Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

While the writing was of a decent standard, I struggled with the pacing of this book. It takes an age to get going and it failed to engage me in any meaningful way. The plot progresses very slowly and there are some very wordy section that I found heavy going given my meagre interest. I also found the structure confuses the chronology at times, the flashback sections being very similar in place and/or action to the main timeline. The action finally ramps up at around 80% but for me this was a case of too little too late when I'd already spent the greater part of the book somewhat bored.

I had put off reading this book, not sure why, but I started and finished it in a day and should have read it sooner! I admit to knowing very little about New Zealand, South Pacific islands and their history, so this was a very interesting read. It's a story of family relationships and the idea of belonging. Would definitely read more by this author in the future.

A lovely piece of historical fiction to lose yourself in. Set in a beautiful part of the world (New Zealand), I felt totally transported. A wonderful read.

This is my favourite kind of historical fiction – being able to completely immerse yourself in another time and place that you could never possibly go to. The book was dark and absorbing and I couldn’t put it down.

This book was full of vivid descriptions and really felt like I was transported! I found this to be an enjoyable read

The Peacock family has lived on a small, remote, volcanic island in Oceania for two years.
The only settlers on the island, it has been hard for them to survive, and passing ships are extremely rare.
Then one day a ship arrives with supplies and several Pacific Islanders to help the Peacock's clear land.
But one of the sons, Albert, has gone missing.
Can they find Albert?
Is there more to the island than there seems?

The setting of 1800s Oceania was what drew me to Mr Peacock's Possessions, and it's probably my favourite thing about the book. Having lived in New Zealand for several years it was funny to recognise place names.
The island that the Peacocks lived on was an interesting place to set a novel. It was very remote and I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been to live there. It made me feel really sorry for the characters.
The characters were interesting. I think Lizzie and Kalala were my favourites.
The plot was enjoyable and quite dark in places. I guessed one of the plot twists, and nothing that happened surprised me all that much, but the book held my interest and I wanted to see what happened next.
The writing style took a while for me to get into, but I would be interested in reading more by the author.
I would love to know what happened to the characters after the novel ended.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

A really interesting tale of survival, tyranny and family dynamics set amid the Pacific Islands in the late 19th century, The Peacock family, driven by Mr Peacock, are in search of their own bit of paradise where he can be King of all he surveys. But sole occupancy of an island brings its own problems and the family have reached crisis point when a ship visits and supplies them with a group of Islanders to act as slaves in all but name. Arthur, the eldest son of the family, has disappeared and they all hunt for him but what really happened? The Islanders have been "converted" to Christianity and struggle to understand the erratic behaviour of Mr Peacock. Lizzie, one of the daughters struggles to make sense of her own feelings and to find out where Arthur is. There is a great sense of place in this tale, a growing feeling of desperation and tensions, really good historical fiction.

Part Swiss family Robinson, part Von trapp, part whodunnit.... All Mr Peacock has ever dreamed of is land to call his own, to pass on to his sons, and to live by his own rules. All his dreams seem to be finally coming true, and with the arrival of a group of native labourers from another island, he has the manpower to get just what he wants. And then his son goes missing. This is a tale all about the outsider. The daughter who will never been viewed with equal value to her brother. The young man who finds it difficult to embrace a religion his brother preaches. The wanderer who is searching for home, at all costs. Slow going in the beginning, but full of rich detail and a satisfying conclusion.

Mr Peacock's Possessions follows the aspirations and adventures of Mr Peacock and his dysfunctional family from New Zealand on a remote volcanic island where they attempt to build the independent paradise that the father has always dreamed of. The struggle is vividly realised as is the gradual disillusionment of his daughter Lizzie in particular. Richly evocative of the Pacific seas and islands, the turning point comes when the eldest boy disappears in mysterious circumstances after the arrival of the hired workers. Suspicion and the clash of cultures ensues. The darker elements of humanity appear and not from the predicted sources: Perceptions are offered for multiple viewpoints adding to our depth of understanding and engagement as the darkness of a soul id gradually brought to light.
Beautifully written and realised; not to be missed.

What a fresh, unique read! Mr Peacock is certainly eccentric and unique, dragging his family from land to land in search of some to call his own. As the story unfolds we learn more about his deep seated desire to own land of his own. The latter half of the book in particular is masterful, taking a darker turn when his son goes missing, and the action turns up a notch. A fantastic read.

Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

You could be forgiven for thinking this novel would follow in a lovely jolly Swiss Family Robinson type fashion but you'd be very, very wrong. Think of it as less Swiss Family Robinson, more... The Shining.

The novel follows the story of the nomadic Peacock family. It centres particularly on Lizzie, a girl on the cusp of womanhood, and her father Joseph. The other members of the Peacock family play supporting roles and through them we gain an understanding of the complicated relationships between the characters, and gain an insight into some of the issues lurking under the surface. We also have the perspective of Kalala, one of six Pacific Islanders brought to the island to work - one of Mr Peacock's "Possessions".

