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The Seasonwife
It's 1832 on an isolated coast on the South Island of New Zealand. A lush and tranquil bay is facing a season of upheaval. White men are whaling, sealing, whoring and warring. Creatures are culled, woods are felled. But something more sinister is afoot. There is much demand amongst the English gentry for the rich resources and curiosities to be found in this farthest flung corner of the colonies. But, in order to procure these 'treasures', blood will need to be shed. Bridie Murphy is an immigrant Irish orphan with a sharp tongue and an unbreakable spirit who has been abducted from her home in Sydney. She is forced into a relationship with Robbie Fitch, the roguish captain of a whaling ship. Low-born, perceptive and fiercely protective of her whanau, Manaia O Piripiri has a special role accorded her by the rangatira to protect the village. It also sets her on a dangerous collision course with Robbie and his men. Slipping unwillingly into the fray is Quentin Cuthbert, a disillusioned missionary with a past. While Bridie and Manaia forge a precarious and critical alliance, the missionary must decide once and for all where he stands. The Seasonwife considers the barbaric intrusion of a new world into the lives of Maori as women navigate dangerous currents towards survival. A lyrical, deeply moving and highly visual novel that will penetrate deep into your bones.
287 pages, Unknown Binding
Published August 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 13, 2023
The Seasonwife is a stunning debut novel by Saige England. Set in the 'Middle Island' (which would later become known as the South Island) of New Zealand in 1832, the novel challenges the reader, right from the opening pages, to think deeply about the corrupt foundations of colonial settlement, a message that could equally apply to colonialism around the world.
Bridie Murphy, orphaned daughter of a transported convict woman in Sydney, is abducted and taken to New Zealand by an unscrupulous whaling captain with a sideline business collecting morbid trophies for the display cabinets of the curious English aristocracy. But this is not the New Zealand of "The Luminaries" or "The Piano", where Māori are virtually invisible. This is New Zealand before it had become New Zealand in anything but name. Māori in the area have heard little yet but rumour of Pākehā (Europeans). We see this story unfold not only through the eyes of Bridie Murphy, but also from the perspective of the tangata whenua (indigenous inhabitants) of the bay, as they wrestle with how to engage with this new world that has come unbidden into their own. This novel is about first contact, the potential, and the horror that entailed.
The novel is written in a lyrical and poetic style, which belies the seriousness of its content. Aided by a comprehensive glossary, the seamless weaving together of te reo Māori, Irish Gaelic, whalers' and Roma cant works in a way that immerses the reader entirely into the lives of the various characters, Bridie, Manaia O Piripiri, a young indigenous Māori woman herself wrestling with her place in her community, Robbie Fitch, the roguish but charismatic whaler, and Quentin Cuthbert, a disgraced missionary struggling to reconcile his faith with the reality of what he has seen and done.
The Seasonwife is one of those novels that doesn't lie down. Once it has grabbed you it holds on and demands to be read again and again. On the strength of this remarkable novel, Saige England is a writer to watch.
Bridie Murphy, orphaned daughter of a transported convict woman in Sydney, is abducted and taken to New Zealand by an unscrupulous whaling captain with a sideline business collecting morbid trophies for the display cabinets of the curious English aristocracy. But this is not the New Zealand of "The Luminaries" or "The Piano", where Māori are virtually invisible. This is New Zealand before it had become New Zealand in anything but name. Māori in the area have heard little yet but rumour of Pākehā (Europeans). We see this story unfold not only through the eyes of Bridie Murphy, but also from the perspective of the tangata whenua (indigenous inhabitants) of the bay, as they wrestle with how to engage with this new world that has come unbidden into their own. This novel is about first contact, the potential, and the horror that entailed.
