Patricia Grace — Cousins

Penguin Books 2011 Paperback, 256pp. This is a stunning novel about tradition and change, about whanau and its struggle to survive, about the place of women in a shifting world. 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. These three women are the cousins. Moving from the forties to the present, from the country to the protests of the cities, Cousins is the story of three girls once thrown together and as women grown apart. Owner's Name inside. Sellotaped to title page is a A4 sheet with detailed notes about the book, incl. family tree; small pen mark on title page. (ISBN: 9780140168082). Good.