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New Zealanders #1
The Castaway
On the Shores of a Savage Eden...
They found each other-William Pollard, deserter from a British warship bound for Australia and Tairata, the beautiful golden-skinned Maori princess who would betray her tribe to love a blue-eyed stranger.
Together they embarked on a perilous journey across a land without bandaries, without law...a primitive world as yet untouched by the weapons and ways of the white man. Speaking the eternal language of survival and desire, they came together from the opposite ends of the earth to build a bold and glorious empire, to make a cruel and bounteous land their own.
They found each other-William Pollard, deserter from a British warship bound for Australia and Tairata, the beautiful golden-skinned Maori princess who would betray her tribe to love a blue-eyed stranger.
Together they embarked on a perilous journey across a land without bandaries, without law...a primitive world as yet untouched by the weapons and ways of the white man. Speaking the eternal language of survival and desire, they came together from the opposite ends of the earth to build a bold and glorious empire, to make a cruel and bounteous land their own.
495 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 25, 2014
Just arrived from USA through BM.
This is the first book of the series of the New Zealanders.
This is the story of William Pollard, a deserter from a British warship bound for Australia and Tairata, a Maori princess who would betray her tribe for her love to Pollard.
The book describes the Maori's primate life in the South Island, New Zealand. At that time, the maoris didn't have weapons with powder guns and they survived with all the nature provided to them. Pollard is accepted by then and as a proof of his loyalty, his face is tattooed by them, in the Maori way of recognizing as their own tribe.
Once Pollard met a British mate, they travel together to Australia. There, Pollard will be introduced to Jessica Spencer, a very independent blind British woman. And then, their lives will changed forever.
A surprisingly good book even if the beginning it gave a false impression of being a historical romance book instead of a historical fiction.
Since I have the pleasure to visit this beautiful country a few years ago, I could deeply follow the description of the wild nature described by the author.
The sequel of this book is The Founders.
This is the first book of the series of the New Zealanders.
This is the story of William Pollard, a deserter from a British warship bound for Australia and Tairata, a Maori princess who would betray her tribe for her love to Pollard.
The book describes the Maori's primate life in the South Island, New Zealand. At that time, the maoris didn't have weapons with powder guns and they survived with all the nature provided to them. Pollard is accepted by then and as a proof of his loyalty, his face is tattooed by them, in the Maori way of recognizing as their own tribe.
Once Pollard met a British mate, they travel together to Australia. There, Pollard will be introduced to Jessica Spencer, a very independent blind British woman. And then, their lives will changed forever.
A surprisingly good book even if the beginning it gave a false impression of being a historical romance book instead of a historical fiction.
Since I have the pleasure to visit this beautiful country a few years ago, I could deeply follow the description of the wild nature described by the author.
The sequel of this book is The Founders.
November 22, 2015
As a New Zealander, I was somewhat sceptical about the ability of a (presumably) American author to depict the early days of white settlement in NZ without being historically inaccurate or schmaltzy. I have to say Aaron Fletcher succeeded admirably. Of course, if the book was written in today's PC climate there would probably be a few differences, but any quibbles are minor indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now need to get hold of the sequel. Highly recommended!
January 30, 2016
I think the phrase never judge a book by it's cover applied to this one for me. The cover made it look like some sort of romance novel and while there were a couple of steamy scenes early on it was a great book with some action, great characters, and some educational elements. I enjoyed learning about the Maori people.
to-read-mine
October 23, 2012Picked up at the UBS. Don't know why, but for some reason it reminded me of Karla :)
June 12, 2015
If you read this book don't be discouraged by part one. Lots of Maori culture and interesting bits on New Zealand are presented in the rest of the book. I can't wait to read the sequel.
November 14, 2013
This book was beautiful. It had it all. The characters were well developed, the story was full of high adventure, and told the story of a young man who became a great man. I can't say enough good things about this story, and yet I am at a loss for words. It was emotional.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews