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Mr Peacock's Possessions
Oceania 1879. A family of settlers from New Zealand are the sole inhabitants of a remote volcanic island.
For two years they have struggled with the harsh reality of trying to make this unforgiving place a paradise they can call their own. At last, a ship appears. The six Pacific Islanders on board have travelled eight hundred miles across the ocean in search of work and new horizons. Hopes are high for all, until a vulnerable boy vanishes. In their search for the lost child, settlers and newcomers together uncover far more than they were looking for. The island¹s secrets force them all to question their deepest convictions.
For two years they have struggled with the harsh reality of trying to make this unforgiving place a paradise they can call their own. At last, a ship appears. The six Pacific Islanders on board have travelled eight hundred miles across the ocean in search of work and new horizons. Hopes are high for all, until a vulnerable boy vanishes. In their search for the lost child, settlers and newcomers together uncover far more than they were looking for. The island¹s secrets force them all to question their deepest convictions.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published May 17, 2018
30 people are currently reading
620 people want to read
About the author
Lydia Syson
8 books56 followersAfter an early career as a BBC World Service Radio producer, Lydia Syson turned from the spoken to the written word, and developed an enduring obsession with history. Her PhD about poets, explorers and Timbuktu was followed by a biography of Britain’s first fertility guru, DOCTOR OF LOVE: JAMES GRAHAM AND HIS CELESTIAL BED, and then two YA novels for Hot Key Books set in the Spanish Civil War (A WORLD BETWEEN US) and World War Two (THAT BURNING SUMMER). LIBERTY’S FIRE, a passionate tale of the Paris Commune of 1871, is the third of her novels to be inspired, very loosely, by family history. Her much praised adult fiction debut, MR PEACOCK'S POSSESSIONS, a sophisticated 'Robinsonade' for the twenty-first century set on a remote Pacific island, is now out in paperback.
Lydia Syson is a fifth-generation North Londoner who now lives south of the river with her partner and four children.
Lydia Syson is a fifth-generation North Londoner who now lives south of the river with her partner and four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
March 4, 2021
Compulsion
Lydia Syson writes a wonderfully dramatic book of family interaction, community struggles, survival and division. Mr Peacock has a burning desire to own and maintain his own land, to be self-sustainable, and master of his own domain. Swiss Family Robinson may be the dream, the reality will be a lot different! The Island while fictionally named Monday Island is actually based on Raoul Island, part of the Kermadecs, between New Zealand and Tonga.
While the family is encouraged by dreams of a paradise island where they can live as they please, reality will be a cruel companion. Mr Peacock is the family leader and while the family is young there isn't even the thought of dissent. After years of hardship scrounging out a settlement, the Peacock family now have different aspirations and dreams, which are just about to be exposed and challenged, including the leadership.
The book starts at a linchpin moment in the history of the Peacock family. That moment sees the arrival of a group of native South-Pacific Islanders on the ship Esperanza to help the family establish dwellings, farmland, and grazing land amongst the forests and scrubland. At the same time, Albert, the eldest son goes missing and all attempts at finding him fail. The narration provides two different time strands; one from 2 years prior to this moment providing the background and motivations for the move, and the other from this moment on.
The story is generally told in the third-person although there are recurrent first-person accounts from Kalala and Lizzie, each providing an important perspective from the two groups.
Right away there is a challenge to stereotyping because Solomona is a man of God, educated by The Reverend, and who cites the Bible and carries an air of religious fortitude. The Islanders are better educated than the Peacock children in that they can read and write. Mr Peacock is the intemperate unreligious Master of the Island but cannot be seen to object to God’s teaching and observances – and is impelled into accepting Sunday must NOT be a day of work. In 1897 the Islanders are deemed servants and are still a subjugated group. While free people, they haven't moved that far from the repressed circumstances of slavery. The voices of ancestors that may have been on this island before, ring in Kalala’s mind.
As the book progresses relationships are put under pressure and the basis of those relationships are examined and tested. Some relationships become stronger while others disintegrate, stretched and broken. Loyalty, morality, ethics and beliefs are all amplified with the main characters, as secrets are unmasked and allegiances distorted.
This is an enthralling, cleverly written and fearless take on the desert island story with multiple characters and relationships that are intertwined to tell a tale of hardship, and the testing of core beliefs and authority.
I would recommend this book and many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
Lydia Syson writes a wonderfully dramatic book of family interaction, community struggles, survival and division. Mr Peacock has a burning desire to own and maintain his own land, to be self-sustainable, and master of his own domain. Swiss Family Robinson may be the dream, the reality will be a lot different! The Island while fictionally named Monday Island is actually based on Raoul Island, part of the Kermadecs, between New Zealand and Tonga.
While the family is encouraged by dreams of a paradise island where they can live as they please, reality will be a cruel companion. Mr Peacock is the family leader and while the family is young there isn't even the thought of dissent. After years of hardship scrounging out a settlement, the Peacock family now have different aspirations and dreams, which are just about to be exposed and challenged, including the leadership.
The book starts at a linchpin moment in the history of the Peacock family. That moment sees the arrival of a group of native South-Pacific Islanders on the ship Esperanza to help the family establish dwellings, farmland, and grazing land amongst the forests and scrubland. At the same time, Albert, the eldest son goes missing and all attempts at finding him fail. The narration provides two different time strands; one from 2 years prior to this moment providing the background and motivations for the move, and the other from this moment on.
The Islanders: Solomona, Kalala (brother to Solomona), Iakapo, Pineki, Vilipate and Likatau.
The Peacock family, palagi (white non-Samoan): Mr and Mrs Peacock, Lizzie, Ada, Albert, Billy, Queenie and Gussie.
The story is generally told in the third-person although there are recurrent first-person accounts from Kalala and Lizzie, each providing an important perspective from the two groups.
Right away there is a challenge to stereotyping because Solomona is a man of God, educated by The Reverend, and who cites the Bible and carries an air of religious fortitude. The Islanders are better educated than the Peacock children in that they can read and write. Mr Peacock is the intemperate unreligious Master of the Island but cannot be seen to object to God’s teaching and observances – and is impelled into accepting Sunday must NOT be a day of work. In 1897 the Islanders are deemed servants and are still a subjugated group. While free people, they haven't moved that far from the repressed circumstances of slavery. The voices of ancestors that may have been on this island before, ring in Kalala’s mind.
As the book progresses relationships are put under pressure and the basis of those relationships are examined and tested. Some relationships become stronger while others disintegrate, stretched and broken. Loyalty, morality, ethics and beliefs are all amplified with the main characters, as secrets are unmasked and allegiances distorted.
This is an enthralling, cleverly written and fearless take on the desert island story with multiple characters and relationships that are intertwined to tell a tale of hardship, and the testing of core beliefs and authority.
I would recommend this book and many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
May 21, 2018
Joseph Peacock, the Mr Peacock of the title, is a patriarchal figure, presiding over what he views as his own ‘Garden of Eden. His wife and family have trailed behind him from island to island, leaving behind a legacy of failed ventures and catastrophes, as he searches for land he can call his own. ‘Plenty proved not enough for Mr Peacock. It wasn’t his, you see.’ Arriving on the remote Monday Island (also known as Blackbird Island), not visited by passing ships from one year to the next, they find it is definitely not the Paradise they had been promised. Cheated by those they had trusted for supplies, for a long time they lead a hand to mouth existence, at near starvation point and relying only on their survival skills and what they can forage from the island.
Ah yes, the island. At times nurturing, at other times sinister and threatening. ‘In fact, everything here grew a sight too much for Ma’s liking. It didn’t seem right, all this unearned fecundity. Flowers that unfurled their perfume unbidden, petals and even leaves so brightly-coloured they seemed brazen. Vines carelessly floating their seeds any which way and honeyed fruit that flaunted itself, then rotted, reeking, where it softly fell.’ At times, the island almost seems a living being. ‘The air itself feels violent, as though the island is gathering itself for something. She imagines it breathing, heaving, maybe shifting.’ Furthermore, it turns out the island has hidden dangers and harbours terrible secrets.
