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When the Ground Is Hard
Edgar Award nominee stuns in this heartrending tale set in a Swaziland boarding school where two girls of different castes bond over a shared copy of Jane Eyre.Adele Joubert loves being one of the popular girls at Keziah Christian Academy. She knows the upcoming semester at school is going to be great with her best friend Delia at her side. Then Delia dumps her for a new girl with more money, and Adele is forced to share a room with Lottie, the school pariah, who doesn't pray and defies teachers' orders. But as they share a copy of Jane Eyre, Lottie's gruff exterior and honesty grow on Adele, and Lottie learns to be a little sweeter. Together, they take on bullies and protect each other from the vindictive and prejudiced teachers. Then a boy goes missing on campus and Adele and Lottie must rely on each other to solve the mystery and maybe learn the true meaning of friendship.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2019
52 people are currently reading
2844 people want to read
About the author
Malla Nunn
9 books193 followersMalla Nunn grew up in Swaziland before moving with her parents to Perth in the 1970s. She attended university in WA and then in the US. In New York, she worked on film sets, wrote her first screenplay and met her American husband to be, before returning to Australia, where she began writing and directing short films and corporate videos. Fade to White, Sweetbreeze and Servant of the Ancestors have won numerous awards and been shown at international film festivals, from Zanzibar to New York.
Her first novel, A Beautiful Place to Die (2008), was published internationally and won the Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel by an Australian female author. Malla and her husband live in Sydney with their two children.
Her first novel, A Beautiful Place to Die (2008), was published internationally and won the Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel by an Australian female author. Malla and her husband live in Sydney with their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
July 9, 2022
I read this because I already know of the author from her Detective Emmanuel Cooper series (I wish she would write more of them). They of course are adult books. When the Ground Is Hard is young adult but still very readable by those of us who are not young any more.
The author has a tremendous ability for describing her settings and this book took me straight back to the short time I spent in Swaziland. I could see that busy bus stop in the early morning and hear the hubbub of chattering people and squawking chickens. I remember the incredible difference in the way people lived depending on their race and colour.
Malla Nunn lived the situations in this book herself which makes reading it more profound. In a way the boarding school is like other schools everywhere, so Adele, our main character, runs foul of the mean girls, suffers, makes a better type of friend and becomes a better person herself. This is only part of the story because it is played against a world with enormous challenges for someone in Adele's position,
The ending explains the meaning of the title and offers hope. I have been singing the women's song in my head for hours since I finished the book.
The author has a tremendous ability for describing her settings and this book took me straight back to the short time I spent in Swaziland. I could see that busy bus stop in the early morning and hear the hubbub of chattering people and squawking chickens. I remember the incredible difference in the way people lived depending on their race and colour.
Malla Nunn lived the situations in this book herself which makes reading it more profound. In a way the boarding school is like other schools everywhere, so Adele, our main character, runs foul of the mean girls, suffers, makes a better type of friend and becomes a better person herself. This is only part of the story because it is played against a world with enormous challenges for someone in Adele's position,
The ending explains the meaning of the title and offers hope. I have been singing the women's song in my head for hours since I finished the book.
July 2, 2019
Adele Joubert lived with her mother and brother Rian, with their father visiting occasionally, while they telephoned him every Thursday evening. The time to return to Keziah Christian Academy was fast approaching and when her mother and brother took her to the bus shelter, all she could think of was joining Delia in the seat she would have saved on the bus. But Delia betrayed Adele, dumping her for another girl; Adele found a vacant seat next to Lottie Diamond, a girl she didn’t care for.
Adele and Lottie were forced together as room mates and it was the beginning of change for Adele. Lottie was different and gradually Adele realized Lottie’s manner hid a girl who was honest and true; kind and gentle to those she cared about. Reading Jane Eyre together by candlelight, learning about each other’s pasts – the two girls developed a deep friendship. Together they fought the bullies in school and kept each other’s spirits up. But there was more to come…
When the Ground is Hard by Aussie author Malla Nunn is the author’s first foray into YA fiction, and I loved it. I’m not a big reader of young adult, but having loved Nunn’s four previous crime novels, I knew I had to read this one. And it didn’t disappoint. Brilliant. Set in Africa, with the prejudices of colour and race, the hardships of the teenagers at boarding school and the contrasts between the poor and the well-off, it was a stunning read. Poignant and heart breaking, nevertheless it was full of hope, friendship and love. The African proverb – “When the ground is hard, the women dance” – is explained near the finish, and it made complete sense. Malla Nunn’s words at the end show that the story has deep roots in her family history. Highly recommended.
