What do you think?
Rate this book
The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke
A vivid novel about a Māori boy exhibited in Victorian London – a provocative tale about what makes us human. 'The hour is late. The candle is low. Tomorrow I will see whether it is my friends or a ship homewards I meet. But I must finish my story for you first. My future, my descendant, my mokopuna. Listen.' So begins the tale of James Pōneke – orphaned son of a chief; ardent student of English; wide-eyed survivor. All the world's a show, especially when you're a living exhibit. But anything can happen to a young New Zealander on the savage streets of Victorian London. When James meets the man with laughing dark eyes and the woman who dresses as a man, he begins to discover who people really are beneath their many guises. Although London is everything James most desires, this new world is more dark and dazzling than he could have imagined.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2018
25 people are currently reading
990 people want to read
About the author
Tina Makereti
11 books93 followersWhere the Rēkohu Bone Sings is Tina Makereti’s first novel. Her short story collection, Once Upon a Time in Aotearoa (Huia Publishers 2010), won the Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards Fiction Prize 2011. In 2009 she was the recipient of the Royal Society of New Zealand Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing (non-fiction), and in the same year received the Pikihuia Award for Best Short Story written in English. In October 2012, Makereti was Writer in Residence at the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt, and in 2014 she is the Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writer in Residence. Makereti has a PhD Creative Writing from Victoria University, and teaches creative writing and English at Massey and Victoria Universities. She is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Pākehā and, in all probability, Moriori descent. She now lives on the Kāpiti Coast with her partner, two daughters and unruly dog.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
Read
September 20, 2019A novel about a young Maori in the mid 19th century who comes to London in an English artist's entourage to win for himself the glories of Western civilisation and education. It goes as badly as you might expect. This is a book all about how we dehumanise others so CW here for racism, rape, extreme homophobic violence, general brutal violence and awfulness.
What works very well here is the depiction of how colonialism has sunk into Hemi/James's head. His slow realisation that Western civilisation is just white supremacy in a fancy outfit is painful to follow along with, particularly since he never quite loses hope of its glorious civilising mission working, in the teeth of the evidence. It's a deeply tragic story, especially in the ways it shows outsiders (queer people, people of colour, people with non-typical physiques and looks) coming together to make connections, forming found families and mutual support networks, only to have those smashed by the casual brutality of a) men and b) white men.
It's well written and makes a passionate point, and it tells a shameful aspect of the past well. Hemi/James, like many actual humans were, is exhibited as a spectacle (with his consent, whether informed or not is the question) and at one point stands there while a group of white scientists discuss the finer points of human taxidermy to preserve the skin colour of lesser races. Which...they did that, they stuffed people because they thought they were better than them. What the hell can you say.
I can't say I enjoyed reading this, but that wasn't the author's intention.
What works very well here is the depiction of how colonialism has sunk into Hemi/James's head. His slow realisation that Western civilisation is just white supremacy in a fancy outfit is painful to follow along with, particularly since he never quite loses hope of its glorious civilising mission working, in the teeth of the evidence. It's a deeply tragic story, especially in the ways it shows outsiders (queer people, people of colour, people with non-typical physiques and looks) coming together to make connections, forming found families and mutual support networks, only to have those smashed by the casual brutality of a) men and b) white men.
It's well written and makes a passionate point, and it tells a shameful aspect of the past well. Hemi/James, like many actual humans were, is exhibited as a spectacle (with his consent, whether informed or not is the question) and at one point stands there while a group of white scientists discuss the finer points of human taxidermy to preserve the skin colour of lesser races. Which...they did that, they stuffed people because they thought they were better than them. What the hell can you say.
I can't say I enjoyed reading this, but that wasn't the author's intention.
September 19, 2018
There are so many good things to like about this new book from Tina Makereti.
I love the scale of this novel - moving as it does from the early days of New Zealand as a country, when the understanding of the culture and ways of its native population was so limited, across the world to the city of London which sat at the centre of a large empire and industrial expansion.
