The Toll of the Bush

the long version

"... Set in the Hokianga district in the early twentieth century, [the book] is in part a realistic portrayal of pioneer farming and trading on the margin between sea and bush, with a cast of convincing minor characters. It is also a traditional tale of heroes and heroines, of villainous jealousies and intrigues, of suppressed letters and missed opportunities, and above all of the brooding forest waiting to exact its toll of those who sought to subdue it. ..."--Back cover.