Adele and Lottie were forced together as room mates and it was the beginning of change for Adele. Lottie was different and gradually Adele realized Lottie’s manner hid a girl who was honest and true; kind and gentle to those she cared about. Reading Jane Eyre together by candlelight, learning about each other’s pasts – the two girls developed a deep friendship. Together they fought the bullies in school and kept each other’s spirits up. But there was more to come…
When the Ground is Hard by Aussie author Malla Nunn is the author’s first foray into YA fiction, and I loved it. I’m not a big reader of young adult, but having loved Nunn’s four previous crime novels, I knew I had to read this one. And it didn’t disappoint. Brilliant. Set in Africa, with the prejudices of colour and race, the hardships of the teenagers at boarding school and the contrasts between the poor and the well-off, it was a stunning read. Poignant and heart breaking, nevertheless it was full of hope, friendship and love. The African proverb – “When the ground is hard, the women dance” – is explained near the finish, and it made complete sense. Malla Nunn’s words at the end show that the story has deep roots in her family history. Highly recommended.
August 30, 2022
When the Ground is Hard is a YA novel set in Swaziland in the 1960s, (now known as eSwatini), mainly at the Keziah Christian Academy, a boarding school for mixed-raced children. The author was born in Swaziland before moving to Australia in the 1970s and in fact attended the school herself along with many of her family members.
Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa and is landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique to the north. Swaziland was a British high commission territory from 1903 to 1968, when it regained independence. Eswatini is the only absolute monarchy in Africa, currently ruled by King Mswati III. The majority of the population are Swazis and speak Swazi (siSwati). Swaziland did not officially have the legal Apartheid system as in South Africa but as a British protectorate there were strongly entrenched divides and economic differences between the racial groups with oppression and disenfranchisement being routine.
The main character in the book is teenager Adele Joubert, who lives with her mixed raced mother and brother Rian in Swaziland, with occasional visits from her white father who lives in South Africa with his wife and other family. In a school where the children are ranked according to wealth and colour, Adele is used to being one of the popular and powerful girls at school along with her friend Delia and “The Pretties.” She is disheartened and ashamed to find her position supplanted by a wealthier, whiter girl. She is forced to sit at the back of the bus next to Lottie Diamond, who she looks down on as poor and low class. With time the brave and fiesty Lottie challenges Adele to rethink her views on a system that treats people differently according to race and money rather than their actions. The two girls bond over reading Jane Eyre and stand together against bullies and hardships. Adele slowly learns to understand and appreciate her black roots.
The title comes from a beautiful African proverb “When the ground is hard, the women dance,” giving us a spark of hope in times of suffering. I really enjoyed this YA novel and think it would make a great class read.
Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa and is landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique to the north. Swaziland was a British high commission territory from 1903 to 1968, when it regained independence. Eswatini is the only absolute monarchy in Africa, currently ruled by King Mswati III. The majority of the population are Swazis and speak Swazi (siSwati). Swaziland did not officially have the legal Apartheid system as in South Africa but as a British protectorate there were strongly entrenched divides and economic differences between the racial groups with oppression and disenfranchisement being routine.
The main character in the book is teenager Adele Joubert, who lives with her mixed raced mother and brother Rian in Swaziland, with occasional visits from her white father who lives in South Africa with his wife and other family. In a school where the children are ranked according to wealth and colour, Adele is used to being one of the popular and powerful girls at school along with her friend Delia and “The Pretties.” She is disheartened and ashamed to find her position supplanted by a wealthier, whiter girl. She is forced to sit at the back of the bus next to Lottie Diamond, who she looks down on as poor and low class. With time the brave and fiesty Lottie challenges Adele to rethink her views on a system that treats people differently according to race and money rather than their actions. The two girls bond over reading Jane Eyre and stand together against bullies and hardships. Adele slowly learns to understand and appreciate her black roots.
The title comes from a beautiful African proverb “When the ground is hard, the women dance,” giving us a spark of hope in times of suffering. I really enjoyed this YA novel and think it would make a great class read.
June 29, 2019
Adele is popular in the Keziah Christian Academy in Swaziland, where your standing is a combination of the color of your skin and your economic status. Adele is lucky: she is mixed race with a white father , who pays full fees. She is able to afford new clothes and treats; however, she arrives late to the bus to return for the school year, and is humiliated to sit in the back with the lower caste (poor and/or black natives.) A new Portuguese girl has taken her place with the popular girls (the "pretties") and she finds herself partnered with Lottie, who is dirt poor, wild and carefree, and has no interest in seeking a station on the school's social ladder. The two girls from what seem to be completely different backgrounds are forced together, and quiet Adele grows in many ways, learning much from Lottie's sense of justice, service, and compassion. A classic YA novel from Nunn, whose detective series is also excellent, with the added bonus of understanding more about Africa and its many diverse cultures.
September 22, 2020
3.5 stars
This is a cute story in a somewhat bleak setting, of two teenage girls from different backgrounds attending boarding school and becoming friends. It’s definitely aimed at kids in that there’s not a lot of nuance and the text tends to point things out rather than letting readers draw their own conclusions, but I still mostly enjoyed it.