James Poneke, or Hemi to use his given name, was the orphaned son of a Maori chief, who for a few years of his early life was educated at a Christian mission in northern New Zealand. As a result when he encounters an English artist, Mr Angus, he jumps at the chance to further his education and eventually travel with him back to London. When the Artist begins to show his paintings and artifacts from travels in New Zealand, James becomes a living exhibition, dressed in local costume but with civilised speach and gratious manners. He engages with the visitors, at times surprising them and at other enchanting them with his education and manners.
There are so many issues raised by what is written, about the way colonists viewed the countries they 'acquired' as parts of their empire and the treatment of cultures that they viewed as savage. Makereti allows these to float uncomfortably in the background while at the same time sticking to the primary goal of presenting a compelling narrative the keeps moving forwards and keeps you reading.
James comes into contact with a darker side of London, with rougher elements of society and also with performers. At one point he is asked how he came up with the idea for his performances, when in fact he is simply trying to portray himself and his nation as they really are.
What we see is the natural tension between the wealthy and the less so, the misfortunes that the poor will suffer, and the harshness that life will inflict. We see friendship and eventually we see James leave behind what is comfortable and go to sea where he will suffer beatings and abuse. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, because the joy of this novel is how well the plot is constructed and the action flows.
This is a great read of mid-ninteenth century life and manners, which beautifully casts New Zealand in its early days as a nation.
I love the scale of this novel - moving as it does from the early days of New Zealand as a country, when the understanding of the culture and ways of its native population was so limited, across the world to the city of London which sat at the centre of a large empire and industrial expansion.
James Poneke, or Hemi to use his given name, was the orphaned son of a Maori chief, who for a few years of his early life was educated at a Christian mission in northern New Zealand. As a result when he encounters an English artist, Mr Angus, he jumps at the chance to further his education and eventually travel with him back to London. When the Artist begins to show his paintings and artifacts from travels in New Zealand, James becomes a living exhibition, dressed in local costume but with civilised speach and gratious manners. He engages with the visitors, at times surprising them and at other enchanting them with his education and manners.
There are so many issues raised by what is written, about the way colonists viewed the countries they 'acquired' as parts of their empire and the treatment of cultures that they viewed as savage. Makereti allows these to float uncomfortably in the background while at the same time sticking to the primary goal of presenting a compelling narrative the keeps moving forwards and keeps you reading.
James comes into contact with a darker side of London, with rougher elements of society and also with performers. At one point he is asked how he came up with the idea for his performances, when in fact he is simply trying to portray himself and his nation as they really are.
What we see is the natural tension between the wealthy and the less so, the misfortunes that the poor will suffer, and the harshness that life will inflict. We see friendship and eventually we see James leave behind what is comfortable and go to sea where he will suffer beatings and abuse. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, because the joy of this novel is how well the plot is constructed and the action flows.
This is a great read of mid-ninteenth century life and manners, which beautifully casts New Zealand in its early days as a nation.
January 29, 2019
“Was savagery inherent, they asked, or was it based on upbringing, society and education? Could a man not of a white race be fully civilised?”
An alternate history novel 📖 // Set In 1846 Victorian London, this is a character study of a young Māori boy who finds himself halfway across the world from his home country of New Zealand. A boy between worlds, having lost his family and tribe, moving amongst another tribe before finding himself enamoured with a visiting white artist and finding himself on a ship towards London in pursuit of higher education. He ends up in a museum, as a living display of a ‘savage’ to provide authenticity and publicity to the Artist’s latest exhibition. Written in first person POV as a diary of sorts, we track his path from the wide-eyed, impressionable boy he was at the beginning, to one with more worldly experience, learning of the nuances of racism, colonialism, privilege, and the ways of the world as he reckons with his cultural and sexual identity.
