BOOKS WITH NICKY PELLEGRINO
THERE’S NEVER A DULL MOMENT IN THIS RURAL READ
Danielle Hawkins usually writes dryly funny, romantic novels set in rural New Zealand, so this latest book is a departure. It reminds me of those wonderful James Herriot classics (remember It Shouldn’t Happen to a
Vet and All Creatures Great and Small?), except with a modern-day, Kiwi woman’s perspective. Partly autobiographical, and embroidered with lots of fiction, this is a really great read – warm, gritty and very real – sort of warts-andall with extra warts.
Written in diary form, Two Shakes of a Lambs Tail takes us through a year in the life of a rural vet, who juggles raising two kids with helping out on the farm and also manages to fit in a career as a writer. It probably needs to come with whole series of trigger warnings: animals die, a woman spends a lot of time with her arm up a cow’s nether regions, toxic weedkillers are used. It’s an honest and open account of country life, not a sugar-coated one. Danielle writes about the tough stuff: battling drought, dealing with difficult farmers, her recovery from breast cancer and days when it all goes wrong. But there are also moments of beauty, and she tells of the dynamics of family and friendship with her trademark deadpan humour.
It’s an easy read as Danielle takes us season by season through a life that seems immensely hard work. I raced through it and it gave me a new perspective on what rural living is truly like – when Danielle isn’t at work, she’s at home battling possums or baking three kinds of cake for the shearers.
There has recently been a new TV adaptation of the James Herriot stories, and I reckon Danielle’s lively blend of fact and fiction would translate brilliantly to the small screen. This book will also make the ideal Mother’s Day gift, although you’re going to want to read it yourself first.