island. The town itself was based around the coalmine there, accessible only up an almost vertical incline – the Denniston Incline. This made life for those that worked the mine, and for their families, incredibly isolated as not only could the journey down to the town of Westport not be made on a whim, it was also incredibly difficult for ladies to make. The method of transportation up to the mine/town was empty wagons returning up to the mine for more coal. There were no seats, and the going was rough. Mostly, when people arrived in Denniston, they stayed in Denniston until death. And then, because the ground was mostly solid rock, the people were unable to dig graves. The deceased had to be sent back down the Incline to be buried at a nearby cemetary.
On a storming night in 1882, Con the Brake is working manning the controls that pull the wagon up and down the incline. When one set reaches the top, he notices that a woman and child are on board. He starts, because the woman is familiar to him, but he prays that it cannot be. The woman, who has gone by many names, calls herself Eva Storm and asks after Jimmy Cork. She is directed to Jimmy’s tent where she finds him much changed from the man she knew some 5 years ago. Claiming he is the father of her small daughter Rose, Eva moves herself and Rose into the tent with Jimmy and begins life in Denniston.
It’s a hard life on Denniston for many, with the miner’s underpaid and often overworked. You get to know a handful of the characters as Rose comes into the contact with them and her life intertwines with those of the locals. The narrative jumps between third person generally, with the odd chapter thrown in containing Eva’s first person point of view which was a bit jarring but not entirely offputting. There is much made of the geography of the area, you get a real sense for the isolation, the misery of the weather, the storms and driving rain. There’s also detailed description on the mining of the coal and the system used to move it (and people) down the Incline. To be honest, that mostly went over my head but I’m sure anyone with a touch of engineering knowledge or understanding would appreciate it.
The characters are varied, and there were some truly likable ones. It’s hard not to feel for the poor little Rose and the terrible life she must endure due to the bad choices and the lack of care taken by her mother. Eva herself is one of the least redeeming characters I’ve come across in a novel in recent times. Her selfishness in putting what she wants ahead of all else, including what is best for her daughter, manifests in some truly terrible things happening to Rose which are unforgivable. She knows that Rose is in danger and she does very little, if not nothing to stop it. She has no respect for the marriages of others and sets out to destroy one from the time she arrives in Denniston.
Unfortunately, the biggest negative of this novel is the pace. It is -excruciatingly- slow. The first 100 pages drags by so slowly with hardly anything happening except a lot of description that I almost gave up on it more than once. It does pick up after that but it still crawls too slowly for my personal taste! While I enjoy an author that has good knowledge of their subject and likes to share that, there definitely is such thing as too much information and sometimes it was just warning: Mining/Engineering Infodump Ahead. For a long time I actually wondered what the story actually was because I couldn’t see one. While I eventually did come to quite like the storyline, and the portrayal of that mining community, I was still a bit…detached. I didn’t care for the characters as much as I think I was supposed to. When horrible things happened I kind of went ‘oh well, that’s sad’ and turned the page and didn’t think twice about it. I think if more time was spent on making me care for the characters, and less on what it’s like to have a system that pulls a wagon up an almost vertical incline, I would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more.
On a storming night in 1882, Con the Brake is working manning the controls that pull the wagon up and down the incline. When one set reaches the top, he notices that a woman and child are on board. He starts, because the woman is familiar to him, but he prays that it cannot be. The woman, who has gone by many names, calls herself Eva Storm and asks after Jimmy Cork. She is directed to Jimmy’s tent where she finds him much changed from the man she knew some 5 years ago. Claiming he is the father of her small daughter Rose, Eva moves herself and Rose into the tent with Jimmy and begins life in Denniston.
It’s a hard life on Denniston for many, with the miner’s underpaid and often overworked. You get to know a handful of the characters as Rose comes into the contact with them and her life intertwines with those of the locals. The narrative jumps between third person generally, with the odd chapter thrown in containing Eva’s first person point of view which was a bit jarring but not entirely offputting. There is much made of the geography of the area, you get a real sense for the isolation, the misery of the weather, the storms and driving rain. There’s also detailed description on the mining of the coal and the system used to move it (and people) down the Incline. To be honest, that mostly went over my head but I’m sure anyone with a touch of engineering knowledge or understanding would appreciate it.
The characters are varied, and there were some truly likable ones. It’s hard not to feel for the poor little Rose and the terrible life she must endure due to the bad choices and the lack of care taken by her mother. Eva herself is one of the least redeeming characters I’ve come across in a novel in recent times. Her selfishness in putting what she wants ahead of all else, including what is best for her daughter, manifests in some truly terrible things happening to Rose which are unforgivable. She knows that Rose is in danger and she does very little, if not nothing to stop it. She has no respect for the marriages of others and sets out to destroy one from the time she arrives in Denniston.
