When the bones of amother and her child, wrapped in a Shetland lace shawl, are dug up from aforgotten graveyard in New Zealand, two worlds collide. Ariel seeks refuge froman impending court trial and, in 1861, Isbell travels to the New Zealand goldfields. Is there a linkbetween these two worlds wrapped in that old shale?
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Summary
When the bones of amother and her child, wrapped in a Shetland lace shawl, are dug up from aforgotten graveyard in New Zealand, two worlds collide. Ariel seeks refuge froman impending court trial and, in 1861, Isbell travels to the New Zealand goldfields. Is there a linkbetween these two worlds wrapped in that old shale?
Description
When the bones of amother and her child, wrapped in a Shetland lace shawl, are dug up from aforgotten graveyard, two worlds collide.Ariel is rural tough, raised in the defiantrepublic that is Whangamomona. When herchildhood nemesis is found decapitated in a sports car beneath the bull bars ofAriels ute, her world implodes. She hasno recollection of the accident but now a court trial is looming and rumoursare running hot. Ariel seeks refuge back at university in Dunedin where sheprefers the company of old gold mining bones to real people.Isbell is alsotough and running from ghosts. She is a whisperer who prefers the company ofhorses to real people. As a young womanshe has left behind depression times in Shetland and now makes her way fromBallarat, Australia to the New Zealand goldfields caring for 54 Cobb and Cocoach horses in the hold of the SS India.The year is1861.Is there a linkbetween these two worlds wrapped in that old shale?This is a stand-alonesequel to 'The Strength of Eggshells', winner of the 2020 NZ Booklovers Awardfor best adult fiction.
Critic Reviews
Following on from the success of her wonderful first novel,Kirsty Powell's The Strength of Old Shale is a compellingstory about a cast of characters facing big life issues in a small townsetting. Themes of community, history, apiary, discrimination andredemption prevail. Beautifullywritten and cleverly composed, The Strength of Old Shale is atestament to its author's ability to create a profoundly moving and rivetingtale.
Siobhan Harvey – multi-award winning poet, author andcreative writing teacher
About the Author
Kirsty Powell lives in Waiau Pa, SouthAuckland. She was the winner of the 2020Booklovers Best Adult Fiction Award with her debut book, 'The Strength ofEggshells'. She has also publishedanthology poetry and short stories and is considering a foray next into thechildren's book world.
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