The novel is written in a lyrical and poetic style, which belies the seriousness of its content. Aided by a comprehensive glossary, the seamless weaving together of te reo Māori, Irish Gaelic, whalers' and Roma cant works in a way that immerses the reader entirely into the lives of the various characters, Bridie, Manaia O Piripiri, a young indigenous Māori woman herself wrestling with her place in her community, Robbie Fitch, the roguish but charismatic whaler, and Quentin Cuthbert, a disgraced missionary struggling to reconcile his faith with the reality of what he has seen and done.
The Seasonwife is one of those novels that doesn't lie down. Once it has grabbed you it holds on and demands to be read again and again. On the strength of this remarkable novel, Saige England is a writer to watch.
July 1, 2024
Every New Zealander needs to read this.
July 17, 2024
Solid 4.5 stars, but a warning: it's a very brutal read. Also beautifully written, with unusual prose that I think works very well for this book but is somewhat hard to get into. Overall though, it's beautiful, emotional, almost surreal in ways that seem to make a lot of sense. It feels like a journey in a way few books do. But oh man oh man sometimes it's just brutal to read and makes me feel so fucking mad at my own tīpuna, all the white men that thought they owned the fucking world.
September 24, 2023
The Seasonwife is a richly textured historical novel which focuses a harsh spotlight on some of the barbarous practices common during the colonial era and their sinister consequences, not only for Māori, but also for wildlife and the natural environment.
In the winter of 1832, arch-Dickensian villain Captain Fitch and his crew sail to (then) Middle Island, New Zealand for the whaling season. On board Fitch’s vessel is a motley assortment of characters including a conflicted missionary, Quentin Cuthbert — persuaded to accompany the expedition because of his knowledge of Māori language and culture — and young Irish orphan Bridie, barely a teenager, and her little brother, Tom, who have been abducted by Fitch for his own perverse uses.
Once landfall is made, a makeshift encampment and whaling station is established ashore near a large Māori settlement where the kaumatua (elders/leaders) and villagers are deeply suspicious of the foreigners and their motives. Enter Manaia, a young Māori wahine (woman) who is chosen by her people to act as a lure to gather information about the tauiwi (foreigners) and their nefarious activities.
As inter-racial tensions ratchet up and shocking secrets are revealed about the more heinous aspects of Captain Fitch's mission, the stakes are raised and lives are threatened. It becomes beholden on Bridie and her new friend, Manaia, together with the help of the missionary Cuthbert, to attempt to make things right, with the assistance of some waka taua (large war canoes) from the north filled with warriors intent on utu (revenge/retribution).
England demonstrates a deep understanding of the environment and living conditions of the period, the season, and the situation. Her use of visceral, evocative and emotive language places the reader right inside the action, where the sonorous sounds of the Celtic tongue are juxtaposed against the more guttural, crude sea-faring slang used by the whalers, and the otherness (for Europeans of that era) of the Māori language. (A glossary at the back of the book provides valuable support document for the interpretation and appreciation of these different vernaculars.)
The Seasonwife pits the endurance of the human spirit against the indecent and immoral atrocities perpetrated by the better resourced and more powerful, where the compulsion to dominate and subjugate those considered 'inferior' or ripe for exploitation — women and children, those of lower status or class, and those of different ethnicities, such as Māori (characterised in that era by colonists as either ‘noble savages’ or ‘savage warriors’), as well as the natural environment and other living creatures — causes so much suffering and often, irreparable damage.
Beautifully written and a gripping and uncompromising story — I highly recommend The Seasonwife.
In the winter of 1832, arch-Dickensian villain Captain Fitch and his crew sail to (then) Middle Island, New Zealand for the whaling season. On board Fitch’s vessel is a motley assortment of characters including a conflicted missionary, Quentin Cuthbert — persuaded to accompany the expedition because of his knowledge of Māori language and culture — and young Irish orphan Bridie, barely a teenager, and her little brother, Tom, who have been abducted by Fitch for his own perverse uses.
Once landfall is made, a makeshift encampment and whaling station is established ashore near a large Māori settlement where the kaumatua (elders/leaders) and villagers are deeply suspicious of the foreigners and their motives. Enter Manaia, a young Māori wahine (woman) who is chosen by her people to act as a lure to gather information about the tauiwi (foreigners) and their nefarious activities.
