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Tamar Deane Trilogy #3
Blue Smoke
In her bestselling historical romances Tamar and White Feathers, Deborah Challinor introduced feisty Tamar Deane, the Cornish seamstress who became the owner of Auckland′s most successful brothel, and whose scandalous affair with Kepa, handsome son of a rangatira, resulted in the birth of her illegitimate son, Joseph.
White Feathers, which continued the story of Tamar and her children against the backdrop of the First World War, ended with the death of her beloved husband Andrew. In the third and concluding volume of the Tamar trilogy, Tamar is now a wealthy widow with an extensive and prosperous estate in the Hawke′s Bay, with her children settling into their own relationships, some more happily than others.
In the years leading up to and including World War Two, Tamar struggles to lead her growing family through the economic slump that became the Great Depression. The resulting years of social upheaval, including violent strikes, hunger marches and the Napier Earthquake, leave none of them untouched. When a riding accident almost ends her life, Tamar is forced to draw on her iron will to survive. Left with a permanent limp and a growing awareness of her own mortality, she is forced into ruthless decisions to protect her family and Andrew′s dearly loved Kenmore. At the same time, her son James′ racist disapproval of her relationship with Kepa and growing flirtation with fascism tests her to the core.
The war wreaks havoc on the extended Murdoch family, and through the eyes of Tamar′s grandchildren, we see its awful effect on a generation facing the enemy in both Europe and the Pacific. At the same time, battles are also being fought on the homefront, which don′t end when peace finally prevails. In a powerful and wide-reaching conclusion to this compelling family saga, Deborah Challinor explores the effects of war on three generations of a passionate and fiery New Zealand family
White Feathers, which continued the story of Tamar and her children against the backdrop of the First World War, ended with the death of her beloved husband Andrew. In the third and concluding volume of the Tamar trilogy, Tamar is now a wealthy widow with an extensive and prosperous estate in the Hawke′s Bay, with her children settling into their own relationships, some more happily than others.
In the years leading up to and including World War Two, Tamar struggles to lead her growing family through the economic slump that became the Great Depression. The resulting years of social upheaval, including violent strikes, hunger marches and the Napier Earthquake, leave none of them untouched. When a riding accident almost ends her life, Tamar is forced to draw on her iron will to survive. Left with a permanent limp and a growing awareness of her own mortality, she is forced into ruthless decisions to protect her family and Andrew′s dearly loved Kenmore. At the same time, her son James′ racist disapproval of her relationship with Kepa and growing flirtation with fascism tests her to the core.
The war wreaks havoc on the extended Murdoch family, and through the eyes of Tamar′s grandchildren, we see its awful effect on a generation facing the enemy in both Europe and the Pacific. At the same time, battles are also being fought on the homefront, which don′t end when peace finally prevails. In a powerful and wide-reaching conclusion to this compelling family saga, Deborah Challinor explores the effects of war on three generations of a passionate and fiery New Zealand family
506 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2005
41 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Challinor
24 books245 followersBorn in Huntly, she holds a PhD in New Zealand history from the University of Waikato. Challinor has worked as a fulltime writer and historian since 2000.
Primarily known for her historical novels, Deborah Challinor’s first published books were non-fiction history books, including the best-selling Grey Ghosts: New Zealand Vietnam Vets Talk About Their War (Hodder Moa Beckett, 1998).
Her first historical novel, Tamar, was published in 2002 and has been reprinted six times. Tamar is set in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and South Africa and covers the period from 1879 until the Boer War. The series continues with White Feathers (2003) and Blue Smoke (2004).
Union Belle (2005) tells the love story of a young woman caught up in the 1951 waterfront strike, and Kitty (2006) is set in the Bay of Islands in nineteenth century New Zealand. Both novels have been at the top of the New Zealand fiction bestseller list.
Attention to historical detail is an important part of writing for Challinor. ‘I base my novels on actual historical events, and it’s very important to me to research those events in depth and to present them accurately,’ she says.
Reviewing Union Belle in North and South magazine in April 2005, Warwick Roger commented that: ‘You can smell the beer and cigarette smoke in the public bar of the Huntly Hotel, hear the band at the Saturday night dances at the miner’s hall … it’s a book I kept sneaking back to whenever I had a spare quarter hour, eager to advance the story.’
Fire (HarperCollins, 2007), Challinor's seventh novel, is set in Auckland during the hype leading up to the royal visit of 1953, but is based on the Ballantyne’s department store fire of 1947 in Christchurch. A powerful and dramatic story of passion, ambition and greed, it became a number one bestseller.
