An historical novel of colonial Wellington
Edward Jerningham Wakefield was the wild-child of the Wakefield family, brewing trouble in New Zealand between settlers, government, missionaries and Māori over land and souls and rights. Alive with historical detail, Jerningham tells a vivid and important story of Wellington’s colonial beginnings and of a charismatic young man’s rise and inevitable fall.
Number one bestseller & shortlisted for the NZ Heritage Literary Awards, 2020.
Published by Cuba Press, June 2020
Proudly sponsored by Wakefields Digital
About Jerningham:
- “A spectacular debut that brings us an immersive, intelligent and well researched insight into the early days of New Zealand’s European settlement.” – Mandy Hager
- “Carefully researched and emotionally alive, it is an all-absorbing journey to the founding of Wellington. In this debut novel, Cristina Sanders charts the tensions and triumphs of the historical era that shaped modern New Zealand. Dont even bother trying to put it down until the end!” – Thom Conroy
BUY Jerningham from New Zealand bookshops, eg. Unity or Wardinis; mail order from The Cuba Press; or download the ebook on Amazon kindle.
Media
Interview with Barry Crump of RNZ on the background to Jerningham
Review Book of the week, Lydia Wevers in the Reading Room.
Review in the Auckland Herald, by Elizabeth Heritage
Review in Landfall, Portraits of New Zealand history by Cushla McKinney
Podcast with Haunui Royal at Ngā Pātaka Kōrero Auckland Libraries
Review in Historical Novel Society, by Rebecca Kightlinger
Review by Judith McKinnon, blogger
Review from Philippa Werry‘s blogspot
Interview with Jill Miller at Radio Kidnappers
Interview on MPR Manawatū People’s Radio: Words from the Bubble
Comment on the Suff bestseller list when Jerningham returned to Number 1 a year after publication, quite funny, suggesting Jerningham and Imagining Decolonisation, bumped from the top spot, should meet in the boxing ring. Nah.
Review by Hawkes Bay District Libraries Readers
Review in Hooked on Books, by Liam Speechlay, 16.
Interview with Lou Ward on Radio Hawke’s Bay
We had two launch parties for the book in June 2020, where we also celebrated Jerningham’s 200th birthday.
Man, they were fun. I think Jerningham would have loved them.
Cristina Sanders' blog 