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Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter
Through the sharp yet loving eyes of eleven-year-old Lily we see the whole exotic, vivid, vigorous culture of the Cape Coloured community at the time when apartheid threatened its destruction. As Lily's beautiful but angry mother returns to Cape Town, determined to fight for justice for her family, so the story of Lily's past—and future—erupts.
348 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1997
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352 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Jooste
7 books10 followersPamela Jooste is a South African novelist. Her first novel, Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter, won the 1998 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, best first book, Africa, and the Sanlam Prize for Fiction. She worked for Howard Timmins publishers, and BP Southern Africa. She is married and lives in Cape Town.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 23, 2021
It’s a loving, honest, and heartbreaking story of a community in one of Cape Town's predominantly colored suburbs. The story is told by an eleven year old girl, Lily, who (somewhat ironically) lives on Constitution Street, while entirely unconstitutional changes are about to take place in South Africa.
Lily tells us about her new pen friend, her grandmother, her headstrong mother, her aunt who once had polio, her uncle Gus-Seep whose real name was Giuseppe, her uncle Eroll, who worked on the passenger ships and one day didn’t come home, and all the other friends and naighbours, from the steaming, buzzing naighbourhood that contains Lily’s whole life, and whose days at the brink of apartheid laws are numberd. Some of those who live there will take a stand against the upcoming changes, some will just try to live their lives, but whichever path they take, their future and Lily’s with them, will never be the same.
The world of grownups and the picture of those troubled times through a child’s eye may seem less complicated, but it doesn’t feel naive, because it focuses on the truth that is common to all those who happen to live in difficult times. Whatever the circumstances there also is beauty in everyday things, and in relationships with people we love. Despite everything, life will go on, and people will endure, or to quote Lily's mother: “What you’ve just seen may seem as the end of the world to you (...) but words don’t end that easily. Whether we’re ready for it or not, tomorrow always comes, so we may as well get used to the idea”
Lily tells us about her new pen friend, her grandmother, her headstrong mother, her aunt who once had polio, her uncle Gus-Seep whose real name was Giuseppe, her uncle Eroll, who worked on the passenger ships and one day didn’t come home, and all the other friends and naighbours, from the steaming, buzzing naighbourhood that contains Lily’s whole life, and whose days at the brink of apartheid laws are numberd. Some of those who live there will take a stand against the upcoming changes, some will just try to live their lives, but whichever path they take, their future and Lily’s with them, will never be the same.
The world of grownups and the picture of those troubled times through a child’s eye may seem less complicated, but it doesn’t feel naive, because it focuses on the truth that is common to all those who happen to live in difficult times. Whatever the circumstances there also is beauty in everyday things, and in relationships with people we love. Despite everything, life will go on, and people will endure, or to quote Lily's mother: “What you’ve just seen may seem as the end of the world to you (...) but words don’t end that easily. Whether we’re ready for it or not, tomorrow always comes, so we may as well get used to the idea”
January 28, 2013
I liked: Lily Daniels' Grandmother-she was an old woman who forgave her daughter for leaving-then choosing a life she never expected of her, and who hoped that things would get better for them even though it was clear that the government cared no more.
Most underestimated character: Gus Seep, he might have been the uncle that filled Lily's head with all these stories that people deemed lies, but he loved his family through and through.
I did not like: the kids who bullied Lily-they were pretty awful.
My favorite character: James. He's the man who loved Lily's Mom and she never did return that love like he expected. He married Evie instead. A woman who like her name was envious of his relationship with their family. In the end, he's the only friend who stayed long after Lily's family had to move and who hoped that she still cared for him as much as he did.
Award: 3 Stars
Reason: Good story, Vibrant Characters, Good ending. But I felt like there was more to Lily that the author could have written of, though she comes of age and still recalls life when she was young and living with her grandma and aunt Stella and Gus, it still left me hanging.