As inter-racial tensions ratchet up and shocking secrets are revealed about the more heinous aspects of Captain Fitch's mission, the stakes are raised and lives are threatened. It becomes beholden on Bridie and her new friend, Manaia, together with the help of the missionary Cuthbert, to attempt to make things right, with the assistance of some waka taua (large war canoes) from the north filled with warriors intent on utu (revenge/retribution).
England demonstrates a deep understanding of the environment and living conditions of the period, the season, and the situation. Her use of visceral, evocative and emotive language places the reader right inside the action, where the sonorous sounds of the Celtic tongue are juxtaposed against the more guttural, crude sea-faring slang used by the whalers, and the otherness (for Europeans of that era) of the Māori language. (A glossary at the back of the book provides valuable support document for the interpretation and appreciation of these different vernaculars.)
The Seasonwife pits the endurance of the human spirit against the indecent and immoral atrocities perpetrated by the better resourced and more powerful, where the compulsion to dominate and subjugate those considered 'inferior' or ripe for exploitation — women and children, those of lower status or class, and those of different ethnicities, such as Māori (characterised in that era by colonists as either ‘noble savages’ or ‘savage warriors’), as well as the natural environment and other living creatures — causes so much suffering and often, irreparable damage.
Beautifully written and a gripping and uncompromising story — I highly recommend The Seasonwife.
October 17, 2023
It took me a long time to read this book. It’s not a telling that can be rushed. The language is rich, evocative, textured and in keeping with the times and sometimes horrific events it portrays.
I won’t give a plot synopsis- there are already plenty of tales in this site.
Saige has created a world of depth and shadow, with beautiful bright counterpoints.
Some of her characters will remain with me.
I look forward to reading this again at leisure, luxuriating in the language, dipping in and out.
It is one of the few contemporary books I have that is worthy of a second deep read.
I won’t give a plot synopsis- there are already plenty of tales in this site.
Saige has created a world of depth and shadow, with beautiful bright counterpoints.
Some of her characters will remain with me.
I look forward to reading this again at leisure, luxuriating in the language, dipping in and out.
It is one of the few contemporary books I have that is worthy of a second deep read.
January 15, 2024
Books like The Seasonwife are important in exploring and understanding a nation’s colonial history. It is, at times, a tough read – but I found it equally tough to put down. Set in 1832, mostly in Te Waipounamu, Aotearoa, it depicts the brutal experiences of two young women – Bridie, an Irish orphan, and Manaia, wahine Māori – at the hands of tauiwi sailors.
The violence in this book is unrelenting, but I suspect entirely accurate for the setting. Robbie Fitch, the sailors’ captain and villain of the book, represents the worst of British culture at the time: unscrupulous, entitled, driven by greed and ruthless ambition. He’s utterly repugnant yet, at times, weirdly charismatic. Even pitiable, on rare occasion – after all, he is also a product of the Empire’s colonial regime.
Bridie and Manaia, on the other hand, represent the shared trauma of women oppressed and violated by that regime. Bridie’s sheer determination and will to survive in the face of horrific violence carries the book, although Manaia’s development is strong and vital to the novel’s climax. But there is more than trauma that binds the two women – a resilience, and a deep sense of self, that cannot be quashed. The connection drawn between the keening of Bridie’s tūpuna with the karanga and tangi of Manaia’s is particularly powerful.
The author’s note makes clear the deep care they – as a Pākehā writer – have taken with their representation of Māori. As a Māori reader, I think this sometimes leaned towards a romanticised view of pre-colonial Māori, but any attempt by a Pākehā writer to accurately depict this is always going to be fraught. Manaia’s perspective overall felt believable and consistent with my understandings of Māori society of the time.