The book is set in 1960s Swaziland under apartheid, and the narrator, Adele, is the daughter of a white South African father and mixed-race mother, attending a religious boarding school for mixed-race children. As is common in stories of female friendship, our narrator is the conformist while her new friend, Lottie, is the rebel. Adele comes across as a bit snotty, but she’s wrestling with a lot of complicated issues in her family and dealing with her place in society, being female and mixed-race in a country then under British control. Lottie is more admirable and sympathetic, but Adele is more complicated and experiences some personal growth while Lottie is basically the same throughout. Other than perhaps Adele, the characters are drawn in very broad strokes; Lottie can be neatly summed up as “tough poor girl with a heart of gold,” while Adele’s former best friend is just a stereotypical mean girl.
All that said, it’s a pretty good story and the contrast between the harshness of the school and the sweetness of the girls’ budding friendship works well. The setting is well-drawn: the author lived in Swaziland in the 1960s before her family left the country, and her portrayal of it is vivid and interesting. Surprisingly to me, though the society is racially stratified, within the mixed-race group colorism doesn’t seem to be a thing at all; Lottie is described as physically (but not socially) white and still occupies a low place in the mixed-race teenage hierarchy due to her family’s poverty.
And the ending was very satisfying, though I would have liked to know more, particularly about Adele’s father’s other family, whether they would ever meet and how they’d all relate to each other after the end of apartheid. But wanting to know more means the story did catch my attention. A solid choice if you’re looking for something set in Swaziland and/or are a fan of YA.
This is a cute story in a somewhat bleak setting, of two teenage girls from different backgrounds attending boarding school and becoming friends. It’s definitely aimed at kids in that there’s not a lot of nuance and the text tends to point things out rather than letting readers draw their own conclusions, but I still mostly enjoyed it.
The book is set in 1960s Swaziland under apartheid, and the narrator, Adele, is the daughter of a white South African father and mixed-race mother, attending a religious boarding school for mixed-race children. As is common in stories of female friendship, our narrator is the conformist while her new friend, Lottie, is the rebel. Adele comes across as a bit snotty, but she’s wrestling with a lot of complicated issues in her family and dealing with her place in society, being female and mixed-race in a country then under British control. Lottie is more admirable and sympathetic, but Adele is more complicated and experiences some personal growth while Lottie is basically the same throughout. Other than perhaps Adele, the characters are drawn in very broad strokes; Lottie can be neatly summed up as “tough poor girl with a heart of gold,” while Adele’s former best friend is just a stereotypical mean girl.
All that said, it’s a pretty good story and the contrast between the harshness of the school and the sweetness of the girls’ budding friendship works well. The setting is well-drawn: the author lived in Swaziland in the 1960s before her family left the country, and her portrayal of it is vivid and interesting. Surprisingly to me, though the society is racially stratified, within the mixed-race group colorism doesn’t seem to be a thing at all; Lottie is described as physically (but not socially) white and still occupies a low place in the mixed-race teenage hierarchy due to her family’s poverty.
And the ending was very satisfying, though I would have liked to know more, particularly about Adele’s father’s other family, whether they would ever meet and how they’d all relate to each other after the end of apartheid. But wanting to know more means the story did catch my attention. A solid choice if you’re looking for something set in Swaziland and/or are a fan of YA.
February 25, 2023
It read younger than I thought it would be, but that's actually quite nice. The core themes (friendship, forming your own opinions apart from your family for the first time) and the way it is written is are very accessible to readers of all age groups and make it easier to take something away from the discussions of privilege and prejudice. The setting is full of life and the slight insights into the lives of mixed race people in a country I know very little about was nice.
However, the more I think about this book, the more apparent are its shortcomings. It´s a good middle grade book, but I don't think that's the vision of the author. The protagonist is supposed to be 16 but in no way reads to me as such. The ending is too easy, the exploration of themes and the harsh reality stays on the surface, some conflicts are just never resolved and I also expected more from the inclusion of the novel Jane Eyre. As a YA or adult book, it´s undercooked, for a younger audience it´s really nice, though.
However, the more I think about this book, the more apparent are its shortcomings. It´s a good middle grade book, but I don't think that's the vision of the author. The protagonist is supposed to be 16 but in no way reads to me as such. The ending is too easy, the exploration of themes and the harsh reality stays on the surface, some conflicts are just never resolved and I also expected more from the inclusion of the novel Jane Eyre. As a YA or adult book, it´s undercooked, for a younger audience it´s really nice, though.
February 22, 2021
Although this coming of age story is set in 1965 Swaziland, Adele’s life at a boarding school for mixed-race students will resonate with anyone who has ever been dealt a hand by the “Mean Girl” clique at school. This novel deals with class and race discrimination, envy and compassion, and is based on stories told by her mother and aunts about being educated in a boarding school for ‘mixed race’ students.
