Sometimes when I finish a really good book I just can’t wait to dash off to the computer and write my review – I want to tell everyone about it. That’s the way I feel about A Blade of Grass by South African/Canadian author Lewis Desoto, which was longlisted for the Booker in 2004. It’s a story of an inter-racial friendship set on the contested South African frontier in the 1970s during the apartheid era. I found it to be a remarkable debut novel that was engaging from the very beginning yet managed to raise complex issues about entitlement to land; about power and gender; and about the destructive effects of fear of The Other.So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered from some outraged comments at GoodReads that some readers are very cross about this book. For some, there is too much lyrical description, for others too much symbolism. One who thought that DeSoto also has absolutely no place in writing from a female perspective took issue with the way that the peace and harmony of the relationship between two female protagonists, one Black, one White, is disrupted by jealousy over a man. Someone else is peeved about the stereotyping of entrenched racist Afrikaaners; ambivalent, hopeful Britishers; and resentful, disenfranchised Africans. (There was also a reader who thought it was set during the Boer War. The less said about that the better, eh?) The novel copped a very negative review at 'Culture Wars' too.I don’t think that I read this novel uncritically, so I was relieved to see not only some positive views amongst the others at GR, but also this one from Quill and Quire. I felt that this novel rendered the complexities of living in a racist society with the respect it deserves. The two central characters, Marït and Tembi, are creatures of the society in which they grew up and their identities are forged by the black/white divide. Even when they transcend this divide, as Desoto renders it, they inevitably retain some habits of thought and behaviour, and in moments of crisis they revert to old habits even if intellectually and emotionally they reject them. This seems entirely realistic to me.To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2015/01/25/a-...
I knew nothing about this book before I picked it up but decided to read it after trudging through an incredibly tedious manuscript, when I opened to a random page and read "her breasts on his chest, the warmth of his skin under her hands, and the firmness of his body against the juncture of his thighs." Well, it was the distraction I needed. Turns out it's about South Africa during the Boer War. It really is a poignant story, of an independent woman and life on a farm--two themes that generally attract me. And I like historical fiction. But something about South Africa just doesn't appeal to me too much. So in all the relationships among people I just could not be hooked because the background distracted me more than the one hot love scene did.There were several things that I did appreciate--Tembi's garden, the two women's ways of finding solace in each other, Marit's transformation. But most of all I appreciated the uncomfortable position I found myself in, and all the thinking-about-it that came from that, when revolutionary soldiers come to the farm to claim it for themselves. After all, the idea of the land belonging to the people who work it appeals to me (thanks, Emiliano Zapata), but Marit and her husband had paid for it! My reaction is obviously the surface of problems that arise over land ownership in colonial and postcolonial systems, and there's a tight web of underlying issues, but as I said, I like that the scene subtly brought out the debate in myself.
What do You think about A Blade Of Grass (2004)?
I think the book's synopsis leads the reader to believe there is a little more "action" in the book than there really is. However don't let that deter you. The story is mainly one of a relationship between two women of two cultures. They are both dealing with the loss of a loved one and begin to work together to accomplish a shared goal. Not knowing much about South Africa (especially in the 1970's)I really appreciated the cultural and sociological aspects of this novel. The writing flows easily. I have loaned it to five women and all have made statements such as "I couldn't tear myslef away from it". We all agreed that we did not care for the ending but also agreed that it probably could not have ended any other way (again, don't let this deter you from reading it). I should say that I loaned it to a male friend and he did not care for it or finish it (too much estrogen?).
—Pamela Pickering
Wow. This book is incredible. I won't give out any spoilers, but this story is about two women - one European, one native South African - whose lives intersect and become connected .. during the last throes of the rule of apartheid. Their relationship is not straight-forward, but complicated, and the author explores each women's prejudices and fears in a manner that feels very honest and realistic. While these women need each other, love each other and depend on each other for their very survival, nonetheless their fears constantly threaten to break their relationship apart and shatter any hope that they will survive the many struggles that arise.The story moves very quickly and is full of exciting drama, but it never feels melodramatic or false. The writing style is simple and straight-forward in terms of vocabulary, and yet touching and personal.Can't say enough good things about it. Enjoyed it even more than Little Bee, which I read pretty recently and found to be a great read, also.
—Niki
Set on the border between South Africa and an unnamed neighboring country in the 1970s, A Blade of Grass is a suspenseful novel about a bitter struggle over a small farm and its dramatic consequences for two women, one white and one black. The story centers on Märit Laurens, a young woman of British descent, recently orphaned and newly wed, who comes to live with her husband, Ben, on their newly purchased farm. Shortly after her arrival, violence strikes at the heart of Märit's world, leaving he
—Arlene
