Lives in Ruins

Overall, an enjoyable read, although more of a personal memoir and less of a book on archeaology.

I was certainly put off by her statement that James Cook's ship Endeavour “became the first Western vessel to sight New Zealand” (page 110) when it was Abel Tasman in 1642, not Cook in 1769, who was the first. Perhaps by “Western” the author means English speaking.

This mistake did tarnish the book somewhat for me, otherwise I would have given it 4/5 stars.