The Colour - Rose Tremain

Not the usual storyline that would attract me - the harsh environment and greed of the gold rush in 19th century New Zealand. I read it because of the author's reputation and wasn't disappointed. In spite of the dreary setting, the writing was so convincing, imaginative and natural that I was drawn in from the first page. Joseph & Harriet Blackstone are new settlers in Christchurch, and when Joseph is gripped by gold fever, he leaves Harriet and his mother to find "the colour" on the West Coast. I tended to sympathize with Harriet, a strong woman who goes to look for her husband when his mother dies and their cob house collapses in extreme weather. The desperation and hopelessness of Joseph's plight is alleviated when Harriet arrives and accidentally finds gold upstream. There's a touching relationship between Harriet and the dignified Chinese man Pao Yi in the aftermath of the river flooding and uprooting all the gold mining. A moving and beautifully written story.