Most underestimated character: Gus Seep, he might have been the uncle that filled Lily's head with all these stories that people deemed lies, but he loved his family through and through.
I did not like: the kids who bullied Lily-they were pretty awful.
My favorite character: James. He's the man who loved Lily's Mom and she never did return that love like he expected. He married Evie instead. A woman who like her name was envious of his relationship with their family. In the end, he's the only friend who stayed long after Lily's family had to move and who hoped that she still cared for him as much as he did.
Award: 3 Stars
Reason: Good story, Vibrant Characters, Good ending. But I felt like there was more to Lily that the author could have written of, though she comes of age and still recalls life when she was young and living with her grandma and aunt Stella and Gus, it still left me hanging.
April 27, 2020
This is the story of our nation – South Africa - and how apartheid destroyed families and called it law. Your heart will break, you will love reading it.
I don’t think I have ever read a book that ended so satisfyingly before. This story does not linger towards the end, it doesn’t leave you with unsatisfactory questions nor does it have some convenient explanation for an occurrence of a sad event. You have true closure when you finish it.
It reminds you of how unexplainably cruel and dehumanizing apartheid was. Because it is a story from a little girl’s point of view, telling us about her family, friends and neighbours, it feels closer to the heart, you become part of her community.
There is no philosophy, academic point of view or rationale. It’s her life, with her family and the community that surrounds her. She’s too young to understand what time she is living in or what the term Group Areas Act means, but it affects her future and the future of everyone she loves.
I don’t think I have ever read a book that ended so satisfyingly before. This story does not linger towards the end, it doesn’t leave you with unsatisfactory questions nor does it have some convenient explanation for an occurrence of a sad event. You have true closure when you finish it.
It reminds you of how unexplainably cruel and dehumanizing apartheid was. Because it is a story from a little girl’s point of view, telling us about her family, friends and neighbours, it feels closer to the heart, you become part of her community.
There is no philosophy, academic point of view or rationale. It’s her life, with her family and the community that surrounds her. She’s too young to understand what time she is living in or what the term Group Areas Act means, but it affects her future and the future of everyone she loves.
October 26, 2016
At first I was skeptical, but I ended up liking this novel a lot.
July 17, 2008
One of my all time favourite books about South Africa.I loved the perspective of the child which is both innocent and also wise beyond her years.
February 28, 2013
Loved the humour and story telling! The author transported me to an era that must have been very painful in sa society. Was delightful reading about another culture and their experiences.
December 20, 2021
Moving, poignant and highly evocative of a very sad period of time in South Africa - the forced removal of the coloured people from District 6. Lily's beautiful, intelligent, fierce mother, Gloria, does her best to oppose the inevitable but the apartheid regime is like an unrelenting tide. I've decided that I really like naive narrators, as found in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', and so too, the voice of Lily Daniels in this novel. Many of the phrases she trots out, were the phrases of my youth, and I loved hearing the gauche vulnerability spilling out from the pages of this book. Some examples that spring to mind: "... aren't everyone's cup of tea ... good for nothing ... as long as God spares her ... things turned out for the best ... looks aren't everything ... waste not want not ... to lie low ... no-good rubbish ... tell him to watch his step ... a lost cause ... gone but definitely not forgotten ... not love or money ... ants in his pants ... on the lookout for greener grass ... she upped and offed ... grin and bear it and turn the other cheek ... what's the use of complaining ... it wasn't the end of the world ... " These are just the cliches from the first ten pages, and yet like well-remembered wisps of memory, they could jerk me back to my own family and my own childhood in South Africa. Although it may well be locals and expats that connect most viscerally with this novel, it certainly is not a pre- requisite in terms of being able to enjoy it and understand it. My biggest grumble with this novel is the awful title - it has little to connect it to the narrative and just generally sounds dull and uninspiring. Such a pity, when it's so vivid and heartwarming.
March 24, 2019
The only reason I read this book was because we were told we should read a South African Author for our Grade 12 book review, but I have to say that I am very glad I did.
