Chance is a Fine Thing: A Memoir by Writer, Mountaineer, Campaigner, Explorer and Historian

Random House, 2009. review Copy stamp inside.

'The stories that I think worth telling are of how, as a young man, I left home on the other side of the world half a century ago and took the chance to become a New Zealander. More, of becoming a New Zealand writer now able to look back over 50 years and relate not only what happened to me, of how I grew up, but also something of how the country has grown and changed. It is about my developing relationship with my country and some of its people.' As Philip Temple explains in his preface, this is about his life and the country he chose to call home. His memoir shows how he came about this decision, how he left England at a young age, and how he came to explore and love this country, scaling its mountains and writing its stories. New Zealand has always pulled him back, despite adventures overseas, exploring previously unknown regions of the world, sailing in exciting waters, trailing through Europe, and a long love affair with Berlin. Despite all this, New Zealand became and remains his country. In an honest and remarkably diverse appraisal of his life, he reveals his personal and professional relationships, including his search for his father, the failure of his marriage, difficult times working for the Listener, and his campaigning for MMP. It is also a fascinating account of how he has made a living as a full-time writer. Compelling, thoughtful and moving, this is an important view of the last fifty years.