The Toll of the Bush (New Zealand Fiction)

First published in 1905, and set in the Hokianga district, this portrait of pioneer farming and trading on the margin between sea and bush is also a traditional tale of heroes and heroines, of villainous jealousies and intrigues, and - above all - of the brooding forest. First published in 1905, The Toll of the Bush is widely regarded as William Satchell's best work. Set in the Hokianga district in the early twentieth century, it is an engaging portrayal of pioneer farming and trading on that lonely margin between sea and bush, where jealousies and intrigues punctuate the lives of the heroes and heroines. Above all, the brooding forest watches and waits to exact its toll on those who have sought to tame it. Kendrick Smithyman's introduction brings out a parallel, in the fusion of the legendary elements and a colonial setting, with Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... 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. William Satchell ; Edited And Introduced By Kendrick Smithyman. Bibliography: P. 258.