I really liked the distinctive, almost poetic, narrative voice the author creates for Kalala, one of the six Pacific Islanders who arrive on the island to work for the Peacocks, and through whose eyes the reader witnesses some of the events. For example, this description of their voyage to Monday Island. ‘Esperanza pitch and roll, still in deep water plenty lengths from land, and beyond her monstrous roaring.’
I loved the way the author explored the idea of possession in all its myriad meanings. For example, it becomes clear that Joseph Peacock considers his family, and the Pacific Islanders contracted to work for him, as ‘possessions’ he owns. However, his most prized possession is the island itself. Greeting Kalala for the first time as he struggles ashore, Peacock says, ‘Welcome to my island.’ – note the ‘my’ there. But the islanders too covet the tangible rewards they will receive in return for their work. ‘For have we not come here, we six, we islanders in hope of great possessions.’
Through the course of the book, the reader begins to understand just how crucial it is to Mr Peacock to possess land, not just as something to claim ownership of in the present – although that’s important – but to be able to pass on to his eldest son, Albert. ‘All this work has always been for Albert. It’s all Pa cared about. Not him, exactly. But his name. Securing the future for the Peacock family, a tiny empire nobody could ever take away because it belonged to no one, where nobody else could give orders. Peacock land for generations.’
This desire to pass on land, as a testament to everything he has worked for and the obstacles he has overcome, is at the root of Peacock’s troubled relationship with Albert. Because Albert doesn’t seem to share his father’s burning desire for ownership of land; in fact, Albert hates the island as he hated the voyage there. For Peacock, Albert is a disappointment, branding him ‘weak’, ‘a shirker’, physically chastising him and viewing him as someone who constantly falls short of his expectations, particularly in comparison with his daughter, Lizzie.
It transpires that the relationship between Peacock and his daughter, Lizzie, is equally complex. Courageous, strong and adventurous, she shares a similar temperament to her father. ‘For Lizzie was her father’s daughter, a moth to the flame of new hopes and possibilities.’ For a long time Lizzie is blind to her father’s faults and his true nature, even though the other children see it only too clearly. Eventually Lizzie finds herself facing an awful choice. Because she too has ‘possessions’ – her family – she feels bound to protect.
Of course, the term ‘possessed’ may also be used to describe being taken over by strong emotions and, at times, we get glimpses of Joseph Peacock as a man possessed by a sort of madness. Here is a portrait of a monster, someone possessed by a desire for control, manipulative and violent. Before the end of the book the reader will be witness to the disastrous and tragic consequences of his desire for possession and the lengths to which he will go.
Mr Peacock’s Possessions is like the strange but wonderful lovechild of Swiss Family Robinson, Lord of the Flies and The Tempest. It will appeal to readers who like their historical fiction full of atmosphere and compelling characters…and an undertone of menace. Highly recommended. I can see this novel making some literary prize shortlists.
I received an advance review copy courtesy of publishers, Bonnier Zaffre, and NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Ah yes, the island. At times nurturing, at other times sinister and threatening. ‘In fact, everything here grew a sight too much for Ma’s liking. It didn’t seem right, all this unearned fecundity. Flowers that unfurled their perfume unbidden, petals and even leaves so brightly-coloured they seemed brazen. Vines carelessly floating their seeds any which way and honeyed fruit that flaunted itself, then rotted, reeking, where it softly fell.’ At times, the island almost seems a living being. ‘The air itself feels violent, as though the island is gathering itself for something. She imagines it breathing, heaving, maybe shifting.’ Furthermore, it turns out the island has hidden dangers and harbours terrible secrets.
I really liked the distinctive, almost poetic, narrative voice the author creates for Kalala, one of the six Pacific Islanders who arrive on the island to work for the Peacocks, and through whose eyes the reader witnesses some of the events. For example, this description of their voyage to Monday Island. ‘Esperanza pitch and roll, still in deep water plenty lengths from land, and beyond her monstrous roaring.’
I loved the way the author explored the idea of possession in all its myriad meanings. For example, it becomes clear that Joseph Peacock considers his family, and the Pacific Islanders contracted to work for him, as ‘possessions’ he owns. However, his most prized possession is the island itself. Greeting Kalala for the first time as he struggles ashore, Peacock says, ‘Welcome to my island.’ – note the ‘my’ there. But the islanders too covet the tangible rewards they will receive in return for their work. ‘For have we not come here, we six, we islanders in hope of great possessions.’
Through the course of the book, the reader begins to understand just how crucial it is to Mr Peacock to possess land, not just as something to claim ownership of in the present – although that’s important – but to be able to pass on to his eldest son, Albert. ‘All this work has always been for Albert. It’s all Pa cared about. Not him, exactly. But his name. Securing the future for the Peacock family, a tiny empire nobody could ever take away because it belonged to no one, where nobody else could give orders. Peacock land for generations.’
This desire to pass on land, as a testament to everything he has worked for and the obstacles he has overcome, is at the root of Peacock’s troubled relationship with Albert. Because Albert doesn’t seem to share his father’s burning desire for ownership of land; in fact, Albert hates the island as he hated the voyage there. For Peacock, Albert is a disappointment, branding him ‘weak’, ‘a shirker’, physically chastising him and viewing him as someone who constantly falls short of his expectations, particularly in comparison with his daughter, Lizzie.
It transpires that the relationship between Peacock and his daughter, Lizzie, is equally complex. Courageous, strong and adventurous, she shares a similar temperament to her father. ‘For Lizzie was her father’s daughter, a moth to the flame of new hopes and possibilities.’ For a long time Lizzie is blind to her father’s faults and his true nature, even though the other children see it only too clearly. Eventually Lizzie finds herself facing an awful choice. Because she too has ‘possessions’ – her family – she feels bound to protect.
Of course, the term ‘possessed’ may also be used to describe being taken over by strong emotions and, at times, we get glimpses of Joseph Peacock as a man possessed by a sort of madness. Here is a portrait of a monster, someone possessed by a desire for control, manipulative and violent. Before the end of the book the reader will be witness to the disastrous and tragic consequences of his desire for possession and the lengths to which he will go.
Mr Peacock’s Possessions is like the strange but wonderful lovechild of Swiss Family Robinson, Lord of the Flies and The Tempest. It will appeal to readers who like their historical fiction full of atmosphere and compelling characters…and an undertone of menace. Highly recommended. I can see this novel making some literary prize shortlists.
I received an advance review copy courtesy of publishers, Bonnier Zaffre, and NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review.
June 19, 2018
Swiss Family Robinson meets The Island of Doctor Moreau in this exceptional novel of historical fiction set in 1879 on a remote Oceanic volcanic island.
“There’s a certain kind of shiver in Oceania that tilts you off balance before you know it. Your soles and stomach feel it both at once, and the air shimmers, and also your ears and eyes and nostrils. It’s inside you and outside you; sometimes to give notice that a pot will fall or a plate will break, sometimes that trees will move and the earth will gape. Even if it only lasts a second, even if its beginning is also its end, right at the heart of that very second balances the nauseating prospect that nothing might ever be the same again.”
It seems entirely unbelievable to the modern reader that a family could just claim a remote island and make it their own, yet within the context of a world not yet fully explored, as it was in the 1800s, it is entirely plausible. When we meet the Peacock family, they have ‘claimed’ a remote island, one of many in a chain of volcanic islands between New Zealand and Tonga (from what I could make out, forgive me if I turn out wrong on the actual location). The island is officially called Monday Island (based loosely on the actual Tuesday Island – there’s more about this and the origins of the story in the author notes) but is colloquially known as Blackbird Island, a name that will come to have grave meaning as you read your way through this stunning story.
