Wind From The West series
The six-volume 20th century New Zealand novel takes you on a fabulous journey through the century, placing characters into a wide range of actual social and sporting events. This diverse pioneering family expand into draperies, hotels, then motels, and have careers in art, singing, athletics and horse training.
Book One
Moon Over The Manukau
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Commencing with the engagement of Ben Chester and Priscilla Caldwell at midnight 1900 at a rural party, Moon Over The Manukau sets the themes that will continue throughout the novels.
At Pollok on the Awhitu Peninsula Ben and Priscilla become pioneer farmers, while in Auckland Priscilla’s sister, flamboyant Emily, having married a wealthy much older businessman, sets out to ensure that she is worthy of inheriting his varied industries.
Also at Pollok on the valley farm of Kowhai Ben has two sisters: elder Jane, who rejects men and Alison who attracts them, never to her father’s satisfaction.
Moon Over The Manukau ends tragically at the end of World War I.
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Book Two
Neap Tide
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Commences during a ferocious storm in 1924 with the arrival of Morton Conway and his identical twin daughters into the valley. One will make it her permanent home; the other will later take flight.
These are the gay 20s and the young live it up: dancing until dawn and literally making hay while the sun shines.
Emily, re-married, heads numerous businesses, including Fairprice Fabrics and her showpiece, The Ambassador Hotel. She acquires her extravert niece Penny to front the hotel, much to her vindictive brother’s chagrin.
From the carefree 20’s the story plunges into the depressed 30s. Some keep their heads above water; others sink.
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Book Three
Storm & Stress
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All that has happened before and all that is to happen hinges on Storm & Stress. September 1951, and the Chesters of Kowhai, have recently employed a maid, Milly, to help with their glamorous and talented daughter Dianne’s twenty-first birthday. Milly unwittingly releases family skeletons, and has secrets and mysteries of her own, including an elder sister so different from herself and a younger sister.
Ageing Emily looks to the valley for a successor to herself as head of her empire, even though she attracts two Auckland great-nieces and a great-nephew into her Ambassador Hotel.
After almost forty years of running a Waiuku drapery Alison by-passes her acrimonious daughter in favour of her talented ‘adopted’ great-niece.
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Book Four
Waves On The Waitemata
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Commences at same moment in 1951 as Storm & Stress, now centering the action in Auckland.
With no family of her own Emily brings several members into her businesses, and as generous as ever sets up couples in their own enterprises, including horse racing and the latest form of accommodation – motels. Yet there are those of her family who still attempt to disrupt her industry.
The story escapes New Zealand shores as first four merry widows go voyaging, then at Emily’s expense three teenagers travel to England to further their studies in art, fashion and song.
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Book Five
Spring Tide
Scenes from the book:
It is now 1970, and only one of the original characters remains alive – Alison. Emily’s legacy lives on, and her ‘adopted’ family build the impressive uptown Auckland hotel The Statesman. However only days before its opening a blast from the past abducts a daughter, Debbie. She escapes during a shootout. Her horsey cousin Christine is in the vanguard of women jockeys.
Fobbing off takeover bids the family reverse the rules and takeover ailing hotels. They now travel a lot, and while managers are overseas and arsonist strikes the old Ambassador. Milly discovers her hated brother picking over the rubble, yet compassionately takes care of his family, including his ailing wife and daughter Anna-Maria.
Moana, the late Emily’s darling, spends more time managing hotels and motels than with her family: one daughter who rebels leaving the family distraught.
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Book Six
Setting Of The Sun
1987, and on a winter’s day a missing daughter returns, baby and all. However the whereabouts of the second ‘lost’ girl is not known. Or is it? Dianne’s son, Tom, alternates between England and New Zealand playing cricket, and eventually is captured by a reticent beauty.
Milly’s son, Roger, is also captured: by an exquisite Sri-Lanka girl. They travel together on one of her father’s dilapidated tour buses.
Raewyn who arrived underfed at Kowhai for Christmas in 1951 is now a farmer’s wife, artist and dress designer. She travels to Brisbane with her son, Chester, for an exhibition, there to meet two nieces from the valley. She returns home to tragedy, but out of that comes a slow realisation by her son that he does love the girl next door more than being a childhood friend.
Setting of the Sun ends where it all began, at Kowhai New Year’s Eve 2000.
Email clarkjamesbooks@gmail.com for direct purchase