Read this while in NZ - could visualise the beautiful but dangerous landscape and have nothing but admiration for the bravery of the gold seekers - ( )

If anybody but Rose Tremain had written The Colour, I would think it her masterpiece. It contains wonderfully assured writing and characters in a fascinating historical setting. I liked it less well than The Road Home and Music and Silence because of Joseph Blackstone. He is a damaged man who never finds redemption from the damage he has sustained and inflicted on others. His wife Harriet, on the other hand, is a strong, fascinating survivor whose natural propensity for reaching out to other people makes her a decent human being. Those decent human beings are the reason that I turn to Ms. Tremain again and again. Harriet is far from perfect, but her courage and her ability to care for others and for herself make her a heroine worth reading about.
This is a book of visions and of vision, a book that seriously considers the quest beloved by English teachers as a theme in literature. Now that I have finished it, I believe that four stars may be too few, but while I was reading, I was less satisfied than I had been in her other books. I'll let the four stars stand, but say that this one is well worth the time. ( )

Terningkast 5 ks

Immigrants arriving in New Zealand are faced with the prospect of riches when gold is discovered in the West of the South Island.

I liked this well enough, although not the main male protagonist, Joseph. He got on my nerves. The women in the book were well-drawn, especially Harriet. I best liked the part where they were building their home from scratch. ( )