Author Nunn writes from personal experience, as she attended the same boarding school as a young girl. When discussing what the book means to her she said: “This is my blood in this book. It’s my mother, my aunties, my grandmother. We all went to that school. My parents worked at that school. Our experience was not entertaining. I needed to write about what was actually important in our experience. To escape apartheid, her family eventually migrated to Australia, where she graduated from university with a double major in English and History, then earned a Master of Arts in Theatre Studies from Villanova University. She has written and directed several award-winning films, including Servant of the Ancestors.
- Donna H.
Click here to find the book at Prince William Public Libraries.
Author Nunn writes from personal experience, as she attended the same boarding school as a young girl. When discussing what the book means to her she said: “This is my blood in this book. It’s my mother, my aunties, my grandmother. We all went to that school. My parents worked at that school. Our experience was not entertaining. I needed to write about what was actually important in our experience. To escape apartheid, her family eventually migrated to Australia, where she graduated from university with a double major in English and History, then earned a Master of Arts in Theatre Studies from Villanova University. She has written and directed several award-winning films, including Servant of the Ancestors.
- Donna H.
Click here to find the book at Prince William Public Libraries.
July 29, 2019
Adele Joubert is a good girl. Her white father pays her school fees at Keziah Christian Academy, and Adele is permitted in the ranks of the wealthiest girls at the school — until one year she isn’t. Suddenly she has lost her place among the popular clique, and she has to share a room with ferocious Lottie Diamond, who is unequivocally at the bottom of the school’s pecking order. But in living with Lottie, Adele slowly begins to realize the ways that power and injustice function in her world — and the ways she can fight it.
I want to open this review by saying that while I loved many things about When the Ground Is Hard, I had a serious problem with its depiction of disability and disabled people. If that type of thing tends to be a problem for you and you want to know about it first, you can skip down to that section of the review. And now, onward!
Diversifying YA is a glorious and worthwhile endeavor for many reasons, not least of which is the telling of new stories. But I also love discovering books for kids that tell old types of stories in ways that I haven’t encountered before. When the Ground Is Hard uses the tropes that I’m accustomed to, and adore, in the boarding school books of my childhood: the reversal of fortune, the hostile teachers and the unexpectedly kind ones, the shows of pluck by our protagonist, the conflicts with other groups of boarding school kids. At the same time, it takes place in 1960s Swaziland, and the inequalities Adele comes to recognize arise from racial divisions born of empire. It’s exhilarating to be reminded of the ways old and beloved types of stories can be made to feel new and vibrant in the hands of talented authors like Malla Nunn.
Until she’s made to share a room with Lottie, Adele has shut her eyes to the flagrant inequality among kids from different social classes at her school, as well as kids of different skin color. She starts to see how the decks are stacked against Lottie, how a slip-up that Adele can get away with (because she’s a good girl, because she has a white father, because her family pays her fees) would land Lottie in a world of punishment with their teachers. She isn’t better behaved than Lottie; she’s just better supported. Her family and social status allow her to be a “good girl,” and they don’t allow Lottie.
Adele also comes to see how Lottie keeps fighting even within the social and educational structures that try to keep her down. When the school catches fire, Lottie’s the first to run out and fight the flames — in part because she’s brave, but in part because she needs school. Even more than Adele and the other girls, Lottie needs this unfair school that judges her by her parents and punishes her disproportionately, because it’s her only possible path to a better life. And Adele comes to recognize Lottie’s bravery, not just in fighting fires but in maintaining her personhood when the people around her try to demean her and make her see herself as less. The blossoming of their friendship is the chef’s-kissest thing you ever saw, not least because they bond over reading one of my favorite-ever books, Jane Eyre.
With so much going for it, When the Ground Is Hard really let me down in its depiction of disability. One of Lottie’s establishing character moments early on is her kindness to an intellectually disabled student named Darnell. In a more substantive scene, Darnell brings Lottie and Adele to look at his collection of beautiful things from nature, which leads Adele to see the beauty in a discarded snakeskin, which she initially finds repellent. Darnell’s character combines the trope of the disabled character who’s too good and pure for this world with the thing of suggesting that an intellectual disability makes one closer to The Land and God’s Creatures. Then, of course, Darnell dies. His death on the land of a bigoted white farmer leads Adele to a greater awareness of inequality and racism in her world, which, again, means that a disabled character’s life and death exist primarily as lessons for the abled protagonist.
I genuinely did love this book, and there were many moments when reading it felt like coming home to a genre I’ve always loved. A big part of me wished I could give it to Kid Jenny, because I know I’d have adored it — and maybe would have found my way to my interest in African history a little sooner! But my hope for diversity in publishing is that we can continue to ask for more from our books, and pursue ever-better representation of all types of people and a more just reading future.
I want to open this review by saying that while I loved many things about When the Ground Is Hard, I had a serious problem with its depiction of disability and disabled people. If that type of thing tends to be a problem for you and you want to know about it first, you can skip down to that section of the review. And now, onward!