The narrative switches back and forth in time throughout the story and through this we begin to understand more about the background of the more than slightly dysfunctional Peacock family. Lizzie idolises her father and is blind to much of his tyranny towards others in the family. Joseph's anger is largely directed towards his son, Albert, who he sees as a disappointing weakling. It is his relationship with, and treatment of Albert that drives the main plotline running through the novel. As the mystery unfolds, themes around loss, grief, misguided loyalty and familial violence are explored.

The novel also explores the subject of slavery and the real-life practice of Kanaka 'Blackbirding' which was something I had never heard of before reading this book. Blackbirding was the practice of enslaving (often by force and/or deception) Pacific islanders. This practice took place during the 19th and continued into the early 20th century (!).

The island setting is lush and abundant, but also dark and sinister and the echoes of the island's violent history still linger. Despite its initial promises, the island seems to be devoid of much life and the Peacocks suffer numerous hardships in their struggle to survive and are at points on the brink of starvation.

This is a well-written, exhaustively researched novel which really surprised me with how much I was pulled into the story. There is a gripping mystery, compelling characters and the novel also provided a glimpse into an aspect of history I was completely unaware of. Kalala and his companions are referred to as "Mr Peacock's Possessions" towards the beginning of the novel but it seemed to me that Joseph's real possessions were his children and the tyrannical hold he exerts over them.

Don't be fooled by the gorgeous cover - although the writing is exquisite, the story is not. It's a disturbing tale of a man in charge of his family, in an era where the man's rule was accepted without question. What could have been a glorious adventure as the only family living on a remote island, turns dark and becomes more like a creepy thriller - good stuff.

Not sure whether I can say I enjoyed this but it’s worth a read nevertheless. This pioneering family, kind of Swiss family Robinson with similarities to Lord of the Flies/ Robinson Crusoe, set up home on an isolated island in the 1880s. The father has dreams of making this island his kingdom for him and his family but it’s not the idyllic island of paradise he believes it to be. When some native Pacific Islanders are brought to the island to help manage the land, he feels finally his plane for the island will materialise however family life starts to unravel.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book

Enjoyed this book. It is about a family of English emmigrants to New Zealand in the last century who are running a hotel that is not making money. The father is told a tale by an old man of an island that is lush and fertile as paradise and up for grabs, no one owns it or lives there. The previous settlers are all dead (their fate is revealed in bit parts over the course of the novel). The dad who has a god complex sells up and ships the family out to the island the next day. The captain of the boat on which they had passage cheats them by selling them ,rancid supplies, so the family have a horrendous start to their island life. Things seem to be looking up when a boat makes a stop to deliver some native workers and offers some fresh supplies but the "son and heir" of the family, a fragile boy called Albert disappears that same day. The narrative revolves loosely around what has happened to Albert and is told through the eyes and thoughts of the youngest daughter and later the POV of one of the native worker's who becomes her friend as they explore the island searching for answers.

I iked this book, it kept me page turning. It was pretty easy to guess what had befallen Albert and I hoped the story of the workers would be devloped a bit more and I would have liked to know what happened to the family at the end of book. However, this was an unusual book. and a great read.

A great book of historical fiction
It had me gripped from the first page to the last and I didn’t want to put it down.
This book is a huge credit to the author

A beautiful yet heart-wrenching read; Robinson Crusoe meets Swiss Family Robinson meets Lord of the Flies.

The Peacock family are settlers on Monday Island, doing their best to cultivate the land and create a sustainable existence for themselves. On the day when half a dozen Islanders or ‘kanakus’ are landed to assist them, their son Albert goes missing.

As time lengthens and Albert still cannot be found, his sisters wonder if he has managed to escape the confines and tortures of their island life. His sister Lizzie strikes up a friendship with Kalala, one of the kanakus, and together they discover the mysteries hidden by the island.

A compelling and recommended read.

A strange story of a family seemingly ill equipped to live on a remote island. Relying on promises from the man who told them of the place, and of the ship captain, their hopes are dashed when left with little edible food or shelter in a harsh landscape.
I found it was a story that didnt really lead anywhere or grip me. I think it was fairly obvious who the child killer was going to be. But I did enjoy reading the 'kanakas' tales.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

This was a really interesting 'Lord of the flies' but with a family not schoolkids and they chose to go to the island kinda book!
I enjoyed the duality between the Maori people's POV and that of a very British family, however, I found the stream of consciousness that the style of the Maori POV was written in, but after a few chapters got into it and enjoyed it.
The secret romance lover in me would have loved to see the eldest daughter and the new zelander get together, but it would have not fitted the tone of the book.
Enjoyable, I'd say to tighten up the sometimes confusing narrative, but a good afternoon read.