Amber, the sequel to Kitty, was published later in 2007 and also became a bestseller. Amber opens in New Zealand in 1945, on the eve of the Northern War in the Bay of Islands, in which Kitty is caught up. Sent to Auckland away from the fighting, Kitty encounters an orphaned part-Maori girl she names Amber. Together they return to the Bay of Islands, where both Kitty must risk her own life to save Amber’s.
Isle of Tears (HarperCollins NZ Ltd, 2009) is a story about 14-year-old Scottish immigrant Isla McKinnon and her younger brothers and sister. When they are orphaned they are adopted by Taranaki Maori and become caught up in the wars in Taranaki, the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
A revised edition of Challinor’s Grey Ghosts (HarperCollins NZ) was published in 2009. This edition included a new chapter on how the New Zealand Vietnam veteran community has fared since the book was first published in 1998.
Primarily known for her historical novels, Deborah Challinor’s first published books were non-fiction history books, including the best-selling Grey Ghosts: New Zealand Vietnam Vets Talk About Their War (Hodder Moa Beckett, 1998).
Her first historical novel, Tamar, was published in 2002 and has been reprinted six times. Tamar is set in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and South Africa and covers the period from 1879 until the Boer War. The series continues with White Feathers (2003) and Blue Smoke (2004).
Union Belle (2005) tells the love story of a young woman caught up in the 1951 waterfront strike, and Kitty (2006) is set in the Bay of Islands in nineteenth century New Zealand. Both novels have been at the top of the New Zealand fiction bestseller list.
Attention to historical detail is an important part of writing for Challinor. ‘I base my novels on actual historical events, and it’s very important to me to research those events in depth and to present them accurately,’ she says.
Reviewing Union Belle in North and South magazine in April 2005, Warwick Roger commented that: ‘You can smell the beer and cigarette smoke in the public bar of the Huntly Hotel, hear the band at the Saturday night dances at the miner’s hall … it’s a book I kept sneaking back to whenever I had a spare quarter hour, eager to advance the story.’
Fire (HarperCollins, 2007), Challinor's seventh novel, is set in Auckland during the hype leading up to the royal visit of 1953, but is based on the Ballantyne’s department store fire of 1947 in Christchurch. A powerful and dramatic story of passion, ambition and greed, it became a number one bestseller.
Amber, the sequel to Kitty, was published later in 2007 and also became a bestseller. Amber opens in New Zealand in 1945, on the eve of the Northern War in the Bay of Islands, in which Kitty is caught up. Sent to Auckland away from the fighting, Kitty encounters an orphaned part-Maori girl she names Amber. Together they return to the Bay of Islands, where both Kitty must risk her own life to save Amber’s.
Isle of Tears (HarperCollins NZ Ltd, 2009) is a story about 14-year-old Scottish immigrant Isla McKinnon and her younger brothers and sister. When they are orphaned they are adopted by Taranaki Maori and become caught up in the wars in Taranaki, the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
A revised edition of Challinor’s Grey Ghosts (HarperCollins NZ) was published in 2009. This edition included a new chapter on how the New Zealand Vietnam veteran community has fared since the book was first published in 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 15, 2017
As Keely and Tamar drove into Napier for their usually day of shopping, both women were looking forward to the cup of tea which would start their outing. But after parking their beautiful new Daimler and as they were strolling to the teashop, a powerful earthquake struck Napier – the walls and glass window of the fabric shop they were passing collapsed, landing on top of Tamar. The shock Keely felt when she realised her mother was buried, possibly dead, sent icy tentacles down her spine…
On the back of the devastating earthquake came the Great Depression – Tamar was slowly recovering from her terrible injuries while restoration and rebuilding of Napier and the outlying areas took place. But it seemed that the past wars weren’t done with Tamar and her family – Hitler and World War II started rumbling, and one by one, Tamar’s grandchildren left to fight in another war.
Four long years of fighting; how many of the family would be affected this time? Would they all come home? From England to Europe; Japan and America – the grandchildren of Tamar Murdoch were spread across the world. She ached for peace; she and Kepa comforted each other as they quietly reminisced.
Blue Smoke is the final episode in the Children of War trilogy by Aussie/New Zealand author Deborah Challinor and wow! What an emotional and heart wrenching ride! I love this author’s work, and absolutely loved this trilogy. I can’t recommend it highly enough, but it MUST be read in order. The meaning of the title when I read it was deeply profound as well. An excellent and highly satisfying read!
On the back of the devastating earthquake came the Great Depression – Tamar was slowly recovering from her terrible injuries while restoration and rebuilding of Napier and the outlying areas took place. But it seemed that the past wars weren’t done with Tamar and her family – Hitler and World War II started rumbling, and one by one, Tamar’s grandchildren left to fight in another war.
Four long years of fighting; how many of the family would be affected this time? Would they all come home? From England to Europe; Japan and America – the grandchildren of Tamar Murdoch were spread across the world. She ached for peace; she and Kepa comforted each other as they quietly reminisced.
Blue Smoke is the final episode in the Children of War trilogy by Aussie/New Zealand author Deborah Challinor and wow! What an emotional and heart wrenching ride! I love this author’s work, and absolutely loved this trilogy. I can’t recommend it highly enough, but it MUST be read in order. The meaning of the title when I read it was deeply profound as well. An excellent and highly satisfying read!
July 12, 2025
A great NZ historical fiction trilogy. I loved following the family through 3 generations of world wars, births and deaths. While sometimes predictable, it was a good NZ trilogy. Thanks for the recommendation Jac😊
April 25, 2024
Absolutely loved the series 😊
July 27, 2021
4 stars
It’s 1931 in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand and Kenmore station’s matriarch Tamar Murdoch believes that no more bad luck and death can possibly befall her. However when she is seriously injured in an earthquake, this is just the beginning of a horrific series of events to come.
The Great Depression becomes the least of Tamar’s worries as her family again sails across the world to fight in World War II. Heartache strikes when not everyone makes it home to Kenmore; and for some of those who do, life will never be the same again. Can Tamar survive this sorrow or will the third war that has affected her life break her heart completely?
Blue Smoke is the third and final book in Deborah Challinor’s Children of War series and it’s a great read. Whilst you know that the series will end nice and neatly, it’s the journey not the destination that makes this book interesting and enjoyable to read.
You know the plot is going to build to where members of the Murdoch family will leave Kenmore to serve their country in WWII, but after this it could go in a hundred different directions and I was looking forward to seeing just what happened to who. There are no spoilers here, but I thought Challinor did an excellent job with the plot. I appreciated that it was not a story of ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ as history tells us that war veterans rarely do. Instead, Challinor uses her historian qualifications and gives the reader a more realistic account of life in the aftermath of World War II, culminating in the final outcome for our beloved matriarch Tamar.
As much and all as I enjoyed that plot, like the first two books; it was still the characters that made the book for me. Again, there were old ones and new ones; but older ones feel like long term friends by now and it was interesting to see where they ended up after we first met them.
An excellent final book in a highly recommended trilogy; Blue Smoke is well worth a read, especially for fans of historical fiction. Each book can easily be read in a few sittings and make a great weekend read.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
It’s 1931 in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand and Kenmore station’s matriarch Tamar Murdoch believes that no more bad luck and death can possibly befall her. However when she is seriously injured in an earthquake, this is just the beginning of a horrific series of events to come.
The Great Depression becomes the least of Tamar’s worries as her family again sails across the world to fight in World War II. Heartache strikes when not everyone makes it home to Kenmore; and for some of those who do, life will never be the same again. Can Tamar survive this sorrow or will the third war that has affected her life break her heart completely?
Blue Smoke is the third and final book in Deborah Challinor’s Children of War series and it’s a great read. Whilst you know that the series will end nice and neatly, it’s the journey not the destination that makes this book interesting and enjoyable to read.
You know the plot is going to build to where members of the Murdoch family will leave Kenmore to serve their country in WWII, but after this it could go in a hundred different directions and I was looking forward to seeing just what happened to who. There are no spoilers here, but I thought Challinor did an excellent job with the plot. I appreciated that it was not a story of ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ as history tells us that war veterans rarely do. Instead, Challinor uses her historian qualifications and gives the reader a more realistic account of life in the aftermath of World War II, culminating in the final outcome for our beloved matriarch Tamar.
As much and all as I enjoyed that plot, like the first two books; it was still the characters that made the book for me. Again, there were old ones and new ones; but older ones feel like long term friends by now and it was interesting to see where they ended up after we first met them.
An excellent final book in a highly recommended trilogy; Blue Smoke is well worth a read, especially for fans of historical fiction. Each book can easily be read in a few sittings and make a great weekend read.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
December 20, 2022
This one flew by. Some good coverage of the wide range of horrors experienced by kiwi troops in WW2, and nice to see someone not glossing over some of the issues of war brides.
BUT. The relationship between the (very well to do) Murdochs of Kenmore and the whanau at Maungakakiri feels just too... nice and lacking conflict / backlash around the community... for the era?
Which is interesting, because Challinors books set slightly later (the Restless Years series) definitely talks a bit more about this, while utilising some of these characters.
BUT. The relationship between the (very well to do) Murdochs of Kenmore and the whanau at Maungakakiri feels just too... nice and lacking conflict / backlash around the community... for the era?
Which is interesting, because Challinors books set slightly later (the Restless Years series) definitely talks a bit more about this, while utilising some of these characters.