The author Tina Makereti included a note at the end of the book to say that she was inspired by a brief article mentioning one Hēmi Pōmare/James Pōmara, and imagined what life as a young Māori boy in Victorian London might have been like. The Artist was also loosely based on a real figure - George French Angas. Whilst I’m not sure what might have happened to the real Hēmi Pōmare/James Pōmara, Tina Makereti’s version of James Pōneke came to life through her writing. Very readable, and at first a bit of a slow burn before picking up more pace towards the end. A life with many tests for one so young and alone, and felt rather sad for him by the end of it.
An alternate history novel 📖 // Set In 1846 Victorian London, this is a character study of a young Māori boy who finds himself halfway across the world from his home country of New Zealand. A boy between worlds, having lost his family and tribe, moving amongst another tribe before finding himself enamoured with a visiting white artist and finding himself on a ship towards London in pursuit of higher education. He ends up in a museum, as a living display of a ‘savage’ to provide authenticity and publicity to the Artist’s latest exhibition. Written in first person POV as a diary of sorts, we track his path from the wide-eyed, impressionable boy he was at the beginning, to one with more worldly experience, learning of the nuances of racism, colonialism, privilege, and the ways of the world as he reckons with his cultural and sexual identity.
The author Tina Makereti included a note at the end of the book to say that she was inspired by a brief article mentioning one Hēmi Pōmare/James Pōmara, and imagined what life as a young Māori boy in Victorian London might have been like. The Artist was also loosely based on a real figure - George French Angas. Whilst I’m not sure what might have happened to the real Hēmi Pōmare/James Pōmara, Tina Makereti’s version of James Pōneke came to life through her writing. Very readable, and at first a bit of a slow burn before picking up more pace towards the end. A life with many tests for one so young and alone, and felt rather sad for him by the end of it.
February 5, 2020
lots of stuff in here to like – a really lively novel about a māori boy who travels to victorian london to become a ~living exhibit~ for a colonial exhibition and grows more and more dissatisfied with what he's doing. there's lots of stuff about the way colonial narratives operate, & about duality, hybridity, being at once lots of things and none of them. it's the starting point for a lot of really solid ideas about othering, looking & performance. the writing was solid too, pastiche without feeling contrived, the balance of lightness/thematic seriousness that makes for a really engaging reading experience.
really enjoyed some of the themes here about narrative & observation; the way observation can be distancing but also goes both ways; the way the other looks back, too; how looking in certain ways reinforces the borders you carry around in your head. (plus i'm always a sucker for novels choosing to give attention to Gay Looking. the way gay romance makes observation incredibly charged!) HOWEVER, got more and more disgruntled towards the end of the novel, when the author decided to keep piling on the Unrelenting Gay Misery for no evident reason. still! def worth checking out if you enjoy queer anticolonial historical fiction, which i suspect a lot of us do.
really enjoyed some of the themes here about narrative & observation; the way observation can be distancing but also goes both ways; the way the other looks back, too; how looking in certain ways reinforces the borders you carry around in your head. (plus i'm always a sucker for novels choosing to give attention to Gay Looking. the way gay romance makes observation incredibly charged!) HOWEVER, got more and more disgruntled towards the end of the novel, when the author decided to keep piling on the Unrelenting Gay Misery for no evident reason. still! def worth checking out if you enjoy queer anticolonial historical fiction, which i suspect a lot of us do.
June 24, 2019
Beautifully written, this novel is set in Victorian times and moves from early colonial New Zealand to London as Hemi (or James Poneke as he becomes known) struggles to make something of his life. Orphaned as a small child and left without any of his people, he is resourceful enough to survive and even learn to read and write (a rarity for a Maori boy in those times). Always looking for an opportunity, he sails with an artist to London (which is much dirtier and louder than he anticipated) and finds himself a living exhibit to entertain the crowds. There he discovers that not everyone is as generous or as concerned for his well being as his benefactors, and meets others who are, for various reasons, also on the outskirts of English society. There is a sadness throughout this novel, for the young, orphaned Hemi, for the loss of his whanau and cultural knowledge, for those on the wrong end of imperialism and for the different paths that Hemi could have taken. Based on real events, this novel sparkles with historical details.
did-not-finish
July 27, 2023An important story that failed to hold my interest due to shallow character development. I didn’t really like the old-fashioned English diction either, but at least a case could be made for it. The paper-thin characters were what did me in; I abandoned the novel a quarter of the way in.
April 14, 2022
My emotional journey reading this book was like:
1. "Ooh yay Indigenous historical fiction!"
2. ".......GAY Indigenous historical fiction???"
3. "Ow. ow. owwwwwww my heart"
1. "Ooh yay Indigenous historical fiction!"
2. ".......GAY Indigenous historical fiction???"
3. "Ow. ow. owwwwwww my heart"
February 21, 2023
Absolutely excellent read. Hard, heavy but retains a sense of wonder and an unusual sense of hope. While the first few chapters remained my favourite part, it also managed to wrap everything up with a wonderful ending. The author's note at the end is definitely worth reading. I will seek out more of Makereti's work.
June 20, 2025
I don't usually like historical fiction, so I was surprised to find myself really enjoying the first 2/3s of this novel. The young boy's perspective was often so insightful and there was some great exploration of the early history of NZ, colonisation, and racism. There were also some lovely descriptions.
Unfortunately, I didn't love the last 1/3 quite as much. It turned into more of a tragedy that I felt could have been any character, so it almost felt like a different story.
Still, despite the last 1/3, I still got a lot out of this book :)
Unfortunately, I didn't love the last 1/3 quite as much. It turned into more of a tragedy that I felt could have been any character, so it almost felt like a different story.
Still, despite the last 1/3, I still got a lot out of this book :)
January 14, 2021
Vivid tale of the extraordinary adventures and thoughts of a young Maori boy who travels to London in the 1840s. Observations of the centre of the British Empire from a perceptive and big-hearted outsider. Beautiful and consistent use of contemporary language. I loved this book and my daughter in London would love it too!
May 12, 2021
good! really cheesy ending tbh but overall an interesting and moving historical story with a loveable queer protagonist which is always a win
June 15, 2024
The themes in this book are heavy. There are scenes and sections I wish I hadn't read, but it's in those moments the purpose of the book feels pertinent. I don't think Makereti wrote this to warm the cockles of the heart. It's unsettling. It made me reflect on my personal worldview and perspectives.
Makereti brought 1846 alive, the good, bad and ugly of it. This book has been very well written.
Makereti brought 1846 alive, the good, bad and ugly of it. This book has been very well written.
April 21, 2019
This was an interesting account of Hemi Poneke. I enjoyed reading this but at points it got a little dull
June 3, 2019
Beautifully written book of times of old in NZ, but, rather than seen through the usual European eyes we have a narrator of our own!! Loved that and the way James talks about his childhood and the quiet differences he observes between his world and that of the Pākeha he lives among. Even with his quest for an education in the British world, his Māori world view permeates his learning, understanding and behaviour, allowing him to explore this new world without the limits that class and status placed upon the people who live around him in England. A great character and enjoyable read.
February 26, 2019
The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke is another of the titles longlisted for the 2019 Ockham New Zealand Literary Awards. But it was on my TBR months before the longlist was announced, thanks to an enticing review at Alys on the Blog. I've mentioned this blog before: along with Booksellers NZ, it is the blog to follow if you want to keep up with what's new and interesting in New Zealand books.
Tina Makereti is the author of Where the Rekohu Bone Sings, which I reviewed in 2016 and included in my Best Books of that year. It was an impressive debut, but I'm not quite so enamoured of The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke. I have to admit that my attention wandered a bit in the middle section of the novel...
