Patricia Grace Book order

"Makareta is the chosen one, carrying her family's hopes. Missy is the observer, the one who accepts but has her dreams. Mata is always waiting, for life to happen as it stealthily passes by. Moving from the forties to the present, from the country to the protests of the cities, Cousins is the story of these three cousins. Thrown together as children, they have subsequently grown apart, yet they share a connection that can never be broken"--Publisher information

Ng?ti Toa chief Te Rauparaha is pursued by his enemies and fears for his life. At Lake Rotoaira, he is hidden in a k?mara pit, and Te Rangikoaea, a woman of great power, sits in front of its entrance. As he hears his enemies, Te Rauparaha whispers in the dark Will I die?' Will I live?, but his enemies cannot find him, and he climbs back to the sunlight.

The novel explores the deep bond between Tawera and his sister, set against a backdrop of family secrets woven with pride and despair. A significant plot thread revolves around the tragic story of Te Paania's deceased child, known as Baby No-eyes, whose haunting presence influences the family's dynamics. Additionally, an iwi group's land claim and occupation of a council site intertwines with the characters' lives, as Te Paania engages in political activism and Tawera navigates adolescence, while Gran Kura faces her mortality.

The narrative follows Ripeka as she transitions from her traditional Maori family life to a new existence with Graeme, a Pakeha schoolteacher, in the city. Struggling to adapt, Ripeka finds that her ties to her whanau and cultural heritage remain unbreakable. This debut novel by a Maori woman explores the profound contrasts between traditional and modern lifestyles, as well as the complexities of identity and belonging within the Maori and Pakeha cultures.

The narrative centers on Tu, a soldier haunted by his experiences in Italy with the Maori Battalion, where he was the sole survivor of three brothers. As his niece and nephew seek the truth about their family's past, Tu confronts his memories and decides to share his war journal with them. Patricia Grace weaves a powerful tale inspired by her family's history, delving into themes of loss, memory, and the impact of war, creating a poignant and authentic reflection on the soldiers' experiences.

Tu has returned from the Second World War with a shadow over his war experience with the Maori Battalion in Italy. He is the sole survivor of three brothers who went to war. Tu's war journal contains the story of what happened to the brothers in the hills of Italy. Now his inquisitive nephew and niece have the journal. They bring Tu face to face with the past and a secret that he does not want to share

In New Zealand, white developers pressure a Maori family to let them build a tourist complex on the family's land. The conflict is narrated by the woman of the house. Lots of native lore