Access Road
Gee, MauriceGee's familiar fictional West Auckland town of Loomis is the setting for this story about elderly siblings forced to confront secrets from the past. Supported by their sister Rowan and her husband Dickie Pinker, bachelor brothers Lionel and Rory Beach live in the old family home in Access Road. When a malevolent character from their childhood, Clyde Buckley, reappears, the past and the present collide moving relentlessly towards a shocking conclusion. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
Our group appreciated the work of a master of the written word. Taupo 005Liked Gee's writing. Found the content 'dark' and sinister. The characterisation and dialogue great but we didn't like the story. Raumati 001We all blamed Clyde Buckley. We thought Maurice Gee a master of words and storytelling, loved the imagery and metaphor. The ending was just a bit too perfect. Ferndale 001A satisfying read of a well crafted book. Christchurch 085An interesting discussion: controversial opinions: some found it didn't do Gee's reputation justice, others found it very clever, full of unstated facts, so a mark 'to difficult to grade!'Whakatane 005
Pages
204
204
Year
2009
2009
Reviews
06-03-2024
Grim. A bit dark. Typical Maurice Gee. We enjoyed the familiar places and N.Z. expressions and customs. Beautiful writing.
15-01-2024
Loved the N.Z. connection. Well-written and not flowery. Easy to read. Enjoyed the characters.
16-10-2023
Generally enjoyed. Though some found the horror of the secret difficult. There was some discussion about Maurice Gee's depiction of women but most felt it was accurate enough.
19-09-2023
Our group had mixed opinions about this book. We all agreed that Gee is a master at characterisation and evoking place. Not all of us liked the characters and for some that made it a difficult read.
08-11-2022
We all enjoyed this book - the sense of familiarity and the ease of the writing style. Some found the violence and in particular the threat of evil unpalatable. Many remembered Maurice Gee's children's books with fondness.
07-10-2022
Mixed reviews, some loved it and couldn't put it down, for other it was too slow.
03-04-2020
Many of the members did not like this novel. They considered it to be too dark to enjoy, although they thought his writing style was superb. One reader thought that the characters became more believable as the plot developed.
03-04-2020
Some really liked this book - well crafted, skilled language, flowing story - others found it too much like other Maurice Gee books. So grades between 4-8; average 6/10. Probably depends how many other books by Maurice Gee that you've read.
03-04-2020
Enjoyable easy read. Interesting because the setting was 'local'.
03-04-2020
We liked the book much better after a really good discussion, and sharing recollections of life in Auckland. Not one of Gee's best though.
03-04-2020
Very good read! Book was liked by most of the members. Intense discussion at meeting.
03-04-2020
We all thought it clever that Maurice Gee "spoke" from a woman's perspective. Also thought that his writing was quite lyrical. "Dark" content so not our most favourite read!
03-04-2020
We greatly enjoyed the skill that Maurice Gee has in developing plot and depicting characters. In particular, the voice of the first person narrator - a wife, mother and sister - was a complicated one for a male author to get right, yet Maurice Gee managed it with consummate skill. As an Auckland-based group, we recognised the references to Henderson, and found Gee's ability to evoke a period - 1960s - very effective, and also enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot, and the malevolence of Clyde Buckley...
03-04-2020
We all loved this book and could identify with the author.
03-04-2020
Beautifully written and poetic 'kiwi noir'. An accessible and readable page turner, and short:-)
03-04-2020
Well-written, but dark.
03-04-2020
Once again Maurice Gee's writing was impressive. His ability to write in a woman's voice was convincing and his narrative style was one that sustained interest until the end. We enjoyed the Auckland references.