Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story - Softcover

"Thompson's deep knowledge of the history of Europeans in the Pacific allows her to trace the misunderstandings and stereotypes that have marked perceptions of Polynesians up to the present day. A sensitive observer and polished stylist, Thompson is never dully tendentious or dogmatic. The narrative moves smoothly by way of well-told anecdotes both personal and historical. Her prose never disappoints." "--Publishers Weekly"

"Perceptive, endearing look at the often fraught contacts between Maoris and Westerners. A candid examination of persistent, troubling issues of race and stereotype in the history of the two cultures' encounters. Honest...forthright...well-wrought." "--Kirkus"

"Christina Thompson defines a contact encounter as "what we call it when two previously unacquainted groups meet for the very first time." This unusual, unclassifiable, unfailingly interesting book is a contact encounter. Few readers will forget their first meeting with the author, with her Maori husband, and with the historical context that swirls around them. Thompson writes beautifully, and, even more remarkably, she surprises us on every page."--Anne Fadiman, author of "At Large" and "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down"

"A charming blend of travel writing, cultural history, anthropology, and memoir, this intriguing book honors the nineteenth-century explorers' narratives that are its inspiration."--Andrea Barrett, author of "Ship Fever" and "The Voyage of the Narwhal"
"[A] fine account. Her observations about the enduring effects of colonization [are] penetrating. She puts her vantage point of insider-outsider to good effect, tracing the genealogy of racial stereotypes and cutting through some of New Zealand's most cherished myths about itself." "--New York Times Book Review"

Thompson is never dully tendentious or dogmatic. The narrative moves smoothly by way of well-told anecdotes both personal and historical. Her prose never disappoints." "--Publishers Weekly"

"Perceptive, endearing look at the often fraught contacts between Maoris and Westerners. A candid examination of persistent, troubling issues of race and stereotype in the history of the two cultures' encounters. Honest...forthright...well-wrought." "--Kirkus"

"Christina Thompson defines a contact encounter as "what we call it when two previously unacquainted groups meet for the very first time." This unusual, unclassifiable, unfailingly interesting book is a contact encounter. Few readers will forget their first meeting with the author, with her Maori husband, and with the historical context that swirls around them. Thompson writes beautifully, and, even more remarkably, she surprises us on every page." --Anne Fadiman, author of "At Large and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down"

"A charming blend of travel writing, cultural history, anthropology, and memoir, this intriguing book honors the nineteenth-century explorers' narratives that are its inspiration." --Andrea Barrett, author of "Ship Fever and The Voyage of the Narwhal"

"A thing of beauty...enjoyable and descriptive. Thompson manages in her memoir to do what good fiction does [and] this book will certainly entertain those who want to learn more about Pacific island history."--"Tampa Tribune"

"A multilayered, highly informative and insightful book that blends memoir, historical and travel narrative ... Thompson's prose is highly refined and dispassionately elegant, resulting in a Chekhovian clarity and restraint that in places possesses a poetic lucidity." --"San Francisco Chronicle"

"[A] fine account. Her observations about the enduring effects of colonization [are] penetrating. She puts her vantage point of insider-outsider to good effect, tracing the genealogy of racial stereotypes and cutting through some of New Zealand's most cherished myths about itself." --"New York Times Book Review"

"At heart a love story, /Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All/ is a moving examination of exploration ... and the way our travels into remote places on Earth can become travels into the remote places in our hearts and souls."--"Philadelphia Inquirer"

A thing of beauty...enjoyable and descriptive. Thompson manages in her memoir to do what good fiction does [and] this book will certainly entertain those who want to learn more about Pacific island history. "Tampa Tribune"

A multilayered, highly informative and insightful book that blends memoir, historical and travel narrative ... Thompson's prose is highly refined and dispassionately elegant, resulting in a Chekhovian clarity and restraint that in places possesses a poetic lucidity. "San Francisco Chronicle"

[A] fine account. Her observations about the enduring effects of colonization [are] penetrating. She puts her vantage point of insider-outsider to good effect, tracing the genealogy of racial stereotypes and cutting through some of New Zealand's most cherished myths about itself. "New York Times Book Review"

At heart a love story, /Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All/ is a moving examination of exploration ... and the way our travels into remote places on Earth can become travels into the remote places in our hearts and souls. "Philadelphia Inquirer""

"A thing of beauty...enjoyable and descriptive. Thompson manages in her memoir to do what good fiction does [and] this book will certainly entertain those who want to learn more about Pacific island history." --Tampa Tribune

"A multilayered, highly informative and insightful book that blends memoir, historical and travel narrative ... Thompson's prose is highly refined and dispassionately elegant, resulting in a Chekhovian clarity and restraint that in places possesses a poetic lucidity." --San Francisco Chronicle

"[A] fine account. Her observations about the enduring effects of colonization [are] penetrating. She puts her vantage point of insider-outsider to good effect, tracing the genealogy of racial stereotypes and cutting through some of New Zealand's most cherished myths about itself." --New York Times Book Review

"At heart a love story, /Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All/ is a moving examination of exploration ... and the way our travels into remote places on Earth can become travels into the remote places in our hearts and souls." --Philadelphia Inquirer

In this involving, compassionate memoir, Christina Thompson tells the story of her romance and eventual marriage to a Maori man, interspersing it with a narrative history of the cultural collision between Westerners and the Maoris of New Zealand. Despite their significant differences, Thompson and her husband, Seven, share a similar sense of adventure and a willingness to depart from the customs of their families and forge a life together on their own. Thompson explores cultural displacement through the ages and the fascinating history of Europeans in the South Pacific, beginning with Abel Tasman's discovery of New Zealand in 1642. Yet at its core, this is the story of two people who meet, fall in love, and are forever changed.