Bertha the Swiss Trader's Daughter: Love, War and Conspiracy in the Turbulent Past of Malawi - the little Jewel of Africa

by Eleni Trataris Cotton

It is 1915 and the Great War changes everything. Born of two cultures, black and white, the Deuss sisters live lives of privilege in Nyasaland, now Malawi, a magnificent country where people walk in fear of slave traders, where big game is hunted, and affluent colonials drink cocktails at sundown. It ends suddenly when catastrophic events tear their family apart. Bertha and her sisters are left unprotected in a male dominated, racist society. Rejecting despair, they forge a new path for themselves with courage and determination. But is this enough to open society's closed doors, to build a new life, find love and defy what society expects lone girls of mixed race to do? This is fact-fiction meticulously researched, a novel and adventure story which is based on real peoples' lives, people who experienced the depths of tragedy, yet also the heights of joy during their lives on an unforgettably beautiful and wild continent. It is a slice of history, a window into an enthralling, exciting and doomed world that is gone forever.

344 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2017

About the author

Eleni Trataris Cotton is a Malawian-born author of Greek, Swiss and Mozambiquan ancestry, now living in Kent in the UK. She has written two books to date. Her first book was 'Straight from the Donkey's Mouth', an insider's view of riotous living on a Greek island and the upheaval caused by political and economic chaos. This was followed by 'Bertha, the Swiss Trader's Daughter', an adventure/historical novel which was inspired by a true story and is set in Malawi (then Nyasaland) at the beginning of the last century. This is the first of a trilogy.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It is very well-written and tells a fascinating story. There are beautiful sections full of joy, color, and adventure that reminded me (in the best possible way) of a 1950s/1960s Disney epic! But, it has the emotion, tension, and intimacy of a memoir because it is based on the author's family's life. There are very few novels about this time period of history in this area of Africa and that also makes this book so fascinating. I would highly recommend it. (And, I hear there might be a sequel? Here's hoping!)

[Gerry Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

After visiting South Africa last year, I really appreciated the fantastic descriptions of the African landscape and wildlife of Malawi in this book. The book also filled in some gaps in my admittedly scant knowledge of African history. I have been reading about WWI lately, but few of the histories spend much time on the impact of the war in Africa. What I found most interesting was the perspective of an interracial family in Africa at the beginning of the 20th century. We tend to think in black and white (literally) when we think of the colonial period in Africa's history. Yet mixed-race families did exist, as one might expect upon reflection, and despite facing sometimes overwhelming prejudices and heartbreaking outcomes, they often manage not only to survive, but to thrive and make a fine life for themselves in the harshly beautiful land they call home.