Unfortunately, the biggest negative of this novel is the pace. It is -excruciatingly- slow. The first 100 pages drags by so slowly with hardly anything happening except a lot of description that I almost gave up on it more than once. It does pick up after that but it still crawls too slowly for my personal taste! While I enjoy an author that has good knowledge of their subject and likes to share that, there definitely is such thing as too much information and sometimes it was just warning: Mining/Engineering Infodump Ahead. For a long time I actually wondered what the story actually was because I couldn’t see one. While I eventually did come to quite like the storyline, and the portrayal of that mining community, I was still a bit…detached. I didn’t care for the characters as much as I think I was supposed to. When horrible things happened I kind of went ‘oh well, that’s sad’ and turned the page and didn’t think twice about it. I think if more time was spent on making me care for the characters, and less on what it’s like to have a system that pulls a wagon up an almost vertical incline, I would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more.
January 29, 2016
On a recent trip to the West Coast, on a bleak, drizzly, cold spring day, we drove up the steep and windy hill to the plateau where a hundred years or so ago around 2000 people lived in the mining town of Denniston. It was a busy little community, with churches, shops, pubs, a school, people coming and going. I can't imagine what the place looked like or how thriving it was, as there was nothing about it that was remotely attractive the day we went! We went to the Coal museum in Westport, where there is lots of history about Denniston and other mining communities. The woman there suggested I track this book down, as it gives a very vivid picture of what life was like in this place. And so I did and very glad to have done so.
Places like Denniston, with their inhospitable environment and living conditions, places with difficult or impossible access, places with few women and children to provide those qualities of civilisation, attracted a certain type of person. Generally desperate, broken physically or mentally, impoverished, entrepreneurial, risk takers, but above all tough. One night a young woman with a colourful past and her five-year-old daughter, Rose, ride the crazy journey in a coal wagon up the mountain to the tiny settlement of Denniston. The mother, Eva, is after her man and his supposed stash of gold that she wants a slice of. Young Rose has spent her whole life being on the run with her mother, so Denniston is just another ugly, uncivilised dump that she finds herself in. But being a five-year-old girl with a smile and charm that can melt the toughest miner, she quickly finds her way into the hearts of the locals, and ultimately finds her place in this tough and lonely place.
But a lot of West Coast rain has to fall before things come right for Rose. The coal mine is at the centre of this story: without the mine and the miners there is no Denniston. How the small community deals with accidents, death, fires, industrial action, the rise of the unions were the sorts of things going on in many frontier towns and communities at this time. The West Coast in New Zealand has a reputation for breeding them tough, and this outstanding story, based on real lives and events, deserves to be read and enjoyed simply to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for where many NZers have come from.
Places like Denniston, with their inhospitable environment and living conditions, places with difficult or impossible access, places with few women and children to provide those qualities of civilisation, attracted a certain type of person. Generally desperate, broken physically or mentally, impoverished, entrepreneurial, risk takers, but above all tough. One night a young woman with a colourful past and her five-year-old daughter, Rose, ride the crazy journey in a coal wagon up the mountain to the tiny settlement of Denniston. The mother, Eva, is after her man and his supposed stash of gold that she wants a slice of. Young Rose has spent her whole life being on the run with her mother, so Denniston is just another ugly, uncivilised dump that she finds herself in. But being a five-year-old girl with a smile and charm that can melt the toughest miner, she quickly finds her way into the hearts of the locals, and ultimately finds her place in this tough and lonely place.
But a lot of West Coast rain has to fall before things come right for Rose. The coal mine is at the centre of this story: without the mine and the miners there is no Denniston. How the small community deals with accidents, death, fires, industrial action, the rise of the unions were the sorts of things going on in many frontier towns and communities at this time. The West Coast in New Zealand has a reputation for breeding them tough, and this outstanding story, based on real lives and events, deserves to be read and enjoyed simply to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for where many NZers have come from.
June 11, 2025
A recommendation from a friend’s father, because he found out that we were going to visit the West Coast. I really enjoyed this story, even if it was a little grim. I think it was exactly what you would expect from a story set in a coal mining town. I do really want to visit Denniston now!
June 26, 2024
I should have listened to my mum when she told me to read this… two years ago…
April 1, 2019
A historical third person narrative about a small coal mining town in New Zealand.