Joseph Peacock is the Dr Moreau of this story, except of course he isn’t, this is just my own comparison. But I was struck from the beginning on how much he made me think of Dr Moreau and it was all in the level of arrogance, that ‘master of the island kingdom’ posturing that both of these characters possessed. Joseph frightened me, he was incredibly volatile, his family entirely at the mercy of his whims and moods, all while being stuck on an empty island with an active volcano surrounded by raging seas. He was utterly possessed with carving out his own kingdom, even going so far as to rename the island, ‘Peacock Island’. He was a hard man, cruel to his children, openly favouring some over others and encouraging hostility between them as they clamoured for his favour. He was somewhat devoted to his wife, and in this, she held a certain level of power to check his actions, yet this was not balanced on a whole and he was, for the most part, completely unrestrained. His third eldest child, teenaged Lizzie, is clearly his favourite. Tough and wily, it’s often said that she would have made the ‘perfect’ son, as opposed to her weak and fearful older brother, Albert. Lizzie adores her father, is completely blind to his faults, ‘blind and deaf’ as her older sister Ada is wont to say, and as the story progresses, her awakening to her father forms the backbone of the narrative.
“All this work has always been for Albert. It’s all Pa cared about. Not him, exactly. But his name. Securing the future for the Peacock family, a tiny empire nobody could ever take away because it belonged to no one, where nobody else could give orders. Peacock land for generations. But that meant the boys. Albert and Billy, and the sons they would one day have, and the sons those sons would produce in time. Perhaps Pa planned to bring them wives one day, to ship them in with the sheep and make them breed. Lizzie doesn’t know. She realises of course that she has been useful, tough and bold enough to have secured her father’s admiration, but now she recognises that she is also dispensable. This land never would or could be hers. It has taken Albert’s vanishing to make her understand.”
Lizzie was a fabulous character and she shares the story telling with Kalala, one of the six Pacific Islanders that have landed on Monday Island – Mr Peacock’s ‘Kanakas’. The dual perspective is also combined with a then and now narrative, and it all comes together masterfully, the tension building as each new aspect is revealed and the horror of what the island is concealing becomes apparent. Lizzie and Kalala form a friendship over time, bound by a mutual experience of being haunted by their dead. For some time, neither of them understand what plagues them while they sleep (for Lizzie) or visit certain parts of the island (for Kalala), but their discovery of these afflictions within each other proves to be a turning point in their relationship. I loved their connection, and the way Kalala viewed the world. There’s a particular scene where they both encounter each other at night while whale watching, and there’s a realisation that they are watching the same whale that passed by a year previous, despite being on different islands. This thought by Kalala was quite beautiful:
“A chain of whales has linked us through months and oceans when we knew nothing of each other.”
Alongside themes of patriarchy and family violence, there is an entrenched sense of white entitlement that runs through this story. History is rife with this, and Lydia Syson replicates this on her island to perfection. The island itself is hiding a horrific history that I don’t want to spoil here, but the revealing of it was profound and harrowing, in the way that learning about the horrors of the past often are. What humans are capable of doing to each other is often beyond my comprehension, but when it comes to slavery, I have a particular distaste that lasts long beyond the final page. I liked the confronting nature of this novel, the way that history wasn’t painted over and simply alluded to. These are my favourite sorts of novels, the ones that show our past the way it really was, without the window dressing and despite the collective shame associated with recollection and airing out.
The island itself is a living and breathing character within this novel, and I loved the way it accepted and repelled its interlopers in equal measure. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have lived there, the inhospitable terrain and beign so open to the elements. Joseph Peacock made slaves out of his children and provided very little in return in terms of food and shelter. And yet, the island teemed with life, but it was very much a survival of the fittest scenario. Lydia Syson writes with such atmosphere, her setting is almost tangible in its realisation. I loved this novel, so completely, it was gripping and absorbing and thrilled me all the way through. Historical fiction rarely comes better than this.
“Lizzie stops trusting herself. She begins to doubt the island. Its noises have not changed but now she is alone in the forest Lizzie hears them freshly. Birds whose unremarkable cries have kept her company on hunting expeditions for nearly two years squawk like frightened children among the fleshy leaves of mouse-hole trees, whose branches meet high above her head. She catches something of Albert’s voice; misrecognition pierces her just below the ribs. The air itself feels violent, as though the island is gathering itself for something. She imagines it breathing, heaving, maybe shifting.”
Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of Mr Peacock’s Possessions for review.
“There’s a certain kind of shiver in Oceania that tilts you off balance before you know it. Your soles and stomach feel it both at once, and the air shimmers, and also your ears and eyes and nostrils. It’s inside you and outside you; sometimes to give notice that a pot will fall or a plate will break, sometimes that trees will move and the earth will gape. Even if it only lasts a second, even if its beginning is also its end, right at the heart of that very second balances the nauseating prospect that nothing might ever be the same again.”
It seems entirely unbelievable to the modern reader that a family could just claim a remote island and make it their own, yet within the context of a world not yet fully explored, as it was in the 1800s, it is entirely plausible. When we meet the Peacock family, they have ‘claimed’ a remote island, one of many in a chain of volcanic islands between New Zealand and Tonga (from what I could make out, forgive me if I turn out wrong on the actual location). The island is officially called Monday Island (based loosely on the actual Tuesday Island – there’s more about this and the origins of the story in the author notes) but is colloquially known as Blackbird Island, a name that will come to have grave meaning as you read your way through this stunning story.
Joseph Peacock is the Dr Moreau of this story, except of course he isn’t, this is just my own comparison. But I was struck from the beginning on how much he made me think of Dr Moreau and it was all in the level of arrogance, that ‘master of the island kingdom’ posturing that both of these characters possessed. Joseph frightened me, he was incredibly volatile, his family entirely at the mercy of his whims and moods, all while being stuck on an empty island with an active volcano surrounded by raging seas. He was utterly possessed with carving out his own kingdom, even going so far as to rename the island, ‘Peacock Island’. He was a hard man, cruel to his children, openly favouring some over others and encouraging hostility between them as they clamoured for his favour. He was somewhat devoted to his wife, and in this, she held a certain level of power to check his actions, yet this was not balanced on a whole and he was, for the most part, completely unrestrained. His third eldest child, teenaged Lizzie, is clearly his favourite. Tough and wily, it’s often said that she would have made the ‘perfect’ son, as opposed to her weak and fearful older brother, Albert. Lizzie adores her father, is completely blind to his faults, ‘blind and deaf’ as her older sister Ada is wont to say, and as the story progresses, her awakening to her father forms the backbone of the narrative.
“All this work has always been for Albert. It’s all Pa cared about. Not him, exactly. But his name. Securing the future for the Peacock family, a tiny empire nobody could ever take away because it belonged to no one, where nobody else could give orders. Peacock land for generations. But that meant the boys. Albert and Billy, and the sons they would one day have, and the sons those sons would produce in time. Perhaps Pa planned to bring them wives one day, to ship them in with the sheep and make them breed. Lizzie doesn’t know. She realises of course that she has been useful, tough and bold enough to have secured her father’s admiration, but now she recognises that she is also dispensable. This land never would or could be hers. It has taken Albert’s vanishing to make her understand.”
Lizzie was a fabulous character and she shares the story telling with Kalala, one of the six Pacific Islanders that have landed on Monday Island – Mr Peacock’s ‘Kanakas’. The dual perspective is also combined with a then and now narrative, and it all comes together masterfully, the tension building as each new aspect is revealed and the horror of what the island is concealing becomes apparent. Lizzie and Kalala form a friendship over time, bound by a mutual experience of being haunted by their dead. For some time, neither of them understand what plagues them while they sleep (for Lizzie) or visit certain parts of the island (for Kalala), but their discovery of these afflictions within each other proves to be a turning point in their relationship. I loved their connection, and the way Kalala viewed the world. There’s a particular scene where they both encounter each other at night while whale watching, and there’s a realisation that they are watching the same whale that passed by a year previous, despite being on different islands. This thought by Kalala was quite beautiful:
“A chain of whales has linked us through months and oceans when we knew nothing of each other.”