Finally, a special mention must go to the prose. The cant (colloquial language used by Robbie and his men) is just fantastic. The narrative voice itself, too, has a diction fitting of the place and time - further evidence of the author’s care and depth of research into a critical period of Aotearoa history. Mauri ora!
The violence in this book is unrelenting, but I suspect entirely accurate for the setting. Robbie Fitch, the sailors’ captain and villain of the book, represents the worst of British culture at the time: unscrupulous, entitled, driven by greed and ruthless ambition. He’s utterly repugnant yet, at times, weirdly charismatic. Even pitiable, on rare occasion – after all, he is also a product of the Empire’s colonial regime.
Bridie and Manaia, on the other hand, represent the shared trauma of women oppressed and violated by that regime. Bridie’s sheer determination and will to survive in the face of horrific violence carries the book, although Manaia’s development is strong and vital to the novel’s climax. But there is more than trauma that binds the two women – a resilience, and a deep sense of self, that cannot be quashed. The connection drawn between the keening of Bridie’s tūpuna with the karanga and tangi of Manaia’s is particularly powerful.
The author’s note makes clear the deep care they – as a Pākehā writer – have taken with their representation of Māori. As a Māori reader, I think this sometimes leaned towards a romanticised view of pre-colonial Māori, but any attempt by a Pākehā writer to accurately depict this is always going to be fraught. Manaia’s perspective overall felt believable and consistent with my understandings of Māori society of the time.
Finally, a special mention must go to the prose. The cant (colloquial language used by Robbie and his men) is just fantastic. The narrative voice itself, too, has a diction fitting of the place and time - further evidence of the author’s care and depth of research into a critical period of Aotearoa history. Mauri ora!
September 3, 2023
1832 was a super awful time.
August 19, 2024
Wow!
So I’ve just finished The Seasonwife, and oooh I LOVED this!
The poet in Saige sings so clearly thru the story, in richly textured images and almost musical phrases that sooth even the shocking darker deeds. I like how she leaves out a lot of the pronouns; it empowered the adjectives and verbs, and brought me into the scene much more personally. I was surprised at the power of that. It frequently evoked a body memory of how it felt when I had… …done whatever was described. Even little things like sitting down. Her descriptions pulled me more deeply into my body.
And I love the use of the Māori aphorisms. Her representation of Māori feels very sensitive and honouring, (at least to me, as a pakeha woman) and it feels important to me that this is so, for all of the reasons she mentions in her Authors notes.
I was also quite struck by a subtle sparkling thread in this weave, of the importance of retaining one’s language and therefore one’s concepts, beliefs and history.
So I’ve just finished The Seasonwife, and oooh I LOVED this!
The poet in Saige sings so clearly thru the story, in richly textured images and almost musical phrases that sooth even the shocking darker deeds. I like how she leaves out a lot of the pronouns; it empowered the adjectives and verbs, and brought me into the scene much more personally. I was surprised at the power of that. It frequently evoked a body memory of how it felt when I had… …done whatever was described. Even little things like sitting down. Her descriptions pulled me more deeply into my body.
And I love the use of the Māori aphorisms. Her representation of Māori feels very sensitive and honouring, (at least to me, as a pakeha woman) and it feels important to me that this is so, for all of the reasons she mentions in her Authors notes.
I was also quite struck by a subtle sparkling thread in this weave, of the importance of retaining one’s language and therefore one’s concepts, beliefs and history.
March 31, 2025
Rounding up from 4.5. I liked this (audio)book more and more with every additional hour of listening. It made 6+ hours of gardening over the weekend go by very quickly, and I was keen to get back to other audiobook-friendly tasks so I could finish the novel. The book, which takes place in the 1830s, focuses on three main characters: a horrible ship's captain - leader of whalers and also out to collect heads, the Irish woman he abducts from Australia to take to Te Waipounamu as a wife, and a local Māori woman who is given as his seasonwife (to collect intel).
