Weathered Bones

by Michele Powles

This is a very fine first novel by a promising writer who has already attracted some attention and much praise from her mentors Stephanie Johnson and Siobhan Harvey. It is set in the present day, but has many references back to historical events. The lives of three women interweave in the novel. Eliza McGregor is New Zealand's only female permanent lighthouse keeper, at Pencarrow lighthouse near Wellington in the 1850s. She takes life, and its storms, head on, hardening herself against its wintry gales. In the present day, Antoinette, a widowed grandmother, struggles with her sense of self-worth as she deals with budding loneliness. And emotional Grace, much younger, caught in a cool, loveless marriage with Jason, tries to commit suicide and is assigned to a psychiatric clinic. There she meets Antoinette, and an unusual friendship develops. As the novel develops Eliza, the lighthouse keeper from an earlier century, becomes a presence in Grace and Antoinette's lives, a ghostly vision who seems to have a life of her own in the present day...

Genres: Fiction

299 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mariana Mahood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the link with past and present, the historical touch...the idea was good ...then it got a bit heavy and not all ends were tied in, the first character turning into a nuisance rather than the heroine she was in the beginning.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre and disturbing with beautiful imagery of water and storms. A great story that weaves the past and present together in an intriguing and colorful way. A must read for all fans of contemporary New Zealand fiction.

[Tania Hutley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and absorbing. I especially loved the character of Eliza McGregor and the fact that she really was NZ's only female lighthouse keeper at Pencarrow lighthouse. Fascinating!