The Book Of Secrets by Fiona Kidman

“In 1854, a group of settlers, led by stern preacher Norman McLeod, established a community at Waipu in the northern part of New Zealand. The community had followed him from Scotland in 1817 to found a settlement in Nova Scotia, then subsequently to New Zealand via Australia. Their incredible journeys actually happened, but Fiona Kidman breathes life and contemporary relevance into the facts by creating a … fictional story of three women entangled in the migrations – Isabella, her daughter Annie and granddaughter Maria. McLeod’s leadership meant that anyone who ran counter to him had to live a life of secrets. The secrets encapsulate the spirit of these women in their varied reactions to McLeod’s strict edicts and connect the past to the present and the future.”–Back cover.