Province of Danger

(Paperback)

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Description

The war to end wars ended in 1918. It is, however, still early in the twentieth century and Nelle, the World War I nurse who patched up the remnants of men who `survived', fears for her fighter-pilot son; disastrously, Frank, the intellectual, has fallen in love with a German refugee; World War I sniper hero, Harry, the Christian, now fights for peace; and left-wing activist, Jim, goes to war in Spain to fight Fascism. In Province of Danger, our four narrators tell of their lives and loves during the years of a bitterly divided New Zealand; in the pitiless Spanish Civil War; in the six long years of World War II, and then its aftermath. We learn from them that when soldiers of the New Zealand division are sent to participate in what became the disasters of Greece and Crete, Crete was lost to the vastly outnumbered Germans through a combination of failure by senior officers to exercise initiative or obey orders - their believing they were still fighting World War I. Thrown then into the North African battles the New Zealanders, at great cost, become a formidable fighting force. Thereafter, against the considered judgement of their general, they are shipped to the bloodshed and torment of the futile Italian campaign. Province of Danger brings to life a rich tableau of characters who, when forced to confront the most demanding circumstances, respond in various ways: many with courage, integrity and resilience. Not all of those at a higher level, however, reacted so positively when military and political blunders - too often glossed over by historians - were committed. Province of Danger, like its predecessor, March to the Sound of the Guns, is a story that vividly recreates the turbulence of the years in which New Zealand stumbled towards nationhood.

Reviews

March to the Sound of the Guns; "...One of the most ambitious novels attempted here in recent times... This is a tour de force and, overwhelmingly, a success."; Edmund Bohan, New Zealand Books. "...If you hold an interest in our military history then there is something here for you. I found it hard to put down... I look forward to Grover's next book." Lt Col John Howard, Commanding Officer, 1 RNZIR, Army News "...If anyone asked for one book to sum up New Zealand's World War I experience, I'd be happy to recommend this." Nicholas Reid, Listener. Cork of War: Ngati Toa and the British Mission: an historical narrative. Winner: New Zealand Book Award. "...a book that is a considerable and humane achievement." Nelson Wattie, The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature

Author Bio

Ray Grover's first novel, Another Man's Role - a story of a Korean War veteran - was followed by the New Zealand Book Award-winning Cork of War which told of New Zealand in the 1830s and 40s when the land and its people were changed forever by European settlement. New Zealand: A Bibliography, a product of twenty years at the Turnbull Library, won him a New Zealand Library Association award. In 2008 he published the highly acclaimed and best-selling novel March to the Sound of the Guns. Based on exhaustive research and close examination of the battlefields of the First World War, it tells at first hand of the experiences of four young New Zealanders caught up in the horrors of trench warfare. Although writing is a vital interest to Ray Grover, he has been Chief Archivist of Archives New Zealand and a Trustee of the National Library of New Zealand. For many years he was a member of the archives and literary committees of the National Army Museum. He has also held other advisory positions relating to historical and literary matters and published a large number of articles and reviews relating to New Zealand's history and literature.