Diversifying YA is a glorious and worthwhile endeavor for many reasons, not least of which is the telling of new stories. But I also love discovering books for kids that tell old types of stories in ways that I haven’t encountered before. When the Ground Is Hard uses the tropes that I’m accustomed to, and adore, in the boarding school books of my childhood: the reversal of fortune, the hostile teachers and the unexpectedly kind ones, the shows of pluck by our protagonist, the conflicts with other groups of boarding school kids. At the same time, it takes place in 1960s Swaziland, and the inequalities Adele comes to recognize arise from racial divisions born of empire. It’s exhilarating to be reminded of the ways old and beloved types of stories can be made to feel new and vibrant in the hands of talented authors like Malla Nunn.
Until she’s made to share a room with Lottie, Adele has shut her eyes to the flagrant inequality among kids from different social classes at her school, as well as kids of different skin color. She starts to see how the decks are stacked against Lottie, how a slip-up that Adele can get away with (because she’s a good girl, because she has a white father, because her family pays her fees) would land Lottie in a world of punishment with their teachers. She isn’t better behaved than Lottie; she’s just better supported. Her family and social status allow her to be a “good girl,” and they don’t allow Lottie.
Adele also comes to see how Lottie keeps fighting even within the social and educational structures that try to keep her down. When the school catches fire, Lottie’s the first to run out and fight the flames — in part because she’s brave, but in part because she needs school. Even more than Adele and the other girls, Lottie needs this unfair school that judges her by her parents and punishes her disproportionately, because it’s her only possible path to a better life. And Adele comes to recognize Lottie’s bravery, not just in fighting fires but in maintaining her personhood when the people around her try to demean her and make her see herself as less. The blossoming of their friendship is the chef’s-kissest thing you ever saw, not least because they bond over reading one of my favorite-ever books, Jane Eyre.
With so much going for it, When the Ground Is Hard really let me down in its depiction of disability. One of Lottie’s establishing character moments early on is her kindness to an intellectually disabled student named Darnell. In a more substantive scene, Darnell brings Lottie and Adele to look at his collection of beautiful things from nature, which leads Adele to see the beauty in a discarded snakeskin, which she initially finds repellent. Darnell’s character combines the trope of the disabled character who’s too good and pure for this world with the thing of suggesting that an intellectual disability makes one closer to The Land and God’s Creatures. Then, of course, Darnell dies. His death on the land of a bigoted white farmer leads Adele to a greater awareness of inequality and racism in her world, which, again, means that a disabled character’s life and death exist primarily as lessons for the abled protagonist.
I genuinely did love this book, and there were many moments when reading it felt like coming home to a genre I’ve always loved. A big part of me wished I could give it to Kid Jenny, because I know I’d have adored it — and maybe would have found my way to my interest in African history a little sooner! But my hope for diversity in publishing is that we can continue to ask for more from our books, and pursue ever-better representation of all types of people and a more just reading future.
September 13, 2019
Author Malla Nunn beautifully describes the many hierarchies in place at Adele’s school, amongst the teachers, the children attending the school, and the wider country. Within the school, the rich girls hold sway over their less wealthy peers, while actively being nasty to the poor kids. While many of the teachers regularly humiliate the poorer children.
Adele was part of the rich girls crowd, until she's assigned a new roommate, Lottie, a much poorer girl. Adele is deeply aware of all the ways she needs to maintain her status within the girls, while Lottie doesn't appear to give a damn for many of both the written and unwritten rules that surround everyone at the school.
Over several weeks, Adele and Lottie become friends over the book Jane Eyre. Also, Adele begins shedding her need to be one of the important girls at the school, in favour of becoming a more caring and kind person.
I loved that a book brought two very different people together, and gave them a common place on which to see each other's characters and to build a friendship. And it was also interesting to learn a little about a tiny portion of Swaziland in 1965.
Adele was part of the rich girls crowd, until she's assigned a new roommate, Lottie, a much poorer girl. Adele is deeply aware of all the ways she needs to maintain her status within the girls, while Lottie doesn't appear to give a damn for many of both the written and unwritten rules that surround everyone at the school.
Over several weeks, Adele and Lottie become friends over the book Jane Eyre. Also, Adele begins shedding her need to be one of the important girls at the school, in favour of becoming a more caring and kind person.
I loved that a book brought two very different people together, and gave them a common place on which to see each other's characters and to build a friendship. And it was also interesting to learn a little about a tiny portion of Swaziland in 1965.
June 1, 2025
Adele Joubert ist 16 Jahre alt und lebt im Apartheidstaat Swasiland. Sie ist ein Mischling, ihr Vater ein weißer Ingenieur aus Südafrika, der sich quasi eine Zweitfamilie hält. Sie haben es vergleichsweise gut, doch die Rassentrennung und die Unterdrückung der Nichtweißen betrifft sie in allen Lebensbereichen. Adele muss im neuen Schuljahr wieder aufs Internat für Mischlinge. Sie hat sich in den letzten Jahren in eine halbwegs privilegierte Position unter den Schülerinnen gebracht und wird nun mit der absoluten Außenseiterin Lottie auf ein Zimmer gesteckt.
