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77th out of 131 books
—
75 voters
In My Father's Den
by
Maurice Gee
When Celia Inverarity, aged seventeen, is found brutally murdered in a secluded West Auckland park one Sunday afternoon, Paul Prior, her English teacher and mentor, is suspected of being her murderer. Celia's death and the violence which follows send Prior back to examine the past - which proves as secret as his father's den in the old poison shed. Eventually the murderer...more
Paperback, 175 pages
Published
2004
by Penguin Group
(first published 1972)
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The film In My Father's Den was so remarkable that immediately after watching it, I wanted to read the novel upon which it was based. It took nearly four years to get my hands on it, as it was out of print until recently and to my knowledge is only being published again in New Zealand. I read it in two evenings. Read? Devoured? Whatever.
Darker than the film by orders of magnitude, the novel is an intensely intimate and unflinching look at a deeply flawed man and the equally flawed system which...more
Darker than the film by orders of magnitude, the novel is an intensely intimate and unflinching look at a deeply flawed man and the equally flawed system which...more
I picked up this slim volume at a book swap not knowing anything about the author except that he is a Kiwi. Having lived in New Zealand for a year in the 1970s, I have a great fondness for this beautiful country and its people and reading this book was something of a nostalgic experience for me, re-awakening memories of the Auckland area.
While the central story of this book concerns the brutal murder of a young schoolgirl, the book is more of a family psychological drama than a mystery, although...more
While the central story of this book concerns the brutal murder of a young schoolgirl, the book is more of a family psychological drama than a mystery, although...more
Jan 29, 2009
Jess
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jess by:
Suse
Shelves:
audiobook,
adult-fiction
I'm not sure what to say about this one, so I keep saying nothing...The writing is precise and perfect for the story. The narrator - both the character and the audio book reader - keeps you at a distance, even when revealing the most personal things. The story looks like a mystery on the surface - a girl has been killed and the narrator is a suspect. You wonder for a bit how reliable the narrator is, until you learn to trust his voice and observations. The story goes back into his childhood, to...more
It's a while since I saw the film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385017/ of this book, but I recall really enjoying it. Therefore I was looking forward to reading the source. Written in 1972 it is showing its age. Crime procedurals have moved on - technology ain't what it used to be. Told in the first person by an unlikeable and probably unreliable narrator, who is a teacher, the story traces the background to the murder of one his brightest pupils. She had been visiting him a very short time befo...more
I absolutely loved reading this book.
The story begins at the periphery of a whodunit murder mystery and ends up at the centre of Paul Prior's life; a man struggling to come to terms with his past and mourning the death of someone significant. It's hard to define Paul and Celia's complex, but strangely beautiful relationship, but I loved how it was constructed through Paul's self reflective narration.
This is my all time favourite New Zealand novel.
Don't forget to check out Brad McGann's film a...more
The story begins at the periphery of a whodunit murder mystery and ends up at the centre of Paul Prior's life; a man struggling to come to terms with his past and mourning the death of someone significant. It's hard to define Paul and Celia's complex, but strangely beautiful relationship, but I loved how it was constructed through Paul's self reflective narration.
This is my all time favourite New Zealand novel.
Don't forget to check out Brad McGann's film a...more
Maurice Gee - how I love your writing. Everything about this story is pure Gee - beautifully written with carefully chosen, effective, intelligent language - every word has to be read. The characters are flawed but likeable and the West of Auckland is evoked perfectly. Allusions galore and references to schools of thinking. I couldn't put the book down, but then with about 15% to be read I couldn't bring myself to read it because I didn't want it to end. Now to see the movie version, she says wi...more
I had actually been in an english lesson in the library and had found this novel.I found this book very interesting because, I quite like murder scenes and crime programmes, so it was easy to stay connected to the book.This book is very classic having been written back in the early 1970's. Something I had got out of this book was family comes first, no matter what happens fight to the end which Celias family did but never let anything pull you apart.
I am leading the discussion on this book for my online book club in March and feel strangely responsible. The selection process was based on books from our native country but it did not necessarily correspond with author and country - but in my case it did.
So to make a nice change I have done my homework before its due!
Not wanting to give too much away.......for future discussions. I will say this, it is a wee gem. Like much of the fiction from my small beloved country there is darkness lurking...more
So to make a nice change I have done my homework before its due!
Not wanting to give too much away.......for future discussions. I will say this, it is a wee gem. Like much of the fiction from my small beloved country there is darkness lurking...more
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I read this book because I was intrigued by the way the plot had unfolded in the film, which I saw about 8 years ago.
Unsurprisingly, I found that the book was quite different to the film in many respects - less of a murder mystery and more a tale of family dysfunction and small town prejudice in 1960s New Zealand.
An enjoyable and interesting book.
Unsurprisingly, I found that the book was quite different to the film in many respects - less of a murder mystery and more a tale of family dysfunction and small town prejudice in 1960s New Zealand.
An enjoyable and interesting book.
This is my first novel by an author from New Zealand. When I was there several years ago, I asked a shopkeeper which book to read by a New Zealand writer. She recommended some books, and I bought this one. The plot was intriguing.
An absolutely perfect, unforgettable little novel - economically but beautifully written, completely engaging; with very realistic and interesting characters.
My 2nd attempt at an audiobook, and this went much better than The Odyssey. I didn't remember anything about the movie so this was all new to me.
Overall, this fell flat for me - the writing style was very plain and I didn't get very interested in any of the characters. It did get somewhat better towards the end.
Aug 04, 2011
Nathan
added it
I think that this book is a too little known gem of New Zealand literature.
Great New Zealand fiction. It is a bit dark but worth it.
Brilliant.
I would have to say this is my all time favourite Gee novel. So rich in character and dark in its twist! I cried so hard! I was pleased that the movie did it justice and I loved the fact it was filmed in Central Otageo with its haunting landscapes to match the haunting secrets of skeletons long hoidden in closets.
Fantastic book. At last, something which made me resent having to turn off the light and go to sleep; what a great page-turner.
Will try to put some thoughts together on this one post-caffeine.
Will try to put some thoughts together on this one post-caffeine.
I loved this book. The simplicity of the language enhanced the read for me. Often books are more powerful in their simplicity - this is one of those. So emotive.
See the film too and see how they changed the story but kept the essence - interesting comparison and both excellent in their own way
I just listened to this on the way to Colorado and it made the drive fly by.
May 17, 2013
Nenia Campbell
marked it as kind-of-want
May 16, 2013
Linda
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Melissa Crady
marked it as to-read
Apr 30, 2013
Brett Payne
marked it as to-read
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![In My Father's Den [With Earbuds] (Other Format)](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347705832s/6996457.jpg)
One of New Zealand’s most distinguished novelists, born in Whakatane, passed much of his childhood in the country town of Henderson (now contained by Auckland’s urban sprawl), and this background plays a major role in his fiction. Again and again his plots are set in Henderson, usually under another name, or other small towns. Even in the most recent, where Wellington and Auckland play a major par...more
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