The Book of Famem By Lloyd Jones
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.This semi-fictionalised account of the All Blacks' first ever tour of Great Britain in 1905 is written in the first person plural, and records the New Zealanders' growing fame as they notched up a string of one-sided victories (final points tally 830 for, 39 against). There are good descriptions of the sporting action and of the New Zealanders' impressions of this crowded, industrialised, often inhospitable nation, while its nostalgic appeal is strong (it's nice to read about a rugby team who all smoke pipes).
All the same, one can't help thinking "So what?" from time to time. There is no real sense conveyed of why winning rugby matches is so important, nor, come to that, any explanation of why the New Zealanders are so much better at it than everyone else. Instead it is padded out by mundane details of menus, train journeys and boarding houses. Inside this 200-page book is a short story struggling to get out.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments