The Denniston Rose

The bleak coal-mining settlement of Denniston, isolated high on a plateau above New Zealand's West Coast, is a place that makes or breaks those who live there. All sorts arrive here to work the mines and bring down the coal: ex-goldminers down on their luck, others running from the law or from a woman or worse. They work alongside recruited English miners, solid and skilled, who scorn these disorganised misfits and want them off the hill. Into this chaotic community come five-year-old Rose and her mother, riding up the incline, at night, during a storm. No one knows what has driven them there, but most agree the mother must be desperate to choose Denniston; worse, to choose that drunkard, Jimmy Cork, as a bedfellow.The indomitable Rose is left to fend for herself, finding allies and enemies in her struggle to secure a place in this tough and often aggressive community.

"A diverting and fascinating novel." -- The Herald Sun
"Violent, brash and colourful, The Denniston Rose glows and flickers with energy." -- The New Zealand Listener
"A rollicking good yarn." -- The New Zealand Herald
"Pattrick writes with the assuredness of a veteran...and has raised a simple story to a work of literary merit." -- The Press
"It's hard to believe this is a first novel." -- The Evening Standard
"What a triumph this book is." -- Wairarapa Times-Age
"Pattrick explore[s] the effect the arrival of a stranger has on a place that is drawn with such intimate knowledge and detail that we feel we have stepped into it...[but] the storytelling is her real skill. She writes with a Victorian sensibility and a taste for melodrama, and can exploit the conventions of the historical romance for dramatic effect. She knows how a good story works. It provides romance, tragedy and magic in equal measure." -- The Australian

Jenny Pattrick is a writer and jeweller who lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She has written fiction and commentary for radio, and (with her musician husband, Laughton) songs and musical shows for children.The Denniston Rose, which was her first novel, dominated the New Zealand bestseller lists, and has been voted one of the top 100 books in the world by New Zealand readers. Kate Hood is one of Bolinda's most popular narrators and receives regular praise from listeners, authors and reviewers alike. Her seamless delivery and outstanding characterisations make the most extraordinary stories even more compelling. Kate has worked extensively in radio and in television both in Australia and New Zealand. Her theatre credits include Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Chicago and Sweet Charity. Bolinda audiobooks narrated by Kate include Tears of the Moon by Di Morrissey (winner of an AudioFile magazine Earphones Award), Turn Left at Bindi Creek by Lynne Wilding and Craft for a Dry Lake by Kim Mahood.

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