Shifting Currents

by Joanna Orwin

Inspired by the intertwined lives of two real women, this historical novel is set against a vivid background of hardscrabble pioneer life in the remote Kaipara at a time when New Zealand’s cultural and natural landscapes were rapidly changing.

It is 1853. Previously widowed Lydia Boulcott has remarried, hoping to escape her shameful past. The isolation of a new life in the kauri forests of New Zealand’s far north offers the chance of a respectable future for her and Hannah, her five-year-old daughter. To her dismay, Lydia finds that one of her few neighbours is none other than ambitious Eliza Noakes —someone from her past capable of ferreting out her guilt-ridden secret. Despite Lydia’s determined efforts to avoid Eliza, fate constantly throws them together …

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2020

About the author

Joanna Orwin is a writer of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Many of her books have been shortlisted for or have won awards, including Children's Book of the Year in 1985 and the Senior Fiction category of the New Zealand Post Book awards for Children and Young Adults in 2002. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. You can find out more about her on her website at https://www.joannaorwin.com.

Reviews

[Maybelle Wallis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The remote kauri forests of New Zealand and the flow of the river set the scene for this beautifully written novel evoking the hardships of the early settlers, the decline of the Maoris and the unforgiving ethos of that age. Lydia’s courageous journey is sympathetically told; the harder she works to hide her secret the greater becomes the gulf that divides her from her daughter.

[Donna Goodacre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t want to put it down. Completely captivating if you like historical New Zealand fiction

[Yvette Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A lot of interesting history regarding the Northwest area of Auckland - with the warmth of characters and stories. A lovely read, highly recommend.

[Jo Schaffel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving story of two women and their changing relationships set against the changing fortunes of the country they live in. Very well researched and realistically written.