New Zealand Books

Auckland Island? Where in the world was that I wondered when I fist picked up this book. As a lover of adventure stories I thought I had heard and read of most remote spots and incredible tales of survival. This was a new part of the world for me. I have been to New Zealand but was never aware of this group of islands to the South. When the schooner Grafton was wrecked on Auckland Island in 1864 I figured there was no way these guys were going to survive. The pages began to turn and I could not stop reading. With remarkable leadership and togetherness this little band of five managed to live and eventually return safely after months of isolation. Unbeknown to them another ship had been wrecked on the other side of the island, yet the two groups never linked up. Their tale of survival is in sharp contrast to one another as most of the other group of nineteen died, with only three survivors. Joan Druett has done a remarkable job of detailing the account of these two groups. If you love adventure and tales of survival, this is a great book. It takes you to a rare part of the world few of us know about and most will never visit. I strongly recommend this as an addition to your library.

Kept my attention. Enough facts to make it believable, but almost too many to believe all that happened. I'm always divided when I read a novel like story based on "events". Author spent most of the book on the first shipwreck and didn't draw too many similarities for the two accounts. This type story would certainly make a good screenplay. Had the same feeling for me as when I read "The Perfect StorM".

In January of 1864, the Australian schooner, Grafton, wrecked on Auckland Island, an inhospitable and inclement land mass in the South Pacific, with a five-man crew. Half of this book is their story of survival. Under the leadership of captain Thomas Musgrave and the well-rounded ingenuity of the French prospector Francois Raynal, the crew used everything at their disposal. They built an impressive shelter, made clothes, shoes, tools for hunting seals, and even a working forge so they could create nails to build a small boat.

By unimaginable coincidence, five months after the Grafton wrecked, the freighter Invercauld, on its way from Melbourne to Callao, also crashed off the coast of Auckland Island with its 25-man crew. Nineteen survivors swam ashore on the northern coast of the island. There, they hunkered down in a state of panic. Their captain, George Delgarno, showed exceptionally inept leadership. Instead of encouraging teamwork among his men, he insisted on the same strict ranked hierarchy as was followed on the ship. Soon there was infighting. Men broke off from the group. In strict contrast to the Grafton situation, there was very little in the way of an organized effort for survival. The situation quickly deteriorated, with men dying of illness and starvation. The situation grew so dire, and so ill-equiped were the survivors, that some resorted to cannibalization of their dead comrades.

Because a mountainous region separated the two groups, neither group knew, at any time, of the other's existence. In that way, the simultaneous shipwrecks set up a fascinating social experiment. While the castaways from Grafton were fortunate in that their location was slightly more hospitable, with more edible vegetation and seals nearby, they also showed heroic resolve and resourcefulness. Their story alone would have been an amazing survival story, culminating in a desperate, five-day suicide mission in a boat of their own construction--an undersized and ill-equipped vessel that they optimistically dubbed Rescue--from Auckland Island to Stewart Island in New Zealand. In the end, all five crewmen survived the ordeal, which lasted nearly two years.

The other side of the tale is much more grim. Of the Invercauld crew, only three survived--the captain, first mate, and crewman Robert Holding--and then only thanks to Holding's resourcefulness and good luck in the form of a ship passing the island.

This is a fascinating book. Druett's extensive research and analysis are paid off in a story that is both enthralling and full of lessons about teamwork, leadership, and what it takes to survive in one of the more inhospitable corners of the sea.

There are not enough stars to show how much I enjoyed this enthralling story of survival in an extremely hostile environment. Historian Joan Druett, drawing from journals kept by the shipwrecked crew throughout their ordeal and later accounts of the survivors, describes the conditions and their, at times fruitless, struggle for survival. The vivid picture she paints captured my imagination so fully I could visualise the wild, frigid island, the accommodations they built and their trips hunting and foraging for food. I was repeatedly astonished by the staggering ingenuity of the castaways. If this book had been a work of fiction the tales of skill and craftsmanship of the survivors would have been too far fetched and completely unbelievable which only served to make this factual story so much more enjoyable.

The inspiring leadership of the Captain of the Grafton who ensured the survival of his entire crew through the hardships of the months spent on the Auckland Islands and the adaptability of the men he led reminded me very much of Ernest Shackelton and his crew Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

I could not put it down until I had finished it and, as a result of reading this book, my first of Joan Druett's, I have become a firm fan of her writing, determined to read all of her books. So far I have been just as delighted with her other works as I was with this one.

On January 3, 1864, the schooner Grafton wrecked on the southern end of Auckland Island, 285 miles south of New Zealand. On May 10 of the same year, the square-rigger Invercauld wrecked on the northwestern promontory of the same island. The five survivors of the Grafton and the 19 survivors of the Invercauld co-habited the same island for an entire year without either group ever once being aware that the other group was there, the reason being the twenty miles of "impassable cliffs and chasms" between the north and south ends of the islands. In Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World, maritime historian Joan Druett tells the vastly different stories of the two groups of survivors.

From journals, letters, published books and other research documents, Druett has interwoven the stories of the two groups and shown how through cooperation, discipline, hard work, routine, ingenuity, and respect the survivors of the Grafton had a far different experience and outcome from the group of Invercauld survivors, whose leadership failed them, who splintered into groups, and who gave themselves over to the despair of their situation.

We come to know each of the men from the Grafton as they hunt for food, build shelter, make clothing and tools, and wait to be rescued for almost two years before deciding to try to build a boat and escape. We watch the men from the Invercauld succumb to apathy and lethargy, or else to cannibalism. Only one resourceful seaman had the ability to cope with their circumstances and helped keep the final few survivors alive.