Alongside themes of patriarchy and family violence, there is an entrenched sense of white entitlement that runs through this story. History is rife with this, and Lydia Syson replicates this on her island to perfection. The island itself is hiding a horrific history that I don’t want to spoil here, but the revealing of it was profound and harrowing, in the way that learning about the horrors of the past often are. What humans are capable of doing to each other is often beyond my comprehension, but when it comes to slavery, I have a particular distaste that lasts long beyond the final page. I liked the confronting nature of this novel, the way that history wasn’t painted over and simply alluded to. These are my favourite sorts of novels, the ones that show our past the way it really was, without the window dressing and despite the collective shame associated with recollection and airing out.
The island itself is a living and breathing character within this novel, and I loved the way it accepted and repelled its interlopers in equal measure. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have lived there, the inhospitable terrain and beign so open to the elements. Joseph Peacock made slaves out of his children and provided very little in return in terms of food and shelter. And yet, the island teemed with life, but it was very much a survival of the fittest scenario. Lydia Syson writes with such atmosphere, her setting is almost tangible in its realisation. I loved this novel, so completely, it was gripping and absorbing and thrilled me all the way through. Historical fiction rarely comes better than this.
“Lizzie stops trusting herself. She begins to doubt the island. Its noises have not changed but now she is alone in the forest Lizzie hears them freshly. Birds whose unremarkable cries have kept her company on hunting expeditions for nearly two years squawk like frightened children among the fleshy leaves of mouse-hole trees, whose branches meet high above her head. She catches something of Albert’s voice; misrecognition pierces her just below the ribs. The air itself feels violent, as though the island is gathering itself for something. She imagines it breathing, heaving, maybe shifting.”
Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of Mr Peacock’s Possessions for review.
July 5, 2018
I warn you now, this is going to be one of those books that I try to make everyone read because I am OBSESSED and have not been able to stop thinking about it.
This novel very much reminded me of a dark/adult version of Little House on the Prairie - there is a pioneer family trying to set up a new life for themselves, quite isolated from the rest of the world. Similarly to how I felt reading the Little House series, I was fascinated by even just the everyday elements of this family's life. The deserted island setting is incredible and richly described.
THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS NOVEL:
*Plot - the way the story pieces together both what happened to the missing child as well as the island's own hidden past (I couldn't put it down)
*Characters - they're complex and they go through so much 😭
*Ideas/themes - faith, patriarchy/gender roles in the family unit
This novel very much reminded me of a dark/adult version of Little House on the Prairie - there is a pioneer family trying to set up a new life for themselves, quite isolated from the rest of the world. Similarly to how I felt reading the Little House series, I was fascinated by even just the everyday elements of this family's life. The deserted island setting is incredible and richly described.
THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS NOVEL:
*Plot - the way the story pieces together both what happened to the missing child as well as the island's own hidden past (I couldn't put it down)
*Characters - they're complex and they go through so much 😭
*Ideas/themes - faith, patriarchy/gender roles in the family unit
May 17, 2018
You might think of this as a cross between Lloyd Jones’s Mister Pip and Lucy Treloar’s Salt Creek*. Set in the late 1870s in New Zealand and Oceania, it’s the story of the Peacock family, who settled on Monday Island two years ago, believing it would be their own “piece of paradise.” Mr Peacock is a self-assured man of many schemes. One day fifteen-year-old Lizzie spots a ship, and a Pacific Islander jumps off it and swims ashore. This is Kalala, who learned English and gentlemanly manners from “Mr Reverend” and narrates his chapters in a charming patois. He’s here to help with manual labor, but Mr Peacock unsettles him: “he goes from light to dark like a forest walk,” as his family knows all too well. The novel is based loosely on Syson’s husband’s family history.
*To which it is awfully similar, so much so that I could hardly consider it on its own terms, which is rather a shame. Salt Creek is one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read, whereas Mr Peacock’s Possessions has an inviting setting and atmosphere but gets bogged down by lots of backstory.
Favorite lines:
“She woke late to the muffled triple-throb of fruit doves feasting in the banyan tree outside the window.”
Pa: “This island will change everything for the family. ... Land. That’s the important things. That’s what a man needs to survive. To take his place in history. To keep his name. The land will be our future.l Your future.”
There’s an exclusive extract on my blog, Bookish Beck.
*To which it is awfully similar, so much so that I could hardly consider it on its own terms, which is rather a shame. Salt Creek is one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read, whereas Mr Peacock’s Possessions has an inviting setting and atmosphere but gets bogged down by lots of backstory.
Favorite lines:
“She woke late to the muffled triple-throb of fruit doves feasting in the banyan tree outside the window.”
Pa: “This island will change everything for the family. ... Land. That’s the important things. That’s what a man needs to survive. To take his place in history. To keep his name. The land will be our future.l Your future.”
There’s an exclusive extract on my blog, Bookish Beck.
February 5, 2023
The Peacock family live on a remote island near New Zealand where they eke out an existence as best they can. When some indigenous men from a Pacific atoll are brought to work for them this changes the dynamic of the family. One of the children goes missing on their arrival which adds to the tense atmosphere. Wow, what a beautifully written novel. I adored this right from the start with the lush description and intriguing cast of characters. This book deserves to be more widely known.
June 8, 2018
Recently, I've been incredibly guilty of purchasing "cover buys". Mr Peacock's Possessions may be the latest in a long line, but luckily this story lives up to its beautiful exterior!
I don't know about anyone else but I find that the style of writing matters more to me than the characters or the plot. A spectacular idea can be ruined by poor writing from the author. I'm happy to report that Lydia Syson's writing, and plot, are both wonderful. I've lost count of how many times I was sucked in by her magical words and I struggled to put this book down once I had started to read it.
Until recently I would have never considered myself a particular fan of historical fiction novels, but if I can read more books like this I will certainly consider myself to be a convert!
I don't know about anyone else but I find that the style of writing matters more to me than the characters or the plot. A spectacular idea can be ruined by poor writing from the author. I'm happy to report that Lydia Syson's writing, and plot, are both wonderful. I've lost count of how many times I was sucked in by her magical words and I struggled to put this book down once I had started to read it.
Until recently I would have never considered myself a particular fan of historical fiction novels, but if I can read more books like this I will certainly consider myself to be a convert!
May 10, 2018
This was a recommendation from a fellow NetGalley addict and goodreader and what a great recommendation it turned out to be. I enjoyed everything about it. Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
In particular I relished the interaction between the family members and between the family and the six Pacific Islander men who come to help them make a success of their attempt at self-sufficiency on a remote volcanic island. Especially effective is the continuous switch between a third-person narrative, often from Lizzie’s perspective, recounting events as they happen in the present day and two years earlier when the family first arrived, and Kalala’s first person account showing how the family and their behaviour appear to an outsider - outside the family, but emotionally sensitive to the family dynamics. An interesting aspect is that the Islanders are educated far beyond the Peacock children who cannot even read and write and one of the brothers is on the way to becoming ordained as a minister. The children of the family come to realise that there is a great big world out there and they are ill equipped for life away from the island. They are all in fear of their father, a monstrously driven bully of a man who terrorises anyone who disobeys him or fails to pull their weight and who is especially hard on his delicate eldest son, Albert. This son’s disappearance sets off a cycle of suspicion and accusation that culminates in confrontation.
I think the pacing of the story is very well handled and it combines all the elements designed to appeal to me - plenty of description of the island, its jungle, swamps and cliffs, and a real sense of the pioneer nature of the family’s existence, well-judged inclusion of facts about the Pacific Islands’ recent history, some engaging personal relationships and evidence of emotional development, and at the heart of it the question of what happens to Albert. I’d recommend without hesitation.
