'A highly unusual blend of personal memoir, travel writing and anthropology' Lynne Truss, Sunday Times 'A quirky, engaging account of an anthropologist's love affair with her subject' Sunday Times You Really Must Read 'This book stands out because of its sharp, fine writing and the fresh glimpses it gives of New Zealand. It also goes beyond, covering a broader canvas that includes Australia and Polynesia and reaches across the Pacific to the American Midwest and New England Her story is told with a strong and compulsive narrative drive Thompson is an open, thoughtful person, enquiring, sympathetic, sparky and ready for adventure' New Statesman 'Christina Thompson triumphs by ensuring that her history informs the personal story and that the autobiographical material reflects the history back in microcosm. From flashing cutlasses and conch trumpets in 1642 to nappies and ailing parents in 2000, she alters the focus within a few pages from wide angle to zoom to remarkable effect; indeed this book would make a wonderful film' Sara Wheeler, Literary Review
