Rangatira is a lovely book – the story of Paratene Te Manu told from his point of view as an old man. As he sits for a portrait by Lindauer he looks back on his trip to England, which he took along with other Rangatira in 1863. It is an engrossing and entertaining story, and full of the sadness of misunderstandings, cultural differences and problems caused by communication through interpreters. The novel presents a detailed historical portrait in a very human way. It is an historical novel but resonates with many current misunderstandings.