As with any accurate story from this time, the abject cruelty, greed, and treachery of colonialism are excruciatingly obvious. Even if a work of fiction, there would be very little daylight between this story and actual events somewhere in Aotearoa NZ or Australia. Indeed, the author's notes at the end provide information on the research undertaken and sources used - this explains the detail (and unusual language).
As with any accurate story from this time, the abject cruelty, greed, and treachery of colonialism are excruciatingly obvious. Even if a work of fiction, there would be very little daylight between this story and actual events somewhere in Aotearoa NZ or Australia. Indeed, the author's notes at the end provide information on the research undertaken and sources used - this explains the detail (and unusual language).
December 14, 2023
Well researched, colonial new zealand. Interesting author i think
December 24, 2023
This isn't an easy read. It gives a brutal insight into the savagery of some of the early settlers/whalers who had only utter contempt and hatred for women, Māori and anyone who is not English it seems. I didn't know about the Māori settlement in Sydney in the late 1700s/early 1800s until I read this, though I did know trade had been established. I also didn't know that Europeans traded in Māori heads. So many Pākehā still exist under the delusion that Māori were lucky this country was colonised by the English. If only we could make all of them read this and understand the ugly truth behind this work of fiction.
May 11, 2025
Wallace Stevens once said that “The poet is the priest of the invisible” - a quote that is especially poignant to Saige’s special poetic perspective in The Seasonwife. Writers shape how we understand reality; we need skilful writers like Saige to expose the brutal legacy of colonialism. Despite the dark and Dickensian narrative, The Seasonwife grounds itself in the mana of nature, women and indigenous culture, that is the backbone of the story and provides a lesson in spiritual resilience. A must read for all!
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April 17, 2024Just finished .. a hard but compelling read, language lyrical and soft as down, a story brutal (not for the squeamish) yet beautiful, confronting on many levels, subtle and sophisticated in its narrative and description, ultimately a story of optimism (I thought). Thank you for this taonga.. tino pai to mahi e hoa.
February 14, 2024
A harrowing, and entertaining tale of the early colonisation of Aotearoa; extensively researched and told with the utmost respect for Te ao Māori. Saige England's characters, setting, story and language - including te reo, whaling slang and Irish gaelic - make this book impossible to put down.
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February 18, 2024It’s intense. The characters and plot made me work but the writing was exquisite.
September 4, 2024
Second hand bookstore find. This is one of those books that I enjoyed and didn't all at the same time. I loved the history of this story although a bit graphic and gory at times. The writing was quite poetic which at the beginning I really enjoyed, but I began to struggle a bit with over time and started skimming sections. Overall an interesting read, and one I may revisit as I possibly wasn't in the right headspace to delve into such a deep read.
October 19, 2023
A good story although a little too heavy on the descriptions, sometimes getting in the way of the story. Interesting to read an unsanitized take on what might have happened in our past.
August 25, 2023
The Seasonwife takes the reader into the world of New Zealand in 1832 where the harmonious life within a South Island bay is disrupted by assault and violence to the natural world and threat to those who live there. The narrative focuses on two women, Bridie Murphy and Manaia O Piripiri, both taken and brutally used by Robbie Fitch, the captain of the ship which sails into this bay and whose crew wreak such havoc. The novel reveals an untold truth of our history, the horror of trade by pakeha in body parts, indigenous New Zealanders killed and mutilated to provide amusing ornaments in the homes of the wealthy.
While the narrative is strong and compelling, as with all extraordinary novels, The Seasonwife is layered and nuanced. Robbie Finch, is not only a character but also provides a metaphor for the ignorance and brutality of colonization while Quentin Cuthbert illustrates the ineffectuality, the damage imposed by supposedly well-meaning missionaries. The language is vivid, haunting, evocative, ringing with musicality as English, Irish and te Reo intermingle and harmonise. It is also wonderfully playful juggling words which were new to me but which I definitely intend using- Ruffin, chuckle-headed, flaybottomist, ninnyhammer, fartleberry. While the novel unflinchingly portrays the violence inflicted on the land, the creatures which inhabit it and on Manaia and Bridie, there is also the replenishment and healing which can be found in the natural world and in the willingness to slip past borders and find friendship,reading, p184 top page to para ending ‘wilderness.’