It was interesting to learn about coal mining. And there were several "characters" of the place. But I could not care enough for Rose or her mother. It all comes down to the mother's decision to stay in this hostile place when it would have been better to move on earlier than they did. Subsequently, since I could not identify with the heroine, it took me a couple months to make my way through this book.
There is sexual child abuse, but nothing goes into graphic detail, it's mentioned and the imagination fills in the gray areas.
It was interesting to learn about coal mining. And there were several "characters" of the place. But I could not care enough for Rose or her mother. It all comes down to the mother's decision to stay in this hostile place when it would have been better to move on earlier than they did. Subsequently, since I could not identify with the heroine, it took me a couple months to make my way through this book.
There is sexual child abuse, but nothing goes into graphic detail, it's mentioned and the imagination fills in the gray areas.
November 7, 2022
A devastating book. Bleak and upsetting, yet also riveting in its way.
I've wanted to read this book ever since I first heard of it.
And I still really want to visit Denniston itself - this has only heightened that desire.
The characters were vivid and well drawn.
2022 re-read: Yeah. still brutal.
Having visited Denniston now, I'm picturing the bleakness even more vividly (despite having visited on a glorious blue sky day). Also, dang Burnetts Face is a LONG way over the plateau - even in a car.
I've wanted to read this book ever since I first heard of it.
And I still really want to visit Denniston itself - this has only heightened that desire.
The characters were vivid and well drawn.
2022 re-read: Yeah. still brutal.
Having visited Denniston now, I'm picturing the bleakness even more vividly (despite having visited on a glorious blue sky day). Also, dang Burnetts Face is a LONG way over the plateau - even in a car.
April 24, 2024
It's an amazing story of resilience. We visited the deserted remains of Denniston, the rocky coal bearing plateau, and the incline this summer. Jenny Patrick's historical novel brought it all to life!
February 5, 2023
It's very well written, but depressing content at times. Quite dark.
July 27, 2025
There are so many good reviews for this book but I gave up. One review I saw said it improved after the first 100 pages but I got there and was still not into it.
June 7, 2017
A brilliant nz book. Look forward to reading others from this author.
November 12, 2023
I don't know how anyone survived those living conditions.
August 10, 2012
I really enjoyed this story set in New Zealand's South Island coal fields of the 1880s. Denniston was an excellent setting - isolated, hostile and an artificial community where everyone was new to the place. The social divide between management, skilled miners and labourers was clearly defined. Pattrick has created a rich cast of characters, many with secrets to hide. They are vividly portrayed and there is a warmth towards all but the most reprehensible. Pattrick is also looking at how a community is formed and the responsibilities that a community carries. There is a flavour of the American West about this novel, seeing as it is set in a pioneering environment. Bought myself a prequel to read on the plane on the way home from NZ.
November 20, 2019
A friendly book about the coal mines in New Zealand west coast! A good piece of fiction and true facts from what happened back in the end of the XIX century! Good to know that the strikes and fighting for rights had good achievements!
March 21, 2015
Excellent story to set the scene before a visit to Denniston. Made the trip up there come alive.
June 12, 2018
Most enjoyable tale set in New Zealand's South island. It's a historical story and the Rose is a lass of character and determination. A book for a cold winter evening to read beside the fire.
May 9, 2022
Apologies for not enjoying this book. Denniston is part of NZ's West Coast history and I so wanted to enjoy it.
November 9, 2025
I recall when this was first published back in the early 2000’s there was a lot of publicity surrounding it. The idea of reading a novel looking back at our early settlers experiences about mining on the West Coast was not something I was remotely interested. I certainly couldn’t fathom why it was so popular or why there was such hype. However having just finished reading about the wars fought over land and sovereignty from a Māori perspective in the second half of the 1800’s in the Taranaki, Waikato and far North. It would appear that I am finally catching up with why such literature matters and why history is important.
So when my most trusted book source (currently living overseas) mentioned she had just finished listening to this and had enjoyed the experience aided in part by the narrator being Jennifer Ward-Leland, a definite bonus. I felt it would be a good follow up from the last read I mentioned above. Round things out a bit.
Jenny Patrick has clearly done solid research to substantiate her fiction, which I always find fascinating as you get a good yarn with some education along the way. Over the years since it was written I have spent time in and around the areas Jenny writes about (back in the early 2000’s I had only been once and fleetingly). So I really enjoyed how she managed to flesh out the area and its early days for me. Both this and The Luminaries do a good job here and work well together.
