Inheritance

by Jenny Pattrick

Elena catches a glimpse of her friend Jeanie Roper in a New Zealand art gallery. It is twenty-three years since Jeanie suddenly disappeared. They had been close when Jeanie lived in Samoa with her bullying husband and gentle father. But why is Jeanie hiding her identity? Elena is intrigued to discover Jeanie has a daughter who is unaware of her Samoan ancestry. There are family secrets here - possibly dangerous ones - that Elena is determined to uncover.

Inheritance is a novel of contrasts: the tropical beauty and exuberance of Samoa in the 1960s; and the dark violence that arises from the conflict between truthfulness and love.

Genres: Book Club, Historical Fiction

386 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2010

About the author

Jenny Pattrick is an acclaimed historical novelist, whose The Denniston Rose, and its sequel Heart of Coal, are among New Zealand's bestselling novels. In 2009 she received the New Zealand Post Mansfield Fellowship. She has been active in the arts community, and has also written stories, songs and shows for children.

Jenny Pattrick has been awarded the OBE for services to the arts, the 1990 medal, is featured in the Wellington Girls' College Hall of Fame and has received the NZ Post Katherine Mansfield Prize.

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* I really enjoyed this story set predominately in Samoa. While it's definitely not Jenny Pattrick's best work it is definitely still an interesting and fun read.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ran out of time just after completing this and have just got around to my recording my thoughts. I assumed that as it felt like a light read I would move on to the next book and pfft it would be gone. Interestingly that has not been the case, it has lingered and I find my thoughts turning to it often.

The main theme here is one of being true to your self and facing up to your own past and your own truths. It is set between New Zealand and Samoa. There is an undercurrent of domestic violence threading its way through out. Both within marriage and the wider family circle. The sad fact that domestic violence here in NZ and Samoa is endemic - the root cause needs to be addressed. Whilst this is essentially a nice thoughtful story it doesn't tackle those thorny issues and nor should it. But I appluad Jenny Pattrick for putting it out there in a way that people will consider the long term consequences and admire her motives.

The character Elena gave me hope, I enjoyed her depth and exuberance. I felt the characters were well crafted and full of life. A satisfying wee read.

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a Paeroa Book Circle book. I couldn't find it as an audiobook, so I actually had to read the paper version, and I managed to get it read in the month.
I enjoyed it and am pleased that this is a New Zealand author.
I might read Landings or Dennison Rose by this author one day as I hear that they are even better.

[Michael G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex story

I enjoyed the beauty of the islands, the well-developed characters. The moral difficulty of how our birth may relate to who we are and become was a fascinating idea to contemplate.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh what a tangled web we weave...
A widely charactered and deeply complicated novel, which whips around a lot - different narrators, different parts of the world, different times - and takes a long time to come together in a coherent way.

[Maureen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found it a struggle to read this book...it didn't hold my interest...only read the first 50 pages...have popped it away and I'll give it a go again.

[Fernanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I have no interest in hypotheticals. It's more than enough coping with what is I front of your face."

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better story than cover

[Stacey Ruscoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in NZ and Samoa. Loved the story and the Samoan culture.

[Kate M · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a 3.5. Good read on Samoan culture

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it very simplistic. All the characters seemed to have the same voice, & they were very briefly sketched - archetypes I couldn't really care about.

People have commented that it taught them about Samoan
History & culture, which is great if it makes people curious to discover more. Again, I didn't find this. I felt the setting could have been anywhere & Samoa had just been added for some exotic flavour.

That said, this is not the type of book I would normally read- read as part of Book Club. Others enjoyed it. My mother enjoyed it! And the author obviously has a devoted following who love her work - just not for me.

[Tamsin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy to read book. Jenny Pattrick is very good at creating characters good and bad. The good characters I feel close to and there are a lot of good characters in this book. It's hard to put down as you want to learn more about the story and is all over too soon. I look forward to reading more from her.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read in 2016, re read 2025.
Not sure how to rate this as I have no real feelings about the story, characters, plot or writing style.
Like vanilla ice cream, still great ice cream but unremarkable.
Other works by Jenny Pattrick I have enjoyed more.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't to bad, it was slow to being with but did pick up the pace as it went along. What I did like was you didn't need to think to hard about the books plot, makes for great lazy summer reading.

[Arna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some poor editing (was his name Stuart or Stewart) let this novel down. I also found the use of the first person stilted - at times it felt like I was reading a voiceover for a made for TV movie. An interesting concept, that I think was let down by its execution,

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable..

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. A lovely insight into life and culture in Samoa

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable, interesting read. Makes me want to visit Samoa. An interesting look at Samoan culture and history and the relationships with NZ.

[Kirsten Bett · Rating 4 out of 5]

intriguing! I think this is a very good read. Deceptively simple and very well structured. I really liked how the end shed a totally different light on the beginning!

[julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Particularly enjoyed the Samoan history.