This is a novel I know I will return to again and again for the courageous challenge within these pages, the wisdom and the beauty of language. The Seasonwife asks the reader to listen, to discover, to korero. It guides to other ways of thinking and being, the gifts which can pass between and amongst cultures, the power of the feminine, the wonders of kindness, healing, intuition, gentleness, respect.
While the narrative is strong and compelling, as with all extraordinary novels, The Seasonwife is layered and nuanced. Robbie Finch, is not only a character but also provides a metaphor for the ignorance and brutality of colonization while Quentin Cuthbert illustrates the ineffectuality, the damage imposed by supposedly well-meaning missionaries. The language is vivid, haunting, evocative, ringing with musicality as English, Irish and te Reo intermingle and harmonise. It is also wonderfully playful juggling words which were new to me but which I definitely intend using- Ruffin, chuckle-headed, flaybottomist, ninnyhammer, fartleberry. While the novel unflinchingly portrays the violence inflicted on the land, the creatures which inhabit it and on Manaia and Bridie, there is also the replenishment and healing which can be found in the natural world and in the willingness to slip past borders and find friendship,reading, p184 top page to para ending ‘wilderness.’
This is a novel I know I will return to again and again for the courageous challenge within these pages, the wisdom and the beauty of language. The Seasonwife asks the reader to listen, to discover, to korero. It guides to other ways of thinking and being, the gifts which can pass between and amongst cultures, the power of the feminine, the wonders of kindness, healing, intuition, gentleness, respect.
August 19, 2023
The Seasonwife is Saige England’s first novel. It is so accomplished that I’m already looking forward to her next one. The story begins in Sydney in 1832 and centres around four characters: the appalling Robbie Fitch who captains a whaling ship to New Zealand, Quentin Cuthbert, an ineffectual missionary, Bridie Murphy, an Irish orphan abducted after her deported convict mother dies, and a young Māori girl, Manaia. Bridie is taken on the whaling ship to be raped and abused by Fitch. The purpose of the trip to New Zealand is ostensibly to hunt whales, but soon another nefarious purpose becomes clear – the slaughter of local Māori to take their tattooed heads and skins to be sold as curiosities to the rich gentry in England. When the ship lands in the South Island of New Zealand, the crew is the first contact the local Māori have had with white people. Fitch and his crew are initially welcomed, but when the inhabitants see the devastation they cause with forests felled, so many whales and seals slaughtered, they send one of their own girls, Manaia, to spy on them and report back. Manaia is also abused by Fitch. She and Bridie form a bond. Both of them have an inner perception of future events that the majority do not possess. Cuthbert, the missionary, who once had a Māori wife, has to decide which side he is on and what he will do next. The historical details are meticulously researched and the story incorporates Gaelic and Māori sentences as well as whalers’ slang. A glossary at the back of the book is comprehensive. The story of what happens in New Zealand after the whalers arrive can be read as a powerful metaphor for the horrors of colonialism all over the world. The writing is rich and poetic and pierces the heart. It made me cry in places. This book tops the list of the best New Zealand novels I have read this year and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
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September 22, 2024I can’t rate this book, at least, not at this time. On the one hand, it is An Important Book, detailing, as it does, a little known, EXTREMELY grisly aspect of European colonialism. On the other hand, the book takes an almost savage delight depicting brutality of all kinds, from rape scenes, a flogging, rape, hunting and killing whales (including a mama and baby!), more rape, massacring a cove full of seals (and baby seals!), rape, rape, rape, and the barbaric trade of preserved, tattooed Maori heads for European display cases.
This 1800s decimation led to a steep decline in the practice of moko among the Maori, to where, as my taonga professor explained it, the practice almost died out.
