Hobsons' Chance

by Jenny Haworth

Chance events may bring fame or obscurity, fortune or impoverishment. For some, the outcome is less clear-cut. Traveling in England in 1830 with her brother, Captain William Hobson, Anita Hobson is desperate and in love. She has been torn from her Irish homeland by family fearful that she will be implicated in the actions of her fiancé, Irish nationalist and convicted murderer, Dr. Seamus O'Neill, who has been transported to Australia. By chance, they meet a journalist, one Thomas Matthews, in a Shropshire inn. Matthews is so impressed with Anita's warmth and spirit that he offers her the position of governess to his daughter, Hannah. Ideal for Anita who needs money to get to Australia. But later, and without a word of explanation, Matthews himself departs for Australia, leaving his daughter with Anita. With her own goals firmly in mind, Anita takes Hannah and follows him. The outcomes of Anita's journey - the meeting again with her brother in 1836 and his later role in framing New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi; the escape of her fiancé to New Zealand and the fate of those such as the Maori lad, Maketu, whom O'Neill befriended and sent to Anita in Sydney to learn English - provide a compelling and heart-rending tale of chances gained and lost by a family that helped shape the birth of a new country. Hobsons' Chance is the powerful and intriguing story of the ways in which chance events in the lives of individuals can radically alter the destiny of nations.

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is full of errors that should have been picked up, and is not well written. The characters frequently "longed" for things to happen. The concept (the times around the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the people involved centred around William Hobson and his sister) is promising but offers more than this author delivers. There is evidence of thorough research into the times but the characters do not really come to life.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about the birth of two countries (Australia and NZ), from the point of view of NZ's first Governor, William Hobson.