Druett has very skillfully penned a fascinating tale of human nature, death, and survival in a hostile environment. It is a book that is hard to put down, with a story that is unbelievable - except that it is true. Amazingly, the few Invercauld survivors are rescued, and the Grafton castaways make an heroic journey back to safety. More than just history, this is an amazing book about survival against all odds and how that survival depends at least in part on attitude. It is a good lesson for us all.

Another great read from Derek Hansen, this one set on the 1960's on Great Barrier Island, east of Auckland, New Zealand.

It's a story of a WWII Burma Railway survivor, an ex-Police inspector and a young woman who joins them on a remote area of the island. Thrown into the mix are a Japanese trawler captain, fishing illegally in NZ waters and Navy Lieutenant Commander trying to catch him.

Brilliantly written and hard to put down, I enjoyed this as much as Hansen's 'Lunch with the Generals' and 'Lunch with Mussolini'.

I started this book without noticing who wrote it. Then partway through, the female character Rosie was behaving in a completely unbelieveable, man's-fantasy way, so I looked and sure enough, the author is a man.

Women don't act the way Rosie does - for example, there's this lunatic running around without any clothes on, and Rosie can't wait to go to bed with him, even though he lives nearby on a deserted island she just moved to. There's none of the normal female caution about what appears to be a mentally unbalanced pervert, especially one who lives nearby that you might not be able to get rid of if you encourage him. But then, later it turns out Rosie goes to bed with everybody! What a gal!

There's also page upon page of boring details about military strategizing on how to catch some Japanese fishermen. ZZZZZ!!! I skipped over that part! (half of the book!)

Also, Rosie supposedly had been a medical doctor and had had a bunch of other time-consuming careers, all before her mid-30's. I don't see how she could have done all those things unless she got her degrees from a mail-order catalog!

All in all, this is not a book for women who want to read an exciting adventure story about a woman (which is what I thought it was going to be until I read it.) It's a chauvinistic adventure story for men.

What a delightful story!

The location is different. The plot is a stretch, yet not so much as to be totally unbelievable. The abridged audio version moves along briskly.

The main characters are well defined. Each is flawed and self-defeating, though with redeeming attributes.

There is goodness, impropriety, failure, heroic success, some sadness, humor, action and love. I was swept along by it all.

The reader's performance is entertaining. His voices and expression capture the mood and add to the enjoyment.

Sole Survivor doesn't fit conveniently into a standard category. It's not Mystery, or Adventure, or Romance. I'll file it under "Favorites".

In this book the reader is introduced to three characters, Bernie, the dying alcoholic, Red the War Veteran and Angus the Scottish writer. Upon Bernie's death his shack on Great Barrier Island is inherited by former Doctor Rosie Trethewey. Red and Angus are both deeply troubled by this sudden and unexpected invasion into their reclusive world.Rosie is determined to make a new life for herself on the island in spite of what Red or Angus do to discourage her. This book is a wondrous read about 3 loners who find out that they do need each other after all.Derek Hansen is a masterful storyteller and weaves his tale with a deft hand.

The book is really about three disfunctional loners that live in shacks on the remote northern tip of New Zealand's Great Barrier Island. Frist is Red who is still traumatized by his horrible wartime experiences as a P.O.W. at the hands of the Japanese. Second we have Angus who is a retired police officer. Both these men have very rigid and private lifestyles.

Now inject into this wilderness Rosie, who inherits her shack at the death of the third and only other resident. She moves into their world and turns it upside down. The book is about them working out their relationships. And how they deal with a big Japanese trawler that threatens to destroy the sea bed and their food supply.

This is one love story I did not mind reading. It is full of adventure and suspense. You can almost see the layout of cove which they have made their remote home.

I first read it in junior high school 35 years ago. Took me about two seatings to read it . Very engrossing for a seventh grader.
It is a straight ahead narrative about three ordinary but resourcefull sailors whose plane went down & they were marooned in a rubber raft on the vast ocean during World WarII. They fought off starvation, heat, boredom & all the dangers the ocean affords. Boys will like it even though it doesn't have the violence of most war stories. Tom Parker delivers the telling in a good tight reading style that captures the tone of the story with out adding or detracting from the natural drama. Easy to stay with on a long drive.

Imagine being on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for 34 days without food, water, and shelter. In the fictional book The Raft by Robert Trumbull this is a reality.
The main character of this story is officer Dixon, who was the pilot of a plane that crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Officer Dixon was a leader of the two other men, Gene and Tony. He was determined to sail the raft and bring them back to safety. He made most of the decisions for the others. The raft was only 8ft by 4-foot, and was only meant for one person. The only supplies they had were a pocketknife and a gun. When it rained out they used their clothes to catch the rain to drink. To catch their food they used their knife and a gun. They caught some fish, and a tiger shark to eat. They had to eat the food raw because they had no way to cook it. Gene had an encounter with a shark. He gets a shark bite on his hand, but he manages to survive. They are not aware that a hurricane is about to hit them.
I would recommend this book because it is very interesting, it kept my attention, and it was suspenseful.
Dilan McCaffery

Thanks everyone for the great reviews!! I must however point out that being the neice of Anthony Pastula and Gene Aldrich that this book is somewhat misleading, basically because it is from one person's viewpoint that had to be the hero. The plane, btw, didn't exactly crash. After being told several times by both my Uncles that they were running out of fuel, IT RAN OUT OF GAS!!! Not something the hero of his book would confess to I suppose. My Uncle's were also not helpless, uneducated, weaklings as they are sometimes made out to be either. They weren't that GREEN. They also had nothing to do with this book, because obviously, their recounts of their time at sea didn't match Dixon's. They both chose to step out of the spotlight and go on with their lives. For those that did wonder in the other reviews, they not only remained the closest of friends but they became brother-in-laws! Gene married Tony's sister. To add to that, Gene's sister married Tony's brother and that's where I come from! It is truly by the grace of God and Gene's strong personal believe in the Lord that he shared with the other two men that saved them.

