Song of the Spirits

Nueva Zelanda, 1893. Elaine es la atractiva nieta de Gwyneira, quien un día viajó desde el extremo opuesto del mundo para casarse con un desconocido. De su abuela ha heredado la melena pelirroja y el espíritu libre... hasta que William, un misterioso irlandés, irrumpe en su vida y ella cae rendida a sus encantos. Pero entonces, la llegada de su prima Kura, con su sensualidad maorí, cambia el destino de Elaine, y ambas tendrán que enfrentarse a sus propias decisiones y a los vaivenes de una tierra comparada con el paraíso...

Song of the Spirits is the second part of Sarah Lark's tale of colonial families living in New Zealand in 1893 through 1898 and interacting with the people of the indigenous Maori culture. The story focuses on the third generation of Great Britain settlers in the Queensland area of the South Island. The city bustles with activity related to gold mining, with prospectors arriving from all over the world to get rich panning for gold. The head of a first generation immigrant family is Helen O'Keefe who owns a respectable hotel in Queensland for guests willing to obey strict rules of propriety. No ragtag miners are allowed to check in. Her friend, Gwyneira McKenzie is also a first generation immigrant who lives on a large sheep farm, Kiward show more Station in Haldon two or three days by horse and wagon away. Helen's teenage granddaughter Elaine works part time in the hotel as a receptionist and part time in her father Ruben's warehouse selling mining equipment and general goods to prospectors and residents of Haldon. Life is good in the boom town for Elaine until William Martyn, a young man from Ireland arrives to try his hand at gold mining. He has money because his father is a wealthy landowner in England. Although he is charming, there is a nagging question among the settlers concerning the reasons he left Ireland and his landed family. But, everything must be good because William begins a respectable courtship of Elaine.

William quits mining in disgust because of the grueling work with no payoff on his claim. As a result of his superficial charm and incomplete but higher education he is hired for a job in Ruben's warehouse as a bookkeeper. All is well as Elaine blossoms in her first love relationship at age 16. Unfortunately for Elaine, Gwyneira decides to take her granddaughter Kura, the beautiful and musically talented 15 year old daughter of her son and a Maori mother to visit Queensland. Gwyn believes she can interest the bored and restless teenager in staying in New Zealand and helping to run Kiward Station. Because of New Zealand inheritance laws, Kura will be the rightful owner of Kiward Station when she is twenty one. The half English and half Maori girl only wants to go to Europe to train to become a famous singer/musician. William quickly develops a sensual and financial interest in the young Kura and a love triangle is formed: William, Elaine, and Kura. But, this is only the beginning of the story for these young people.

The stage is set for a sweeping story focusing on the development of the third generation settlers, Elaine and Kura and their immediate and extended families. In the novel there are themes of good and bad personal relationships, major life decisions and consequences of the main characters, land rights and issues of inheritance of the land for settlers versus Maori, positive cultural interaction countered by civil unrest, and a growing awareness by all involved of the persistent spiritual legacy of the land and the culture of the indigenous people of New Zealand.

I enjoyed reading this lengthy novel, although I should have read part one first of the saga, In the Land of the Long White Cloud. Sarah Lark does bring readers who have not read part one up to the present year of 1893 with short explanations, but most of the drama of the early history of the characters is missing. The historical novel by this German author is reminiscent of Thomas Mann's multi-generational novel Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family. Mann's work also takes place around the turn of the 20th Century and Mann described with parallel themes of generational and cultural changes in Germany focusing on interesting and well-developed characters. As with Sarah Lark's novels, Mann's novel was very popular in Germany. I recommend Song of the Spirit (and Buddenbrooks) for readers who enjoy historical/romance novels. show less

This one didn't satisfy me as much as the previous book in the series but it was good enough for me to want to finish the series.

Second book in the series was as good as the first - wonderful story - full - rich... great characters (even when you hate them)... poetic endings for some of them... very good!

Second book in the trilogy. Elaine O’Keefe is the grand-daughter of Gwyneira McKenzie who featured in Lark's first novel. Elaine's heart is broken by William Martyn when her spoilt half-Maori cousin Kura Warden arrives for a visit. This leads her to make a marriage with someone who is not as they first appear. Both young women must endure hardships and disappointments during their journey and survive the best way they know how. An enjoyable read - will read the third in the series.

The second book in the Land of the Long White Cloud trilogy, set in New Zealand around 1893. William Martyn who is of the Irish nobility has gotten into some trouble at home and decided to pan for gold in New Zealand. Finding that hard, he decides that the local merchant's daughter, Elaine O'Keefe would be an easier way to get money and power. But before the engagement, William meets Kura, Elaine's half Maori cousin who is the most beautiful women Willam has ever met. He courts Kura instead of Elaine and Elaine is devasted. Kura marries William and returns to Kiward Station, and Elaine marries a rival sheep baron. The story is about the struggle of Kura and Elaine and the life they have made for themselves.

As a huge fan of Sarah Lark's first novel in this trilogy, Land of the Long White Cloud, I purchased the next two books in the series. I am seriously regretting this decision because I could not make it very far into this second book. While the first book was full of interesting characters and action, this second one read like a boring Twitter/Facebook feed with too many characters to remember.