Nights in the Gardens of Spain
by Witi Ihimaera
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Description
David Munro has everything a man could wish for - a beautiful wife, two adoring daughters, a top academic position and a circle of devoted friends. But he also has another life - lived mainly at night and frequently in what he comes to know as 'The Gardens of Spain', the places where gay and bisexual men meet. Now he must choose which of his two lives to follow . . . This landmark book is a radical departure from Witi Ihimaera's Maori novels and stories. Now in its third edition, Nights in show more the Gardens of Spain takes it readers along the precarious divide between sexuality and social mores, exploring the dilemmas of contemporary gay culture with anger and laughter, sensitivity and honesty. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Every once in a while an author brings tears to my eyes when I least expect it. I have liked every Ihimaera book I have read so far but this one had pieces in it that took me just that little bit further up towards the top of my emotional threshold. There is one particular picture that will stay with me forever - along with McMurtry's water moccasins in "Lonesome Dove", Maurice Gee's horse trailer incident in his "Selected Short Stories" and the vehicle rescue piece in Eudora Welty's "Losing Battles". See if you can find the piece I found.
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Books Read in 1996
19 works; 1 member
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Past Discussions
ANZAC Author Challenge June 2015- Kim Scott & Witi Ihimaera in 75 Books Challenge for 2015 (July 2015)
Author Information
74+ Works 2,812 Members
Witi Ihimaera was born in Gisborne, New Zealand on February 7, 1944 into a Maori family of Mormons. After completing a B.A. in English, he worked as a journalist in New Zealand and started writing fiction. His first collection of short stories, Pounamu Pounamu, was published in 1972 and his first novel, Tangi, was published in 1973. His other show more works include Whanau, The Matriarch, The Whale Rider, The Dream Swimmer, Sky Dancer, The Trowenna Sea, and The Parihaka Woman. In 1982 he coedited an anthology of Maori writing, Into the World of Light, and continues to be a champion of literature in English by Maoris. In 2015 his title's Maori Boy: A Memoir and White Lies made The New Zealand Best Seller List and in 2016 it won the New Zealand Award general nonfiction award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Work Relationships
Has the adaptation
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1995
- People/Characters
- David Munro [Nights in the Gardens of Spain]; Annabelle Munro; Rebecca Munro; Miranda Munro; Jack Alwyn-Jones
- Important places
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Related movies
- Nights in the Gardens of Spain (2010 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- For Jessica, Olivia, Murray and Jane
- First words
- Night and rain.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Straight on till morning.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 64
- Popularity
- 484,106
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 4
