Astride a fierce wind

by Huberta Hellendoorn

[Back cover copy] Astride a Fierce Wind is the story of the life of an immigrant and what it means to leave one home behind and cross the world to find another. But it is also the story of a life of a woman who faces huge difficulties and yet chooses instead to see beauty and strength and freedom and love. Huberta Hellendoorn’s memoir is a celebration of the Dutch way of life and of her adopted home, Dunedin [New Zealand]. It is a tribute to fierce motherhood and firm friendship. A story written with courage and a belief in the transformative power of words.

360 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Helen Varley · Rating 4 out of 5]

deciding to travel to the other side of the world and create a new life for yourself is a huge decision, and driven by many different motivations according to our experiences and desires. in this autobiography, huberta hellendoorn remembers her childhood in holland during the second world war and the abuse and oppression she suffered within her family that led to her decision to emmigrate. life at the end of the world was not all plain sailing, and the difficulties of integrating that she describes will be familiar to most who have relocated, for any reason. readable and never self-indulgent, the author invites us into her most personal thoughts and shares her trials and tribulations with good humour. much of her life is set in the city where i grew up, and the neighbourhood where i'm currently living, and it's always good to read about familiar places seen through the eyes of another - and the eyes of a foreigner pick up interesting details. there are a couple of confusing time shifts - at one point near the beginning there is an odd jump forwards then back again, and later in the book the children's ages suddenly regress. when the rest of the story is chronological, these diversions are jarring. apart from this, huberta hellendoorn tells a very good story, her own story.