Review: Hannah and Huia - Charlotte Lobb ( NZ Author)

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Review: Hannah and Huia - Charlotte Lobb - July 2023

Hannah and Huia has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, almost a year and I decided to finally read it as May is not only Clear Your TBR Bookshelf Challenge Month but also Mental Health Month. The other reason I brought this book was that I had a personal connection to the author as her family was one of my regular customers when I worked in the libraries and I was interested to read what she wrote WOW, Hannah and Huia exceeded my expectations and was such a great story and in it, I felt for both characters as their experiences resonated with some of my families own. The book starts with Hannah experiencing the great loss of both her husband and newborn, so much so that she checks herself into the psych ward to get help. While there she is captivated by an old Maori woman named Huia - who only speaks three words at a time and never the same set of words twice. That is until Hannah arrives and hears the same three words multiple times - sun, rain, bye-bye. After a while Hannah will start to listen more closely to Huia and discover a way to get some answers about her past and help her heal as she learns there is a pattern with Huia's speech and in doing so it will also help Hannah to heal from her grief and loss. The second part of the book is Huia's story as we travel back to the late 60s when Huia is a fifteen-year-old pregnant Maori girl and her family has delivered her to Swanson House in Raglan, a home for unwed mothers. Here, Huia will give birth to her baby boy and watch him be ripped away from her hands - causing a lifetime of hurt, pain, and brokenness. Can Hannah with the help of her research skills track down what happened at Swanson House and where Huia's baby boy ended up, healing both Hannah and Huia's wounds? Find out in this emotional and touching read by Charlotte Lobb which I guarantee you will see yourself or a family member in either Hannah, Huia, or one of the side character's shoes and you will feel a kinship and connection to the book making it a 5 star read for you as it was for myself. If you only get to read one NZ women's fiction book for 2024, then Hannah and Huia by Charlotte Lobb should be that book as it will not disappoint.

MightyApe - https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/hannah-and-huia/36657623




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