Eine absolut wunderbare Coming-of-age-/Internatsgeschichte über zwei Teenager, die sich selbst und ihren Platz in einer rauen Gesellschaft finden müssen. Die Machtdynamik zwischen den Bevölkerungsgruppen und den Schülerinnen wird sehr eindringlich beschrieben, ebenso die wachsende Freundschaft zwischen den beiden ungleichen Mädchen. Ein äußerst gelungener historischer Roman.
Eine absolut wunderbare Coming-of-age-/Internatsgeschichte über zwei Teenager, die sich selbst und ihren Platz in einer rauen Gesellschaft finden müssen. Die Machtdynamik zwischen den Bevölkerungsgruppen und den Schülerinnen wird sehr eindringlich beschrieben, ebenso die wachsende Freundschaft zwischen den beiden ungleichen Mädchen. Ein äußerst gelungener historischer Roman.
July 23, 2021
Swaziland is a land locked country which practiced apartheid at one point of time. At that point, the whole country and education system and even the laws that governed the land were divided to be different for the whites, mixed race people and the native swazis. Of course everything favored the whites. Each different group of people had their own social circle, schools, traditions and rules. And mind you, the crossover between the groups was not very common and if a crossover did happen, it was looked down and was a fodder for endless gossip. In an environment like this comes the simple and beautiful story of friendship and bonding that blossoms between 2 girls from different groups.
Adele is a 16 year old student of Kezia Christian Academy. She is a mixed race girl with a rich white father who pays her school fees in full and keeps the family well. She is a smart girl who understands the pecking order of the society and makes sure to keep her circle at school in the same order. Change is inevitable and in this case the change comes in the form of a rich girl as a student of the academy and Adele is kicked out of the "elite" group. Adele finds herself in the same company as Lottie Diamond much to her dismay. Lottie is a mostly native Zulu girl, who is an outcast at school due to her social status and she doesn't follow rules and gets into fights. Adele is also forced to share the dorm room with Lottie. They are 2 different girls from different backgrounds and thought process and the option for friendship to blossom was very bleak. The only common factor that brings them closer is their love for the book which Adele has. Many things happen at school which tests their blossoming friendship. Did their nascent friendship survive those circumstances or did it crumble? How does Adele's own inhibitions about her family, especially her dad and mom’s relationship play out in all this? This is a beautiful coming of age novel where the 2 protagonists break all barriers in becoming themselves.
The author, Malla Nunn is a native of Swaziland who immigrated to Australia to escape the apartheid. The only drawback in this book for me was,it did not include any native dialect. The native dialect would have personalized the book more. Whenever you read any of Adichi's books, there is always a little mix of the Igbo dialect which makes the language more delectable. If not for this small drawback , this is a very good book to relish for adults and young adults
Adele is a 16 year old student of Kezia Christian Academy. She is a mixed race girl with a rich white father who pays her school fees in full and keeps the family well. She is a smart girl who understands the pecking order of the society and makes sure to keep her circle at school in the same order. Change is inevitable and in this case the change comes in the form of a rich girl as a student of the academy and Adele is kicked out of the "elite" group. Adele finds herself in the same company as Lottie Diamond much to her dismay. Lottie is a mostly native Zulu girl, who is an outcast at school due to her social status and she doesn't follow rules and gets into fights. Adele is also forced to share the dorm room with Lottie. They are 2 different girls from different backgrounds and thought process and the option for friendship to blossom was very bleak. The only common factor that brings them closer is their love for the book which Adele has. Many things happen at school which tests their blossoming friendship. Did their nascent friendship survive those circumstances or did it crumble? How does Adele's own inhibitions about her family, especially her dad and mom’s relationship play out in all this? This is a beautiful coming of age novel where the 2 protagonists break all barriers in becoming themselves.
The author, Malla Nunn is a native of Swaziland who immigrated to Australia to escape the apartheid. The only drawback in this book for me was,it did not include any native dialect. The native dialect would have personalized the book more. Whenever you read any of Adichi's books, there is always a little mix of the Igbo dialect which makes the language more delectable. If not for this small drawback , this is a very good book to relish for adults and young adults
February 25, 2024
Around the World Reading Challenge: ESWATINI (fmr. "SWAZILAND")
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I honestly thought this was so wonderful! YA, especially without any kind of SFF elements can be a little hit or miss for me these days, but this was a gorgeous coming of age. The Swaziland setting and the complexity of race and class relations added a lot of dimension to this story, and I really empathized with Delilah as she's forced to confront some of the systems she's been participating in because it was easier and she's a "good" girl. The friendship she slowly forms with Lottie was really wonderfully developed, and I was just really impressed with the writing and pacing and complex/heavy themes that are delivered without ever feeling too heavy. I planned to read this over a few days and ended up reading it all in one sitting!
