Jerningham
Sanders, CristinaWhen Jerningham Wakefield arrives in the fledgling settlement of Port Nicholson, the infamous Wakefield family has much to accomplish and accomplish it, it does. With the New Zealand Company luring migrants aplenty, there is land to be purchased, horses and victuals to be traded, new settlers to be placated and of course, Maori to be negotiated with.
Arthur Lugg, bookkeeper, procurement officer and Jerningham's minder (by order of Colonel William Wakefield), relates this pacy and vibrant story of early European settlement, and the complex and charismatic Jerningham's role in it.
With its careful observations and vivid descriptions, this historically grounded novel provides readers with an easy and enjoyable lesson in New Zealand colonial history.
Pages
388
388
Year
2020
2020
Reviews
06-03-2024
We all found this a very interesting book, presenting NZ history in a compelling way. There is the huge Wakefield family of chancers, with a focus on the charming, corrupt, insightful Jerningham. There is the powerful presence of Te Rauparaha. There are the mud, hardships, and frailty of the early settlement of Wellington. And there is the nineteenth century love story involving the fictional characters and dealing with feminist issues of women's powerlessness. There are even a few sex scenes to add spice to history. The accompanying booklet is very useful background reading.
27-02-2024
Best book we've read together. Two people are going to buy a copy. Several said they "loved it", and "left me wanting more".
24-11-2023
The consensus of our all-male group was that this book focused on an uninteresting and morally questionable individual and failed to provide more than shallow insights into the title character, Jerningham. The historical setting was interesting but "the Maoris" were described in simplistic ways, without any attempt to present their role in history.
02-11-2023
The group scored this book highly and thought it was fascinating, well-written and researched. A few found it heavy going at the beginning with so many names and code names and so much detail. However it turned into a gripping narrative, and refreshing that the author delved into the personal and psychological states of the characters involved. Overall, easy to read. Would recommend!
11-08-2023
Thoroughly enjoyed by all. Rare consensus. Really gave us a sense of New Zealand at its foundation. Gave us all pause for thought about what was happening to Maori.
24-07-2023
Our group found 'Jerningham' enjoyable and educational reading. It was well-written. The story intertwined with accurate historic facts made for a great discussion. We recommend 'Jerningham' to other groups.
24-07-2023
A very easy, thought provoking way to read New Zealand history, followed by a very lively discussion on subjects ranging from the Treaty through to 'Votes for Women and their rights'. The whole group loved it.
02-06-2023
Interesting book. 2 didn't enjoy it - too "monotonal" ( a new word possibly!) but the remaining 8 rated it a mix of good to very good. We liked the N.Z. history. By today's standards, we saw Lugg as a hypocrite and Jerningham not so!
18-05-2023
Certainly a thought provoking book! Our members were very expressive of their feelings over the supposed supremacy of the New Zealand Company and its employees. To ride roughshod over the Maori owners of the land, the perceived superiority of the British and the general overbearing attitude of the developers of the Colony, was appalling! A good read though!
11-05-2023
Several members plan to buy their own copies. One member lives near a very early cemetery where Arthur Lugg has a headstone. A most interesting read for us Nelson people.
17-04-2023
A great read - historically interesting and accurate. A real sense of time and place... but could have omitted the sex!
14-03-2023
We all thoroughly enjoyed this book. Richly imagined, well researched and very descriptive of our early settlers.
14-03-2023
The general comment was that the picture painted for us at school of the New Zealand Company and the Wakefields was very different from the facts. This was an incredibly well-researched and balanced book creating a very descriptive picture of the settlements made, particularly at Nelson and Wellington. Overall, highly recommended.
07-03-2023
We all really liked the book - a fascinating look at N.Z. history, some completely unaware of it. Good characters - real and fictional.
15-12-2022
The group absolutely loved this book - we felt it should be a compulsory read for all N.Z.ers, and on College book lists! The characters were so well-rounded and complex and described so well. It made us realise the random nature of the settling of N.Z. and the deception and lies in the N.Z. Company's dealings with Maori.
17-11-2022
Everyone was very engaged with this book. It was well researched and well-written. The book gave a balanced view of the times as it was from an observer's point of view. Being a Wellington group, we could relate to how arduous life would have been for settlers.
29-08-2022
Very polarising book - some members could not tolerate the racism and sexism and didn't finish it. Others enjoyed it and liked the history despite the challenging attitudes of some protagonists.
18-08-2022
It was a small group discussion but we very much enjoyed this book. Great characterisations and the descriptions of early Wellington and beyond brought the story to life. We found we were relating it back to the Wellington of today.
15-08-2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this account of the founding of Wellington, and the Wakefield family. The author was admired for her depth of research although some members felt the writing was a bit "flat" and didn't do justice to rounding out the characters.
23-06-2022
Authentic. Great read. Not easy to binge read. Great historical novel covering interesting topics of the time - sexism, poverty, racism amongst others. Lies and manipulation around the Treaty was horrifying.
29-04-2022
This book was enjoyed by most of the group - resulted in a great discussion as colonialism and its effects are rising nowadays.
11-04-2022
No meeting due to Covid, but all enjoyed it.