The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke revisits some of the themes of Where the Rekohu Bone Sings. Once again a character leaves what has become an insecure home and ventures into the unknown in order to seek opportunities for a better future. The story of James' childhood in a New Zealand wracked by war is poignant: he sees and experiences terrible things that no child should see. But missionaries teach the orphaned boy English and a chance encounter with an artist leads to a passage to England and employment as a specimen in an exhibition. (The Artist, as James calls him, is the sort that came to the antipodes for the purpose of making a book. Such books, about the quirky new colonial possessions of the empire, were very popular in 19th century England.)
As in Makereti's debut novel, community is an important theme, but this novel invites the reader to consider inclusion and exclusion, together with civilisation and savagery. James is always caught between the rigid artifice of separate communities and he is always 'other', both in the way he takes pride in his individuality and in the way that others define him because of his race. Yet even as his awareness of being exploited grows, James is no pathetic victim. He is in London on his own terms: he endures the curious gaze of the audience because that is his means of learning. Because he is housed as a gentleman with The Artist's family, he has access to a library and polite society, and because he is an exhibit he gets to attend Royal Society gatherings. But his education is furthered in other unanticipated ways: without the approval of his hosts, he makes the acquaintance of other misfits: performers in freak shows, drunks, and gamblers. The solidarity of this community is forged from an awareness that they are at the bottom of a stratified society.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/02/27/t...
Tina Makereti is the author of Where the Rekohu Bone Sings, which I reviewed in 2016 and included in my Best Books of that year. It was an impressive debut, but I'm not quite so enamoured of The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke. I have to admit that my attention wandered a bit in the middle section of the novel...
The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke revisits some of the themes of Where the Rekohu Bone Sings. Once again a character leaves what has become an insecure home and ventures into the unknown in order to seek opportunities for a better future. The story of James' childhood in a New Zealand wracked by war is poignant: he sees and experiences terrible things that no child should see. But missionaries teach the orphaned boy English and a chance encounter with an artist leads to a passage to England and employment as a specimen in an exhibition. (The Artist, as James calls him, is the sort that came to the antipodes for the purpose of making a book. Such books, about the quirky new colonial possessions of the empire, were very popular in 19th century England.)
As in Makereti's debut novel, community is an important theme, but this novel invites the reader to consider inclusion and exclusion, together with civilisation and savagery. James is always caught between the rigid artifice of separate communities and he is always 'other', both in the way he takes pride in his individuality and in the way that others define him because of his race. Yet even as his awareness of being exploited grows, James is no pathetic victim. He is in London on his own terms: he endures the curious gaze of the audience because that is his means of learning. Because he is housed as a gentleman with The Artist's family, he has access to a library and polite society, and because he is an exhibit he gets to attend Royal Society gatherings. But his education is furthered in other unanticipated ways: without the approval of his hosts, he makes the acquaintance of other misfits: performers in freak shows, drunks, and gamblers. The solidarity of this community is forged from an awareness that they are at the bottom of a stratified society.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/02/27/t...
May 26, 2020
I really wanted to like this novel. There is a lot to like in here - the novel is packed with anticolonial and queer themes and presents an interesting angle on Victorian society. However, it feels very rushed - if it wants to be a proper neo-Victorian novel, a standard Dickensian length would have allowed the story and the characters to breathe a bit more. The last twenty pages or so, in particular, feel like they should be at least a third of the entire story. The writing style also felt a little bit off - I can see that the author was trying to go for a Maori David Copperfield sort of narration, but I don't think it quite worked, the actual words feel a bit false. Nevertheless, there is a lot to unpack in this compact novel, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their horizons and get a different (in this case, indigenous/Maori) perspective on familiar themes.
March 28, 2019
I had great hopes for this book but I really struggled to finish it. It was really long winded and I found the main character completely implausible. The whole story was contrived and I don’t think really achieved what was promised in the blurb. Disappointing.
October 15, 2018
Unputdownable!
December 17, 2019
Brilliantly imagined life of a ‘Maori exhibit’ in Victorian London.