In particular I relished the interaction between the family members and between the family and the six Pacific Islander men who come to help them make a success of their attempt at self-sufficiency on a remote volcanic island. Especially effective is the continuous switch between a third-person narrative, often from Lizzie’s perspective, recounting events as they happen in the present day and two years earlier when the family first arrived, and Kalala’s first person account showing how the family and their behaviour appear to an outsider - outside the family, but emotionally sensitive to the family dynamics. An interesting aspect is that the Islanders are educated far beyond the Peacock children who cannot even read and write and one of the brothers is on the way to becoming ordained as a minister. The children of the family come to realise that there is a great big world out there and they are ill equipped for life away from the island. They are all in fear of their father, a monstrously driven bully of a man who terrorises anyone who disobeys him or fails to pull their weight and who is especially hard on his delicate eldest son, Albert. This son’s disappearance sets off a cycle of suspicion and accusation that culminates in confrontation.
I think the pacing of the story is very well handled and it combines all the elements designed to appeal to me - plenty of description of the island, its jungle, swamps and cliffs, and a real sense of the pioneer nature of the family’s existence, well-judged inclusion of facts about the Pacific Islands’ recent history, some engaging personal relationships and evidence of emotional development, and at the heart of it the question of what happens to Albert. I’d recommend without hesitation.
May 13, 2018
The rapture of paradise is as easily extinguished as it is ignited on Monday Island, which is as unruly or tame as nature permits.
Despite Mr Peacock’s relentless insistence not everything can be commanded to heel. This matters not as his surname compliments his character, proudly surveying the unforgiving island he has claimed for his family – an empire created by a fevered rebellion against their new environment, regardless of how often it tries to intimidate them.
His cautiously obedient clan are shepherded through trials they are unaccustomed to. Their initial sense of awe is succeeded by apprehension when circumstances challenge their individual strengths and weaknesses and stark realities hit home. This is enhanced by their reactions which resembled authentic reflexes from physical people, not characters on a page.
The book’s exquisite cover delivers a sinisterly symbolic punch as the freedom of a bird in flight is snared by a solitary vine. A captivating and artfully narrated story delicately pitting faith against fact until the bittersweet truth is exposed.
I’ll be adding this author to my watch list as I’d love to read more of their work in future.
(I received a copy of this title from the publisher via their Readers First website, with my thanks which I have chosen to voluntarily read and review.)
Despite Mr Peacock’s relentless insistence not everything can be commanded to heel. This matters not as his surname compliments his character, proudly surveying the unforgiving island he has claimed for his family – an empire created by a fevered rebellion against their new environment, regardless of how often it tries to intimidate them.
His cautiously obedient clan are shepherded through trials they are unaccustomed to. Their initial sense of awe is succeeded by apprehension when circumstances challenge their individual strengths and weaknesses and stark realities hit home. This is enhanced by their reactions which resembled authentic reflexes from physical people, not characters on a page.
The book’s exquisite cover delivers a sinisterly symbolic punch as the freedom of a bird in flight is snared by a solitary vine. A captivating and artfully narrated story delicately pitting faith against fact until the bittersweet truth is exposed.
I’ll be adding this author to my watch list as I’d love to read more of their work in future.
(I received a copy of this title from the publisher via their Readers First website, with my thanks which I have chosen to voluntarily read and review.)
July 5, 2018
This is an exceptional book. Really interesting tale of a family and a father chasing his dream which becomes a nightmare. A family sell up and the father is duped into settling on an uninhabited island in the middle of nowhere – on a false promise that it could become a paradise for the family. The gullible father is then hoodwinked by the captain of the ship that transports them to the island leaving them with a struggle from day one. The story is interwoven in a series of flashbacks to complete the backstory for readers. Then a ship arrives with a number of islanders from a different island who are there for some months to help the Peacock family. When they arrive the story takes a dark turn when Albert Peacock goes missing. The last 100 pages of this book race along and you are kept in suspense until the final page. A really great read and one that will not disappoint. Highly recommended!!
January 7, 2021
Grenzeloze loyaliteit, afbrokkelende hoop, krankzinnige hoogmoed, wankelend geloof en grote desillusie. Stukje bij beetje komt de waarheid over de familie Peacock en hun kanaken (inlandse, betaalde werkkrachten) aan het licht. Een waarheid die door het perspectief in het verhaal ook voor de lezer schokkend is. De waarheid dat, datgene wat een paradijs een paradijs maakt, afhankelijk is van de goedheid van de heerser. Een beklemmend boek dat bijblijft.
July 14, 2020
Usually I am not a review kind of person. Enjoying a book and discover the story on your own, is so much more rewarding than already having an opinion because of other peoples comments or semi-spoilers.
So no spoilers on the story from me, but the recommendation that if you love history's darker pages, this is the book for you.
So no spoilers on the story from me, but the recommendation that if you love history's darker pages, this is the book for you.
June 19, 2018
Visit the locations on the island
The cover grabbed me and although I read it on kindle, I did keep sneaking a peek at it in the shops as that art work is so pretty!
It’s what inside that counts however and this more than matches up. The island is not the paradise you see on the cover however as there are dark woods, hardly any food, a difficulty to stay alive and a strong urge to possess…with a family who thinks they’re coming to the promised land and some locals brought into work for them, that’s when the tension starts….I should have realised as even their journey to the island is fraught with danger in the high seas!
This was just the kind of atmospheric novel I like. Blackbird island is fictional of course, but it might not be when you think about it. The author’s writing makes the island come to life as if the cover is animated and acts out the story inside. There’s some really dark moments all deliciously drawn out and remember that this is all happening on a very remote island in the middle of the Pacific ocean…
The dual timeline is very effective as we see the picture of the island built up from when the family first arrived to how life is like now. The relationships between the family and the islanders, the fact that Peacock is their name (all the connotations that the strutting bird conjures up) and the sense of possession in every sense of the word….delightfully dark.
Glorious and I’m going to buy the hardback now and frame that cover!
May 18, 2022
My daughter challenged me to pick a book off the shelf in the bookshop purely for the cover and not for the blurb and read it. This was that book.
Beautifully written, I was drawn into the pages immediately. The characters were all believable and to begin with all likeable. We learnt about the family’s backstory and how they came to be on Blackbird/Monday Island and we felt the hardships facing them. All in all I was engrossed in this book and will be recommending it, starting with my daughter!
Beautifully written, I was drawn into the pages immediately. The characters were all believable and to begin with all likeable. We learnt about the family’s backstory and how they came to be on Blackbird/Monday Island and we felt the hardships facing them. All in all I was engrossed in this book and will be recommending it, starting with my daughter!
November 18, 2022
This is one of the best books that I have read this year. I was completely captivated by the story of the Peacock family, who on the face of it appear as a close unit. However, as the book progresses we come to see and understand how dysfunctional they really are.
If you would like to read my full review please visit my blog at:
https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
If you would like to read my full review please visit my blog at:
https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
August 30, 2018
‘Oceania 1879.
An intrepid family of settlers from New Zealand are determined to make a remote volcanic island their own.’
Mr Peacock’s Possessions is a novel written by Lydia Syson. After stumbling upon a story from her husband’s family history, Lydia Syson set about her research and wrote a book, an epic adventure, encapsulating the life of the early settlers.
But there is also a very dark side to this tale….
Mr. Peacock’s Possessions tells the story of a restless family, a family with the need to fulfill an ambition to explore and discover a place to call their own. Over the years Mr Peacock has tried his hand at many roles to earn a crust but it is when he hears of an island for sale, quite a distance away from the mainland of New Zealand, that his attention is truly peaked. As he considers the countless possibilities available to them, a relatively undiscovered land that they could make their home, he decides on making an offer.
‘This island will change everything for this family. Land. That’s the important thing. That’s what a man needs to survive. To take his place in history. To keep his name. This land will be our future. Your future.’
His wife is a very stoic lady who has stood by his side through all the hardships presented them. Not one to run away from a challenge she gives her support, but it is his daughter, Lizzie, who is his most enthusiastic supporter and as their adventure begins to this island in the middle of Oceania, Lizzie cannot contain her excitement at the possibilities of this new life ahead of them.
Arriving on the island, they are faced with quite a formidable task. The land has not been cultivated in recent times and the food that they arrived with is spoilt. But this is The Peacock family. They have known rough times before and survived, once they all stick together….
