Slow Water

I absolutely enjoyed this book. The author has done remarkable research - you feel you are there on the sea with the characters sometimes! This book made me do further research into Mr Yates, the main person in the book - he had ongoing affairs with the local Maori boys, and that lead to his removal from NZ. He was sent back to London, where I found out that he had lived the rest of his life with another man (his 'husband' presumably).

(8.5) This book took a bit of getting into, mainly because of the vast array of characters introduced in the first 40 or so pages. They consisted of the passengers bound for a new life in Australia and New Zealand and the crew of the Prince Regent.
The story follows their three month journey from England and their arrival in Sydney. It is an in depth look at the experiences of sailing around the world in 1836 and also at the relationships formed on board. Not the least is that of English clergyman and a member of the crew. I was not expecting the turn of events and it is a story based on fact. I became caught up in this tale and see it as a worthy winner of the New Zealand Book Award in 2004.