The story is an astounding tale of survival - 3 Navy airmen completely lost ast sea, bobbling in a tiny rubberized raft before the development of more advanced navigational equipment, and more attention to survival kits that came about later in the war.

While the narrative does touch on moments of anger and doubt, it is told with a staunch 1940s, WW II bravado that concentrates more on the bravery and resourcefulness of the 3 protagonists. Whereas today, a story of this sort would probably include the psychological and philosophical issues that arose, and the deep thoughts that men in this predicament would undoubtedly experience, the tale comes across instead like a John Wayne movie. The courage and fortitude of Dixon (the narrator) putting the morale of his raftmates above the secret truths he knows - that things might be worse than they appeared (and one has to wonder how much worse they could possibly get!) seems to come up a few times, for example. Very little weakness, very little disagreement, very little real fear is described, or even acknowledged during the ordeal these men suffered.

It's a fascinating story, and a tale of resroucefulness that is inspiring, but I'd agree with one of the earlier reviewers that "something is missing." I think it's what's hidden under the shroud of what was the style of the day. Bravado. It lacks the vulnerabilty that might might make the story more human, more firightening, more true to life. I believe this is what ultimately keeps you from getting as involved in the characters and events as you might, and feeling that you are really experiencing what happened on that tiny raft, adrift as sea.

This is an account of 3 crewmembers of a ditched bomber surviving for 34 days in a very small, ill-equipped raft. The story is interesting enough to tell itself, so I felt that the straightforward writing style was quite appropriate.

Although the book was actually written by a journalist, it is written in the first person as if the pilot, Harold Dixon, were telling the tale.

The events occurred in early 1942, and the book was also published in 1942. The edition I read was the original, and did not mention John M. Waters anywhere, so I don't know why his name is listed as an author in the 1992 reprint.

The fact that this book was written shortly after Pearl Harbor is borne home by the fact that there are several details (such as the location of the island where they washed up) that the author omits "for reasons of national security". Also, the jacket of the original 1942 edition says "When you have finished reading this book, don't just place it on a shelf. Our men need books as well as guns. Books build morale. Send this book today. Average book requires 6 cents postage." They give the address of the 4th Corps Area Headquarters in Atlanta.

If you enjoy this sort of tale, you'll probably also like "Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea", by Steve Callahan, a bit more philosophical account of his more recent lone ordeal in the Atlantic.

The method you can learn from reading this book may very well end neck pain for you, as it did for me. The excercises, though seemingly simple, when used regularly, have the potential for ridding yourself of the problems associated with neck pain. The straightforward approach to instruction makes this book invaluable. If you haven't heard of McKenzie's approach, get this book.

After being out a week from work due to lower back pain, a friend let me borrow this one and Treat Your Own Back. Also bought this one 7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life: How to Rapidly Relieve Back and Neck Pain. All three were very helpful as was gettting in a pool & stretching. By combining these exercises Robin recommends with pool stretching, the pain was relieved within a few weeks.

I have also been using Targus AWE26US Ergonomic M-stand for Notebook Computers at work with my notebook which has eliminated most all of my upper neck pain. Also, walking for 20-30 minutes each day at lunch and getting a better chair really helps lower back pain. Steelcase's Leap chair has been the best one I've used so far.

The other thing you hear a lot is not to sit more than 20 minutes without getting up for at least a minute or two. I use this program, "Take A Break", which blinks on my laptop to remind me to do that. [...]

I had an awful pain in the neck. I went to a chiropractor and got no relief. So, I ordered this little book. The exercises are simple but effective, common sense really. No more nagging pain and as long as I perform the exercises my neck feels pretty good!

This book came from a recommendation from my orthopedic.. he informed me there was pretty much nothing I could do about my low back except for "Quit with the running and high impact exercises". This book basically tells you to sit up straight, but a back support under your lower back, and lie several times a day on your stomach, and push yourself up on your arms and hold that position to reinstate the arch in your lower back.. well, duh.. If you are in decent shape this one is not for you. I could see where it may help if you are old, overweight, out of shape, and don't know what else to do..

read this book and use the methods BEFORE surgery. What the doctors DO NOT tell you about diskectomy and fusion surgery is that you will be disabled for life and will never be able to do many activities ever again.

The book is excellent for neck mobility and health. Try it as an option before going under the knives. . . .

Tom Keneally's The Commonwealth of Thieves is an excellent read, well researched and written in a smooth and economical style that gives the reader a thorough introduction to the early history of the Botany Bay settlement. My sole complaint is that it essentially ends in 1793 with the return of Captain Phillip, the colony's first governor, to Britain, the colony having after much difficulty and doubt finally become a viable settlement. Keneally's style is so engaging and the events so intriguing that it leaves you wanting more, beyond the epilogue in which he relates what became of some of the key individuals (and their descendants) who survived the difficult times of the early years.

But while Keneally's history is limited in its breadth, it compensates for that in its depth. His thorough research brings to life the conditions of Britain's legal and penal system that led to the idea of the Botany Bay project, the difficulties that the transportees faced in the ships where so many died before even setting foot in the utterly alien land they were sent to, the hardships faced in the early years where the colony was repeatedly faced with the prospect of starvation, and of particular interest, the difficulties between the British intruders and the native Eora (the aborigines).

