Cathie Dunsford
Author of Cowrie
About the Author
Image credit: Cathie Koa Dunsford. Photo by Simon Birkenfeld (Manatū Taonga).
Works by Cathie Dunsford
The Exploding Frangipani: Lesbian Writing from Australia and New Zealand (1990) — Editor; Contributor — 10 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Aotearoa / New Zealand
Members
Reviews
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 12
- Members
- 85
- Popularity
- #214,931
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 29
- Languages
- 1
Which would have been a shame because, although it's really rather bewildering as a novel from which one might expect something resembling plot, it is amazingly educational and interesting approached from the angle of what it actually is. It's like reading a "all the good bits" summary of a conference proceedings on what is a fascinating topic. We get a faithful narrative of the kōrero presented on various aspects of sustainability in Hawaii, Tahiti, Alaska, but particularly New Zealand (hence the kaitiakitanga of the title), along with entire extended book reviews and movie reviews, plus the discussions between attendees and of course the hands-on practical mahi - from collecting seaweed to building an earth oven through to the more ambitious project of a solar-powered waka traveling from Hawaii to New Zealand via Tahiti.
If at the start of the book, attempting to read it as story, I was bored and frustrated, by the end I was getting downright excited about the potential in my own garden.
(There was even a clue in text towards the end, spoken by one of the characters, as to why the author may have chosen this drama-less form for a novel. If so, I can see the point. But the experience of reading it was super-weird.)… (more)