September 12, 2022
I read this series thinking this final book would be about the Napier earthquake, however, I note that it was a very minor part of the storyline only. There were several spelling mistakes / words left out of the text towards the end of the book, the editing was sub par. Overall I enjoyed the series but I wouldn’t rush to re-read it.
January 30, 2018
I loved the whole series! The ending was as good as the beginning. I'm looking forward to reading more from Deborah Challinor.
March 6, 2018
3rd and final book in the trilogy
did not disappoint
did not disappoint
March 2, 2019
Great story of a close family, who live through war twice. Tamar is a remarkable woman who lives for those she loves.
August 15, 2019
3.5 stars
February 18, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyable read as were the first two books of this trilogy. What I particularly like about Deborah Challinor's books is the well researched historical content she weaves into her stories.
July 27, 2025
The most beautiful trilogy I’ve ever read. Grateful for the glimpses into everyone’s lives. The impact of one woman’s choices that led to the whānau she raised. Beautiful!
February 17, 2013
I loved this series. It actually made me home sick a little as I am from Hawkes Bay, where this series is mostly based. Also, being a Maori (Moo-ree, as the English characters said) and seeing the culture described made me want to go home even more!
Loved the history incorporated in the Story. I was learning but it didn't feel like a lecture.
I loved the characters and there are so many of them as Tamar's family just kept growing. I must admit towards the end as snipets of different characters lives were described, sometimes I had to stop and think 'Now, which one is that one?'. That is not a bad thing though, I thoroughly enjoyed each character and each could have had their own book and been intriguing. That doesn't mean the snipets were lacking cause it was enough and was rounded out nicely.
I am going to look at Deborah Challinor's other fiction books and trust they will be just as enjoyable.
**Spoiler from here..**
Just have to say, I thought Joseph was going to die somewhere along the long because of the premonition shown in the first book. It would have broke my heart! These characters just felt too real to me.
Loved the history incorporated in the Story. I was learning but it didn't feel like a lecture.
I loved the characters and there are so many of them as Tamar's family just kept growing. I must admit towards the end as snipets of different characters lives were described, sometimes I had to stop and think 'Now, which one is that one?'. That is not a bad thing though, I thoroughly enjoyed each character and each could have had their own book and been intriguing. That doesn't mean the snipets were lacking cause it was enough and was rounded out nicely.
I am going to look at Deborah Challinor's other fiction books and trust they will be just as enjoyable.
**Spoiler from here..**
Just have to say, I thought Joseph was going to die somewhere along the long because of the premonition shown in the first book. It would have broke my heart! These characters just felt too real to me.
November 30, 2014
This is the review I wrote for my local library...
In this third and final installment in the life of Tamar Murdoch, we start with the Napier earthquake in 1931, when Tamar and her daughter Keely are right there in the thick of things. Tamar's grandchildren are growing up, just in time to be called into service for World War Two - young girls and boys alike.
I enjoyed this book as much as the previous two, "Tamar" and "White Feathers".
In this third and final installment in the life of Tamar Murdoch, we start with the Napier earthquake in 1931, when Tamar and her daughter Keely are right there in the thick of things. Tamar's grandchildren are growing up, just in time to be called into service for World War Two - young girls and boys alike.
I enjoyed this book as much as the previous two, "Tamar" and "White Feathers".
May 1, 2014
Although this book followed the others logically and almost seamlessly, I felt it moved too frequently from one character to another, so you had the impression of too much action from too many and it was sometimes an effort to keep up.
However, some of the sub-plots, such as Drew in a Burmese prisoner of war camp, were deeply moving and harrowing at the same time.
Leila and Bonnie's marriages to American servicemen were the weakest contrivance in the book, I felt.
Overall a good read though.
However, some of the sub-plots, such as Drew in a Burmese prisoner of war camp, were deeply moving and harrowing at the same time.
Leila and Bonnie's marriages to American servicemen were the weakest contrivance in the book, I felt.
Overall a good read though.
October 14, 2012
A lovely book to finish the trilogy. HIghly recommend
January 10, 2013
Great book, love all her books and enjoyed this trilogy! Only took a couple of days to read and even stayed up late tonight to finish it!!
Read
October 17, 2013man great story
January 29, 2014
overall a good trilogy however this book felt repetitive might be cos i read all three in a row?
October 1, 2014
A bit sad to reach the end of this trilogy. A good read.
January 11, 2015
Have just finished the third book of this wonderfully written trilogy. Absolutely loved all three books :)
August 3, 2016
This would be my preferred book of the trilogy. The names of the family did become somewhat confusing with so many and a family tree at the beginning would help. A lovely ending to the trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews