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This was Essie Summer's first published novel,
although she had previously written and submitted two novels which were rejected. They were later rewritten and accepted.
"New Zealand Inheritance" was first published in 1957, by Mills and Boon. It was accepted under the condition that she rewrite
it as pure romance and cut out the hint of mystery she had introduced.
It's first North American publishing was by Harlequin
in 1963, under the title "Heatherleigh".
The dedication reads:
To Joyce Dingwell
"The good stars met in your horoscope,
made you of spirit, fire and dew - " BROWNING
Joyce Dingwell was Essie Summers's good friend
and fellow author from Australia. She also dedicated her first book to Essie.
on the large farming estate of Heatherleigh,
in the fictional village of Heatherleigh.
As a young man Robert Heatherleigh visited his
grandparents there and brought home a bride, Ishbel MacKenzie.
"New Zealand Inheritance" is the story of Roberta O'More
and Muir Buchanan. Roberta is described as small of stature and slightly built; well-knit, and holding herself with an air
that somehow suggested a sturdy will; with green eyes flecked with peaty-brown; bell-shaped, thick, honey coloured hair
that swept softly back from a broad brow and fell about her ears in a shining bell; a tan skin, one lop-sided dimple, and
a full, passionate lower lip. Muir is lean, bronzed, weatherbeaten and hawk-like; with a jutting nose, hazel eyes and dark
hair; he has heavy, craggy brows and lean, hard jaws; there are deep, graven lines each side of his mouth. His eyes and mouth
are stern, though sometimes tender. '...To gauge Muir's feelings you had to listen for the undertones of his voice, that
softened immeasurably when he was moved, and there was always a hint of Scots burr and dialect then...'
Roberta and
Muir are both accomplished; they play the piano and sing ( Muir has a pleasing tenor ), and dance well. Roberta is a talented
artist and Muir plays the pipes.
Roberta was sure that Muir Buchanan's interest
in her arose only from the fact that she was to inherit Heatherleigh, her grandfather's New Zealand farm, and Muir had always
wanted Heatherleigh for himself. This was unfortunate, as against her better judgement she found herself falling more and
more deeply in love with him.
Muir was a young shepherd at Heatherleigh when
Roberta had visited as a child of thirteen. On her return as an adult, circumstances had changed; Muir had his own estate,
Buchanan, though he still was an invaluable help to old Robert Heatherleigh in running his estate. Roberta rode over to Buchanan
soon after her return to Heatherleigh. She was enchanted by what she saw.
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| Wallflower |
'...Buchanan was set back against the smooth green hill
where once, long ago, she and George had rolled from top to bottom for the sheer sensation. It was wide-set and roofed with
orange tiles. Its eaves slanted low over rough-cast and brick walls, and there was a wide terrace with a rock edge that was
thickly draped with aubrietia just coming into bloom. The rock garden below was a blaze of sun-plants, and beneath the terrace
was a huge oval bed of anemones and ranunculi.
The drive, of white, smooth Oamaru shingle, curved around between herbaceous
borders that would be rich with bloom and scent in summertime, and over to the left, beyond a hawthorn hedge that would be
rose and ivory in November, daffodils ran riot through the orchard.
All around the house, on three sides, clustered the
trees, English poplars and oaks, dark pines and cypresses, birches and sycamores, and running up the hill beyond, a delightful
plantation of native trees, taupatas, kowhais, totaras, manuka, and here and there Australian gums and ribbonwoods..."Wallflowers
are favourites of mine," he said. "They grow thickly around Buchanan. My mother loved them."...'
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| Weston Church |
In
one part of the story, as Muir and Roberta are driving to town, they swing around by the village of Weston at the Old Manse
Corner. Weston is the parish where Essie and her family spent many happy years, with their home located at the Old Manse Corner,
and this is where "New Zealand Inheritance" was conceived and started. How nice that she slipped in a reference to her beloved
parish home of Weston.
There are several animals featured in the book;
Clancy, a chestnut mare that Muir provided for Roberta to ride, and Sally, Muir's mare; Skipper, Robert's old, brindled bull
terrier ( there had always been a bull terrior at Heatherleigh) and Doss, Muir's old liver and white spaniel, rescued by Muir
years ago. There is also an old Clydesdale work horse named Dobbin mentioned. Essie may have had an affinity for bull terriors,
since she featured them in several books, and at least two were named Skipper.
In the garage at Heatherleigh is a station wagon, a Land Rover and a DeSoto, plus Roberta's
little car.
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| 1958 DeSoto |
A puzzling quote:
"Your mother is a brick. She works like a Trogan, and
does far more than I expect her to. Works happily too, which is something not all widows do."
Why would this be, do you think? Could we say the same of
widowers?
Roberta and Muir also appear in "The House Of
The Shining Tide" and "Rosalind Comes Home", at which time they have three children of their own; a little girl named Ishbel,
for her great-grandmother; a son called Robert, for his great-uncle and father's best friend, and grandfather; and another
son named Dugold, for his great-uncle. Henk is still with them, and helping to run the estate.
It is fun to try and find actors who fit your
perception of the hero and heroine. What do you think, the lovely Janet Leigh as Roberta O'More? It took me awhile to find
the perfect Muir. I think Jeff Chandler really fits the bill.
My Opinion:
The characterization in the book is very good and Essie's descriptions
are lovely. Here is a favourite passage of mine:
...It was tree-lined, and dappled with shadow, sweet
with birdsong, and the haunt of bees. The scent of wild violets rose from under the silver birches, and at the end of the
lane a ribbon of daffodils ran by the side of the path and disappeared under the leafy hedge to spread unconfined throughout
the field beyond. A little bit of England here in New Zealand...
Reading her words I almost feel that I am there in that lane on a long ago September
day.
I think that it shows the great promise of her future work, although
it is not as polished as her later books and some scenes seem a bit unfinished. The scene where Roberta watches as Muir goes
for a nude swim is interesting and more daring than one would expect from Essie; it is very well-written and it is my favourite
scene in the book.
The love scenes are clever and sophisticated, she skillfully uses words to set the tone.
The feudalism is annoying and sexism is rampant. There seems a big
emphasis on class differences, which seems odd to me in a country like New Zealand, even in the late 1950's. Muir makes a
point of telling Roberta about hs extramural education in the arts and music as if it makes him more her equal and therefore
more worthy of her; and Roberta is often surprised in her thoughts at how far her grandfather's former shepherd has come;
it all seems somewhat snobbish to me. Robert is described at the beginning as an aristocrat, yet it is unclear why, when he
came up the same as most of the farmers in New Zealand. The servants eat separately from the family too. And it is odd
to me why the Heatherleigh's built such a mansion, they sound as if they were like many another prosperous land
owner, but did they really need a ballroom!
The story of Meg would probably have been worked into a romance in
her later books, she is pure Essie heroine material, except of course that she is a widow, and therefore would have been relegated
to a secondary story line.
I like that we get to read about things from Robert's perspective
as he remembers his proposal to Ishbel, and the tragedies in his life; and muses about Roberta's headstrong temperament; so
much like her grandmother.
Even though Muir is a bit dour there is a sweetness and vulnerability
to him that is appealing, and Roberta is an engaging heroine,
Although written in the 50's the book remains remarkably undated and fresh to read.
In just such an idyllic setting might Roberta
have watched Muir as he swam.
Cast Of Characters:
Roberta O'More, age 25, heir to
the Heatherleigh estate; she had spent one memorable summer there as a child, which she never forgot.
Muir Buchanan, age 33, owner of the neighbouring Buchanan estate;
he had immigrated from Scotland as a youth after the death of his mother.
Robert Heatherleigh, owner of the estate and Roberta's grandfather (Grandy); hale and hearty in
his eightieth year.
Donald, an elderly, faithful
servant.
Henk, the young, orphaned nephew of
Mrs. Van Wyngen, whom Muir took in to raise.
Gerhard
Van Wyngen and his wife, employed by Robert Heatherleigh; they had immigrated fom The Netherlands with their four children,
one by the name of Yetta, and their nephew Henk.