I learned quite a few things from this book, one of which was how it was the American Revolution that indirectly led to the Botany Bay experiment. Prior to the Revolution, Britain had for decades used its American colonies as a method of reducing its prison population by transportation, and when the Revolution put an end to that outlet, it became necessary to find another. The dates tell it all: the American Revolution ended in 1783, and the first convict fleet departed for Australia in 1787.

Keneally goes into great detail showing how both the harshness of the British legal system and the severe over-crowding of the prison system created a need for transportation. Drawing on the historical records, he shows how most of the crimes involved were crimes of property, i.e. petty theft and such, for which the invariable penalty was death. That is the choice many of the prisoners faced: taking their chances in a far-off unknown land or death. It is easy to see why most (though surprisingly not all) opted for transportation.

It is also interesting to see how many of the individual transportees (and their military overseers) fared. Many, far too many, died. But many not only survived, they ultimately prospered.

Another thing Keneally did extremely well was to show the Eora point of view of this period, both in how the Eora saw these strange pale-skinned intruders and how the British and the Eora cultures were so different that misunderstanding was not only inevitable, it was insurmountable. The worst incidents between the British settlers and the Eora resulted from both sides thinking that they were being understood clearly when in fact they were not being understood at all.

All in all, this book is a very enjoyable and very educational read. I only wish that there had been more. Highly recommended.

This book provides an excellent and detailed feel for what life must have ben like for the early settlers of Australia and the environment from which they came. It is difficult to imagine how anybody survived those early days and the hardships they had to put up with.

Keneally has produced a fascinating introduction to the foundation of Australia, a fantastic mix of the high politics and the fascinating lives of the first settlers and their complex relationship with the Aboriginal peoples.

Robert Hughes,'Fatal Shore' redressed? Not quite. Hughes's well-honed invective sits uneasily besides Keneally's pragmatic prose. Keneally extolls the virtuous outcome of Australia's first governor, Arthur Phillip's benevolent authority, and his establishment, against all odds of Australia's criminal society. Whereas Hughes feels troubled by these origins, Keneally, the ongoing grief of the indigenous inhabitants apart, senses triumph. The writing does not wear its research excessively, and the setting of the settlers amidst an alien environment and culture is as balanced as any recent history I have encountered. We get thumbnail portraits of a large cast of people that bring the story closer to us and a graphic sense of the hardships endured, which few present day residents around the harbour city would easily imagine. Most of the bods on the book's positive side of the ledger have their names embedded in the city, a minor intetrest to local readers. And Glebe? the name of the vegetable patch attached to a church; never knew that either!

The author of Schindler's List brings us his 37th book, a history of the four years during which white Australia was born. Thomas Keneally competes with Robert Hughes' epic history of Australia's origin that covers a span of 80 years, chronicling the white settlers as oppressive. But Keneally's fresh, novelistic history has found its own place in Australian historiography; it scrutinizes a short time period, providing a multifaceted and profound study of the historical characters that birthed Australia.

Midwife to this birth was Great Britain, who sent a captain of her royal navy, Arthur Phillip, to oversee as governor a penal-colony experiment with 759 thieves, prostitutes, and criminal children. The poorly planned experiment could have easily become a disaster, had Phillip not been both authoritative and compassionate. Ultimately, Keneally admits bewilderment as to the true nature of Phillip, the narrative's potential hero, given his "nature so complex and hidden behind official formality."

Keneally illuminates the white settlement against the backdrop of the then virtually unknown Aborigines, whose contact with the criminal settlers kept tension high. The useful historiographical theme of dichotomy between two cultures takes shape here, with Keneally's description of the Aboriginal worldview, and his admission of its impossible incongruence with the intent of the Empire to colonize and cultivate.

Keneally tactfully narrates the clashes between the two discordant populations without romanticizing either, portraying with equal emphasis the contrasting barbarity and decency both groups exhibited. For example, Phillip's would-be-hero counterpart, Woolaware Bennelong, captured as an Aboriginal translator, assisted the white settlers after his escape, to the point that he was finally disowned by his own people.

Keneally's tactful tone has its own purpose. Where Hughes' history did not hesitate to weigh in against the colonial invaders, Keneally sustains his narrative along the middle ground, allowing Australians to realize their heritage as less melodramatic, and oppressive.

With Phillip's return to England after his term, Australians were left without a founding father-figure. Keneally's history fills in that gap, with assurances from Keneally that he can make out a positive resemblance between the first governor's pragmatism and thoroughness, and that of the country today.

Armchair Interviews says: Very well-done history.

Tim Flannery's book on the ecological history of the `Australasian lands' (Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia, with bits and pieces on islands such as Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, etc), is both timely and refreshing. It is a good and current overview of argument and debate concerning the complex interplay of ecological and cultural forces shaping these parts of the world, from before human influence, to the times these lands were invaded at various times by homo sapien from at least 40,000-60,000 years ago (New Guinea earlier), to the present. It is very frank about the current state of these lands, in terms of environmental degradation, and what things could be done about it. It is quite controversial, and as someone who works in issues concerning biodiversity, ecology and resource sustainability, I can tell you much of the material is cutting-edge, complex, and controversial at times. In many instances Flannery is speculative and original, but often entertaining. He does back his theories and views up with substantial argument and evidence, and it is this which makes the book a cut above the ordinary.

One particular feature of the book worth emphasising is just how different these lands really are in terms of ecology, compared to most of the rest of the world. Not only is the flora and fauna, both extinct and living, somewhat unusual, but in, for example Australia, the climate, the influence of fire, the poor fertility or soils, and the part these factors have played in shaping the ecological past is rather surprising at times. Maladaptation of modern culture to these sorts of things is also particularly striking (for example seasonal agriculture in non-seasonal climate-early Australian colonisers, tropical agriculture in cold temperate climate-early polynesians in New Zealand). Of course early colonisers wanted, in the case of Australia, to create a `little Britain', so to speak, except that it is obvious after 200-odd years of settlement (and some of this has been rather odd), it isn't western Europe. Later idealists wanted another North America-Australia is similar in size to the USA, but it isn't in natural ecology.

The book is very detailed and quite complex to describe in short review. It includes chapters on early megafaunal and other extinctions from the arrival of early man in all locales, through to the present. It speculates about early human migrations to Australia, backed up for example by sediment cores from three interesting locales in Australia (Lake George particularly interesting). Discussions of diprotodon, megalania (an extinct 7m long lizard), giant moa, an extinct New Caledonian land crocodile, and 3m high kangaroos are some highlights. It is a complex story, but readers will be delighted in the unusual flora and fauna, the misguided `invasions', the arrogance, the trials, the failures and the astounding successes alike. Some particularly interesting parts for me was the demise of the New Zealand Moa-the worlds largest extinct bird, the story of virgin Lord How Island- first seen by humans of any kind in 1788, the discovery that many of Australia's marsupials descended from South America (ancient Gondwana in origin), the extraordinary array of New Zealands birds in the absence of evolving mammals, the degree of evolved co-operation amongst Australia's biota (for example self-sacrifice, and strange examples of symbiosis), and the story of Easter Island and its human contact.

There is a lot of controversial and complex stuff here, but it is well argued. Flannery speculates for example that Wallace's line played an important part in the `great leap forward', which I admit I didn't quite follow, with early agriculture in the New Guinea area, which spread outwards. I didn't agree with his assessment of firestick farming and agriculture in prehistoric Australia, and in this he differs from Diamond (The Third Chimpanzee/Guns Germs and Steel) in the reasons agriculture never developed in prehistoric Australia. He asserts that the reason agriculture didn't kick start in early Australia is due to poor soils, unpredictable climate (ENSO), and the prevalence of natural fire, not the lack of available biota. I don't think he is quite correct here, it is more likely competitive selection pressures, both *cultural* and ecological, in addition to isolation, did not facilitate development of the varities found in Australia, as compared to Eurasia. I also don't think his description of Australia's mineral wealth as a `one-off', is quite correct. `Mineral wealth' changes with technology, market and cultural factors. He also seems to miss evidence of some megafauna existing well after the arrival of aborigines in Australia, (it is a large and scattered ecological landmass) which I have come across elsewhere (eg Coonabarabran). I am also not sure of his view that high urbanisation in Australia is a modern maladaptation to the ENSO climate. He emphasises the influence of fire in Australian ecology, but perhaps over-emphasises in parts (his house was burnt down in a bushfire whilst writing the book, which may explain this!)

Nevertheless it is well argued and quite astutely written. The `Future Eaters' refers to homo sapien tending to eat his future resources and overpopulating-as occurred in New Zealand, Easter Island, and parts of colonial Australia-for example-and the human disasters which resulted form this tendency. He has a wide knowledge of the material, and certainly there are many original ideas worth thinking about. Some of the arguments will surprise readers, particularly from northern hemisphere countries, primarily because southern land masses have been, and also will be, rather different ecologically from their northern counterparts.

This book is fascinating and very readable. Flannery teaches us quite a bit about the ecological history of Australasia for the past few tens of thousands of years. We learn about the flora and fauna, and about the impact of the people who rely on the fertility of the land to survive. We see examples of how human populations fared in places such as Tasmania and Easter Island, where they became isolated and started to run out of resources.

It is not surprising that some populations have increased until they affected the viability of the ecosystems. But we also see that many populations have not simply grown until there was a catastrophic shortage of resources, followed by a nearly complete population collapse. And we see that even moderate populations can collapse catastrophically.

One famous example of the collapse of a moderate population comes not from Australasia, but from England. The population nearly vanished there in the sixth century AD. Flannery cites one of the very few relics from the centuries immediately following this disaster, a poem fragment called "The Ruin." The author quotes from this poem, and quite properly shows that the author could not imagine how the people of only a few centuries earlier could have built what had clearly been an imposing structure. Of course, such structures were in fact built in Roman times. When the Romans left, the population went down considerably in the chaos that followed. And after that, one or more plagues almost totally depopulated England (by the way, although Flannery does not mention it, the author of the Ruin seems to have been aware of this latter fact).

Well, what does Flannery think a good population for Australia ought to be? He cites various sources that feel a maximum population for the country ought to be anywhere from 10 million to about 480 million. The present population of Australia is about 20 million, and the author is concerned about the potential inability of Australia to support such a population indefinitely, especially were the place isolated.

I agree that Flannery's concern is legitimate. In addition, I think we humans now have the ability to increase the population of Australia to far more than the land could hold after some major mishap. After all, plenty of sunlight falls on Australia. We're capable of using that sunlight for power. And we can use that power to desalinate water and pump it all over the place. That could result in fundamental changes to the ecosystem. In my opinion, these technological advances might easily allow a population of 500 million or more in Australia. And that population would remain stable until something went wrong. I think it's a scenario worth considering.

I recommend this book.

