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From soldier to pacifist
(Set in England and New Zealand)
In 1863, young Daniel Adin, a trained soldier, embarks on an adventure of a lifetime. In pursuit of a new life and land to farm, he travels to New Zealand to fight an unknown enemy – the fearless Maori.
A hundred and thirty years later, Libby is fascinated by the stories of Daniel, who looks down at her from the aged black-and-white photos on the walls. She wants to know more, to know what he was really like, but Daniel’s story was more than she had bargained for.
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A great insight into the lives of a family and what was going on around ordinary people in the early days of colonization.
Ged Martin
I loved this book and so will you if you like historical fiction and family sagas set somewhere you likely know little about. This is beautifully and sensitively written. The characters are terrific. The fascinating part to me was how Vicky was able to take us on the family's journey in a thoughtful and non-judgmental way. And now I am motivated to dig into my family tree and see what I come up with.
C Craig – ***** 5-star Amazon review
Acknowledgements
I offer my humble and grateful thanks to the many people who have listened to me talk endlessly about Brigid, have given me advice on words and design, and helped fix my mistakes. I am certain that in naming individuals I will miss some I should have included, so please take it as given – if you have supported and encouraged me in any way, I thank you.
I particularly wish to thank the members of the Mairangi Writers’ Group who listened, critiqued and helped improve the story line and language. I am especially grateful to authors Jenny Harrison, Erin McKechnie and Stephanie Hammond, who as my beta-readers gave me invaluable feedback that helped mould the story.
I am indebted to Adrienne Charlton of AM Publishing New Zealand, who is my ever-faithful and ever-vigilant publisher, proofreader and editor. I praise her skills in ensuring this book is as flawless as humanly possible. Any remaining errors are mine and mine alone.
As a genealogist I pay tribute to the immigrant families – wherever they came from and wherever they live. They brought stories of triumph over hardship. Brigid The Girl from County Clare is one of those tales – a history of love and loss, of conflict and resolution, and of personal renewal.
Lastly, to my family – especially my wonderfully patient husband. I thank him for his constant support in so many little ways, and for his brilliant suggestions and insightful comments.
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