The Colour (2003)

A rollicking but slightly long-winded story about a couple who moves to NZ in the late 19th C to start a new life. The husband Joseph becomes obsessed with finding gold, and his wife Harriet eventually follows him in his search. She is less fanatical in her quest for gold, and is more in search of a good relationship than the "colour", as gold is referred to. He is blinded by his need to strike gold and thinks that with riches, he can redeem himself for his past wrongdoings in the mother country.

What I loved about the story, was that it was local. It is partly set in Christchurch, and also mentions Okuku, and towns Kaiapoi and Rangiora. One of which I grew up in. Also towns on the West Coast that I have been to lots of times, Hokitika and Kaniere. NZers often see ourselves as being "history-less" as our symbols of history (buildings etc) are scarcely more than 150 years or so old. But this book gave interesting and personal histories of my area and the people who made it what it is now. The passages concerning the native bush, the dramatic mountain landscapes, the birdlife, the flippant and ever-changing weather conditions were all very familiar to me, and it felt good to know exactly what the author was on about.

There were some lovely passages in this work, but the story to me seemed too convoluted. It the second half of the story were the whole story, and half the characters from the first half were excised, I think this book could have packed more punch. Overall a nice read, with a captivating story. ( )

Joseph and Harriet Blackstone's marriage seems to be doomed before it begins. Shortly after their marriage, the 30-something couple leaves England to homestead in New Zealand. Joseph's mother, Lilian, accompanies them. Joseph builds a temporary cob house (which sounds a lot like the sod houses of the U.S. plains) to shelter them through the first winter. Before the farm is established, Joseph catches gold fever and heads off for the west coast of New Zealand's South Island to find his fortune. Joseph's absence results in some unimaginable challenges for Harriet.

New Zealand's geography and climate seem to drive the plot of the novel. That was a good thing for me, since I chose it for the New Zealand setting. I didn't find any of the human characters particularly likeable. Joseph is ruled by his passions, particularly fear, greed, and lust. Harriet might seem like a saint in comparison, but she isn't. She is more coldly calculating. Although she usually has the self-discipline to do the right thing, it's clear that she is capable of great wrong but has the will to avoid courses of action are not in her best interest in the long run. Neither Joseph nor Harriet seem to wrestle with moral questions. While the New Zealand history was fascinating, by the time I reached the end of the book I'd had more of Joseph and Harriet than I could comfortably stand. ( )

The Colour is set in the 1860's New Zealand, a time of great immigration and a gold rush for that country.

Lilian, Joseph and Harriet Blackstone arrive by boat from England to Christchurch, New Zealand. Lilian Blackstone, Joseph's mother, is a widow ruined by her husband's gambling and has little choice but to follow her son. Joseph, as we gradually discover , is escaping the consequences of a sordid crime he committed in England. Oblivious to Joseph's past, Harriet is a 34 year old former governess, seeking her own home and hearth, who has hastily married Joseph.

Joseph initially starts with good intentions, as he says to Harriet:"We will not cling to familiar ways. We will imagine ourselves reborn over there. On the acres I am buying, everything will begin afresh." p15. However,Joseph's intentions quickly go awry.

He builds a " house" with sub- par materials, using calico fabric for the the interior walls. The house is far from civilization and any neighbours.Against the advice of others in the area, Joseph builds " Cob House" high on the hills, where winds and weather batter it.

Harriet, a strong, resourceful, admirable woman , bears up well and adapts to her new surroundings, planting a garden, procuring a few hens, a donkey and a cow. She also makes a great effort to meet and get to know her closest neighbours, a small family at the well built Orchard House. Meantime, mother and mother - in law Lilian despairs of the ill built house , the lack of culture and finds herself longing to return to England.

Joseph built the house by a creek for a water supply. He initially plans to create a pond at the creek, but in digging there, he finds a bit of "colour", that is a bit of gold dust. From then on Joseph is a man obsessed, spending months digging a the creek, neglecting all else and hiding his true reason for digging at the creek from both his wife and mother. Harriet and Joseph grow further apart, and in time Joseph's leaves Cob House, the farm and his wife and mother for goldfields over the Southern Alps. Joseph's lack of moral scruples worsen in the gold fields, and he is avoided by the men there. Joseph is a man driven by desire and greed.

The story touches on Maori culture, the Chinese who also immigrated to New Zealand, but not in a large way. There is some magical realism with regards to both the Maori Culture, and the Chinese man, Pao Yi. It was interesting, but not altogether believable to me.

A dark and interesting piece of historical fiction, and one which focuses on both the physical and moral wilderness that the Blackstone family encounter in the New Zealand frontier . The focus is on the moral wilderness, and that is what made the novel most interesting and darkly intriguing.

4 stars. ( )

In the mid-1860s, Joseph Blackstone arrives in New Zealand from England with his recently widowed mother and his new bride, Harriet. They earnestly begin to homestead on the harsh South Island, but after Joseph discovers a small quantity of gold in his creek, he trades in his dream of a simple farm for the grander dream of gold wealth. As we see gold fever changing his behavior, Joseph's past (despicable) behaviour is also revealed. The parallel story is Harriet’s rise to the challenges of finding herself on the other side of the world with a worthless husband and few resources. After twelve years as a governess raising other people’s children in smothering drawing rooms, Harriet looks at her new life in New Zealand as one great adventure.

There is more going on her than you find in a typical historical novel, which is why it was nominated for the Orange prize and also included in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I really enjoyed Tremain’s writing style, and will definitely look for more of her novels. I’ve never read anything about the colonial period in New Zealand, so I enjoyed exploring a new time and place. I also liked how she wove together threads about the Maoris and both English and Chinese immigrants.

Recommended for: readers who like their historical fiction on the more literary side, readers who are interested in the time period or NZ setting. ( )

I could not to get into the book, which is a shame, because the premise was interesting to me. But between long periods where the plot stood still, lack of development of characters and some descriptions that were well, questionable and not needed in the book at all. And I mean it - There was one description in the book of a characters inner thoughts that almost made me give up completely. If I hadn't paid money for the book, I would have. In the end, this wasn't a good book.

The book didn't come together as it should have, there were too many plot threads and they didn't come together at all, there were multiple stories here, and I think it would have been better to create it as a collection of inter connected stories, than try to make it as one novel. That was one of the major issues I had. Another issue, as I stated above was inclusion of things that weren't necessary and absolutely disgusting. It did nothing for the story or the character. In fact a lot of the things a certain character did, did nothing for that character, except show he is a complete wacko. But it could have been handled far differently. The main plot itself was choppy, and it took a while to finally show what the author had intended to do, but because of the other plot threads, I felt it to be jumbled and hard to keep everything straight.

Parts of the book caught my interest, there was a touch of magical realism in the book, but this didn't tie into the story very well. But I did enjoy those parts. Also the descriptions and small glances of life in New Zealand was interesting. But these were small, and they took a backseat to the main story line.

In the end it was not an enjoyable book.

Also on my book review blog Jules' Book Reviews - The Colour ( )