I found the story of Rose and her Mother not as engaging as others seemed to. I think because the truth of what is being told is never easy and is still being experienced by far too many currently. I was forced to reflect on the ongoing hardship we all have regardless of how evolved or modern we seem to think we are. The fictional world of the Dennistion Plateau and some of the characters particularly the English minors and the three women Mary Scobie, Totty Hanratty and Mrs C Rasmussen were highlights for me and have given me some lovely insights into different aspects of this time. This novel provides a fascinating overview of how it might really have been on The West Coast for these women. I enjoyed reading it but it didn’t quite make into the four star realm. Given my views of it unread 22 years ago that’s pretty good imho.
So when my most trusted book source (currently living overseas) mentioned she had just finished listening to this and had enjoyed the experience aided in part by the narrator being Jennifer Ward-Leland, a definite bonus. I felt it would be a good follow up from the last read I mentioned above. Round things out a bit.
Jenny Patrick has clearly done solid research to substantiate her fiction, which I always find fascinating as you get a good yarn with some education along the way. Over the years since it was written I have spent time in and around the areas Jenny writes about (back in the early 2000’s I had only been once and fleetingly). So I really enjoyed how she managed to flesh out the area and its early days for me. Both this and The Luminaries do a good job here and work well together.
I found the story of Rose and her Mother not as engaging as others seemed to. I think because the truth of what is being told is never easy and is still being experienced by far too many currently. I was forced to reflect on the ongoing hardship we all have regardless of how evolved or modern we seem to think we are. The fictional world of the Dennistion Plateau and some of the characters particularly the English minors and the three women Mary Scobie, Totty Hanratty and Mrs C Rasmussen were highlights for me and have given me some lovely insights into different aspects of this time. This novel provides a fascinating overview of how it might really have been on The West Coast for these women. I enjoyed reading it but it didn’t quite make into the four star realm. Given my views of it unread 22 years ago that’s pretty good imho.
February 7, 2020
This historical novel gives a vivid account of a very hardscrabble way of life. Set in a remote (almost inaccessible) town on New Zealand's South Island in the 1880s, it's full of fascinating detail about coal mining and the appalling living and working conditions these early immigrants endured.
Unfortunately, the main characters weren't as interesting to me as the setting and background were. The two main characters are 5-year-old Rose, who never quite charmed me as much as she was obviously meant to, and her repellent mother. By halfway through I was skimming over any scene she appeared in because she was just too infuriating.
There were other secondary characters (particularly the women) who were more appealing. I might have enjoyed a story centred around either the rebellious society girl who married beneath her or the wife of the miner/preacher who turns atheist after tragedy strikes.
I would also have appreciated a trigger warning about what happens to Rose . I did see it coming, but the story was bleak enough as it was, without that, too.
Unfortunately, the main characters weren't as interesting to me as the setting and background were. The two main characters are 5-year-old Rose, who never quite charmed me as much as she was obviously meant to, and her repellent mother. By halfway through I was skimming over any scene she appeared in because she was just too infuriating.
There were other secondary characters (particularly the women) who were more appealing. I might have enjoyed a story centred around either the rebellious society girl who married beneath her or the wife of the miner/preacher who turns atheist after tragedy strikes.
I would also have appreciated a trigger warning about what happens to Rose . I did see it coming, but the story was bleak enough as it was, without that, too.
July 31, 2017
When Jenny Patrick's latest book, "Leap of Faith" came out, it started me on a re reading of "Denniston Rose" and "Heart of Coal. "Leap of Faith" is about the engineering of the Raurimu Spiral,an amazing piece of railway construction, high in the air built as a spiral as the terrain is so steep. This echoes the extraordinary steep access to the coal fields of Denniston on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Rose is in both books. The area is the setting of Eleanor Catton's "The Illuminaries"
I also read the illustrated edition of Denniston Rose and Heart of Coal. I had always had trouble imagining this landscape and welcomed an illustrated portrayal. Included are many vivid historic photos of the area. I found these very unsettling - how could anyone live in such a difficult, inhospitable area, in such tiny, flimsy wooden huts?
It says much for Jenny Patrick's talents and depth of research that she builds convincing and gripping worlds.
I also read the illustrated edition of Denniston Rose and Heart of Coal. I had always had trouble imagining this landscape and welcomed an illustrated portrayal. Included are many vivid historic photos of the area. I found these very unsettling - how could anyone live in such a difficult, inhospitable area, in such tiny, flimsy wooden huts?
It says much for Jenny Patrick's talents and depth of research that she builds convincing and gripping worlds.
April 28, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed Jenny Pattrick's writing. I was taken back in time to a pioneer village in the harsh conditions on the west coast of New Zealand. At times it was difficult to read about the characters and all they suffered through. But each Character was a great representation of what it took to survive on 'the hill'. I was so taken by the story that I had to visit the location when we travelled in the area. For us it was a beautiful sunny day - no signs of the bleakness which Jenny so well described. The weather was almost a character in itself in the book. Not much remains at Denniston, but the incline was a marvel to behold and had me picturing Rose in one of the bins with her mother as they ascended the incline. A heart wrenching story - but so worth taking the journey.
December 19, 2025
After visiting the site where The Denniston Rose is based, I found the story very impactful.
Pattrick does an incredible job of bringing the history to life, capturing the harshness and the beauty of the mining community on Denniston Plateau.
The characters are vivid, and the setting almost feels like a character in itself, with the rugged landscape and the struggles of the people who lived there.
The novel paints a powerful picture of resilience, hardship, and love in a challenging environment. I really enjoyed how the historical details were woven into the narrative, making the past feel immediate and tangible.
It’s a beautifully told story that not only honors the real history of the place but also evokes strong emotions.
Pattrick does an incredible job of bringing the history to life, capturing the harshness and the beauty of the mining community on Denniston Plateau.
The characters are vivid, and the setting almost feels like a character in itself, with the rugged landscape and the struggles of the people who lived there.
The novel paints a powerful picture of resilience, hardship, and love in a challenging environment. I really enjoyed how the historical details were woven into the narrative, making the past feel immediate and tangible.
It’s a beautifully told story that not only honors the real history of the place but also evokes strong emotions.
September 15, 2022
4.5⭐️ this is my second time reading this book in my lifetime and i honestly still don’t know what to say. It is a gut wrenching story about a little girls bravery and resilience even though she has been dealt a very very bad hand. Although fictitious, parts of the story pay homage to the actual conditions miners faced on the denniston plateau in the late 1800s which helped make this story feel believable. The only thing that can be off putting is the writing style, as a lot of it can be slang / how I imagine the characters would sound if you were to meet them. Not for the faint hearted and definitely has strong themes of abuse.
October 26, 2016
Having just visited Denniston (in sunshine and rain) I had a feel for this awesome place. The book brings the heartache and hard work to life. I enjoyed having the chapters from Eva Storm's point of view as well as the other characters. The book could have been twice as long for me and I would still have enjoyed it, however Pattrick has created a wonderful book that is not too long and with a great storyline. I found it very hard to put down.
Recommended to Y11 to adult. Great themes and great NZ history.
Recommended to Y11 to adult. Great themes and great NZ history.
June 15, 2025
This book paints a picture of life in an emerging mining settlement in the late 1800s in New Zealand. You can feel the mud underfoot and the soot in the air. I liked the way the book explored how a community grows (what's the critical mass of kids in order to set up a school? what shops pop up first? do you have multiple churches before you have multiple pubs?). I didn't like that a substantial part of the story revolved around the community turning a blind eye to child sex abuse, although I suppose that's also historically accurate, unfortunately.
December 23, 2019
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this story. It was tragic, heart breaking and about over coming harsh conditions. The writing style held this story back. It chopped and changed through perspectives and was in many ways almost like a written transcript of a conversation. The text was written as if you were reading a conversation but it wasn’t always clear who was speaking. Like eavesdropping at a door you get some of what’s happening but not all.
I really enjoyed this story. It was tragic, heart breaking and about over coming harsh conditions. The writing style held this story back. It chopped and changed through perspectives and was in many ways almost like a written transcript of a conversation. The text was written as if you were reading a conversation but it wasn’t always clear who was speaking. Like eavesdropping at a door you get some of what’s happening but not all.
December 30, 2022
Jenny Patrick’s first novel was rejected by publishers six times before finally coming out in 2003. It was seen as historical fiction but is far from being a bodice ripper. Set in a remote coal mining settlement in the 1880s, it is packed with memorable characters and brings to life a vibrant story of isolation, struggle and survival on New Zealand’s West Coast. The sequel “Heart of Coal” and Patrick’s latest “Harbouring” set in Wellington are now on my must-read list
August 31, 2024
This is a well written story and a real page Turner BUT I got to the end and I hated it. So it's quality writing, just not for me.
I found the first half of the book really good but the second half showed such deep moral flaw upon flaw of every character to the point that it was just so miserable and I was wishing the plague upon the lot.
I think a heads up that it delves into widely known child sexual assault that the whole community turns a blind eye too is needed.
I found the first half of the book really good but the second half showed such deep moral flaw upon flaw of every character to the point that it was just so miserable and I was wishing the plague upon the lot.
I think a heads up that it delves into widely known child sexual assault that the whole community turns a blind eye too is needed.
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