BUT. And this is a big BUT, which the book completely ignores. When Europeans first came to Aotearoa, it was Maori cultural practice to preserve heads with moko—those of chiefs, warriors, and enemies (sometimes to use in post-battle bargaining). Europeans took brutal advantage of a custom in practice. They stole preserved heads and killed Maori with moko in order to preserve their heads for the European market. Some Maori tribes even traded heads for European goods, like weapons. Maori slaves, who were not customarily honored with moko, were tattooed and killed, or killed and then tattooed, for this market.
I know I’m quibbling here. What the British did in Aotearoa, as in so many other places around the world, was barbaric and inhumane. BUT it is a little too easy to ascribe all the guilt to the British White Man. The British weren’t the only nation to kill whales for their oil, or the only nation to club baby seals. The Maori were not innocent or naive. They were and are a proud warrior culture, a rich and proud culture.
This book, a good book, could have been a great book if it had acknowledged more of this complexity.
And if it had cut out at least half the rape scenes.
This 1800s decimation led to a steep decline in the practice of moko among the Maori, to where, as my taonga professor explained it, the practice almost died out.
BUT. And this is a big BUT, which the book completely ignores. When Europeans first came to Aotearoa, it was Maori cultural practice to preserve heads with moko—those of chiefs, warriors, and enemies (sometimes to use in post-battle bargaining). Europeans took brutal advantage of a custom in practice. They stole preserved heads and killed Maori with moko in order to preserve their heads for the European market. Some Maori tribes even traded heads for European goods, like weapons. Maori slaves, who were not customarily honored with moko, were tattooed and killed, or killed and then tattooed, for this market.
I know I’m quibbling here. What the British did in Aotearoa, as in so many other places around the world, was barbaric and inhumane. BUT it is a little too easy to ascribe all the guilt to the British White Man. The British weren’t the only nation to kill whales for their oil, or the only nation to club baby seals. The Maori were not innocent or naive. They were and are a proud warrior culture, a rich and proud culture.
This book, a good book, could have been a great book if it had acknowledged more of this complexity.
And if it had cut out at least half the rape scenes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2023
If you're interested in the early history of colonisation in Aotearoa, the meeting of cultures, as well as an amazing story I would really recommend this book. I was transported back in time, with the harshness of life at this time, and the trauma faced by, but also the resilience of a culture and people under assault vividly portrayed. The characters were brilliantly and colorfully described, both their physical selves, their moral depravity, and in some cases complex, rich, and multilayered personalities.
While this is a work of fiction I feel it was well researched and provides a vivid portrait of a time of incredible upheaval, with a rich environment and it's resources seen as unlimited wealth for anyone prepared to make a tough sea journey and tolerate harsh conditions, as well as providing an escape from the limitations of the rigid class structure in England. You can hear more about the research behind this novel in this great short interview with the author. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/progra...
It may not be an easy or pleasant story, but one that needs to be told and heard, with repercussions from this time still reverberating through New Zealand society. Despite the sometimes difficult and gruesome subject matter, I found myself eagerly turning each page as the story was so well told with many twists and turns as well as interesting sub-plots. I'm eagerly awaiting this authors next work and highly recommend this debut novel!
While this is a work of fiction I feel it was well researched and provides a vivid portrait of a time of incredible upheaval, with a rich environment and it's resources seen as unlimited wealth for anyone prepared to make a tough sea journey and tolerate harsh conditions, as well as providing an escape from the limitations of the rigid class structure in England. You can hear more about the research behind this novel in this great short interview with the author. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/progra...
It may not be an easy or pleasant story, but one that needs to be told and heard, with repercussions from this time still reverberating through New Zealand society. Despite the sometimes difficult and gruesome subject matter, I found myself eagerly turning each page as the story was so well told with many twists and turns as well as interesting sub-plots. I'm eagerly awaiting this authors next work and highly recommend this debut novel!