It tells the story of eleven year old Lily Daniels who lives on constitution Street in
" the valley". She lives with her grandmother and her aunt who got polio when she was little. lily says in a letter that " the men in our family aren't worth much".
Her mother left her when she was little and won't tell who Lily's father is, but Lily feels perfectly happy and doesn't want anything in her little world to change.
But when their area is set aside for White's only and the demolishion starts, change is inevitable.
Her fierce mother returns to Cape Town to try and fight for them, but in the world they live in could the protests of one woman really do anything?
Lily feels resentful at her mother for barging in and changing things and is not able to feel any affection for her beautiful but angry mother.
I thought Lily was a really interesting character, mature for her age but still a completely plausible eleven year old with an interesting voice.
I found getting into this book to be quite hard and found parts of it slow, but I really did enjoy it when I got into it I found the ending and the story as a whole to be incredibly moving.
It tells the story of eleven year old Lily Daniels who lives on constitution Street in
" the valley". She lives with her grandmother and her aunt who got polio when she was little. lily says in a letter that " the men in our family aren't worth much".
Her mother left her when she was little and won't tell who Lily's father is, but Lily feels perfectly happy and doesn't want anything in her little world to change.
But when their area is set aside for White's only and the demolishion starts, change is inevitable.
Her fierce mother returns to Cape Town to try and fight for them, but in the world they live in could the protests of one woman really do anything?
Lily feels resentful at her mother for barging in and changing things and is not able to feel any affection for her beautiful but angry mother.
I thought Lily was a really interesting character, mature for her age but still a completely plausible eleven year old with an interesting voice.
I found getting into this book to be quite hard and found parts of it slow, but I really did enjoy it when I got into it I found the ending and the story as a whole to be incredibly moving.
March 11, 2019
I first came across this book in 2004 as an assigned reading for my grade 10 English class. I was fresh in South Africa and didn't know very much about the country's apartheid past so this was a massive learning experience. Now that I'm much older and live in Cape Town - where much of this story is situated - I couldn't wait to have another read and join Lily Daniels on a trip through her interesting and sometimes devastating life. Dance with a poor man's daughter will stay with you!
September 30, 2020
Loved this book. So terribly sad. Beautifully written and easy to read. Found a new author and will read more of her books.
March 17, 2024
I really can't see what everyone finds compelling or notable about this book. It's exhausting both in terms of style and content.
The narration is particularly annoying. It's written from the perspective of a young girl, and it's a never-ending series of conjunctions and wasted sentences. There are so many single-sentence paragraphs that just run on forever. I get that it was supposed to read the way young children talk, but it was just painful. There was also dozens of instances where something happens or someone says something and the following sentence is just "That's what Stella says." Like, I know that's what Stella said, I just read that she said it. You're just wasting my time at this point.
There are also some glaring technical issues that never should have made it out of the first draft. The main narrative is written in first-person present tense, but Jooste keeps slipping into past tense in the middle of a sentence.
The story itself was also a massive missed opportunity. The forcible relocation under the Group Areas Act is a great place to draw inspiration, but it doesn't really come into the narrative at all. For a story about home and community, there should probably be a bit more of a focus on those elements in the characters' lives. We're told that the characters are attached to their house, but we never see it in their actions. In fact, we never see any of the thematic elements of the story in how the characters in it behave. A woman's son is murdered on New Years Day and it just doesn't matter? No one is really all that bothered by it and they act exactly the same way after the event as they did before. Even the main character's pen pal—the element that the story begins with— is kind of dropped.
Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter was interesting to read to examine why I didn't enjoy it, but there was really nothing redeemable about it.
The narration is particularly annoying. It's written from the perspective of a young girl, and it's a never-ending series of conjunctions and wasted sentences. There are so many single-sentence paragraphs that just run on forever. I get that it was supposed to read the way young children talk, but it was just painful. There was also dozens of instances where something happens or someone says something and the following sentence is just "That's what Stella says." Like, I know that's what Stella said, I just read that she said it. You're just wasting my time at this point.