George Heatherleigh, age 27, Roberta's
distant cousin and old playmate. Things are very different when they meet as adults.
Meg, Roberta's friend; a widow with two
children, and housekeeper at Heatherleigh.
David,
age 11, and Josephine, age 8, Meg's children.
Marie Sylvester, a close friend of Muir's, and an old acquaintance from Roberta and George's youth. Roberta
has mixed feelings about her.
The Reverend Donald Murray, the Presbyterian minister.
Lester and Donald Derwent and Nessie
and Ian Gordon, old friends of George and Roberta.
Andy
and MacGregor, workers on the Heatherleigh estate.
Helen
and Nancy, maids at Heatherleigh.
Mrs.
Crossman, who runs The Heatherleigh Arms.
Other Important Characters ( now deceased ):
Roberta's parents, Hester ( formerly Heatherleigh
) and Stephen O'More.
Ishbel MacKenzie
Heatherleigh, Roberta's grandmother, whom Roberta greatly resembles.
Dugold, Robert and Ian
Heatherleigh, Roberta's uncles. Robert was Muir's closest friend.
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| Anthony Quayle, Othello 1954, NZ tour |
Essie quotes from several poets and authors in the book, as
she continued to do in all her novels. It is one of the things that distinquishes her writing and sets her apart from other
romance authors.
Essie's characters also often attend the theatre for various artistic productions. In "New Zealand Inheritance"
Roberta and Muir enjoy an evening in Dunedin to see a production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". Muir also discusses a performance
of "Othello" that he had seen starring the great actor Anthony Quayle, who actually performed many times in New Zealand. It
is obvious that Essie enjoyed the fine arts.
She often included her own poetry in her books; though unfortunately there
are none of her poems in "New Zealand Inheritance".
'And just because I was thrice as old
And
our paths in the world diverged so wide,
Each was nought to each, must I be told?
We were fellow-mortals, nought beside?'
Robert Browning - Beautiful Evelyn Hope Is Dead
'Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care.' - Macbeth
'Give me thy hands, and let me see thee in thy
woman's garb.' - Twelfth Night
'Sigh no more, lady, sigh no more, lady, men were deceivers
ever.'( set to music
) - Much Ado About Nothing
'Romeo's a dish clout to him.' - Romeo And Juliet
William Shakespeare
'You hands lie open in the long fresh grass,
The fingerprints look through like rosy blooms;
Your eyes smile peace. The pasture gleams and glooms
'Neath billowing
skies that scatter and amass...'
Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Silent Noon
( Set to music by Ralph Vaughn Williams )
'Come live with me and be my love,
And we
will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.'
Christopher
Marlowe - The Passionate Shepherd To His Love
'If all the World and Love were young,
And truth in every Shepherd's
tongue
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee, and be thy Love.'
Sir Walter Raleigh - The
Nymph's Reply
"Gan on the forty-second, gan on the forty-twa."
"Pipes of the misty moorland, voices of glens and hills..."
"A hundred pipers and a' and a'."
Some
of Muir's favourite piping tunes
'O my Luve's like a red, red rose...' - From
the poem of the same name
'The lass that made the bed for me.' - From the poem of the same name. Roberta was quite
right when she said that in some ways Burns wasn't a very nice man! I was going to put a link to this poem but I decided that
it was a bit too earthy!
'Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flow'r, Thou's met me in an evil hour.' - To A Mountain Daisy
'Oh, what a panic's in thy breastie!' - To A Mouse
'The best-laid plans o'mice and men gang aft a-gley.' -
To A Mouse
'O wert thou in the cauld blast, on yonder lea, on yonder lea...my singlet ( plaidie ) to the angry airt,
I'd shelter thee...I'd shelter thee.' - O Wert Thou In The Cauld Blast
'Lassie, will ye lo'e me.' - O, Gin I Were
A Baron's Heir
Robbie Burns
and many other references to The Scottish Bard,
Muir's favourite poet. As Muir said, "Burns could aye say it well."
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