With a sweeping gesture, Flannery dispels one of modern mythology's most cherished ideals. The image of the "Noble Savage," living intimately and in harmony with his surroundings is demolished by the evidence. Instead, Flannery shows how the intrusions of humans into previously unoccupied lands led to mass slaughters and the extinctions of countless species. His study covers the vast territories of the South Pacific - continents, large islands and archipeligoes - examining geology, weather and climate, flora and fauna. After completing this book, you will have a new view of our ancestors and how humanity has viewed nature.

In describing how humans have revised the face of the globe, Flannery begins in deep time. Tracing the breakup of Gondwanaland into what he deems Meganesia and Tasmantis - Australasia and the Pacific islands. For millions of years, life there evolved in unique ways. Isolated from the rest of the planet, Australia produced large marsupial mammals and giant bird species. Why did they disappear without apparent cause? After an examination of the likely candidates, climate being the most frequently cited, Flannery finds a different cause - humans. Fossils in Australia show that the large animals disappeared before the onset of the last glaciation. The extinctions, however, parallel the invasion of the continent by humans, people now known as the Aborigines. In one sense, the loss of the large animals forced the invaders to adapt a less predatory lifestyle. Mobility increased along with more selective hunting practices to maintain sustainable levels of supply. In studying these techniques, Flannery is able to move on to the subject of land management in today's world.

Although Australia's evolutionary path was unique, the lessons derived from studying events there may be applied globally, according to Flannery. Adaptation is an ongoing process, whether for "wildlife" or "civilized" humanity. Change forces that process. He aknowledges that in recent times change is more rapid and intrusive. We need to understand what impact those changes have and what, if any, adaptations are taking place. This book thus becomes and educational tool to help protect our own future. It is his recommendations for action that makes this book far more valuable than as simply a study of extinctions.

Flannery's many years of field studies granted him the essential background for this book. However, it isn't simply a dreary recounting of how we've ravaged the globe. His sense of beauty and love of life is vividly imparted in a deep personal sense. You join him in his travels in New Zealand, New Guinea and other Australasian lands. His fine descriptive powers and detailed knowledge combine to make this an excellent read. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

As a reader who admires good writing, and the effort that goes into writing a decent (popularized) account of a field, I take exception to the New Zealand reviewer's gossip of the author as a basis for judging the merit of this book.

Frankly, what "the Lady" with the goods on Tim Flannery had to say about the author is irrelevant to the book and a nasty way of going about discrediting a man who has solid claims to the field he is writing about. It says more about the woman than it does about Mr Flannery. That envy and backbiting is a seemingly inevitable consequence of competition among researchers (whether in the sciences or the humanities) is bad enough; that it gets passed on by readers who take vicious gossip at face value just shows how ideas are less important than the "dirt" one can spread.

Perhaps the previous reader can take the time to look up "ad hominem" and then consider the motives of the lady who claimed special privileged knowledge. The consider his own standards of judgment.

As for the book itself, the reviews already written give a good indication of what you get.

Tim Flannery has written what can only be described as a the most comprehensive history imaginable of the lands making up present-day Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and New Caledonia. His fascinating account starts with the earliest breakaway of those lands from the super continent Gondwana, more than forty million years ago, and goes right up to the present-day, ending with Flannery's recommendations for preserving Australia's unique ecology.

Despite this mind-blowing multimillion-year scope of a territory covering an enormous area, the book never falters in its readability or interest. Much of it is highly speculative (as even the author occasionally admits), but Flannery presents enough evidence to make his hypotheses almost always seem plausible. I most enjoyed the comparison of the ecologies of New Caledonia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Australia -- despite their proximity, they are entirely different places, and those differences are reflected in their histories. Flannery's account of the destruction of megafauna in Australia and New Zealand is also well-told.

There should be more of these kinds of books: "biographies" of not just a land, but an entire continent (and its neighbors). Flannery has also written a similar book on North America, called "The Eternal Frontier", that rivals this book in its scope and excellence, but with that single exception, I can't think of any other ecological history that does such a fine job over so wide a range.

Trash. I cannot believe how such a great topic was ruined by Eric Arnold's immature writing and drinking. I was so looking forward to a wonderful informative book on NZ winemaking, but I couldn't get past Eric's being drunk all the time and talking like a freshman frat boy! Grow up.

You will really enjoy this book. An inside look, very humorous and entertaining as well as informative.

The author's unrelenting use of tacky sexual simile might be difficult to deal with if the overall content of the book wasn't quite so interesting...his 'hands dirty' insight to this small piece of the wine making business is compelling, though, and I found myself ignoring his hormonal excess. This is one that I'll read again.

you know when you're with a group of people, and one person is just trying way too hard to be entertaining and you just feel embarassed for him? this is how eric arnold comes off in this book.

look, i'm all for a fun wine read. the last thing we need is another dry 'how to' wine guide or buttoned up encyclopedia. and i'm certianly no prude when it comes to off color humor or language. but within the first 30 pages of this book, arnold uses more bad sexual one liners than i can count on all my fingers and toes, and has used the F word at least twice as much. all well and good, if it worked. but the jokes are lame, they don't land, and you just feel like the author is a teenager trying to show the older kids how cool he is.

i wanted to like this book. i loved the accidental connoisseur by lawrence osborne, and thought this sounded like it too could provide an interesting, informative, yet informal and light hearted look at a wine experience. unfortunately any hope for this is destroyed by the author's juvenile, labored writing. skip this one.

Eric Arnold spent a year in New Zealand's Marlborough winemaking region. Years earlier he spent a day touring the area: "And from my very first sip of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc at ten-thirty or so on that morning, I knew it, too -- I was tasting something special. My mouth zipped and zinged, and though I couldn't describe the flavors I was tasting, I was sure of only one thing: I wanted more. I was hammered by noon, with five wineries still to go. At one point I stole the tour guide's microphone in the van and started singing karaoke -- "The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson -- even though I didn't know the words. I might've taken off my shirt, too, but I don't remember. From winery to winery and sip to sip, the wines just got better and better. From the time I got back home to Brooklyn, whenever I was in a wine shop I either bought wine from New Zealand or asked for something similar. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was my new Hogue."

The memory of that firts Sauvignon Blanc sticks in Arnold's memory:

"For a few years after that trip I was still guzzling whatever New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc I could find at night, and spending my daylight hours working the copy desk at a small business magazine. It was better than working for the Nazi devil woman at PBS, but the same could probably be said for cleaning up monkey shit at the zoo (which, I imagine, is very similar to working at PBS). So out of a desire to drink more, work less, and maybe satisfy a little curiosity, up sprang the idea of just throwing myself into the lifestyle: getting a job at a winery and writing a book about it."

Arnold initially knows nothing about winery work, but you have to admire his cheerful attitude, no matter what reality throws at him. He learns about rugby, pig hunting, and hard working rural New Zealanders. He finds two particularly difficult areas: the finer points of pitchforking and pruning winter vines in the cold fields. He concludes:

"Vineyard work sucks...I have no idea why, but many people who drink wine think that making it is some sort of relaxed, cushy lifestyle. And I don't understand it , because I've never eaten a juicy steak and imagined how romantic and luxurious a life I'd have if I started raising cattle in Wyoming. Similarly, I've never met anyone who got a massage and moved to Sweden or shot heroin and moved to Afghanistan."

Arnold is excellent at describing the difficulties and joys of working in a vineyard and in a winery. His language may be a bit racy for some readers, his humor a little too broad. Overall, I found the substance worth a few "Oh, grow up" moments.

Janet Frame's autobiography is great literature and certainly revealing memoir with powerful insights. At one point she claims that "time is not time gone, it is time accummulated..." (p.191) I found myself thinking about this idea day-after-day, and journaling its truth for me.

Some of her opinions written some years ago are proven by the test of time: "...in the late 1950's Coca-Cola had an aura of magic, of promise, as a symbol to many outside the United States of America of all that was essentially American, generous, good...bathed in the glow of a country's morning that was not yet tarnished by the scrutiny of daylight." (p. 297) We all know now the pain of the world's scrutiny of America post 9-11.

Janet Frame lived a most difficult life made so very terrifying due to the misdiagnosis that nearly ruined her life. However, she NEVER lost sight of her gift, the need, her call, to write; and it was her determination to stay with the writing that saved her life.

Like some of the other reviewers I discovered Janet Frame through the movie,'An Angel at my Table," and I knew I had to read something of hers.
I started with her autobiography, and I'm so glad that I did.
This is perhaps the finest piece of writing, bar none, fiction or non-fiction that I have ever read. I think Frame is a genius, she should be awarded every prize for literature in the world. This is a funny thing to say about such a humble woman who endured so much to become one of the greatest writers the world has ever known.
I was completely bowled over, enthralled, by her recounting of her life. Her word pictures, her recollections of places and things are incredible. I don't know another writer who has as fine a capacity for detail and description. The book is utterly lyrical as she weaves a painful, at times, story through decades of her life. I could not put this book down at times and I grieved when I had finished it. Stories like hers are instructional and give us all a reason to go on living. I sometimes wonder, I'm a memoirist myself, but a baby compared to Frame, how did she do it? It may be crazy to think this but I wonder if those numerous shock treatments she endured rearranged her brain in some magical fashion and gave her the capacity to be a superwoman writer? The line between genius and insanity is permeable. I think writers, for good and ill, are exquisitely fine-tuned, sensitive people. Unfortunately some of them are so beyond ordinary human beings they can't survive living in the world, but what they have left us is priceless as we make our own life journeys. Frame has allowed millions of readers, I hope, to accompany her on her challenging journey through life and she shows how she coped with fate and a set of circumstances given her courageously, copiously, and heart breakingly. I am in awe of her acheivement.
She is a writers writer. Her musings on art and the capacity of the imagination are among the finest I have ever read. She is an inspiration to artists everywhere.

I came to this book by way of the movie "An Angel at My Table" [which was fairly true to the book]. I had never heard of Janet Frame, and was so intrigued by the film that I knew I had to read her autobiography. The book introduces you to her impoverished life in New Zealand [she was born in 1924], and includes about two dozen pages of photos of Janet's family [it was wonderful putting the real faces to the ones we were introduced to in the movie]. From the epilepsy of her brother, the drownings of her two sisters, her own mental breakdown in college [which was erroneously diagnosed as schizophrenia], you understand how all of her traumas and perceptions are incorporated later into her writing career. She overcomes daunting events and social alienation to become a novelist, poet, and short-story author.
I have continued to read more of her writings.

I do not know of any author who can retain so much authencity in his writing and yet produce such beautiful and imaginative prose, other than Janet Frame.

Her excellent autobiography is definitely worth a reading and offers an insight to her other works which are, at times, more experimental and harder to grasp. I have seen the film adaptation but this book has even more to offer: the heartfelt descriptions of the family members, some beautifully written passages which could hardly be translated into film, the 24 pages of delightful photos of Frame and her family...etc.

Excellent.