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I honestly thought this was so wonderful! YA, especially without any kind of SFF elements can be a little hit or miss for me these days, but this was a gorgeous coming of age. The Swaziland setting and the complexity of race and class relations added a lot of dimension to this story, and I really empathized with Delilah as she's forced to confront some of the systems she's been participating in because it was easier and she's a "good" girl. The friendship she slowly forms with Lottie was really wonderfully developed, and I was just really impressed with the writing and pacing and complex/heavy themes that are delivered without ever feeling too heavy. I planned to read this over a few days and ended up reading it all in one sitting!
November 4, 2020
Absolutely loved this book! I think a lot of it had to do with the narrator on the audiobook. Such a fantastic performance.
I loved the setting, I could just picture the dry, red lands of Swaziland with the boarding school of mixed-race children in the middle of the dusty lands with the river, and forbidden banana trees. The author did a fantastic job showing versus telling.
Adele and Lottie were such likable, real MCs. I loved how frank Adele spoke about her relationship with her father and what it meant to be mixed-race. I loved watching her and Lottie's friendship grow.
Adele is horrified when her position at the "top" of the popular crowd is usurped by a newcomer and she is forced to share dead-Lorraine's room with Lottie, dirty Lottie who fights with everyone and doesn't follow the unspoken "school rules.”
Adele finds that there is more to Lottie than meets the eye, and maybe being at the top isn't all that grand. Maybe the best thing ever is finding someone who shares your sorrows, happiness, and accepts you for you.
It was such a beautiful story and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I loved the setting, I could just picture the dry, red lands of Swaziland with the boarding school of mixed-race children in the middle of the dusty lands with the river, and forbidden banana trees. The author did a fantastic job showing versus telling.
Adele and Lottie were such likable, real MCs. I loved how frank Adele spoke about her relationship with her father and what it meant to be mixed-race. I loved watching her and Lottie's friendship grow.
Adele is horrified when her position at the "top" of the popular crowd is usurped by a newcomer and she is forced to share dead-Lorraine's room with Lottie, dirty Lottie who fights with everyone and doesn't follow the unspoken "school rules.”
Adele finds that there is more to Lottie than meets the eye, and maybe being at the top isn't all that grand. Maybe the best thing ever is finding someone who shares your sorrows, happiness, and accepts you for you.
It was such a beautiful story and I enjoyed every minute of it.
September 28, 2022
This is a book about racism and class struggles, set to a background of a boarding school in Swaziland in the 1960s. The MC is a little innocent in her assessment of others and their standing, because she's a rule follower. She's learnt the rules and how the system works, and filed everyone she interacts with into the neat little boxes she's been taught. Until Lottie, who teaches her to observe and think for herself.
I have no idea why this was such a compelling read. Maybe because all these class and race hierarchies were based on fact, and inspired by the author's own experiences? And it was novel to go back to a boarding school book where no magic or paranormal activity occurred. (I know, it's been a while). It's just a girl trying to find her place in a world that's already told her where she belongs, and an unexpected friend that helps her. And it was a great story.
I have no idea why this was such a compelling read. Maybe because all these class and race hierarchies were based on fact, and inspired by the author's own experiences? And it was novel to go back to a boarding school book where no magic or paranormal activity occurred. (I know, it's been a while). It's just a girl trying to find her place in a world that's already told her where she belongs, and an unexpected friend that helps her. And it was a great story.
August 20, 2024
Gorgeous gorgeous book. Honestly it is in my top three favorites for 2024. I was reluctant to read it because YA is hit or miss for me, and there was subject matter that I knew was going to be painful.
Malla Nunn shares Chris Whitaker’s talent for balancing the painful and sorrowful with the joy and the beauty.
Malla Nunn shares Chris Whitaker’s talent for balancing the painful and sorrowful with the joy and the beauty.
September 21, 2019
This book is something special.
September 4, 2020
Powerful, rare, true.
I'm always looking for ownvoices books written by authors with perspectives from outside the United States. I'm a public Librarian, and I particularly look for middle-school (grades 6-8) books, as historically I've been invited to present booktalks to virtually all of the thousands of middle school students in my local school district. It's also important that the books have great covers. This book was an easy one to pick for that line-up.
Nunn tells a story apparently based on her own life. The protagonist goes to a boarding school in Swaziland, and the book depicts a year in which this main character changes in several ways after making a new connection with another student.
I particularly want to call out the depiction here of growing up in a single parent home. Adele's mom is the mistress of a man with another family. He financially supports them from a distance, and visits occasionally.
For my booktalk, I abridged a scene from chapter 13 where the MC tries something new. It includes skintone-based violence, and a pivotal moment for the character, and the kids were riveted. It was an often-requested booktalk.
I booktalked that book in January 2020. It's interesting reading that booktalk again now, after the events of Summer 2020.
How many rocks need to be thrown to change the world in a substantial way?
I'm always looking for ownvoices books written by authors with perspectives from outside the United States. I'm a public Librarian, and I particularly look for middle-school (grades 6-8) books, as historically I've been invited to present booktalks to virtually all of the thousands of middle school students in my local school district. It's also important that the books have great covers. This book was an easy one to pick for that line-up.
