The Slave Book

by Rayda Jacobs

Book by Jacobs, Rayda

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, African Literature

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 1998

About the author

Rayda Jacobs was a South African writer and filmmaker.

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for research purposes, but turns out it's my favourite South African fiction of all time. This is a fictional, but extremely well-researched, story of slavery at the Cape. A story of our own people!

[Liesl · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked "Eyes of the Sky", you'll love this book. I would definitely read "Eyes of the Sky" first as the family line continues and you'll have a better understanding of the characters. This is a must read... Especially if you're into historical fiction or are South African.

[thewolfisreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family is torn apart at a slave auction. Sangora and Somiela, are brought to Zoetewater, de Villiers’ wine farm in the Cape. Somiela’s beauty and spirit become a curse. de Villiers’ wife and daughter take out their jealousy on the slave who attracts white men’s interest. Sangora stands up for his step-daughter and gets into trouble. Harman Kloot, avoiding trouble himself after defending a group of San from the Boers in the Karoo, is hired as a foreman. He does what he can to shield the men from de Villiers, and develops feelings for Somiela.

The Slave Book is tough. It is about abuse; it does not have the most hopeful ending (how could it, realistically?). However, some of the characters in it are truly beautiful people --Sangora, who is able to see past the cruelty around him to the humanity of his fellow slaves; Rachel, who, though she has no hope of a brighter future, cares for Somiela as if she were her own daughter. There is love, even in the face of so much hate.

This novel is well-written and important. Slavery in South Africa is not spoken about enough. Racism did not emerge with Apartheid; its roots are far deeper, and they are essential to try to understand.Fragments of historical documents at the start of each chapter in The Slave Book suggest Jacobs is creatively imagining a story for the people whose voices we barely have been left snatches of, due to slaves being systematically objectified and denied a right to speak for themselves.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just visited South Africa for three weeks, I found this book about slaves from Indonesia and other Asian countries to be interesting in reference to the history of “coloreds’ as South Africans still call a very large group, and especially colored Muslims, in theCape region. The book uses numerous Afrikaans terms and has an excellent glossary. The story is an easy read, a predictable romance, use as an effective device to describe the constraints of racism. What makes it so interesting is all the detail about the lives of characters of different ethnicities. The book is set in the Cape Town region in the early 1830s up to 1834 when South African slaves were “emancipated” under English law.

[Wayne Jordaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fifth book by this gifted storyteller, and I have yet to come across one that disappointed. In this particular book, she explores the relationships between colonial settler, indigenous hunter-gatherer and slaves (both local and imported) at the Cape peninsula (South Africa) in the run-up to the emancipation of slaves in 1834. If I have a criticism, it is that The Slave Book is not marketed as a continuation of Eyes of the Sky, as readers swill definitely benefit from reading the latter book first. A good read.

[Debbie Welman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to rate this book 3 1/2 stars. Although not as compelling as Confessions of a Gambler I enjoyed this book because knowing next to nothing about South Africa’s slave trade in the1800’s it gave me a little insight of those times. I especially enjoyed the two main characters and the depiction of the struggles of crossing the boundaries when living in a country divided by class and colour. Well worth the read.

[Nafisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a heavy read for me but I got really attached to the characters and NEEDED to know how their stories ended. The ending was an absolute shocker, definitely was not expecting to be slapped with it like that but overall I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it!

[Katlego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story set in the days of slavery SA, the ending left me a bit sad though but a great book nonetheless.

[Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it

[Mbali Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was reading this book for research purposes, and i realized its okay to not like really book you read, i wish it was those books that are just unputdownable, i did not get to the very last page.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful read. As a coloured South African, I appreciate this book more than I can say.

[Azu Rikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative and immersive story about Western Cape, South Africa around 1830, before the abolition of slavery. I like the cast of characters and how they represent the mix of slaves that were brought there and the masters that owned them. I like the different stories that represent the difficulties that the people had to deal with. The background story of different faiths is fascinating.
This is a book that will make you understand Cape Town and its people better.

[Washi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an insight into my heritage, and gave me an idea of our people's hardships that they had to bear in colonial Africa.

[Joy-mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3 <3 <3

[Kazimla Nxozana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book, touchy for me as black young female but I'm happy to have read this before my 30s

[Shaadiqah Mentoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captivating