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Land of Milk and Honey
A powerful story based on the real-life experiences of hundreds of British children who were sent as war refugees to New Zealand and Australia during the Second World War. Fourteen-year-old Jake suffers cruelly at the hands of a rural family, only to be offered sanctuary and eventual redemption by the elderly town doctor, Mac. His story is complex, dealing graphically with issues of community attitudes to violence and discipline and Jake's eventual response to his treatment is not what you might expect. Not a conventional 'morality' tale by any means, Taylor deals masterfully with the reality of revenge and retribution, handling the issues with skill. Gritty, and definitely not for younger readers, the story of Jake contains vivid descriptions of violence and cruelty to animals that need maturity to handle.
- GenresYoung Adult
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 3, 2021
This book is one that will most likely stay with me. It is a beautiful but brutal account and I will say some parts of the book were hard to read (I almost never finished it), because of the brutality of some of it. However, it had a beautiful ending and its the type of book that made me reflect on my own life and for that it gets 4 stars.
November 25, 2011
As a result of two world wars, thousands of children from Britain were sent to live in Canada, the United States, South Africa, Australia and new Zealand. While many of these children were war orphans, many were not. Their parents merely decided to send them away in the hopes that they would have a better life. About 750 children ended up in New Zealand.
William Taylor’s ironically titled novel Land of Milk and Honey follows the fortunes of one such boy, Jake Neill, aged 14. When he arrives with his younger sister, Janice, in Wellington in 1947 he is told he’s ‘lucky’ because he’s going to be shipped off to a farm where he’ll have access to “milk and butter and cream and eggs. Fresh meat.” Jake isn’t actually an orphan; his mother has been killed in an air raid and his father has lost a leg and doesn’t feel able to look after his children.
Jake’s first trauma comes when he is separated from his sister. While Jake knows he is bound for the Pearson farm, the authorities don’t know where they are sending Janice and Jake leaves her without knowing whether or not he will ever see her again. Turns out, this is the least of his worries.
The Pearsons – mother, father and 16-year-old son, Darcy, are about as far away from warm and welcoming as you can get. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that he’s nothing more than slave labour and worse, that Darcy is a sadist. The evidence comes early on when Darcy tortures a calf taunting Jake by saying: “Useless bastard. Look….See its nuts? Deserves everything it’s getting.” Darcy proceeds to slowly twist the calf’s leg until it cries out.
Darcy’s cruelty escalates and I found some of the scenes almost impossible to read about. I seriously felt sick to my stomach, but in that way where I knew I was reading something authentic not gratuitous.
William Taylor is a well-known and prolific New Zealand author. He’s written over 30 novels, including books for adults and children. Land of Milk and Honey, while not easy to read, should be read. It is a novel that deals with themes like resilience and determination which should resonate with its readers. Jake’s time on the Pearson farm is difficult to read about, but he is a remarkable character and his story reminds us of how it is possible to overcome tremendous odds.
William Taylor’s ironically titled novel Land of Milk and Honey follows the fortunes of one such boy, Jake Neill, aged 14. When he arrives with his younger sister, Janice, in Wellington in 1947 he is told he’s ‘lucky’ because he’s going to be shipped off to a farm where he’ll have access to “milk and butter and cream and eggs. Fresh meat.” Jake isn’t actually an orphan; his mother has been killed in an air raid and his father has lost a leg and doesn’t feel able to look after his children.
Jake’s first trauma comes when he is separated from his sister. While Jake knows he is bound for the Pearson farm, the authorities don’t know where they are sending Janice and Jake leaves her without knowing whether or not he will ever see her again. Turns out, this is the least of his worries.
The Pearsons – mother, father and 16-year-old son, Darcy, are about as far away from warm and welcoming as you can get. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that he’s nothing more than slave labour and worse, that Darcy is a sadist. The evidence comes early on when Darcy tortures a calf taunting Jake by saying: “Useless bastard. Look….See its nuts? Deserves everything it’s getting.” Darcy proceeds to slowly twist the calf’s leg until it cries out.
Darcy’s cruelty escalates and I found some of the scenes almost impossible to read about. I seriously felt sick to my stomach, but in that way where I knew I was reading something authentic not gratuitous.
William Taylor is a well-known and prolific New Zealand author. He’s written over 30 novels, including books for adults and children. Land of Milk and Honey, while not easy to read, should be read. It is a novel that deals with themes like resilience and determination which should resonate with its readers. Jake’s time on the Pearson farm is difficult to read about, but he is a remarkable character and his story reminds us of how it is possible to overcome tremendous odds.
February 28, 2012
Approximately 750 children from war-torn Britain were sent to New Zealand. History shows many of these children suffered like Jake Neill.
This is a disturbing book regarding Jake's treatment at the hands of the Pearson family who used him like a slave, beat him and verbally and physically abused him. In particular Jake suffered terribly at the hands of the sadistic son, Darcy Pearson.
It was difficult to read this book, but it was very well written and compelling. It is a book of human courage and determination to survive despite incredible odds.
This is a disturbing book regarding Jake's treatment at the hands of the Pearson family who used him like a slave, beat him and verbally and physically abused him. In particular Jake suffered terribly at the hands of the sadistic son, Darcy Pearson.
It was difficult to read this book, but it was very well written and compelling. It is a book of human courage and determination to survive despite incredible odds.
January 18, 2016
A compact imagination of a very real tragedy that is almost unknown in New Zealand and Australia. The story felt cut off toward the end, however.
August 29, 2012
i really like this book! it is very realistic.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews