The Lovelock Version

by Maurice Shadbolt

A colorful and imaginative saga of pioneering New Zealand during the nineteenth century describes the unusual lives of the three Lovelock brothers--the courageous visionary Herman, wretched Richard, and poetic James

Genres: Historical Fiction

568 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1980

About the author

Maurice Shadbolt was a major New Zealand fiction writer and playwright. He published numerous novels and collections of short fiction, as well as novellas, non-fiction, and a play. His writing often drew on his own family history. Shadbolt won several fellowships and almost every major literary prize, some more than once. He was capped Honorary Doctor of Literature by the University of Auckland in 1997.

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly written book that took me way too long to get through. It's not a page-turner, but each time I got through a vignette, I noticed how much I enjoyed it. The writing is full of subtle wordplay and devices like alliteration, and the characters are endearing. There are a few standout scenes as well that I keep returning to in my mind: Herman's howl, and David/Daniel's reunion in particular.

[Andrew Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge, silly, deathly serious, full of life and lives and just about everything: I had no idea a book like this had been written in and about New Zealand, and I have no idea why. It's absolutely fantastic.

[LadyCalico · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story follows the lives, loves, and adventures of three English immigrant brothers and their families seeking their fortune and the fulfillment of their vastly divergent visions in late 19th and early 20th century New Zealand while encountering some of the most colorful and eccentric characters in literature, some of them based on real historical figures, others not. I found the book rather unevenly written, boring in sections, enthralling in others, but I must rate it high in spite of my criticisms because I have never read anything like it--sometimes gritty, sometimes surreal; sometimes funny, sometimes philosophical; and filled with brilliant quotes. I didn't always enjoy it, but I sure am glad that I read it.

[Geoff Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grand epic journey through history a rollicking tale and a fine sense of making you feel you are inside the story
Maurice is one of our most under rated writers

[Isis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be not fooled by the cover art, which screams, "Sweeping Historical Saga!" It is just that, of course, a SHS about New Zealand...and yet, it isn't just that. It's a SHS about a NZ family whose story just happens to intersect with every famous person and event and even myth in NZ history, told by a narrator who pokes fun at his subjects, cites his "sources" (with editorial comment), and even peers over the fourth wall now and again. Kind of James Michener crossed with Forrest Gump, if I may totally mix my media metaphor. And it's more fun than a barrel of kea.

This is probably most interesting to Kiwis or people interested in or knowledgeable about or trying to learn about New Zealand; I read this while steeped in Kiwiana during a visit, but I'm sure half the in-jokes went over my poor American head.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. It took me years to realise that the location and story were all made up -- I thought there must be a Porangi river somewhere, it was so realistically described. A completely fictional but oh-so-real history of New Zealand.

[scarlettraces · Rating 5 out of 5]

unreliable history in the best possible way.