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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
I enjoyed learning about early NZ coal mining history and the rough way of life in Denniston, but I did not find Jenny Pattrick’s writing style very captivating. I found it difficult to agree with a lot of the character’s decisions, and the jargon used sometimes made it unclear exactly what had happened. All in all I did like this story, but don’t think the book is anything to rave about.
I do think the research done by Pattrick when writing The Denniston Rose was high calibre and deserves praise.
I do think the research done by Pattrick when writing The Denniston Rose was high calibre and deserves praise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death
On a recent trip to the West Coast, on a bleak, drizzly, cold spring day, we drove up the steep and windy hill to the plateau where a hundred years or so ago around 2000 people lived in the mining town of Denniston. It was a busy little community, with churches, shops, pubs, a school, people coming and going. I can't imagine what the place looked like or how thriving it was, as there was nothing about it that was remotely attractive the day we went! We went to the Coal museum in Westport, where there is lots of history about Denniston and other mining communities. The woman there suggested I track this book down, as it gives a very vivid picture of what life was like in this place. And so I did and very glad to have done so.
Places like Denniston, with their inhospitable environment and living conditions, places with difficult or impossible access, places with few women and children to provide those qualities of civilisation, attracted a certain type of person. Generally desperate, broken physically or mentally, impoverished, entrepreneurial, risk takers, but above all tough. One night a young woman with a colourful past and her five-year-old daughter, Rose, ride the crazy journey in a coal wagon up the mountain to the tiny settlement of Denniston. The mother, Eva, is after her man and his supposed stash of gold that she wants a slice of. Young Rose has spent her whole life being on the run with her mother, so Denniston is just another ugly, uncivilised dump that she finds herself in. But being a five-year-old girl with a smile and charm that can melt the toughest miner, she quickly finds her way into the hearts of the locals, and ultimately finds her place in this tough and lonely place.
But a lot of West Coast rain has to fall before things come right for Rose. The coal mine is at the centre of this story: without the mine and the miners there is no Denniston. How the small community deals with accidents, death, fires, industrial action, the rise of the unions were the sorts of things going on in many frontier towns and communities at this time. The West Coast in New Zealand has a reputation for breeding them tough, and this outstanding story, based on real lives and events, deserves to be read and enjoyed simply to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for where many NZers have come from.
Places like Denniston, with their inhospitable environment and living conditions, places with difficult or impossible access, places with few women and children to provide those qualities of civilisation, attracted a certain type of person. Generally desperate, broken physically or mentally, impoverished, entrepreneurial, risk takers, but above all tough. One night a young woman with a colourful past and her five-year-old daughter, Rose, ride the crazy journey in a coal wagon up the mountain to the tiny settlement of Denniston. The mother, Eva, is after her man and his supposed stash of gold that she wants a slice of. Young Rose has spent her whole life being on the run with her mother, so Denniston is just another ugly, uncivilised dump that she finds herself in. But being a five-year-old girl with a smile and charm that can melt the toughest miner, she quickly finds her way into the hearts of the locals, and ultimately finds her place in this tough and lonely place.
But a lot of West Coast rain has to fall before things come right for Rose. The coal mine is at the centre of this story: without the mine and the miners there is no Denniston. How the small community deals with accidents, death, fires, industrial action, the rise of the unions were the sorts of things going on in many frontier towns and communities at this time. The West Coast in New Zealand has a reputation for breeding them tough, and this outstanding story, based on real lives and events, deserves to be read and enjoyed simply to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for where many NZers have come from.
A devastating book. Bleak and upsetting, yet also riveting in its way.
I've wanted to read this book ever since I first heard of it.
And I still really want to visit Denniston itself - this has only heightened that desire.
The characters were vivid and well drawn.
2022 re-read: Yeah. still brutal.
Having visited Denniston now, I'm picturing the bleakness even more vividly (despite having visited on a glorious blue sky day). Also, dang Burnetts Face is a LONG way over the plateau - even in a car.
I've wanted to read this book ever since I first heard of it.
And I still really want to visit Denniston itself - this has only heightened that desire.
The characters were vivid and well drawn.
2022 re-read: Yeah. still brutal.
Having visited Denniston now, I'm picturing the bleakness even more vividly (despite having visited on a glorious blue sky day). Also, dang Burnetts Face is a LONG way over the plateau - even in a car.
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So kiwi! Loved this for its historical fiction of a still very far off place.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
This gets 1 star for being set in Denniston, and 1 star for including a miners' strike. No stars for anything else.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Bleak is right! Fairly depressing although an interesting story.
4.5⭐️ this is my second time reading this book in my lifetime and i honestly still don’t know what to say. It is a gut wrenching story about a little girls bravery and resilience even though she has been dealt a very very bad hand. Although fictitious, parts of the story pay homage to the actual conditions miners faced on the denniston plateau in the late 1800s which helped make this story feel believable. The only thing that can be off putting is the writing style, as a lot of it can be slang / how I imagine the characters would sound if you were to meet them. Not for the faint hearted and definitely has strong themes of abuse.