December 9, 2023
I usually eschew ratings for novels. I've written about this before. I feel creative endeavours shouldn't be judged by stars. But this is a remarkable debut novel. I had the very great pleasure to be in conversation with the author at Unity Books in November, to talk about her book. Saige England is an intelligent, passionate, empathetic and talented author. 'The Seasonwife' is a powerful story of our New Zealand Colonial history and brilliantly drawn in particular are the two key female characters. The language moves from beautiful and lyrical to bawdy, to crude, to eloquent and there's whaler slang, Gaelic and Te Reo. Such an achievement in bringing together these expressions and languages to tell a great story, and a shocking but important aspect of our history.
I quote from a terrific essay by Zadie Smith 'Fascinated to presume: In defense of Fiction' where she says 'Compassion is largely a quality of the imagination. It consists of the ability to imagine what we would feel if we were suffering the same situation.'
Saige England has compassion in spades and she writes with courage of the brutality of our Colonial History, bringing to life two stunning heroines Bridie and Manaia, and the brutal anti-hero Robbie Fitch.
If you have read Charlotte Randell and enjoyed her novels, you will love this book!
I quote from a terrific essay by Zadie Smith 'Fascinated to presume: In defense of Fiction' where she says 'Compassion is largely a quality of the imagination. It consists of the ability to imagine what we would feel if we were suffering the same situation.'
Saige England has compassion in spades and she writes with courage of the brutality of our Colonial History, bringing to life two stunning heroines Bridie and Manaia, and the brutal anti-hero Robbie Fitch.
If you have read Charlotte Randell and enjoyed her novels, you will love this book!
February 13, 2024
To say I am gutted is an understatement. I have waited so long for this story to be told, only to have it told in the most bizarre way. The story structure was clearly supposed to be lyrical, but it was just distracting. The research and culturally appropriate wording has been well done, but it's just so draining to read.
This could be a wonderfully defining story for Aotearoa, as the story needs to be told - but it needs a re-write because I just cannot untangle it. I'm clearly not clever enough for this one!
This could be a wonderfully defining story for Aotearoa, as the story needs to be told - but it needs a re-write because I just cannot untangle it. I'm clearly not clever enough for this one!
September 13, 2024
The writing was beautifully evocative of the times. It's evident the author did a massive amount of research in creating this work set in a very grim period, exposing barbaric practices. I found the characters and storyline credible. It was not so long ago that it was thought acceptable for a restaurant in Akaroa to be named after Bully Hayes, a notorious individual that to my mind Robbie resembles. I thought the ending revealed in the final paragraph of her book was suitably realistic. I look forward to future works from Saige England.
September 9, 2023
This is a wonderful book. A classic. It deserves to be read by many.
I'd like to see it made into a film, as it offers a different perspective from that of some of the more well-known NZ historical films.
The language is lyrical and well-crafted.
I liked the sense of uncertainty at the end, shown in a final omniscient point of view."
I'd like to see it made into a film, as it offers a different perspective from that of some of the more well-known NZ historical films.
The language is lyrical and well-crafted.
I liked the sense of uncertainty at the end, shown in a final omniscient point of view."
February 16, 2024
I was absolutely blown away by the meticulous research, extensive knowledge, and masterful writing of this beautiful novel set in 1832 Aotearoa. The writing is almost lyrical and poetic in nature, softening the brutality of the story’s action but not at all drawing away from its deep and raw emotion.
August 17, 2023
Stop what you're doing, and go read this book now!
You won't regret it.
Trust me.
You won't regret it.
Trust me.
June 6, 2024
3.5 stars
June 23, 2024
What a fabulous book by a Kiwi writer. An historical tale full of dreadful and heartbreaking characters set against the harsh living conditions in early New Zealand. I highly recommend.
April 10, 2025
Riveting, harrowing and fascinating to read 'The Seasonwife'. Exceptional use of languages, un - romanticised, which is seldom the case describing histories.
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