Albert Peacock has always had a weak constitution and has never quite lived up to his father’s expectations. Try as he might, he is oft-times berated for his weaknesses. Travelling to this isolated place was always going to be an extra challenge for Albert but with the support of his siblings he muddles on.
As time passes the family are struggling to support themselves. Food is very difficult to come by on the island and, with very limited rations available, they are always on the lookout for passing ships. One day they are unable to contain their excitement when a boat is spotted in the distance. A fire is lit to attract attention and the family breathe a sigh of relief when the ship sails in their direction. On board are six Pacific Islanders, all searching for work in the hope of earning monies for their own families back home.
As the settlers become acquainted with these folk from foreign soil, it is noticed that young Albert is missing. Initially it is thought that he has lost track of time but as dusk approaches, Mrs Peacock raises serious concerns for her son’s safety. As sunlight rises over the island, Albert still is not be found and they organise a search party, dividing the area between the newcomers and the remaining Peacock family members.
Kalala, one of the newcomers, tells us his side of the story, giving us a wonderfully different perspective on the happenings on this remote island.
‘I wake again and again and wish we had never come to this place. It seems to me that we have broken into the middle of a story and now we are part of it.’
As the search continues over many days and the weeks pass by, the story reveals itself to the reader through the eyes and words of all.
Mr Peacock’s Possessions is a novel with many layers. It is dark, mysterious and, at times, quite eerie as Lydia Syson brings the sounds and harshness of this rather hostile island to life. It is an unforgiving and brutal environment to survive in and as it’s residents soon discover, there are secrets to be revealed. I have seen Mr Peacock’s Possessions described as ‘The Swiss Family Robinson meets Lord of the Flies’ by Wendy Moore and I honestly think that is a very apt description. There is a foreboding presence within this tale that stays with you throughout. It’s a great read for all who love historical fiction with quite a menacing sting to it’s tail but it is also filled with hope and endurance.
A beautifully expressed novel by Lydia Syson with an uncompromising narrative, Mr Peacock’s Possessions contains a very vivid portrayal of the life and challenges faced by the early colonial settlers.
Enthralling. Unflinching. Ominous.
An intrepid family of settlers from New Zealand are determined to make a remote volcanic island their own.’
Mr Peacock’s Possessions is a novel written by Lydia Syson. After stumbling upon a story from her husband’s family history, Lydia Syson set about her research and wrote a book, an epic adventure, encapsulating the life of the early settlers.
But there is also a very dark side to this tale….
Mr. Peacock’s Possessions tells the story of a restless family, a family with the need to fulfill an ambition to explore and discover a place to call their own. Over the years Mr Peacock has tried his hand at many roles to earn a crust but it is when he hears of an island for sale, quite a distance away from the mainland of New Zealand, that his attention is truly peaked. As he considers the countless possibilities available to them, a relatively undiscovered land that they could make their home, he decides on making an offer.
‘This island will change everything for this family. Land. That’s the important thing. That’s what a man needs to survive. To take his place in history. To keep his name. This land will be our future. Your future.’
His wife is a very stoic lady who has stood by his side through all the hardships presented them. Not one to run away from a challenge she gives her support, but it is his daughter, Lizzie, who is his most enthusiastic supporter and as their adventure begins to this island in the middle of Oceania, Lizzie cannot contain her excitement at the possibilities of this new life ahead of them.
Arriving on the island, they are faced with quite a formidable task. The land has not been cultivated in recent times and the food that they arrived with is spoilt. But this is The Peacock family. They have known rough times before and survived, once they all stick together….
Albert Peacock has always had a weak constitution and has never quite lived up to his father’s expectations. Try as he might, he is oft-times berated for his weaknesses. Travelling to this isolated place was always going to be an extra challenge for Albert but with the support of his siblings he muddles on.
As time passes the family are struggling to support themselves. Food is very difficult to come by on the island and, with very limited rations available, they are always on the lookout for passing ships. One day they are unable to contain their excitement when a boat is spotted in the distance. A fire is lit to attract attention and the family breathe a sigh of relief when the ship sails in their direction. On board are six Pacific Islanders, all searching for work in the hope of earning monies for their own families back home.
As the settlers become acquainted with these folk from foreign soil, it is noticed that young Albert is missing. Initially it is thought that he has lost track of time but as dusk approaches, Mrs Peacock raises serious concerns for her son’s safety. As sunlight rises over the island, Albert still is not be found and they organise a search party, dividing the area between the newcomers and the remaining Peacock family members.
Kalala, one of the newcomers, tells us his side of the story, giving us a wonderfully different perspective on the happenings on this remote island.
‘I wake again and again and wish we had never come to this place. It seems to me that we have broken into the middle of a story and now we are part of it.’
As the search continues over many days and the weeks pass by, the story reveals itself to the reader through the eyes and words of all.
Mr Peacock’s Possessions is a novel with many layers. It is dark, mysterious and, at times, quite eerie as Lydia Syson brings the sounds and harshness of this rather hostile island to life. It is an unforgiving and brutal environment to survive in and as it’s residents soon discover, there are secrets to be revealed. I have seen Mr Peacock’s Possessions described as ‘The Swiss Family Robinson meets Lord of the Flies’ by Wendy Moore and I honestly think that is a very apt description. There is a foreboding presence within this tale that stays with you throughout. It’s a great read for all who love historical fiction with quite a menacing sting to it’s tail but it is also filled with hope and endurance.
A beautifully expressed novel by Lydia Syson with an uncompromising narrative, Mr Peacock’s Possessions contains a very vivid portrayal of the life and challenges faced by the early colonial settlers.
Enthralling. Unflinching. Ominous.
May 27, 2018
(This review was written for WRITERS REVIEW: www.reviewsbywriters.blogspot.co.uk)
Lydia Syson has successfully published young adult novels with historical settings, and now looks set to reach a wider audience with this dazzling tale of colonisation and corruption, enterprise and abuse.
Set in Oceania in the late 19th century, Mr Peacock's Possessions centres around a growing family and the hardships they face on moving to an uninhabited island. "Where's the snake?" Joseph Peacock asks, on being offered this fruitful, unsullied land, apparently a new Eden. And there certainly are dangers. Soon after being landed there the family members face starvation when finding to their dismay that their supplies have rotted in the ship's hold; they must learn to survive on limpets and roots until they can grow their own crops. Utterly isolated, they don't see so much as a passing ship for months on end, and can summon help only through signal fires. They don't at first realise that the island is volcanic, and that subterranean rumblings produce sulphurous, deadly steam which almost kills two of the girls when they sleep in a cave near the crater. But the title hints that the deadliest "snake" is the one Mr Peacock brings with him, part of his own temperament. His son Albert, frail and suffering from what appears to be rheumatoid arthritis, bears the brunt of this, receiving constant taunts and criticism.
Events are shown to us through two viewpoints: that of Lizzie, Joseph Peacock's favourite second daughter, and - in first person - that of Kalala, one of six Pacific islanders, all young men, brought to the island to work at clearing and building. Kalala, whose older brother Solomona is a preacher, is shocked to realise that the Peacock children can't read, while he, observant and devout, reads his brother's Bible, anxious not to lose his skill. Through the highly perceptive and intuitive Kalala, and the vivid, frightening dreams of pain and despair he attributes to aitu, troubling spirits that haunt him despite his Christianity, we learn of a recent tragedy of neglect and abuse that's left bitter marks on the island. When Lizzie explains, "Pa can get cross, I ought to tell you ... He wants everything done just so. You do, of course, when a thing is your very own, don't you? You want it perfect," she prompts Kalala's recognition of "the force I saw at once in him, light and dark together." Lizzie's words are truer than she realises, especially of the difficult relationship between Joseph Peacock and the boy Albert in whom he finds only disappointment; she wonders why her father didn't look to her, instead of to Albert, as his heir and capable apprentice. When Kalala incurs Peacock's anger and fear, though acting through the best of intentions, events escalate with horrifying inevitability.
