Stevan Eldred-Grigg's 1987 novel Oracles and miracles follows the lives of twin girls – Ginnie and Fag – born into a large working-class family in Christchurch during the 1930s and 1940s. Its depiction of the girls' domestic schooling and working life is realistic and grim but not without humour. These attributes appealed to readers, and in 1990 the novel was made into a popular stage play, which toured the country as part of New Zealand's sesqui-centenary celebrations.

Poster courtesy of Fiona Samuels and Miranda Harcourt / Map Films