Haruru Mai and Strange Resting Places

by Briar Grace-Smith, Paolo Rotondo, Rob Mokaraka

Haruru Mai by Briar Grace-Smith and Strange Resting Places by Paolo Rotondo and Rob Mokaraka, deal with the legacy of the WWII Maori Battalion, although in very different ways.


Haruru Mai demonstrates the epic sweep and poetic lyricism of Briar Grace-Smith's writing and is a moving tale of community, love and loss, and ultimately redemption. A Maori Battalion veteran returns to his small Northland hometown after forty years. His arrival revives anxieties over land and family, and Maori participation in the war.


Strange Resting Places is an hilarious and often poignant exploration of the collision of Maori and Italian culture during WWII. Big Band music, traditional waiata and bomber planes are woven together in this beautiful tale of unlikely friendship and impossible love. The tensions are high and the stand-offs fierce, but remember, piccolino - there are Christians on both sides.

Genres: Plays

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[royaevereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the two, Haruru Mai was the one I enjoyed most. Strange Resting Places was great, high energy and I loved the interactions between Anaru and Salvatore, and the overall message is poignant - I just think it's definitely one that would translate better on the stage than it does just reading the script. Haruru Mai is tragic and heart wrenching, and I didn't see anything coming. Fantastic.

[Eden Le Comte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haruru Mai is wholesome and gave so much more than I was expecting. I will keep this and read it again in the future.