There are nods to Lord of the Flies in the island setting and the struggle for orderliness that fails to prevent the eruption of violence - Lord of the Flies as if written by Barbara Kingsolver, perhaps, with a dash of The Wicker Man. But I think readers will find various other parallels and echoes in this vividly realised, compelling novel.
As I write this, the longlist for the Women's Prize has just been released. I'll be disappointed if Lydia Syson's name doesn't appear there next year.
Lydia Syson has successfully published young adult novels with historical settings, and now looks set to reach a wider audience with this dazzling tale of colonisation and corruption, enterprise and abuse.
Set in Oceania in the late 19th century, Mr Peacock's Possessions centres around a growing family and the hardships they face on moving to an uninhabited island. "Where's the snake?" Joseph Peacock asks, on being offered this fruitful, unsullied land, apparently a new Eden. And there certainly are dangers. Soon after being landed there the family members face starvation when finding to their dismay that their supplies have rotted in the ship's hold; they must learn to survive on limpets and roots until they can grow their own crops. Utterly isolated, they don't see so much as a passing ship for months on end, and can summon help only through signal fires. They don't at first realise that the island is volcanic, and that subterranean rumblings produce sulphurous, deadly steam which almost kills two of the girls when they sleep in a cave near the crater. But the title hints that the deadliest "snake" is the one Mr Peacock brings with him, part of his own temperament. His son Albert, frail and suffering from what appears to be rheumatoid arthritis, bears the brunt of this, receiving constant taunts and criticism.
Events are shown to us through two viewpoints: that of Lizzie, Joseph Peacock's favourite second daughter, and - in first person - that of Kalala, one of six Pacific islanders, all young men, brought to the island to work at clearing and building. Kalala, whose older brother Solomona is a preacher, is shocked to realise that the Peacock children can't read, while he, observant and devout, reads his brother's Bible, anxious not to lose his skill. Through the highly perceptive and intuitive Kalala, and the vivid, frightening dreams of pain and despair he attributes to aitu, troubling spirits that haunt him despite his Christianity, we learn of a recent tragedy of neglect and abuse that's left bitter marks on the island. When Lizzie explains, "Pa can get cross, I ought to tell you ... He wants everything done just so. You do, of course, when a thing is your very own, don't you? You want it perfect," she prompts Kalala's recognition of "the force I saw at once in him, light and dark together." Lizzie's words are truer than she realises, especially of the difficult relationship between Joseph Peacock and the boy Albert in whom he finds only disappointment; she wonders why her father didn't look to her, instead of to Albert, as his heir and capable apprentice. When Kalala incurs Peacock's anger and fear, though acting through the best of intentions, events escalate with horrifying inevitability.
There are nods to Lord of the Flies in the island setting and the struggle for orderliness that fails to prevent the eruption of violence - Lord of the Flies as if written by Barbara Kingsolver, perhaps, with a dash of The Wicker Man. But I think readers will find various other parallels and echoes in this vividly realised, compelling novel.
As I write this, the longlist for the Women's Prize has just been released. I'll be disappointed if Lydia Syson's name doesn't appear there next year.
May 16, 2019
A really interesting tale of survival, tyranny and family dynamics set amid the Pacific Islands in the late 19th century, The Peacock family, driven by Mr Peacock, are in search of their own bit of paradise where he can be King of all he surveys. But sole occupancy of an island brings its own problems and the family have reached crisis point when a ship visits and supplies them with a group of Islanders to act as slaves in all but name. Arthur, the eldest son of the family, has disappeared and they all hunt for him but what really happened? The Islanders have been "converted" to Christianity and struggle to understand the erratic behaviour of Mr Peacock. Lizzie, one of the daughters struggles to make sense of her own feelings and to find out where Arthur is. There is a great sense of place in this tale, a growing feeling of desperation and tensions, really good historical fiction.
August 26, 2019
Fascinating tale of an obsessive father dragging his ever growing family from one grim reality to the next in search of his fortune and power. They settle on a remote island in the kermadecs in the 1860s where hardship and misfortune rains down on them. When pacific workers arrive to work his madness is further exposed. Loved the take. Fascinated to hear it is loosely based on a friends family history!!
March 14, 2022
An intense And beautifully written novel
Oceania 1879. The Peacock family settle on an uninhabited island. 6 Pacific Islanders land to help them with the land. A young boy vanishes .. the settlers and islanders uncover deep history and secret’s of the island
I enjoyed this one so much .. so well written and thought provoking about family relationships and the description of the island was so good. I felt part of the book. This novel will stay with me for a long time. An excellent book Up there with the Poisonwood Bible
6*.
Oceania 1879. The Peacock family settle on an uninhabited island. 6 Pacific Islanders land to help them with the land. A young boy vanishes .. the settlers and islanders uncover deep history and secret’s of the island
I enjoyed this one so much .. so well written and thought provoking about family relationships and the description of the island was so good. I felt part of the book. This novel will stay with me for a long time. An excellent book Up there with the Poisonwood Bible
6*.
August 3, 2019
Fascinating tale
This is a totally absorbing story of a family who buy an island to turn it into the lush garden of Eden of their dreams. I will not say more or it will spoil the story, suffice to say I just could not stop reading it until I reached the end. I rarely give 5 stars but this is really worth the accolade.
This is a totally absorbing story of a family who buy an island to turn it into the lush garden of Eden of their dreams. I will not say more or it will spoil the story, suffice to say I just could not stop reading it until I reached the end. I rarely give 5 stars but this is really worth the accolade.
December 22, 2020
Set in 1879 an intriguing story of a 'Swiss Family Robinson', living on a remote, uninhabited island. However changes occur when other Islanders come to the island to assist in the building of the settlement.
January 20, 2019
Dnf. Might revisit at some stage but I'm just not feeling it right now
April 14, 2019
Mr Peacock's Possessions follows the aspirations and adventures of Mr Peacock and his dysfunctional family from New Zealand on a remote volcanic island where they attempt to build the independent paradise that the father has always dreamed of. The struggle is vividly realised as is the gradual disillusionment of his daughter Lizzie in particular. Richly evocative of the Pacific seas and islands, the turning point comes when the eldest boy disappears in mysterious circumstances after the arrival of the hired workers. Suspicion and the clash of cultures ensues. The darker elements of humanity appear and not from the predicted sources: Perceptions are offered for multiple viewpoints adding to our depth of understanding and engagement as the darkness of a soul id gradually brought to light.
Beautifully written and realised; not to be missed.
Beautifully written and realised; not to be missed.
August 28, 2020
Found the story too slow moving and did not like the characters
July 2, 2019
Lydia Syson's novel Mr Peacock's Possessions is a fascinating tale of power and control as Joseph Peacock leads his family to colonise an isolated island in the South Pacific.
Joseph Peacock is determined to be in control of his own destiny and when he finds an opportunity to lead his family to an uninhabited island he sees the opportunity to achieve his dream. The family suffer as they struggle to establish themselves in the harsh island environment. Six male Islanders from a nearby island arrive to help the family work the land, but on the day they arrive Albert, the oldest Peacock boy disappears. Albert's disappearance creates a tension and life on the island is haunted by his disappearance. Lizzie Peacock, the central character, becomes friendly with one of the native helpers Kalala and they begin to learn more of the island's dark past. They become determined to discover what happened to Albert and in doing so they begin to reveal the truth about Mr Peacock and his desire for power and control.
The narrative is partly told in flashback where we learn about the Peacock family and see their struggle to establish themselves on the island and we also hear the voice of Kalala as he describes life on the island from the natives' perspective. This structure successfully allows the reader to understand what has passed but also provides a view of the immediate events.
Joseph Peacock is determined to be in control of his own destiny and when he finds an opportunity to lead his family to an uninhabited island he sees the opportunity to achieve his dream. The family suffer as they struggle to establish themselves in the harsh island environment. Six male Islanders from a nearby island arrive to help the family work the land, but on the day they arrive Albert, the oldest Peacock boy disappears. Albert's disappearance creates a tension and life on the island is haunted by his disappearance. Lizzie Peacock, the central character, becomes friendly with one of the native helpers Kalala and they begin to learn more of the island's dark past. They become determined to discover what happened to Albert and in doing so they begin to reveal the truth about Mr Peacock and his desire for power and control.
The narrative is partly told in flashback where we learn about the Peacock family and see their struggle to establish themselves on the island and we also hear the voice of Kalala as he describes life on the island from the natives' perspective. This structure successfully allows the reader to understand what has passed but also provides a view of the immediate events.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2018
It says on the cover of this book that it is for fans of Mr Pip and The Poisonwood Bible. I am a fan of those books and I would also add for fans of Mosquito Coast. I had this on my to read list and then was at the airport, had finished my book and took a look at the not so great offerings on display. This one was the only one on my to read list and I am so glad I now own a copy. I think Lydia Syson draws the characters brilliantly especially the fearless Lizzie and the torn between two worlds Kalala.
July 2, 2019
Thank you to @zaffrebooks for this proof which I recently won in a competition.
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Oceania 1879
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A nomadic family of settlers from New Zealand leave relative stability when they become the only inhabitants of a remote volcanic island. They eke out a fierce existence in this hostile, harsh environment until a ship appears bringing Pacific Islanders in search of work. However on the night of the newcomers’ arrival a gentle, vulnerable boy goes missing and the search for him leads to disturbing discoveries.
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This was an enjoyable read. It made me think of an inverted Swiss Family Robinson meets Lord of the Flies, and it has also been compared with The Poisonwood Bible and Mister Pip. This is ultimately a story about pride, ambition, race, power and loyalty. Some of the characters didn’t quite come to life for me, and there were spiritual/paranormal aspects, which didn’t spook me but were a bit heavy. However, I thought the depiction of the bleak, exposed island life was fascinating, and the survival methods have obviously been very well researched.
A solid 🌟🌟🌟 from me!
March 13, 2019
Not sure whether I can say I enjoyed this but it’s worth a read nevertheless. This pioneering family, kind of Swiss family Robinson with similarities to Lord of the Flies/ Robinson Crusoe, set up home on an isolated island in the 1880s. The father has dreams of making this island his kingdom for him and his family but it’s not the idyllic island of paradise he believes it to be. When some native Pacific Islanders are brought to the island to help manage the land, he feels finally his plans for the island will materialise however family life starts to unravel.
Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book
Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book
May 21, 2018
What are possessions? Objects? People?
Mr Peacock is one of the many ex-members of the British army to settle in New Zealand after the Maori wars. He is the owner of a rundown and not a very profitable hotel. He starts taking a special interest when one of his patrons tells him that there are islands out in the Pacific just waiting to be inhabited and the man mentions a specific one called Monday Island, with soil so fertile he’ll be able to grow all types of crops, not just to feed his large family but enough to supply passing ships as well. He seizes this “golden opportunity” without much thought and as a ship is leaving almost immediately, he makes the family pack up their meagre belongings ready to sail off into the Pacific to an unknown, uninhabited overgrown chunk of land.
Mr Peacock has never really been able to settle down and accept a steady job. He has dreams, big dreams to make a name for himself and become famous. His family are not really given a say in the matter, because they know that to disagree with his decisions would only end with dire consequences for the person questioning his authority. This move will be the fourth time in five years that he’s grown bored with a project (like owning a hotel) and insists they up-sticks and head off into the next “Peacock Adventure.”
The family, father, mother and their six children - two boys, Albert and Billie and four daughters, Ada, Lizzie, Queenie and Gussie - together with all their worldly possessions, are dropped off by the vessel called The Good Intent. Mr Peacock quickly realises that he has taken on yet another project while hiding behind rose-tinted glasses. Unfortunately, stuck out in the Pacific Ocean means that they can’t simply jump to the next “big idea.” They are going to have to get started to build accommodation and clear land to grow veggies and other crops to sustain them.
Lizzie idolises her father and enthusiastically throws herself into helping him clear the wilderness they find themselves in. She is sure that he will succeed in turning this God-forsaken chunk of land surrounded by sea, into a paradise. Her sister Ada and brother Albert do not share her enthusiasm. Billie and the rest of the children are too young to be of any real opinion or indeed help with the clearing or building their accommodation.
Mr Peacock realises that they cannot do all the work themselves so sends out a message for a team of strong men to join them. The family are therefore pleased when a passing vessel arrives with Kanakas, men from one of the other many Pacific islands. The arrival of these converts to Christianity brings their own set of values and culture to add to the mix of this family.
The story is mainly related by Kalala, a very intelligent man, with quite a bit of education. His brother, Solomona, is a devout Christian who has almost completed his theology studies, to become a minister. He comes with the hope that he will hold services on Sundays. The other men, too, have strong personalities to add to island’s dynamics.
This certainly is one of the most powerful, brilliantly written books and I’m hoping, a wonderful book club read. The storyline is so powerful and so thought-provoking. I can see these clubs having very in-depth discussions on everything from the style of writing to the very interesting characters. Lydia Syson managed to hook from the very first line that Kalala writes. I am, however, left with the final conundrum; the word Possessions in the title. What are Mr Peacock’s Possessions?
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
Mr Peacock is one of the many ex-members of the British army to settle in New Zealand after the Maori wars. He is the owner of a rundown and not a very profitable hotel. He starts taking a special interest when one of his patrons tells him that there are islands out in the Pacific just waiting to be inhabited and the man mentions a specific one called Monday Island, with soil so fertile he’ll be able to grow all types of crops, not just to feed his large family but enough to supply passing ships as well. He seizes this “golden opportunity” without much thought and as a ship is leaving almost immediately, he makes the family pack up their meagre belongings ready to sail off into the Pacific to an unknown, uninhabited overgrown chunk of land.
Mr Peacock has never really been able to settle down and accept a steady job. He has dreams, big dreams to make a name for himself and become famous. His family are not really given a say in the matter, because they know that to disagree with his decisions would only end with dire consequences for the person questioning his authority. This move will be the fourth time in five years that he’s grown bored with a project (like owning a hotel) and insists they up-sticks and head off into the next “Peacock Adventure.”
The family, father, mother and their six children - two boys, Albert and Billie and four daughters, Ada, Lizzie, Queenie and Gussie - together with all their worldly possessions, are dropped off by the vessel called The Good Intent. Mr Peacock quickly realises that he has taken on yet another project while hiding behind rose-tinted glasses. Unfortunately, stuck out in the Pacific Ocean means that they can’t simply jump to the next “big idea.” They are going to have to get started to build accommodation and clear land to grow veggies and other crops to sustain them.
Lizzie idolises her father and enthusiastically throws herself into helping him clear the wilderness they find themselves in. She is sure that he will succeed in turning this God-forsaken chunk of land surrounded by sea, into a paradise. Her sister Ada and brother Albert do not share her enthusiasm. Billie and the rest of the children are too young to be of any real opinion or indeed help with the clearing or building their accommodation.
Mr Peacock realises that they cannot do all the work themselves so sends out a message for a team of strong men to join them. The family are therefore pleased when a passing vessel arrives with Kanakas, men from one of the other many Pacific islands. The arrival of these converts to Christianity brings their own set of values and culture to add to the mix of this family.
The story is mainly related by Kalala, a very intelligent man, with quite a bit of education. His brother, Solomona, is a devout Christian who has almost completed his theology studies, to become a minister. He comes with the hope that he will hold services on Sundays. The other men, too, have strong personalities to add to island’s dynamics.
This certainly is one of the most powerful, brilliantly written books and I’m hoping, a wonderful book club read. The storyline is so powerful and so thought-provoking. I can see these clubs having very in-depth discussions on everything from the style of writing to the very interesting characters. Lydia Syson managed to hook from the very first line that Kalala writes. I am, however, left with the final conundrum; the word Possessions in the title. What are Mr Peacock’s Possessions?
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
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