March 11, 2025
I was drawn to this book the second I saw the summary, and put it up for my book club immediately. Was thrilled when it got chosen, and I burned through the whole thing in two and a half sittings. (I don't count one of them as a full sitting, because I started the book right before bed and only made it through a couple of pages before the sleep won.)
Overall, this book lived up to exactly what I had hoped from it. The writing is vibrant and Hēmi's voice as a storyteller is extremely clear, giving a strong sense of his story being told in his words. There's a deep pain to the evolution of his character throughout the book, the idealism with which he's trained to see colonialism, followed by the waves of disillusionment as its effects begin to sink in, and he grows to understand what the world he's found himself in really wants from him. His experience of being treated as an exhibit; as something to be gawked at is conveyed brilliantly, really capturing the feeling of what it's like to be gawked at, to be on the inside looking out at those looking in on you.
I also adored the way queerness was woven through the narrative. Henry is a brilliant character, and reflects a lot of historical accounts of people who would likely call themselves transgender by today's standards. (Thinking in particular of Dr. James Barry, who carried out relationships with men despite risk of prosecution for homosexuality, which wouldn't have been an issue had he lived as a woman.) I also loved the choice to make Hēmi himself gay - it adds another layer of othering to what he's already living with, and the contrast of being paraded around for his ethnicity vs. shunned and punished for his sexuality really fuels a lot of the book's later third in a powerful way.
I wasn't aware until looking it up now that the book was inspired by a real historical figure - I'll definitely be looking more into Hēmi Pōmare's real lfe, I'm surprised I'd never heard of him before. I also wasn't aware there had been chatter about a movie adaptation, though it looks like there hasn't been any mention of it since 2020. I hope things do move forwards on that front, because it's a brilliant book, and would adapt wonderfully to a movie.
Overall, this book told a unique story in a dignified and raw way, giving respect and thought to all elements of its subject matter, and I loved every second of it.
Overall, this book lived up to exactly what I had hoped from it. The writing is vibrant and Hēmi's voice as a storyteller is extremely clear, giving a strong sense of his story being told in his words. There's a deep pain to the evolution of his character throughout the book, the idealism with which he's trained to see colonialism, followed by the waves of disillusionment as its effects begin to sink in, and he grows to understand what the world he's found himself in really wants from him. His experience of being treated as an exhibit; as something to be gawked at is conveyed brilliantly, really capturing the feeling of what it's like to be gawked at, to be on the inside looking out at those looking in on you.
I also adored the way queerness was woven through the narrative. Henry is a brilliant character, and reflects a lot of historical accounts of people who would likely call themselves transgender by today's standards. (Thinking in particular of Dr. James Barry, who carried out relationships with men despite risk of prosecution for homosexuality, which wouldn't have been an issue had he lived as a woman.) I also loved the choice to make Hēmi himself gay - it adds another layer of othering to what he's already living with, and the contrast of being paraded around for his ethnicity vs. shunned and punished for his sexuality really fuels a lot of the book's later third in a powerful way.
I wasn't aware until looking it up now that the book was inspired by a real historical figure - I'll definitely be looking more into Hēmi Pōmare's real lfe, I'm surprised I'd never heard of him before. I also wasn't aware there had been chatter about a movie adaptation, though it looks like there hasn't been any mention of it since 2020. I hope things do move forwards on that front, because it's a brilliant book, and would adapt wonderfully to a movie.
Overall, this book told a unique story in a dignified and raw way, giving respect and thought to all elements of its subject matter, and I loved every second of it.
March 5, 2020
A powerful and important novel.
It is told as a memoir, with a style of writing that has a lot of personality. A smooth flow of words that creates a clear image in the mind. There is a contrast in perspective between Hemi’s younger self and the self that now writes the memoir. The narrative is more description and introspection than scenes with action and dialogue, which is a downside for me, but may be a draw card for people who like to read memoirs and autobiographies.
