“...the fitness and the wonder of it.”
By Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb | Posted: Wednesday Sep 16, 2026
The Larnachs by Owen Marshall (RHNZ Vintage, 2011)
Marshall’s considered, elegant turns of phrase bring to life the intense and entangled lives of the real life (but in real life, larger-than-life) William Larnach, his third wife Conny and his youngest son Dougie. Weaving together agreed-upon historical facts, contemporary hints and rumours, extant family letters and documents and a keen observation of human nature, Marshall creates a wonderful fictional tale from a real-life New Zealand scandal.
William Larnach (1833-1898) was a sort of Antipodean robber baron, or he wanted to be. Arriving in New Zealand from his native Australia in 1867 as a successful banker he quickly became prosperous. In 1874 he moved into the large Scottish baronial mansion he’d had built on the hills of the Otago Peninsula, overlooking the harbour and the city of Dunedin. You can visit Larnach Castle today, a 15 minute drive from the city, (compared to the two-day horse and cart journey of the early years of ‘The Camp’) and wonder at Larnach’s wealth and ambition. The building is in better shape than the ruins Shelley immortalised but Ozymandias does come to mind... William (58) married Conny (35) in 1891, Dougie was 28. Larnach had thrown himself into provincial and national politics in 1875 becoming the Minister for Mines in 1885, all while he lost and built and lost several businesses and fortunes. In 1898 Larnach shot himself in a committee room at Parliament, officially because he was facing ruin as a bankrupt, but Marshall explores another whispered-about possibility for his distress.
All three main characters are beautifully evoked, as Marshall imagines their possible stories and the whirl of yearning, happiness, guilt and betrayal that their feelings and actions stirred up. All of them are caught in the social restrictions and mores of late nineteenth-century colonial New Zealand, their prominent positions in the small settler high society of Dunedin and Wellington making them remarked upon, a source of speculation and rumour. Marshall has written a subtle, moving novel, in no way is it a tabloidesque splash and froth of delight in scandal and comeuppance. Told very much from the points of view of Conny and Dougie as they slowly discover and acknowledge their feelings, and the reality of their situation, Marshall also depicts the ageing William well, allowing him a modicum of dignity and the sympathy of the reader. An imposing personality, his age is starting to tell and others are starting to take centre stage. The details of historical Dunedin are fascinating and background the very human turmoil taking place.
The beautiful, mysterious cover suits the quiet and assured writing and the mystery the reader is left with after reading this historical romance – how much of this deeply romantic Larnach story is history and how much romance? You’ll have to read it and make up your own mind...
The Larnachs was published in 2011 by Random House NZ’s Vintage imprint. In late 2026 it is still available to order as a paperback through your local bookshop. It is available as an ebook through the usual outlets.
Find this book and over 3000 others in the Dunedin City of Literature Collection at Dunedin Public Libraries.
Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb worked in independent bookshops in Aotearoa and the UK for over 34 years, as a bookseller and book buyer. She lives and reads in Dunedin.