There are also some glaring technical issues that never should have made it out of the first draft. The main narrative is written in first-person present tense, but Jooste keeps slipping into past tense in the middle of a sentence.
The story itself was also a massive missed opportunity. The forcible relocation under the Group Areas Act is a great place to draw inspiration, but it doesn't really come into the narrative at all. For a story about home and community, there should probably be a bit more of a focus on those elements in the characters' lives. We're told that the characters are attached to their house, but we never see it in their actions. In fact, we never see any of the thematic elements of the story in how the characters in it behave. A woman's son is murdered on New Years Day and it just doesn't matter? No one is really all that bothered by it and they act exactly the same way after the event as they did before. Even the main character's pen pal—the element that the story begins with— is kind of dropped.
Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter was interesting to read to examine why I didn't enjoy it, but there was really nothing redeemable about it.
November 30, 2023
I enjoyed this book, and I loved the story being told by the young girl, Lily. There are some serious topics that Lily is exposed to throughout the story. Family issues, dysfunction, multi-generational issues, sexism, racism.
Lily is loved by her family, & she is a kind-hearted girl, loving life & the people she meets. At the age of 11, Lily is being exposed to some of the not-so-nice parts of life, growing up in South Africa. She sees these things mostly as they happen to the adults, her mother, her aunt, her grandmother, her uncle & family friends. And the racism touches her, too. Through a school project, Lily has a pen pal, a white girl in another neighborhood. They are close friends & tell each other everything.
The women in Lily's family are strong women and they keep the family together, through good and bad. Lily had not known her mother who had left many years earlier. However, when things got bad in their area, Lily's mother returned, to fight for her family. And what is most important to the family is young Lily; they want the best for her, to have chances they never had.
There are sad and infuriating parts of the story, especially because much of the book is rooted in true life, apartheid, the forced removal of non-white people from the areas they live in. But even with all that goes on in the book, the family's love gives them strength and hope.
Lily is loved by her family, & she is a kind-hearted girl, loving life & the people she meets. At the age of 11, Lily is being exposed to some of the not-so-nice parts of life, growing up in South Africa. She sees these things mostly as they happen to the adults, her mother, her aunt, her grandmother, her uncle & family friends. And the racism touches her, too. Through a school project, Lily has a pen pal, a white girl in another neighborhood. They are close friends & tell each other everything.
The women in Lily's family are strong women and they keep the family together, through good and bad. Lily had not known her mother who had left many years earlier. However, when things got bad in their area, Lily's mother returned, to fight for her family. And what is most important to the family is young Lily; they want the best for her, to have chances they never had.
There are sad and infuriating parts of the story, especially because much of the book is rooted in true life, apartheid, the forced removal of non-white people from the areas they live in. But even with all that goes on in the book, the family's love gives them strength and hope.
January 3, 2018
Well worth reading. Told from the perspective of a child, the author did a masterful job of revealing setting, characters and plot using language and descriptions that really felt as though they were coming from a 12-year old.
Set in 1970s Capetown South Africa, the novel tells the story of the destruction of an all black neighbor hood for the purpose of rebuilding homes for white South Africans. Following Lily through the process of realizing that her neighborhood is going to be torn down, to the conclusion of the novel, where her mother makes a choice for Lily’s future that has dramatic repercussions for the family dynamic, Dance With a Poor Man’s Daughter is a heartbreaking story of family love and loss.
Set in 1970s Capetown South Africa, the novel tells the story of the destruction of an all black neighbor hood for the purpose of rebuilding homes for white South Africans. Following Lily through the process of realizing that her neighborhood is going to be torn down, to the conclusion of the novel, where her mother makes a choice for Lily’s future that has dramatic repercussions for the family dynamic, Dance With a Poor Man’s Daughter is a heartbreaking story of family love and loss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2020
The apartheid regime committed many crimes but its forcing of the Cape Coloureds into exile was one of the worst. A community resident in Cape Town from its earliest days was evicted and forced to live in the windswept sandy wastes of The Flats. This bittersweet book, told from the perspective of a child, captures the terrible sadness of that event but focuses on the human story rather than the polemics. As a Capetonian I found myself smiling a lot too: Star Sweets; Springbok Radio; the Grand Parade; Tweede Nuwe Jaar... all echoes of a childhood.
Books about apartheid South Africa can often be angrily strident but 'Dance With A Poor Man's Daughter' manages the tricky feat of illustrating its dehumanising agency while depicting the joy of community and family.
Books about apartheid South Africa can often be angrily strident but 'Dance With A Poor Man's Daughter' manages the tricky feat of illustrating its dehumanising agency while depicting the joy of community and family.
August 30, 2023
A beautiful book that through its unique perspective of Lily’s eyes, shows the beauty of connected life even shining through terrible hardships.
I thoroughly enjoyed the heavy character development. It gave insight into the community around Bo-Kaap, that I thoroughly enjoyed as an international reader, by gaining a sense of place through the characters. The diversity of characters and how they dealt in their own ways with shocking adversity, through the eyes of a curious child was well developed.
The story itself is painful but with the pain came love, shown and felt in difficult ways. A unique perspective on a tough period of history.
A great book that I highly recommend to readers from any country.
I thoroughly enjoyed the heavy character development. It gave insight into the community around Bo-Kaap, that I thoroughly enjoyed as an international reader, by gaining a sense of place through the characters. The diversity of characters and how they dealt in their own ways with shocking adversity, through the eyes of a curious child was well developed.
The story itself is painful but with the pain came love, shown and felt in difficult ways. A unique perspective on a tough period of history.
A great book that I highly recommend to readers from any country.
April 2, 2020
I really enjoyed the writing style of this book - convincingly wrtten from a child's point of view, and as an adult you can read between the lines of her experience to draw conclusions.
I felt that I really got to know the time and place described, but once I was immersed in the setting, the lack of plot made this a bit of a drag to finish.
I felt that I really got to know the time and place described, but once I was immersed in the setting, the lack of plot made this a bit of a drag to finish.
i-can-t-even-finish
July 2, 2019I was interested in this South African-set novel, having visited the country a couple years ago. However, the detatched manner in which this story is told is just not connecting with me. Halfway thru- I'll pass on this one.
September 10, 2025
I really took a while to get into this book, the writing style was good and the descriptions and setting were enjoyable. But that ending was so heartsore and poignant! It was really unexpected and that's what made me enjoy the book. Defiantly important to learn for our history of SA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2019
Really interesting story about a child being brought up in South Africa during apartheid.
May 3, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, the characters were confusing at some points but I really liked the perspective I got from reading this. It was a breath of fresh air...
February 13, 2024
Unique writing from the perspective of a young girl. The characters, their relationships, and their struggles are beautifully portrayed.
September 25, 2024
It moved me.
December 26, 2024
Told through eyes of 11 year old. Set in Cape Town, South Africa
February 27, 2015
Wat ‘n vreugde om iets nuuts en wonderliks in Afrikaans te ontdek. So ‘n iets/iemand het Pamela Jooste se skryfwerk vir my geword. (Sien post oor Môrester ‘n tydjie terug)
Armmansdogter is tien jaar na dit verskyn het, eers in Afrikaans vertaal. En wat ‘n lieflike vertaling is dit nie! Die skrywer sê self in haar voorwoord dat die vertaling eers haar karakters hulle ware stemme gegee het en ook nuwe lae van betekenis tot die oorspronklike Engelse teks toegevoeg het. Die leser kan werklik ons Kaapse mense hóór praat in hierdie boek. Ek weet nie of ek al ooit iets gelees het wat die stemming, die atmosfeer van ‘n plek waar ek nog nooit was nie, vir my so lewend kon oproep nie. En die humor! Jy kan jou vergryp daaraan.
Die boek is basies Lily se pogings om die veranderinge in haar lewe te verstaan, aanvaar en hanteer. In haar geval is dit net meer as die gewone veranderinge in ‘n gewone dogtertjie se lewe, want hulle familie is ook een van die baie wat deur gedwonge verskuiwings geraak word. Maar moet asseblief nie afgeskrik word hierdeur nie. Hierdie boek is nie nóg ‘n beskrywing van die aaklighede van apartheid of die boosheid van die blankes nie. Hierdie boek is die diep menslike verhaal van ‘n gemeenskap, ‘n familie en ‘n hele aantal enkelinge wat onherroeplik beïnvloed word deur die tyd waarin hulle lewe en die magte veel groter as hulleself. Dis geen politieke tirade nie, maar dit raak die leser dieper as die beste politieke betoog.
Ons leer ken ‘n hele skare wonderlike karakters deur Lily se nuuskierige, onnutsige, intelligente kinderoë. Daar is haar ouma wat die familie met ‘n ysterhand (probeer) regeer, met ‘n redelik rigiede idee van wat reg of verkeerd is en ‘n onwrikbare geloof in God. Daar is haar tante Stella met die poliobeen en die robbies-man wat hulle al (gelukkig) moes begrawe. En haar nefie Royston wat vir haar gewag het as daar ‘n klippie in haar kerkskoen kom oppad Sondagskool toe. Maar nou het Royston Domingo die gangster geword … Daar is oompie Gus-Seep wat af en toe kom uitpaas op sy ma se sitkamervloer. En Flora Dora, die renperd wat hom nog ryk gaan maak. En sy getroue ou karperd waarmee hy sy twintigsent-sakkies groente op die Parade gaan verkoop. Daar is Philander by die Buildings, waar die meisies soggens met hul gowns by die vensters uithang en vir die verbygangers skree. Daar is Portia van die Noordweste, wat nie dieselfde is as al die ander meisies nie. So kan ek lank aanhou.
Maar daar is veral Gloria, Lily se ma, wat toe sy twee was, op ‘n dag uit die huis gestap het en nooit weer teruggekom het nie. Daar is die vreeslike stories dat sy ‘n sjebeen-vrou in Sophiatown geword het en geld soos bossies gemaak het en met die ryk, gevaarlike manne uithang. En daar is James Scheepers, die opgevoede onderwyser wat met Evie getroud is. Evie wat al haar energie spandeer op haar jaloesie op Gloria, al is dié jare laas gesien.
En toe, eendag, kom die gerug eers bultop: Gloria is terug. En ‘n rukkie later kom die groot, blink kar vir Gloria voor haar ma se nederige huisie aflaai. Sy stap met haar smart klere en haar bos hare soos ‘n swart wolk om haar kop en haar ysere wil terug in hulle lewe soos sy daaruit gestap het. En sy volg geen ander kop as haar eie nie.
Daar is ook Errol, wat nou die bestuurder van ‘n klereplek in Southampton is. En daar is ‘n vreeslike ding soos ‘n exit-pas … Met ‘n exit-pas dis daar geen omdraai nie.
As jy oplaas werklik ‘n klein ietsie wil verstaan van die lyding waardeur gewone mense onder apartheid gegaan het, lees Armmansdogter. Jy sal skielik soveel meer verstaan.
Armmansdogter is tien jaar na dit verskyn het, eers in Afrikaans vertaal. En wat ‘n lieflike vertaling is dit nie! Die skrywer sê self in haar voorwoord dat die vertaling eers haar karakters hulle ware stemme gegee het en ook nuwe lae van betekenis tot die oorspronklike Engelse teks toegevoeg het. Die leser kan werklik ons Kaapse mense hóór praat in hierdie boek. Ek weet nie of ek al ooit iets gelees het wat die stemming, die atmosfeer van ‘n plek waar ek nog nooit was nie, vir my so lewend kon oproep nie. En die humor! Jy kan jou vergryp daaraan.
Die boek is basies Lily se pogings om die veranderinge in haar lewe te verstaan, aanvaar en hanteer. In haar geval is dit net meer as die gewone veranderinge in ‘n gewone dogtertjie se lewe, want hulle familie is ook een van die baie wat deur gedwonge verskuiwings geraak word. Maar moet asseblief nie afgeskrik word hierdeur nie. Hierdie boek is nie nóg ‘n beskrywing van die aaklighede van apartheid of die boosheid van die blankes nie. Hierdie boek is die diep menslike verhaal van ‘n gemeenskap, ‘n familie en ‘n hele aantal enkelinge wat onherroeplik beïnvloed word deur die tyd waarin hulle lewe en die magte veel groter as hulleself. Dis geen politieke tirade nie, maar dit raak die leser dieper as die beste politieke betoog.
Ons leer ken ‘n hele skare wonderlike karakters deur Lily se nuuskierige, onnutsige, intelligente kinderoë. Daar is haar ouma wat die familie met ‘n ysterhand (probeer) regeer, met ‘n redelik rigiede idee van wat reg of verkeerd is en ‘n onwrikbare geloof in God. Daar is haar tante Stella met die poliobeen en die robbies-man wat hulle al (gelukkig) moes begrawe. En haar nefie Royston wat vir haar gewag het as daar ‘n klippie in haar kerkskoen kom oppad Sondagskool toe. Maar nou het Royston Domingo die gangster geword … Daar is oompie Gus-Seep wat af en toe kom uitpaas op sy ma se sitkamervloer. En Flora Dora, die renperd wat hom nog ryk gaan maak. En sy getroue ou karperd waarmee hy sy twintigsent-sakkies groente op die Parade gaan verkoop. Daar is Philander by die Buildings, waar die meisies soggens met hul gowns by die vensters uithang en vir die verbygangers skree. Daar is Portia van die Noordweste, wat nie dieselfde is as al die ander meisies nie. So kan ek lank aanhou.
Maar daar is veral Gloria, Lily se ma, wat toe sy twee was, op ‘n dag uit die huis gestap het en nooit weer teruggekom het nie. Daar is die vreeslike stories dat sy ‘n sjebeen-vrou in Sophiatown geword het en geld soos bossies gemaak het en met die ryk, gevaarlike manne uithang. En daar is James Scheepers, die opgevoede onderwyser wat met Evie getroud is. Evie wat al haar energie spandeer op haar jaloesie op Gloria, al is dié jare laas gesien.
En toe, eendag, kom die gerug eers bultop: Gloria is terug. En ‘n rukkie later kom die groot, blink kar vir Gloria voor haar ma se nederige huisie aflaai. Sy stap met haar smart klere en haar bos hare soos ‘n swart wolk om haar kop en haar ysere wil terug in hulle lewe soos sy daaruit gestap het. En sy volg geen ander kop as haar eie nie.
Daar is ook Errol, wat nou die bestuurder van ‘n klereplek in Southampton is. En daar is ‘n vreeslike ding soos ‘n exit-pas … Met ‘n exit-pas dis daar geen omdraai nie.
As jy oplaas werklik ‘n klein ietsie wil verstaan van die lyding waardeur gewone mense onder apartheid gegaan het, lees Armmansdogter. Jy sal skielik soveel meer verstaan.
November 29, 2012
Set in Cape Town, possibly in the 70s, around the time the Group Areas act came into force and shortly before the forced removals from areas such as District Six. The focus is on a coloured family with primarily women and told from the perspective of the youngest, a 10/11 year old girl, whose mother 'took the Kimberley train' and left for Johannesburg years ago.
When it's clear the family's neighbourhood is going to be suffer due to changing laws, the girl's mother suddenly shows up again and, independent and like a whirlwind she is, tries to fight the establishment, with all the necessary tensions as a result.
As the book's told from the child's viewpoint, the author on several occasions is able to leave out parts of the story too complex for a child to understand. This is perhaps convenient from the author's point of view, but is sometimes annoying for the reader, as this is a device for the author to surprise the reader at will.
Also, at times, the author steps away, implicitly, from the child's viewpoint, by telling stories which happened long ago, sometimes before the child was born, with a certain level of detail the child wouldn't have been able to grasp, even when having been told the story within the period in which the book is actually set.
That said, Jooste was able to create a very moving and sometimes funny piece of work, putting in lots of drama but occasionally coming close to being overly dramatic.
The last paragraphs of the book feel completely out of place, not like an ending at all.
The book reminded me of The Bastard of Istanbul.
When it's clear the family's neighbourhood is going to be suffer due to changing laws, the girl's mother suddenly shows up again and, independent and like a whirlwind she is, tries to fight the establishment, with all the necessary tensions as a result.
As the book's told from the child's viewpoint, the author on several occasions is able to leave out parts of the story too complex for a child to understand. This is perhaps convenient from the author's point of view, but is sometimes annoying for the reader, as this is a device for the author to surprise the reader at will.
Also, at times, the author steps away, implicitly, from the child's viewpoint, by telling stories which happened long ago, sometimes before the child was born, with a certain level of detail the child wouldn't have been able to grasp, even when having been told the story within the period in which the book is actually set.
That said, Jooste was able to create a very moving and sometimes funny piece of work, putting in lots of drama but occasionally coming close to being overly dramatic.
The last paragraphs of the book feel completely out of place, not like an ending at all.
The book reminded me of The Bastard of Istanbul.
January 24, 2015
Another one to add to the short list. A real gem that delivers it all: a great story, compelling characters, and excellent writing, rich with historical detail. It's the coming of age story of a young "coloured" girl in the neighborhood known as District Six, in South Africa's Cape Town. This lively fictional story is set against the very real-life historic events of the neighborhood during the apartheid regime, from the Population Registration Act of the 1950's, to the forced removals of non-white families to outlying townships in the 1970's. I picked up this book in South Africa, and I think it may be harder to find elsewhere, but it would be worth tracking down or requesting its acquisition by your local library.
July 1, 2011
I have always enjoyed books written about 'adult' topics from a child's perspective. The world is an entirely different place in their eyes, and I think it is important to be reminded of what it is like from time to time. Told through the perspective of Lily Daniels is a story of growing up in South Africa as the apartheid threatens all she and her family knows. Surrounding the darkness of this theme, however, is an incredibly moving circle of family and friends alike. It is their stories mixed with Lily's striking narrative that allows the reader to gain not only an insight into South Africa's history, but to develop an emotional tie with the characters.
June 2, 2014
This is a story about the life of a family living in South Africa at the time of Apartheid. It focuses on a time just before what is called 'the forced removals' of the Cape Coloured community, threatening the families to leave everything behind.The story is told through the eyes of the sweetest 10 year old little girl. I love her absolute bond to her grandmother and her misunderstanding of who her mother is.
"...hers had been the hardest life of all because she was a strong and intelligent woman who'd lived in a very bad time. He called it a time of lost opportunity."
For me those are the most powerful and sad lines of the story.
"...hers had been the hardest life of all because she was a strong and intelligent woman who'd lived in a very bad time. He called it a time of lost opportunity."
For me those are the most powerful and sad lines of the story.
May 29, 2011
Readable but not noteworthy. Too few pages given to the why behind the what of the story. For a book about such a glaring violation of rights, the effects of the laws seems to have been played down quite a bit for the sake of building a character sketch of a sad and relatable family. The author's prologue sets you up for an entirely different read than what you end up getting.
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