Hemi (James) has a combination of intelligence and naivete that causes some tension in the story, as he is vulnerable to get taken advantage of. There is trepidation for what is to come.
The perspective from which he describes London is unique, and an important perspective to be told. His horror and excitement at the overwhelming and filthy city, unlike anything he’d ever seen before, are contrasted with his naive imaginings of what it might be like.
It is a fiercely sad story. Terrible things happen to good people. It holds a mirror up to the worst of colonisation and English social structures.
Historical details are convincingly told and make it feel real, like it could really have happened this way.
I think this book will stay with me for a long time.
It is told as a memoir, with a style of writing that has a lot of personality. A smooth flow of words that creates a clear image in the mind. There is a contrast in perspective between Hemi’s younger self and the self that now writes the memoir. The narrative is more description and introspection than scenes with action and dialogue, which is a downside for me, but may be a draw card for people who like to read memoirs and autobiographies.
Hemi (James) has a combination of intelligence and naivete that causes some tension in the story, as he is vulnerable to get taken advantage of. There is trepidation for what is to come.
The perspective from which he describes London is unique, and an important perspective to be told. His horror and excitement at the overwhelming and filthy city, unlike anything he’d ever seen before, are contrasted with his naive imaginings of what it might be like.
It is a fiercely sad story. Terrible things happen to good people. It holds a mirror up to the worst of colonisation and English social structures.
Historical details are convincingly told and make it feel real, like it could really have happened this way.
I think this book will stay with me for a long time.
August 19, 2025
(Read for Uni class)
Out of the options I had for this class, the Historical Fiction/Queer/Māori option was an easy choice, and I adore Tina Makereti.
While I was enjoying the somewhat slower pace that most of the book has, the ending really snowballs into a speedy series of things happening one after another, with new people and places being added in rapid succession. I can see how this can read as the manifestations of dehumanization present throughout the book piling up and up, but I nonetheless found this to be rather jarring as a reader when compared to the slower pace of introducing people and changing places in the rest of the book. Still, I overall enjoyed the book... Well, enjoyed from a literary perspective that is, the book is not intended as a comfortable read and it does that well.
Spoilers below.
There are a few parts in this book that really hit hard. One being when the preservation of a human being discussed in mostly in relation to the preservation of their skin color, to Billy using Hemi's nationality as an insult after Hemi acts in a way he does not approve (and in a way that others him in a whole new way). Also, Hemi talking to his mokopuna about a world in a future beyond him that is more open, accepting and kind to those who may be othered in his time.
Out of the options I had for this class, the Historical Fiction/Queer/Māori option was an easy choice, and I adore Tina Makereti.
While I was enjoying the somewhat slower pace that most of the book has, the ending really snowballs into a speedy series of things happening one after another, with new people and places being added in rapid succession. I can see how this can read as the manifestations of dehumanization present throughout the book piling up and up, but I nonetheless found this to be rather jarring as a reader when compared to the slower pace of introducing people and changing places in the rest of the book. Still, I overall enjoyed the book... Well, enjoyed from a literary perspective that is, the book is not intended as a comfortable read and it does that well.
Spoilers below.
There are a few parts in this book that really hit hard. One being when the preservation of a human being discussed in mostly in relation to the preservation of their skin color, to Billy using Hemi's nationality as an insult after Hemi acts in a way he does not approve (and in a way that others him in a whole new way). Also, Hemi talking to his mokopuna about a world in a future beyond him that is more open, accepting and kind to those who may be othered in his time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2019
I am not normally one who goes out looking for historical fiction, it's not my preferred but thought I would try it out as it is in our current book pool reads. Though I had glanced at the title I didn't gave much previous knowledge of the book, it was interesting for me to be reading about a young boy called Hemi who had his family taken away from him and being raised in a Christian Ministry. As more events come out to shape his life, he chooses to run from some opportunities and embrace others, become to wonder and hope that Hemi comes out better from all of this.