Janet Frame was an amazing woman. She died on Jan 30, 2004. I had this book on my 'need to read' shelf when I read an obituary in the NY Times about her death at age 79. She endured so much and wrote so keenly. She was thought to be a schizophrenic and wrote about her periods of madness in mental institutions. This autobiography was fascinating for me. There is a gentleness and everlasting patience about her that will make anyone like her. If you want a real treat...find the film AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (from 1990) that Jane Campion (famous for the film THE PIANO) to complement the book. If only I could have met this woman. I would have loved to have tea and crumpets with her.

This is the first Rough Guide I ever used and it was so great, that I have bought one for each of the countries I visited. They might be large, but I only had to bring one book and it took care of all questions/confusion/curiousity/mysteries. It became our bible on our trip to New Zealand!

I went with my beautiful brunette wife to New Zealand on our honeymoon, and "The Rough Guide to New Zealand" was by far the best of available guide books. Not only is it light and portable, it is also extremely detailed. Plus, it "shoots from the hip" and mentions a lot of off-the-beaten-path things the other guides don't.

I recommend that, as a supplement, you purchase a detailed New Zealand road map, as "The Rough Guide" can't help you too much in that category.

Also, "The Rough Guide" doesn't have many photographs. You might want to choose your New Zealand itinerary using travel guides that are more photo-laden and colorful, and then leave those guides at home and bring "The Rough Guide" with you to New Zealand.

I was looking for a Rick Steves like guide to New Zealand - a book that concisely told where to go and where not to go. I had heard that other Rough Guides were like that, but this one is like most guide books - tells about everything with recommendations about what's best, hard to find. A good book to use as a reference but not quite what I was looking for.

Not only does this guide provide extensive recommendations for places to say, places to eat, and activities, it's also very well written. This book includes clear, detailed descriptions that really help you decide where to go, what to see, and what to skip. An indispensible travel guide for anyone headed to New Zealand, whatever your budget.

We brought 3 guides for 6 weeks in New Zealand - Rough Guide, Lonely Planet and Eye Witness. Soon we were only consulting Rough Guide - for lodging, meals and places to visit. The others stayed in the trunk of the car. Particularly good were the author's distillations of what was most important to see. While at Orakei Korako to see an example of geothermal activity, we encountered a group of U.S. geologists who had chosen to tour only O.K. after a mining conference in Australia. It was great to have contact numbers for rafting companies or wildlife spots such as Royal Albatross Center or Penguin Place so we could easily schedule tours to those places well in advance of arriving in the vicinty. Staying in Arrowtown rather than Queenstown or spending several days in Wanaka would not have occurred to us except for the Rough Guide's Advice. Even 6 weeks in New Zealand isn't enough for that country - we hope to use a future Rough Guide for our next trip.

I found the this story to be something I could totally identify from Kathy's point of view. Kathy becomes an expat in Austrailia for a few months. She leaves everything she knows her neighborhood, church, and friends. When she comes to her new home country she becomes depressed because of everything she left behind, until one day she walks into the Chocolate Fish cafe and meets Jill. She finds a kindred spirit in this woman who has her own problems she is dealing with. In this story both help each other to heal the depression that has creeped into their lives.
I saw myself in Kathy's shoes from the beginning... in a new country (I have been an expat living overseas for quite awhile) and trying to make a new homebase with new friends.
Also, I loved the descriptions of Australia and New Zealand the author includes. It is like reading a travelogue with an uplifing message every time I read one of Robin's sister chick books. Thanks, for writing this lovely stories about travel and friendship!
I would definitely recommend this book to travel lovers especially those who love to travel with good friends old and new.
I cannot wait to start the next sister chick adventure.

Sisterchicks Down Under does not live up to Sisterchicks Do the Hula. I credit the author with writing woman-positive story interwoven with Christian themes. In this book, the author explores the Crucifixion, with what could be a powerful climax. (Biblical passages and themes support the story throughout.) However, I was so bored by the end that I totally missed the climax.

Descriptions of New Zealand and Australia were impeccable. I felt like I was the one on vacation! I actually want to visit both countries, or at least tap into their cultures via the world wide web! What bored me was the dialogue. It was completely lackluster. The dialogue is often filled with jokes between Kathy and Jill, our heroines. But, to me, the jokes weren't funny, and I couldn't believe that two grown women would find them to be. The joke on the flight to Australia was incredibly lame; I was embarrassed for them (and they're fictitious!!!). Kathy's incident with the bubbles quickly grew stale. I was constantly put to sleep by this book. In fact, I wanted to drop it, but I'm one not to do so.

Chick lit isn't for me, even when it's Christian themed. I give this book three stars because it's perfect chick lit for women who want to read something "clean cut" as opposed to the usual trash sticking up the genre. The author knows her "land down under" culture, introducing new colloquialisms throughout the text.

Another reason for three stars? The book doesn't have a syruppy ending. It's quite realistic, but you'll have to get to the very last chapter to find out why!

I cried with this story brought a part of me that I had hide of a long loss. God is so wonderful to use things to prompt our healing.

Sisterchicks Down Under by Robin Jones Gunn is another fantastic entry in this Christian series. When Kathleen and her husband head to New Zealand for three months, he fills his time with work. Kathleen finds herself alone like never before until she meets Jill at the local coffee shop. The relationship between Kathleen and Jill is so natural as written by Gunn that it's easy to suspend disbelief in the improbabilities. Together they explore the beauty of New Zealand and God, and both grow as people and friends. This book is everything good chick-lit should be: quick reading, extremely enjoyable, lovable characters, with just a sprinkle of Christianity. Can't wait for the next book!

I loved this book. Robin Jones Gunn is quirky and witty with kernals of truth scattered throughout like chicken feed!