In the Land of the Long White Cloud (In the Land of the Long White Cloud saga)

Helen Davenport, governess for a wealthy London household, longs for a family of her own, but nearing her late twenties, she knows her prospects are dim. Then she spots an advertisement seeking young women to marry New Zealand's honorable bachelors and begins an affectionate correspondence with a gentleman farmer. When her church offers to pay her travels under an unusual arrangement, she jumps at the opportunity. Meanwhile, not far away in Wales, beautiful and daring Gwyneira Silkham, daughter of a wealthy sheep breeder, is bored with high society. But when a mysterious New Zealand baron deals her father an unlucky blackjack hand, Gwyn's hand in marriage is suddenly on the table. Her family is outraged, but Gwyn is thrilled to escape the life laid out for her. The two women meet on the ship to Christchurch, Helen traveling in steerage, Gwyn first class, and become unlikely friends. When their new husbands turn out to be very different than expected, the women must help one another find the life, and love, they'd hoped for. Set against the backdrop of colonial nineteenth-century New Zealand, In the Land of the Long White Cloud is a soaring saga of friendship, romance, and unforgettable adventure "La légende veut que les premiers Maoris arrivèrent en pirogue depuis la Polynésie. La première image qu'ils eurent de la Nouvelle-Zélande fut cette île enveloppée d'un long nuage blanc. D'où le nom qu'ils lui donnèrent". Londres, 1852. Helen, préceptrice de deux enfants dans une riche famille, répond à une annonce qui propose à des jeunes femmes de partir épouser des Britanniques installés en Nouvelle-Zélande. Sur le bateau qui la mène à Christchurch, elle se lie avec Gwyneira, une jeune noble galloise qui immigre à cause des difficultés financières de son père. L'amitié entre les deux femmes sera indéfectible malgré les épreuves, les désillusions et la haine, surtout, qui déchirera leurs deux familles. Mais elles auront la joie de voir leurs enfants s'unir et inventer une nouvelle vie, en osmose avec les autochtones et la nature. Le Pays du nuage blanc, à la faune et à la flore hors du commun, est un personnage à part entière de cette saga grandiose sur la colonisation de la Nouvelle-Zélande et la culture des Maoris. London,1852: Helen Davenport er en ugift guvernante i en velstående familie. Hun lengter etter et liv med mann og barn. I New Zealand er det overskudd av ungkarer, så da Helen får muligheten til reise dit for å gifte seg med en sauebonde hun har brevvekslet med, griper hun sjansen. Samtidig blir rikmannsdatteren Gwyneira Silkham brukt som innsats i et kortspill. Baronen som vinner henne vil gifte henne bort til sønnen sin. Gwyn er glad for å kunne komme bort fra sosietetslivet i Wales. På overfarten til Christchurch blir de to kvinnene venner. Livet og ektemennene blir ikke som de hadde forestilt seg, og de må hjelpe hverandre til å skape det livet de vil ha Helen Davenport, governess for a wealthy London household, spots an advertisement seeking young women to marry New Zealand's honorable bachelors and begins correspondence with a gentleman farmer. When her church offers to pay her travels under an unusual arrangement, she jumps at the opportunity. On the ship, she meets Gwyneira Silkham, traveling to meet a New Zealand baron who won her in a game of blackjack. When their new husbands turn out to be very different than expected, the women must help one another find the life they'd hoped for