At times I did find the writing a bit long winded, I connected with Hemi and the issues around him while in New Zealand and later in London but sometimes felt my attention wavering. I thought the beginning was especially good while in New Zealand but near the end felt detached.
I enjoyed it well enough, was surprised at the inclusion of certain themes but would recommend to those who're interested in these products.
At times I did find the writing a bit long winded, I connected with Hemi and the issues around him while in New Zealand and later in London but sometimes felt my attention wavering. I thought the beginning was especially good while in New Zealand but near the end felt detached.
I enjoyed it well enough, was surprised at the inclusion of certain themes but would recommend to those who're interested in these products.
September 27, 2022
Interesting book. It is all fictional characters but does take inspiration from real life people and their experiences. The main James/Hemi gives readers insight into the complicated relations of imperialism. Thing such as how indigenous people of various countries, like the Maori of New Zealand, were viewed and paraded about in exhibitions back in England. The book did make me think and reflect, and I got to learn about some Maori history which I am not very familiar with. But personally I did not really enjoy the style of writing, and while the plot as a whole had good points it didn't really draw me in. The characters are a fun collection of people, but again did not make me connect with on a whole. So overall, a decent read but I would get it from the library like I did.
February 28, 2022
This book was so well written, and I loved the way it tackled colonialisation, and turned a critical eye on London society. All the misfits Hemi met were enjoyable characters, and I loved them because they were all fun people, while still helping to present ideas around the different kinds of discrimination people faced.
May 3, 2021
It's always hard to read stories of indigenous people mown down by the Empire, but it's somehow worse reading a book half-set in New Zealand; I know I like to think things were never so bad for Maori people. So this one was very confronting, and you really feel Hemi's confusion as he adjusts to these strange new societies.
About halfway through, though, I think Makereti loses sight of the story and pushes it along too quickly, while also inserting a lot of extra issues that feel tacked-on. I'd give the first half 3-4 stars, but the remainder really dragged it down for me.
About halfway through, though, I think Makereti loses sight of the story and pushes it along too quickly, while also inserting a lot of extra issues that feel tacked-on. I'd give the first half 3-4 stars, but the remainder really dragged it down for me.
May 17, 2021
39🎧🇳🇿NEW ZEALAND 🇳🇿I feel like I will be forever floating around the Pacific, and that’s because there are SO many places to visit. I wasn’t intending on reading more from NZ, but it’s a pretty big player in the region, and as I have said before, audiobooks from the Pacific are few and far between. This is a great story of an orphan son of a Maori chief who is adopted by an unnamed artist, who takes him back to London to be part of an exhibition. This is the third NZ book with linkages to Victorian England and I really enjoy it.
April 14, 2024
Though quite short, there is a lot going on in this book. The story is that of a native boy from New Zealand who, after losing his family and people, gets an English education and makes his way to London is set in the 19th century and focuses on issues of predatory colonialism, insensitive treatment of people who look different and eventually also sexuality. There is a profound sadness etched into all of it. I was not sure whether the sexual angle was necessary and the one explicit scene felt jarring, as if I suddenly was reading a different book altogether.
February 28, 2020
The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke is a coming of age story about a young Maori boy discovering his place in the world. Set in the 1840s, Makereti’s vivid characters and pacey plot create an intimate glimpse of London from a truly unique point of view. This beautifully written book invites the reader to consider questions about identity, belonging and empire.
Would be an excellent pick for a book club.
Looking forward to reading more Makereti.
Would be an excellent pick for a book club.
Looking forward to reading more Makereti.
Read
October 7, 2021I'm not quite sure how to review this book. It is unusual and a good look at the incredible damage the Victorians did around the world, however it wasn't for me. I wish we had been able to see further into James' head and I really wish the scenes on the boat towards the end hadn't been written in - there was no precursor to it in the rest of the story.
It's good to read other reviews and see that many have really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more.
It's good to read other reviews and see that many have really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews