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The Power of One #2
Tandia
Tandia sat waiting anxiously for the fight to begin between the man she loved the most and the man she hated the most in the world. Tandia is a child of half Indian, half African, beautiful and intelligent, she is only sixteen when she is first brutalised by the police. Her fear of the white man leads her to join the black resistance movement, where she trains as a terrorist. With her in the fight for justice is the one white man Tandia can trust, the welterweight champion of the world, Peekay. Now he must fight their common enemy in order to save both their lives. Stay in touch with all of Bryce's news on
1027 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1992
458 people are currently reading
5305 people want to read
About the author
Bryce Courtenay
49 books2,341 followersArthur Bryce Courtenay, AM was a South African-Australian advertising director and novelist. He is one of Australia's best-selling authors, notable for his book The Power of One.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 588 reviews
May 31, 2018
Bryce Courtenay impresses again with another ‘practice novel’ as he called them when taking up the art of writing. The sequel to his extremely popular The Power of One , this novel seeks to look at South African political and social transformation (regression?) from the other side of the coin, through the eyes of a teenage girl, Tandia, and the rest of the subjugated population. Tandia is raped soon after her father’s funeral. A mixed-race bastard—her Indian father’s affair with his black house servant—Tandia does not fit into either of South Africa’s non-white populations, but remains downtrodden and the victim of extreme racism. When she is tossed from her home, Tandia takes matters into her own hands, landing up in trouble with the law and facing the man who violated her not long ago. Police officer Jannie Geldenhuis holds his power over her and, with nowhere else to go, Tandia is stuck signing a false statement of facts to save her life. When they arrive at one of the local brothels, Geldenhuis demands that she remain here, under the watchful eye of Mama Tequila, and report back on all the clientele who frequent the establishment. With the Immorality Act — a strict law prohibiting sexual relations between the races—in full effect alongside other pieces of the larger apartheid system, Tandia is sure to have a long list of those who wish to cover themselves in a veil of secrecy. Meanwhile, Peekay, young protagonist from The Power of One, is now at Oxford, reading law and honing his boxing career. He befriends a young sculptor who seeks to explore him through her artistic lens, but this forces Peekay to explore more of himself and his interactions with others. As things heat up in the boxing ring, Peekay must also dodge jabs that life is throwing his way, away from his African homeland. When Mama Tequila sets off with Tandia during a brothel holiday, they encounter the big city of Johannesburg, where racial segregation is in full-swing in the apartheid-fuelled way of life. Shantytowns and oppression populate every corner of the city, though the people rally behind their love of boxing. Tandia hears stories of many men who entered the ring and fought, transforming themselves from lowly black men to heroes for the entire community. One such boy, the Tadpole Angel, is white, but appears to have the love of all the people, as he is happy not to look at the colour of your skin, but the person inside. With Geldenhuis also on the boxing scene, Tandia is terrified that she will see him again, his ruthless ways leaving scars deeper than the ones he has delivered to her skin. With his boxing career going exceedingly well, Peekay returns to South Africa to open a legal practice, only to butt heads with some of the closed-minded police officers, including Geldenhuis. Tandia grows closer to Peekay, though the Immorality Act makes any future between them all but impossible. With race relations reaching a fevered pitch and Peekay heading up a legal challenge to the core of the apartheid system, something will have to give, while the world looks on. Brilliant in its literary delivery, Courtenay pulls the reader in and leaves them wanting so much more, while some will surely remain disgusted by the abhorrent treatment by the Afrikaner population. Recommended for all those who have the patience to endure a slow-building story about race relations, jaded politics, and the power of one man’s convictions fuelled by the determination of one woman to change her country of birth.
Those new to Bryce Courtenay will likely find the author to be one they either love or cannot stomach. This is Courtenay’s second foray into writing—his first just as brilliant—permitting the reader to experience his unique style. The novel combines well-developed characters with a plot that is rich with detail and shakes the reader to the core as the political events and police implementation come to life on the page. Some may find his writing to be both excessive and too much to digest in a single novel (or both this and the previous novel), but it is this that makes the books even more enjoyable. Courtenay uses an interesting formula in his writing, which the attentive reader will discover as they meander throughout his novels, this one being no exception. There are scores of characters who cross the pages, each serving to develop their own backstory and to offer a slice of character revelation for Tandia, as well as further enriching of Peekay, now that he has reached adulthood. The story builds on itself in such a way that the reader can see Tandia’s growth (personal and emotional) while she still struggles to find her place in South Africa’s repressive political system. Courtenay inundates the reader with names and characteristics, which may cause some to stumble or require crib notes, but, rest assured, it is well worth the temporary confusion. Having read all of Courtenay’s novels, I can see character themes that reemerge, including token characters of a variety of backgrounds. The story itself becomes a tale full of twists and turns, such that the path on which the narrative is leading the reader along two paths, Tandia’s life and that of Peekay’s time in England. I must insert here that while Peekay’s passion for the law is visible throughout the story, his development into a world class boxer is also found within the various chapters attributed to him. Courtenay does a sensational job describing these fights in detail, such that they reader (boxing fan or not) is on the edge of their seat as the match progresses on the page. One can only imagine the strife in which South Africa found itself in the 1950s and 60s, with the apartheid momentum gaining and the deprivation of the non-white population reaching its zenith. The Afrikaner population is armed and ready to exact their power at any cost. Courtenay’s narrative shows the subjugation of the black population and the brutality that is inflicted upon them. While I do not condone this whatsoever, I have always been very interested in the apartheid mentality and how the Afrikaners justified it to the world. Courtenay offers up a front row seat to the reader, hoping they will better understand what went on. It is this sort of depth that has drawn me to all of Courtenay’s books, as he offers more than a superficial look at the world, while entertaining the reader. True, his books are long and tangential, but, like a well-paced journey, they permit the reader to gather many wonderful nuggets of information from page to page. While Courtenay turned away from writing about his homeland after this piece, there are many other novels which turn their focus to his adopted country of Australia. I will be sure to revisit them in time, allowing myself to get lost in the magical style that Courtenay has, paired with his audiobook reader, Humphrey Bower. Two fantastic men who are at the top of their games!
Kudos, Mr. Courtenay, for such a stupendous piece. Re-reading this book has solidified why I have come to call you one of my favourite authors of all times.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Those new to Bryce Courtenay will likely find the author to be one they either love or cannot stomach. This is Courtenay’s second foray into writing—his first just as brilliant—permitting the reader to experience his unique style. The novel combines well-developed characters with a plot that is rich with detail and shakes the reader to the core as the political events and police implementation come to life on the page. Some may find his writing to be both excessive and too much to digest in a single novel (or both this and the previous novel), but it is this that makes the books even more enjoyable. Courtenay uses an interesting formula in his writing, which the attentive reader will discover as they meander throughout his novels, this one being no exception. There are scores of characters who cross the pages, each serving to develop their own backstory and to offer a slice of character revelation for Tandia, as well as further enriching of Peekay, now that he has reached adulthood. The story builds on itself in such a way that the reader can see Tandia’s growth (personal and emotional) while she still struggles to find her place in South Africa’s repressive political system. Courtenay inundates the reader with names and characteristics, which may cause some to stumble or require crib notes, but, rest assured, it is well worth the temporary confusion. Having read all of Courtenay’s novels, I can see character themes that reemerge, including token characters of a variety of backgrounds. The story itself becomes a tale full of twists and turns, such that the path on which the narrative is leading the reader along two paths, Tandia’s life and that of Peekay’s time in England. I must insert here that while Peekay’s passion for the law is visible throughout the story, his development into a world class boxer is also found within the various chapters attributed to him. Courtenay does a sensational job describing these fights in detail, such that they reader (boxing fan or not) is on the edge of their seat as the match progresses on the page. One can only imagine the strife in which South Africa found itself in the 1950s and 60s, with the apartheid momentum gaining and the deprivation of the non-white population reaching its zenith. The Afrikaner population is armed and ready to exact their power at any cost. Courtenay’s narrative shows the subjugation of the black population and the brutality that is inflicted upon them. While I do not condone this whatsoever, I have always been very interested in the apartheid mentality and how the Afrikaners justified it to the world. Courtenay offers up a front row seat to the reader, hoping they will better understand what went on. It is this sort of depth that has drawn me to all of Courtenay’s books, as he offers more than a superficial look at the world, while entertaining the reader. True, his books are long and tangential, but, like a well-paced journey, they permit the reader to gather many wonderful nuggets of information from page to page. While Courtenay turned away from writing about his homeland after this piece, there are many other novels which turn their focus to his adopted country of Australia. I will be sure to revisit them in time, allowing myself to get lost in the magical style that Courtenay has, paired with his audiobook reader, Humphrey Bower. Two fantastic men who are at the top of their games!
Kudos, Mr. Courtenay, for such a stupendous piece. Re-reading this book has solidified why I have come to call you one of my favourite authors of all times.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
October 31, 2011
OK, I finished the book about 2 weeks ago and my heart is still broken. I can't even pick up and really get into another book (I have tried everyday, so far... no success yet.) It was an amazing book that I am still trying to come to terms with and am still thinking about, now.
In fairness, Courtenay did have some repetative notions about Hate and Power that were a little cumbersome in Tandia, that were not so obviously awkward in The Power of One...I felt he struggled with Tandia, much more than The Power of One. Righly so, I think, I've always wondered how someone could write a sequel to it... At least I know it wasn't easy for him to do what he did- read it and maybe you'll understand my sense of betrayal as a reader mixed with the acknowledgement of his absolute power as an author. I could not put the book down, nor do I think any less of the writer... Odd how that happens.
Without reservation, I highly recommend both The Power of One and Tandia to everyone.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is essentially the Power of One- Part 2... It's absorbing and Bryce Courtenay has a way of making me feel like I can taste the dust of South Africa. He makes characters that are real- riddled with human frailties or flaws and yet so utterly familiar that I cry with them and wince with them through their journey. I'm not even 1/2 way through the book yet and I already know its a masterpiece.
In fairness, Courtenay did have some repetative notions about Hate and Power that were a little cumbersome in Tandia, that were not so obviously awkward in The Power of One...I felt he struggled with Tandia, much more than The Power of One. Righly so, I think, I've always wondered how someone could write a sequel to it... At least I know it wasn't easy for him to do what he did- read it and maybe you'll understand my sense of betrayal as a reader mixed with the acknowledgement of his absolute power as an author. I could not put the book down, nor do I think any less of the writer... Odd how that happens.
Without reservation, I highly recommend both The Power of One and Tandia to everyone.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is essentially the Power of One- Part 2... It's absorbing and Bryce Courtenay has a way of making me feel like I can taste the dust of South Africa. He makes characters that are real- riddled with human frailties or flaws and yet so utterly familiar that I cry with them and wince with them through their journey. I'm not even 1/2 way through the book yet and I already know its a masterpiece.
May 10, 2008
This was one of the most depressing books I've ever read. It took an excellent protagonist and reduced him to a quivering sack of helplessness and despair. I have never before seen such a striking switch in an author's perspective. Bryce Courtenay wrote the Power of One from an uplifting, beautiful perspective and then Tandia from a bleak and morose one. I was upset that I read this book. It tarnished my memory of Peekay. If I could take it back and unread it, I would.
July 22, 2025
“Tandia was not aware of her beauty. Her … full lips and close-cropped peppercorn hair were a cultural corruption, an act of sin.”
“To see her extraordinary beauty you needed eyes that made no racial judgement and there were few of those in South Africa.”
TANDIA, the sequel to Bryce Courtenay’s awesome, indeed jaw-dropping novel THE POWER OF ONE, is also a doorstopper that will thrill its readers as it weaves in and out of three distinct stories to form a gripping whole.
First is the gut-wrenching story of the disgusting levels of virulent racism, hatred, and violence that drove South African politics, culture, and life in the mid-20th century in the years prior to Nelson Mandela’s rise to power late in the century as a respected anti-apartheid activist.
“This country is not built on understanding or compassion of the mutual cooperation of its people. It is stitched together with the needle of hate and the thread of fear. The Afrikaner hates the Englishman … the Indians, who came out here as indentured labour, they are hated by the blacks … the white man encourages the native tribes to hate each other. … If one kaffir tribe hates another one, the Zulu, the Sotho, and so on, and the all hate the Indian, then [the white administration] can control and direct the hate.”
Second is the thoroughly entertaining (and quite gripping not to mention rather terrifyingly graphic, at times) story of Peekay’s rise from a talented white gym boxer to become the welterweight champion of the world.
Last, but hardly least, is the romantic drama of Peekay’s and Tandia’s journey from Tandia’s rape as a very young woman indentured in a brothel at the hands of a psychopathic policeman, through their education in law school and their joint efforts to inject racial justice into South African law, to their frenzied and terrifying ultimate flight out of the country from the secret police bent on revenge.
TANDIA is unquestionably a winner but, unlike its predecessor THE POWER OF ONE, Courtenay was simply unable to sustain the breathless momentum of its plot, its character development, and its historic narrative consistently through the entire length of the novel. That said, the occasional flagging of the story’s drive forward really amounted to nothing more than an opportunity for the reader to gather their breath in anticipation of the upcoming shift into a higher gear … in particular, that final climactic chase in the mountainous terrain of the borders of South Africa.
On a side note, I thought it interesting that despite being published as early as 1992, TANDIA was able to make an eerily prescient comment on the growth of “colonial” racism and hatred in modern day Israel directed at the Palestinians daring to live in what the Jews saw as their “promised land”.
“The Jew has come home to the promised land. How is the Jew going to hold his land? Let me tell you, man. He will hold it with feeling. He will die for it. He will learn to hate for it.”
Nazi genocide, South African apartheid, an Israeli-Palestinian war … will the world ever make its way to a legitimate claim to being a post-racial society free of hatred? TANDIA is not the novel to read if you consider yourself an optimist in that regard.
Paul Weiss
“To see her extraordinary beauty you needed eyes that made no racial judgement and there were few of those in South Africa.”
TANDIA, the sequel to Bryce Courtenay’s awesome, indeed jaw-dropping novel THE POWER OF ONE, is also a doorstopper that will thrill its readers as it weaves in and out of three distinct stories to form a gripping whole.
First is the gut-wrenching story of the disgusting levels of virulent racism, hatred, and violence that drove South African politics, culture, and life in the mid-20th century in the years prior to Nelson Mandela’s rise to power late in the century as a respected anti-apartheid activist.
“This country is not built on understanding or compassion of the mutual cooperation of its people. It is stitched together with the needle of hate and the thread of fear. The Afrikaner hates the Englishman … the Indians, who came out here as indentured labour, they are hated by the blacks … the white man encourages the native tribes to hate each other. … If one kaffir tribe hates another one, the Zulu, the Sotho, and so on, and the all hate the Indian, then [the white administration] can control and direct the hate.”
Second is the thoroughly entertaining (and quite gripping not to mention rather terrifyingly graphic, at times) story of Peekay’s rise from a talented white gym boxer to become the welterweight champion of the world.
Last, but hardly least, is the romantic drama of Peekay’s and Tandia’s journey from Tandia’s rape as a very young woman indentured in a brothel at the hands of a psychopathic policeman, through their education in law school and their joint efforts to inject racial justice into South African law, to their frenzied and terrifying ultimate flight out of the country from the secret police bent on revenge.
TANDIA is unquestionably a winner but, unlike its predecessor THE POWER OF ONE, Courtenay was simply unable to sustain the breathless momentum of its plot, its character development, and its historic narrative consistently through the entire length of the novel. That said, the occasional flagging of the story’s drive forward really amounted to nothing more than an opportunity for the reader to gather their breath in anticipation of the upcoming shift into a higher gear … in particular, that final climactic chase in the mountainous terrain of the borders of South Africa.
On a side note, I thought it interesting that despite being published as early as 1992, TANDIA was able to make an eerily prescient comment on the growth of “colonial” racism and hatred in modern day Israel directed at the Palestinians daring to live in what the Jews saw as their “promised land”.
“The Jew has come home to the promised land. How is the Jew going to hold his land? Let me tell you, man. He will hold it with feeling. He will die for it. He will learn to hate for it.”
Nazi genocide, South African apartheid, an Israeli-Palestinian war … will the world ever make its way to a legitimate claim to being a post-racial society free of hatred? TANDIA is not the novel to read if you consider yourself an optimist in that regard.
Paul Weiss
April 10, 2013
Spoiler Alert!
First of all, Bryce Courtenay was one of my favorite authors and I was saddened to hear of his passing a few months ago. The first book of his I read was The Power Of One and it went directly to the top of my all time favorites list. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. As readers, we followed the life of PeeKay and watched him overcome huge obstacles in his difficult life because of his courage and strength of character. It was a wonderfully told story that I caught myself thinking about months after I had finished the book.
Then I read Tandia, and was shocked to find out that PeeKay turns out to be a coward in the end. I really had much higher expectations for him as an adult and I think Doc and Giel Peet would be rolling over in their graves because when the real pressure was on, he failed miserably. He sent Dee & Dum ahead of him and both eventually ended up dying because of this. He sent his true love, Tandia, a nearly exhausted city girl with no experience in the type of terrain they were traveling in, to find an obscure village. He then tries, unsuccessfully, to lead his archenemy, Geldenhuis on a wild-goose chase using all of his remaining strength to try and slither his way into the cave where Doc was buried so he could meekly lay down and die next to him. What! Yes, that’s what I thought too. The PeeKay of The Power Of One would never have done that. Something must have happened to him at Oxford that wasn’t mentioned in the book that turned him into a coward.
The real PeeKay from The Power Of One would have done much better. He knew this terrain like the back of his hand and Geldenhuis was completely unfamiliar with the altitude and the terrain. The real PeeKay could have ambushed him several times because of this, but the cowardly PeeKay was content, no, obsessed with running and hiding.
Or, the real PeeKay, before getting shot, would have talked Geldenhuis into “duking” it out at the top of the mountain and beaten him senseless or knocked him off the edge of a cliff.
The real PeeKay would have gone with Tandia and continued to fight apartheid and injustice. He would have loved Tandia honestly and openly and raised their child to become a future leader. Of course, all of this would require great courage and strength of character, and unfortunately PeeKay doesn’t have much of either in this book. What’s also very sad is Tandia fell in love with this imitation PeeKay and never really got to know the PeeKay the rest of us knew. Can you imagine what a powerful team they would have been if she had met and fell in love with the real PeeKay?
First of all, Bryce Courtenay was one of my favorite authors and I was saddened to hear of his passing a few months ago. The first book of his I read was The Power Of One and it went directly to the top of my all time favorites list. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. As readers, we followed the life of PeeKay and watched him overcome huge obstacles in his difficult life because of his courage and strength of character. It was a wonderfully told story that I caught myself thinking about months after I had finished the book.
Then I read Tandia, and was shocked to find out that PeeKay turns out to be a coward in the end. I really had much higher expectations for him as an adult and I think Doc and Giel Peet would be rolling over in their graves because when the real pressure was on, he failed miserably. He sent Dee & Dum ahead of him and both eventually ended up dying because of this. He sent his true love, Tandia, a nearly exhausted city girl with no experience in the type of terrain they were traveling in, to find an obscure village. He then tries, unsuccessfully, to lead his archenemy, Geldenhuis on a wild-goose chase using all of his remaining strength to try and slither his way into the cave where Doc was buried so he could meekly lay down and die next to him. What! Yes, that’s what I thought too. The PeeKay of The Power Of One would never have done that. Something must have happened to him at Oxford that wasn’t mentioned in the book that turned him into a coward.
The real PeeKay from The Power Of One would have done much better. He knew this terrain like the back of his hand and Geldenhuis was completely unfamiliar with the altitude and the terrain. The real PeeKay could have ambushed him several times because of this, but the cowardly PeeKay was content, no, obsessed with running and hiding.
Or, the real PeeKay, before getting shot, would have talked Geldenhuis into “duking” it out at the top of the mountain and beaten him senseless or knocked him off the edge of a cliff.
The real PeeKay would have gone with Tandia and continued to fight apartheid and injustice. He would have loved Tandia honestly and openly and raised their child to become a future leader. Of course, all of this would require great courage and strength of character, and unfortunately PeeKay doesn’t have much of either in this book. What’s also very sad is Tandia fell in love with this imitation PeeKay and never really got to know the PeeKay the rest of us knew. Can you imagine what a powerful team they would have been if she had met and fell in love with the real PeeKay?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2016
South Africa. Apartheid
It was a time when it was better to be born a white man's dog rather than a black human. Tandia illustrated what the non-whites in South Africa suffered, and brutally so. Reading it, I can see why the oppressed would turn to fear and hate (and who would not? when life is nothing but misery and humiliations).
Yet the books also showed me why the oppressors did so. The white people honestly believed that they were decent, God-fearing, law-abiding people. How could they be capable of such inhuman cruelty? The answer was simply that they consider the non-whites as lesser people ("They were not like us! Those dumb violent kaffirs!") and therefore not "one of them". There was also the paranoia and fierce belief of keeping the purity of the blood. Those two reasoning combined was enough justification for them.
Then, how could one break this system of hate and violence? This was what one of the protagonist, Peekay, struggled to do. He entered law school, became a barrister, and did his best to protect the oppressed using the law despite the law itself being unfair. His effort was ultimately futile, for hate and madness has consumed the entire nation.
But in the end, haven't we become a better people? The apartheid was eventually abolished (I have to read more to find out how) and so did slavery in other countries. And yet, the economic disparity now is such that the poor live like slaves. Even the hate come back easily. The inequality between the blacks and the whites in the US is a dangerous symptom. The right wing extremists are now taking hold of the Europeans, even in Germany the nation that already went through Nazi. It seems people can forget the past quite easily (I think migrants is a dirty word in US and Europe now). The seed of hate has been sown, and when the violence ripened and exploded, will there be any hope left? I remain skeptic, for hate comes easily, while forgiveness is hard to find. I can only hope that it won't happen in my lifetime.
It was a time when it was better to be born a white man's dog rather than a black human. Tandia illustrated what the non-whites in South Africa suffered, and brutally so. Reading it, I can see why the oppressed would turn to fear and hate (and who would not? when life is nothing but misery and humiliations).
Yet the books also showed me why the oppressors did so. The white people honestly believed that they were decent, God-fearing, law-abiding people. How could they be capable of such inhuman cruelty? The answer was simply that they consider the non-whites as lesser people ("They were not like us! Those dumb violent kaffirs!") and therefore not "one of them". There was also the paranoia and fierce belief of keeping the purity of the blood. Those two reasoning combined was enough justification for them.
Then, how could one break this system of hate and violence? This was what one of the protagonist, Peekay, struggled to do. He entered law school, became a barrister, and did his best to protect the oppressed using the law despite the law itself being unfair. His effort was ultimately futile, for hate and madness has consumed the entire nation.
But in the end, haven't we become a better people? The apartheid was eventually abolished (I have to read more to find out how) and so did slavery in other countries. And yet, the economic disparity now is such that the poor live like slaves. Even the hate come back easily. The inequality between the blacks and the whites in the US is a dangerous symptom. The right wing extremists are now taking hold of the Europeans, even in Germany the nation that already went through Nazi. It seems people can forget the past quite easily (I think migrants is a dirty word in US and Europe now). The seed of hate has been sown, and when the violence ripened and exploded, will there be any hope left? I remain skeptic, for hate comes easily, while forgiveness is hard to find. I can only hope that it won't happen in my lifetime.
September 2, 2012
I was very much enjoying this book until Peekay returns to South Africa and Tandia (whom the book is named for) is relegated to a secondary role. From random comments through the course of the rest of the book the plot was there for Courtenay to continue to develop her character as something more than just Peekay's love interest but for some reason he chose not to do so in a focused manner. This choice on the part of the author is completely baffling. He spends the last half of the book completely focused on the theme of good and evil in such a heavy handed manner, and he could have gotten these same ideas across much more subtly if he had just finished the way he started.
March 6, 2012
I finished Tandia. What a great read. As usual I've learned a great deal. In this case about boxing! As an author myself I'm always very impressed with the research Bryce does for each of his books. Not only does he gives the reader vivid descriptions about his characters, and the historical information that adds to the story about Tandia during the apartheid years in South Africa. Apart from the entertainment, of wanting to learn more about the gruesome treatments people in power are capable of towards different race groups. Its the compassion, trust and loyalty that always makes Bryce's books special to the end.
October 23, 2015
Ugh, I did it again: I went ahead and bought the sequel to a book I really liked (The Power of One), only to be disappointed. This book felt like an insult to its predecessor, with its annoying, unconvincing characters, redundant storylines, endless pontificating about racial equality, and its over-glorification of the main characters. If you decide to read "The Power of One", do yourself a favor and stop while you're ahead.
February 7, 2018
Tandia is a long book, weighing in at a hefty 900+ pages, and it's an effort to get to the end.
However, the effort is worth it.
Courtney is a master storyteller with a special gift for characterisation. The epic story moves along at a good pace, although some passages require that extra bit of work to get through.
This novel is the sequel to The Power of One, which I haven't read but fully intend to.
Amazing commentary on the evils of apartheid and corrupt systems and the power of the human spirit in good people to prevail.
Recommend.
However, the effort is worth it.
Courtney is a master storyteller with a special gift for characterisation. The epic story moves along at a good pace, although some passages require that extra bit of work to get through.
This novel is the sequel to The Power of One, which I haven't read but fully intend to.
Amazing commentary on the evils of apartheid and corrupt systems and the power of the human spirit in good people to prevail.
Recommend.
April 1, 2021
This is the sequel to The Power of One. There is more boxing, apartheid, and white supremacy of South Africa in the 1960's. The author maintained that all characters were fictional but there are at least a few similarities to historical figures.
May 23, 2010
I had read The Power of One and quite enjoyed it, so thought that this book would be worth reading. Wow, was I wrong! I don't know why this was (seen as though 90% of other people who read it LOVED it?) but I really couldn't get into it. Maybe (being a white South African) I just wanted to be an ostrich and put my head under the sand? But I have grown up in post-Apartheid South Africa and would rather look forward than back. Ok, besides the obvious political dislike for me, I found Courtenay's writing repetitive and almost started counting the times I read the word "vainglorious". All-in-all, I found it a story which didn't capture me, and which took me an age to read.
March 19, 2013
Sequel to "The Power of one".
I loved to be a witness of the man Peekay would become and how he defied the system and saved Tandia, another lost soul in South Africa.
Won't never forget this book.
I loved to be a witness of the man Peekay would become and how he defied the system and saved Tandia, another lost soul in South Africa.
Won't never forget this book.
May 14, 2010
This book takes the reader and jumps right into the tragic ring of apartheid. Unlike its prequel, The Power of One -one of my favorite books of all time - be prepared for a heaviness of heart for 900 pages. Peekay returns as a champ for all things in the boxing ring, in the classroom and, finally, in the courtroom. Tandia, the central figure, and he fight the good fight on behalf of their beloved country which is so knotted up in hatred and fear that hope is squeezed right out of the pages. This was a hard read. Nowhere was there any lightheartedness like with Doc and his "absoloodles" in the first book. I had to put it down for days at a time due to the depth of despair and brutal violence, especially against women. Amazingly, for all that, now that I'm finished, I'm really glad I read it. The Boer War, the Boers/Afrikaners, the tribes, the English - all that history which I never absorbed until now. The government corralled the black people into 'townships' much like Native Americans were forced on to reservations 150 years ago here in the USA. The thing about apartheid is that it ended only recently. Because this book wraps up in the 60s, it shines the barest glimmer of hope down the tunnel of time. It's heartbreaking how Peekay and Tandia fight so hard for the change that must come but which won't occur for another 40 years.
August 11, 2012
Bryce Courtenay had this book in his head for a long time. He was a successful advertising executive for so many years and then hung up his hat to be a writer--in my opinion because he had "The Power of One" and "Tandia" bouncing around in his head and he needed to get it out.
These two books are fantastic. The Power of One focuses on a white South African during the Apartheid years and this book follows a girl of mixed race (Indian and Black). It's an incredible story illustrated by the historical backdrop of South African Apartheid.
My wife said that this book hasn't formally been released in the U.S., which is strange considering the success of "The Power of One." This book is a must read for those that liked the first volume. It's a long one.
DISCLOSURE: the story is set in South Africa during Apartheid and focuses on a "colored" girl. Prepare yourself for plenty of rape scenes and shocking police brutality. Although the scenes are somewhat tastefully done, since they are an integral part of the story you have to bear with them.
These two books are fantastic. The Power of One focuses on a white South African during the Apartheid years and this book follows a girl of mixed race (Indian and Black). It's an incredible story illustrated by the historical backdrop of South African Apartheid.
My wife said that this book hasn't formally been released in the U.S., which is strange considering the success of "The Power of One." This book is a must read for those that liked the first volume. It's a long one.
DISCLOSURE: the story is set in South Africa during Apartheid and focuses on a "colored" girl. Prepare yourself for plenty of rape scenes and shocking police brutality. Although the scenes are somewhat tastefully done, since they are an integral part of the story you have to bear with them.
Read
February 12, 2011As I understand it, this is the sequel to The Power of One, which I loved!!! But I couldn't get more than about a 3rd of the way through before I put it down. It was dark, depressing (yes, the Power of One isn't a 'happy-ever-after' story either) and the first part of the book focused too much on sex and prositution. I understand that this is Tandia's story therefore we need her background, but how many pages can we read about her working in a brothel.
I wanted to find out the ending to Peekay's story and I didn't get far enough into the book to know how Tandia even relates to the story line of Peekay. I did skip to the end and read part of that and still didn't get how they relate, though once I read that Peekay died, I didn't care to find out.
I wanted to find out the ending to Peekay's story and I didn't get far enough into the book to know how Tandia even relates to the story line of Peekay. I did skip to the end and read part of that and still didn't get how they relate, though once I read that Peekay died, I didn't care to find out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2021
This is the sequel to The Power of One and it's another amazing story. The horrors of apartheid are difficult to read about, the book is set during the 1950's and 60's and you know that there are still decades of struggle for South Africa's black population.
Both books are really worth the read though.
Both books are really worth the read though.
June 7, 2017
This book was very unexpected, I felt the blurb on back of book rather misleading, it made it sound like an uplifting romance? I recently read The Power of One, which was a really magical uplifting journey (with a few dark places). This book was the opposite! It is a real dark & gritty journey into the shameful and shocking recent history of South Africa and Apartheid. The plot never did what you thought it might. I'm not sure I'm happy with the ending... and was the author leaving it open for a sequel which I don't think materialised?
So the first part of the book is all about Tandia - right from the word go it was such a truly shocking shocking tale!
Then we rejoin Peekay. His tale is picked up seamlessly from where we left him - down the mines - at the end of the last book.
And finally their lives join in a most unexpected way. In fact, there are many surprising character links from one book to the next. The author is genius in crafting such varied & interesting characters. The names he gives them are fabulous - Juicy Fruit Mambo! Too Many Fingers Bembi! Love it! Peekay's fabulous granddad was sadly largely absent. As is his father (again), I can only conclude Peekay was illegitimate? Really love the Twins Dee & Dum, what beautiful souls! The you have the pure evil Geldenhuis, who is the perfect nasty villain to Peekay's uniting character. I couldn't help thinking that Gideon Mandoma was inspired by (not pretending to be) Nelson Mandela.
But the truly shocking thing about this work of fiction, which will haunt me, is that it must have been inspired by things the author witnesses or researched about his own country! The things that must have gone on during apartheid just defies belief to some one like me, who is of mixed heritaege and was lucky enough to have had the freedoms and relative peace to be me in England. This book has given me plenty to think about.
With The Power of One, there are some fabulous little nuggets in there that I just have to share. (Page numbers are from the edition I read ISBN 0 7493 0576 2).
Page 432 - 'I don't love Jackson, I just don't hate him because he's black. Give me another reason to hate him!'
Page 433 - I'm sorry, but I can't build up an emotional reaction to Jackson based on his colour. My life, my future life, is dedicated to the proposition that all men should be born equal. What happens to them after that is up to them. But they must be given equal social and intellectual opportunity based on their minds, their skills and their personalities. When you declaire a man or a woman inferior, second class, because of pigmentation, then you sin beyond any possibility of redemption.
Page 545 - When I went overseas, I mean to the university, I thought I'd find people, maybe even a whole nation which was free from prejudice. But, of course, I was wrong. The English were no better than the rest of us. The English working-class mother points out the runny-nosed kids from the Irish fmaiky who live further down the lane and warns her children not to play with them. When her kids ask "why, mummy?" She replies, "They're dirty, you'll catch something bad. Stay away from them, they're different from you!" Or if it isn't the Irish, it's the middle-class mother talking about the working-class family at the end of the street. Prejudice is a universal condition, whether it's the colour of your skin, the difference in your accent, the length of your nose, the way you dress or the food you eat.
Page 545-546 - anybody can be the target for prejudice, all you have to be is too something. Too short, too fat, too clever, too big, too small, too slow, too new, too different from what others think of as normal.
Page 546-547 - The only way to eliminate prejudice is to eliminate the differences which create the fear, and with the fear gone, the hatered will go too. We must integrate society.
So the first part of the book is all about Tandia - right from the word go it was such a truly shocking shocking tale!
Then we rejoin Peekay. His tale is picked up seamlessly from where we left him - down the mines - at the end of the last book.
And finally their lives join in a most unexpected way. In fact, there are many surprising character links from one book to the next. The author is genius in crafting such varied & interesting characters. The names he gives them are fabulous - Juicy Fruit Mambo! Too Many Fingers Bembi! Love it! Peekay's fabulous granddad was sadly largely absent. As is his father (again), I can only conclude Peekay was illegitimate? Really love the Twins Dee & Dum, what beautiful souls! The you have the pure evil Geldenhuis, who is the perfect nasty villain to Peekay's uniting character. I couldn't help thinking that Gideon Mandoma was inspired by (not pretending to be) Nelson Mandela.
But the truly shocking thing about this work of fiction, which will haunt me, is that it must have been inspired by things the author witnesses or researched about his own country! The things that must have gone on during apartheid just defies belief to some one like me, who is of mixed heritaege and was lucky enough to have had the freedoms and relative peace to be me in England. This book has given me plenty to think about.
With The Power of One, there are some fabulous little nuggets in there that I just have to share. (Page numbers are from the edition I read ISBN 0 7493 0576 2).
Page 432 - 'I don't love Jackson, I just don't hate him because he's black. Give me another reason to hate him!'
Page 433 - I'm sorry, but I can't build up an emotional reaction to Jackson based on his colour. My life, my future life, is dedicated to the proposition that all men should be born equal. What happens to them after that is up to them. But they must be given equal social and intellectual opportunity based on their minds, their skills and their personalities. When you declaire a man or a woman inferior, second class, because of pigmentation, then you sin beyond any possibility of redemption.
Page 545 - When I went overseas, I mean to the university, I thought I'd find people, maybe even a whole nation which was free from prejudice. But, of course, I was wrong. The English were no better than the rest of us. The English working-class mother points out the runny-nosed kids from the Irish fmaiky who live further down the lane and warns her children not to play with them. When her kids ask "why, mummy?" She replies, "They're dirty, you'll catch something bad. Stay away from them, they're different from you!" Or if it isn't the Irish, it's the middle-class mother talking about the working-class family at the end of the street. Prejudice is a universal condition, whether it's the colour of your skin, the difference in your accent, the length of your nose, the way you dress or the food you eat.
Page 545-546 - anybody can be the target for prejudice, all you have to be is too something. Too short, too fat, too clever, too big, too small, too slow, too new, too different from what others think of as normal.
Page 546-547 - The only way to eliminate prejudice is to eliminate the differences which create the fear, and with the fear gone, the hatered will go too. We must integrate society.
October 7, 2023
Terrible. Do not recommend.
This was one of the most depressing books I've ever read. I have never before seen such a striking switch in an author's perspective. Bryce Courtenay wrote the Power of One as uplifting, and beautiful. And Tandia from a brutal and unforgiving one. I was upset that I finished this book. It tarnished my memory of Peekay. If I could take it back and unread it, I would. We followed the life of Peekay and watched him overcome huge obstacles in his difficult life because of his courage and strength of character. It was a wonderfully told story that I caught myself thinking about months after. Then I read Tandia, and was shocked to find out that PeeKay turns out to be a quivering sack of cowardess and weakness. I really had much higher expectations for him as an adult and I think Doc and Giel Peet would be rolling in their graves.
In the end he uses his remaining strength to try and slither his way into the cave where Doc was buried so he could meekly lay down and die next to him. What! The real Peekay from The Power Of One would have done much better.
He should have gone with Tandia and continued to fight apartheid and injustice- and actually raise their child. But Tandia also was disappointing in the end. Mentally strong and physically so very weak.
Tandia - her father never loved her, she was homeless/mistreated, she was raped, sold as a prostitute
Peekay - He is absolutely pathetic. Scared that they—I don’t know who “they” is—that they will find out who I really am. For Peekay, welterweight champion of the world wasn’t a title, it was the meaning of his life, the very principle on which he’d based his entire personality.
‘Most revolutions, no matter how quiet, are not served well by the sympathetic intellectual who carps at the injustice of the culture but seems to live quite happily off the resultant lifestyle it affords
The world was full of bastards and hating them was a time-consuming and poorly paid business.
‘People are people through people.’
This was one of the most depressing books I've ever read. I have never before seen such a striking switch in an author's perspective. Bryce Courtenay wrote the Power of One as uplifting, and beautiful. And Tandia from a brutal and unforgiving one. I was upset that I finished this book. It tarnished my memory of Peekay. If I could take it back and unread it, I would. We followed the life of Peekay and watched him overcome huge obstacles in his difficult life because of his courage and strength of character. It was a wonderfully told story that I caught myself thinking about months after. Then I read Tandia, and was shocked to find out that PeeKay turns out to be a quivering sack of cowardess and weakness. I really had much higher expectations for him as an adult and I think Doc and Giel Peet would be rolling in their graves.
In the end he uses his remaining strength to try and slither his way into the cave where Doc was buried so he could meekly lay down and die next to him. What! The real Peekay from The Power Of One would have done much better.
He should have gone with Tandia and continued to fight apartheid and injustice- and actually raise their child. But Tandia also was disappointing in the end. Mentally strong and physically so very weak.
Tandia - her father never loved her, she was homeless/mistreated, she was raped, sold as a prostitute
Peekay - He is absolutely pathetic. Scared that they—I don’t know who “they” is—that they will find out who I really am. For Peekay, welterweight champion of the world wasn’t a title, it was the meaning of his life, the very principle on which he’d based his entire personality.
‘Most revolutions, no matter how quiet, are not served well by the sympathetic intellectual who carps at the injustice of the culture but seems to live quite happily off the resultant lifestyle it affords
The world was full of bastards and hating them was a time-consuming and poorly paid business.
‘People are people through people.’
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2017
Oh Tandia! This one I did not want to end. I thought Power of One was special. This was even more so! I can't believe I didn't jump into this one sooner. I felt more committed and engaged in this story than the original Power of One, and I'm not sure why. Same author, same brilliant writing. I certainly read this much faster and I'm certain it's because this was available as an e-reader, and I got the narrated version, so I could toggle between reading and listening, while at the gym. I've heard enough books narrated to know that the voice can either make the story better, or it can ruin it. The voice narration for this book was amazing. I was rapt!! This story is so cleverly crafted to intertwine with the characters introduced in Power of One. This was a powerful continuation of an amazing protagonist with the addition of a new protagonist, Tandia. Her life is much different than Peekay's, but they are perfectly woven together. I feel like I could go on. If you're still reading this review, thank you. I'll end now but do yourself a favor, mark The Power of One as your TO READ, then go ahead and add Tandia to the same list. Brilliant storytelling.
January 8, 2020
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandia
Sequel recommended not just for fans of BC.
South Africa - so many depressing stories.
A reader I respect said she preferred it to PK's story. Potent tale. Not one for me to re-read.
For me Tandia links with Dalene Matthee's Pieternella
Pieternella: Daughter of Eva
From the Wiki
"Tandia is Bryce Courtenay's 1991 sequel to his own best-selling novel The Power of One. It follows the story of a young woman, Tandia, who was brutally raped and then banished from her own home. Tandia later meets up with Peekay, the protagonist from The Power of One and their stories continue on together. "
Sequel recommended not just for fans of BC.
South Africa - so many depressing stories.
A reader I respect said she preferred it to PK's story. Potent tale. Not one for me to re-read.
For me Tandia links with Dalene Matthee's Pieternella
Pieternella: Daughter of Eva
From the Wiki
"Tandia is Bryce Courtenay's 1991 sequel to his own best-selling novel The Power of One. It follows the story of a young woman, Tandia, who was brutally raped and then banished from her own home. Tandia later meets up with Peekay, the protagonist from The Power of One and their stories continue on together. "
January 26, 2025
3.5 stars
Courtenay writes of Africa beautifully but I felt this book had a less direction than the first. The strength and bravery of the main character was also absent …
Courtenay writes of Africa beautifully but I felt this book had a less direction than the first. The strength and bravery of the main character was also absent …
March 9, 2019
Phew, what an epic novel! I learnt a lot about South Africa in the 1950s and 60s. Set roughly in three main parts, the book starts with Tandia as the main character, an illegitimate half Zulu half Indian girl who grows up more or less a servant in her father and stepmother's household. After the sudden death of her father her stepmother throws her out of the house and then trouble and salvation ensue. The story then switches to the character of Peekay, an idealistic white guy of English origin who studies law at Oxford and building up his boxing career to challenge the world welterweight champion. The novel then integrates the two main stories - along with a whole host of characters, all well drawn and memorable, like Mama Tequila, Juicey Fruit Mambo, Hymie Levy, Magistrate Coetzee, Gideon Mandoma, Jannie Geldenhuis and many more.
It's a vivid and vibrant South Africa with a colourful (pun intended) cast of characters and settings. I got a really good sense of the Afrikaaners (Boers), the English (rooineks), the coloureds, Jewish, the Zulus, Swazis, Bantus, Xhosa and other tribes, and I was especially interested in the references to all the different languages of those tribes and more like Fanagolo and Siswati. Most of the Afrikaans phrases and sentence were translated but I found myself understanding a lot of it anyway. I really got the sense of a country rich with different peoples, languages and cultures.
There's history in here, like the Sharpeville massacre, and stuff about the ANC, and there's crossing and double-crossing the whole way through - keeping the reader hooked in right through the whole 900 pages. It sagged a bit here and there for me mainly in the bits about boxing, but even though I have no interest in boxing (and am in fact repulsed by the idea), the descriptions of the fights were electric. The tension builds more and more towards the end, with madness and myth playing out at high altitude.
It's a vivid and vibrant South Africa with a colourful (pun intended) cast of characters and settings. I got a really good sense of the Afrikaaners (Boers), the English (rooineks), the coloureds, Jewish, the Zulus, Swazis, Bantus, Xhosa and other tribes, and I was especially interested in the references to all the different languages of those tribes and more like Fanagolo and Siswati. Most of the Afrikaans phrases and sentence were translated but I found myself understanding a lot of it anyway. I really got the sense of a country rich with different peoples, languages and cultures.
There's history in here, like the Sharpeville massacre, and stuff about the ANC, and there's crossing and double-crossing the whole way through - keeping the reader hooked in right through the whole 900 pages. It sagged a bit here and there for me mainly in the bits about boxing, but even though I have no interest in boxing (and am in fact repulsed by the idea), the descriptions of the fights were electric. The tension builds more and more towards the end, with madness and myth playing out at high altitude.
September 27, 2008
Fortsættelsen til The Power of one, er meget mere mørk, deprimerende og voldelig bog, hvor hadet spiller en væsentlig rolle. Bogen foregår for det meste i Sydafrika i tiden hvor Apartheid-styret bliver mere og mere ondt, brutalt og himmelråbende uretfærdigt.
Bogen fortsætter historien om Peekay og hans kamp for at blive boskeverdensmester, mens han samtidig uddanner sig til advokat i Oxford, sammen med vennen Hymie slår han sig herefter ned i Sydafrika for at kæmpe for et frit og lige land.
Samtidig introduceres vi som læser for Tandia, en ung halv inder halv zulu, der allerede som purung oplever politiets brutalitet og ulovlige metoer på egen krop efter at Bordelmutter Mama Tequila har taget hende under sine vinger vokser hun op til en køn og intelligent ung dame.
Tandia og Peekays historie væves sammen i en spændende historie der indeholder det hele: had, mord, ludere, oprør, menneskemassakre, boksekampe, korruption, venskab, kærlighed, opofrelse og stolthed.
Det er ikke en bog man sidder og smiler mens man læser, men alligevel er det på en måde livsbekræftende at læse at der altid er mennesker der er parat til at kæmpe for retfærdighed i verden uanset hvor håbløst det ser ud.
Bogen fortsætter historien om Peekay og hans kamp for at blive boskeverdensmester, mens han samtidig uddanner sig til advokat i Oxford, sammen med vennen Hymie slår han sig herefter ned i Sydafrika for at kæmpe for et frit og lige land.
Samtidig introduceres vi som læser for Tandia, en ung halv inder halv zulu, der allerede som purung oplever politiets brutalitet og ulovlige metoer på egen krop efter at Bordelmutter Mama Tequila har taget hende under sine vinger vokser hun op til en køn og intelligent ung dame.
Tandia og Peekays historie væves sammen i en spændende historie der indeholder det hele: had, mord, ludere, oprør, menneskemassakre, boksekampe, korruption, venskab, kærlighed, opofrelse og stolthed.
Det er ikke en bog man sidder og smiler mens man læser, men alligevel er det på en måde livsbekræftende at læse at der altid er mennesker der er parat til at kæmpe for retfærdighed i verden uanset hvor håbløst det ser ud.
March 22, 2016
I have rarely been so engrossed in a book, and so consumed by the plight of its characters. I'm afraid I am another 'Power of One' fan. Inasmuch, I really wanted to follow up on what happened to Peekay. Reading 'Power of One' as a youngster had a profound impact on me and the person I wanted to become.
The book Tandia is a more mature and realistic response to the Power of One. Courtenay deals with similar issues like racism, injustice and courage, but this time we see it more from the receiving end. The book has a much darker slant than its prequel, which is refreshing in some ways; as the prequel was at times too good to be true.
I would like to say that I do find Courtenay's portrayal of the Afrikaner as a little unfair at times, as he makes them out to be a either stupid, racist or cowardly. Which, I suppose, you could defend in light of the conditions and way of life people suffered through under the real Apartheid.
There are moments of real joy, laughter, heartache and profound anger in store for the reader, more so than any other book I know, and on that basis I urge you to read it. While I hold the Power of One as Courtenay's best, this is an excellent second.
The book Tandia is a more mature and realistic response to the Power of One. Courtenay deals with similar issues like racism, injustice and courage, but this time we see it more from the receiving end. The book has a much darker slant than its prequel, which is refreshing in some ways; as the prequel was at times too good to be true.
I would like to say that I do find Courtenay's portrayal of the Afrikaner as a little unfair at times, as he makes them out to be a either stupid, racist or cowardly. Which, I suppose, you could defend in light of the conditions and way of life people suffered through under the real Apartheid.
There are moments of real joy, laughter, heartache and profound anger in store for the reader, more so than any other book I know, and on that basis I urge you to read it. While I hold the Power of One as Courtenay's best, this is an excellent second.
April 13, 2017
This is undoubtedly one of my favourite novels. It can only be fully appreciated if you have read 'The Power of One'. But as a warning do not try to circumvent its reading by watching the movie!!!
Even though this was a re-read for me, I can tell you that I will never be prepared for the introduction of Tandia, a girl of Indian & Black African heritage during the years of South African Apartheid. Immediately you are affronted by the brutality of her rape and the ongoing complicit behaviour and use of this abhorrent policy. Life for and around Tandia follows but it is always with an anticipation of hate, fear and injustice. The story turns back to Peekay and his relentless pursuit of 'boxing' glory and his ambition to study law for a return to South Africa, to fight against the persecution.
There are moments of friendship, superstition, destiny and love in this book, but ultimately it is a story of fighting. One to uphold a promise and the other to free an oppressed people.
Even though this was a re-read for me, I can tell you that I will never be prepared for the introduction of Tandia, a girl of Indian & Black African heritage during the years of South African Apartheid. Immediately you are affronted by the brutality of her rape and the ongoing complicit behaviour and use of this abhorrent policy. Life for and around Tandia follows but it is always with an anticipation of hate, fear and injustice. The story turns back to Peekay and his relentless pursuit of 'boxing' glory and his ambition to study law for a return to South Africa, to fight against the persecution.
There are moments of friendship, superstition, destiny and love in this book, but ultimately it is a story of fighting. One to uphold a promise and the other to free an oppressed people.
July 17, 2012
I loved The Power of One and really looked forward to reading Tandia. An excellent book and fitting sequel for Pekay. His fight against Apartheid is heartbreaking (how could it not be?) and watching him throughout the story is inspiring. The African mythology and tribal stories bring such depth and meaning to the present-day action in the book. The only criticism I would have of this wonderful book is Tandia herself. She felt very real and was very compelling at the beginning, but as the book goes along she gets thinner and more distant in character. I think, because there isn't quite enough from her point of view, or deep enough point of view, I don't connect with her as closely. Still, brilliant book that is huge in scope and theme, and Bryce Courtenay is an incredible writer. I intend to read every book he has written!
May 27, 2018
Many years ago while on vacation I had asked several of my fellow travelers their favorite books. The most convincing of the group recommended The Power of One. I Loved the book and have since passed on the suggestion to as many as I could. A very small number had even heard of Bryce Courtney. I later heard that the follow up book Tandia was also quite good I had searched without much luck to find a copy. At work I was talking favorites with one of my bosses who had a copy and I jumped on it. To my surprise it was a 900 page 1 3/4 inch thick paperback with microscopic writing. It was a fabulous read about the fight for South Africa’s soul leading up to the end of apartheid. Read both of these stories and enjoy storytelling and life lessons as you never have before.
July 10, 2020
probably a 4.5
Also can we get a hallelujah for the representation? An ace character, a polyamorous relationship, well written women (though they aren't always treated very well), strippers and prostitutes who aren't just written off as 'sluts' but are actual fully formed people and well respected by other characters.
This book was ahead of its time man.
Also we stan the Onoshobishobi Ingelosi.
Also can we get a hallelujah for the representation? An ace character, a polyamorous relationship, well written women (though they aren't always treated very well), strippers and prostitutes who aren't just written off as 'sluts' but are actual fully formed people and well respected by other characters.
This book was ahead of its time man.
Also we stan the Onoshobishobi Ingelosi.
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