Nunn tells a story apparently based on her own life. The protagonist goes to a boarding school in Swaziland, and the book depicts a year in which this main character changes in several ways after making a new connection with another student.
I particularly want to call out the depiction here of growing up in a single parent home. Adele's mom is the mistress of a man with another family. He financially supports them from a distance, and visits occasionally.
For my booktalk, I abridged a scene from chapter 13 where the MC tries something new. It includes skintone-based violence, and a pivotal moment for the character, and the kids were riveted. It was an often-requested booktalk.
I booktalked that book in January 2020. It's interesting reading that booktalk again now, after the events of Summer 2020.
How many rocks need to be thrown to change the world in a substantial way?
February 11, 2021
Written by Australian author Malla Nunn, this young adult work of fiction set in Africa, illuminates the prejudices of colour and race, the hardships faced by teenagers at boarding school and the contrasts between the poor and the rich.
This was an emotional read, and it was really nice to find a YA novel that is based in Africa.
This was an emotional read, and it was really nice to find a YA novel that is based in Africa.
August 2, 2021
I loved this story. Finding your true self out of a bad or upsetting situation is always inspiring. The characters were well written and the narrator was perfect.
June 15, 2025
"That's why the women dance. They dance to bring joy. They dance to soften the ground beneath their feet. They dance to bring change."
March 8, 2020
Trigger warnings: racism, apartheid,
3.5 stars.
I picked this book up purely because it's set in Swaziland (now Eswatini) and I've never read anything set there before. And for the most part, I enjoyed it. But it also would have been good to lead with the fact that it's set in the 1960s under apartheid, because for the majority of the book I just assumed everyone was just racist and bigoted.
I enjoyed this, but I did feel like it took a little bit TOO long for the story to get going. I liked that the two girls bonded over Jane Eyre (and again, that made far more sense once I knew it was set in the 1960s). I liked that there was almost a mystery subplot in what was essentially a contemporary story. And I enjoyed the writing. I just felt like there was a little too much set up for my liking...
3.5 stars.
I picked this book up purely because it's set in Swaziland (now Eswatini) and I've never read anything set there before. And for the most part, I enjoyed it. But it also would have been good to lead with the fact that it's set in the 1960s under apartheid, because for the majority of the book I just assumed everyone was just racist and bigoted.
I enjoyed this, but I did feel like it took a little bit TOO long for the story to get going. I liked that the two girls bonded over Jane Eyre (and again, that made far more sense once I knew it was set in the 1960s). I liked that there was almost a mystery subplot in what was essentially a contemporary story. And I enjoyed the writing. I just felt like there was a little too much set up for my liking...
October 25, 2019
Ooh. Yes. This was delightful. High four stars, maybe to be revised up at some point.
Swaziland, perhaps the 1960s. The year isn't named, but Adele is a student while Swaziland is a British protectorate, and Swaziland gained independence in 1968. Her school is one of careful striations of power: the students are all mixed race, and if they've learned anything, it's that race matters. Race, and money. As Adele understands it, being mixed race makes one superior to being fully black, and being light-skinned and mixed race is better than being dark-skinned and mixed race; money is power; 'always here fathers' are better than 'sometimes fathers'.
Adele's school is complicit in these striations of power. It's not subtle: students whose parents pay full fees are given better rooms with fewer roommates; they receive more food at mealtimes; they are not subject to the humiliation of things like being ordered to lift their skirts at inspection to prove that they are wearing different underwear than the previous day.
Until now, Adele has not had reason to question the system. True, her father is a 'sometimes father'; he is a white man, and although he provides for the family, his presence in their lives is inconsistent and unpredictable—he has another family, one that he doesn't keep secret. The money he gives Adele's mother is enough that they are comfortable, though, and between that and Adele's willingness to toe the line, she's risen in the ranks at school. But in Adele's school world, there's only room for four at the top, and when a new girl supplants her, she topples farther down in the ranks than she would have thought possible. At first, Adele is determined to regain her place—but gradually, thanks to her new roommate, she starts to rethink what is important and why the power system is set up the way it is.
Lottie is fab. Hard, because she has to be. Independent, because she has to be. Focussed, because she has to be. She's about as far down the social ladder as she can get: she lives in a shack, her father is long gone and her mother has a string of boyfriends, and even if she had any money to use to buy favour (Adele, for example, brings a suitcase full of food and goodies—not to use herself but to use as currency), she has no interest in or patience for the kind of petty diplomacy that such favours require. Adele learns from her, but it's not an easy learning. Adele grows gradually, over the course of the book and over the course of many lessons that she's often reluctant to learn. It's wonderfully organic.
A lot happens, plot-wise. I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but it's wonderfully dextrous. Dramatic, but slipping away before anything becomes over the top. The stakes are high—higher than Adele initially understands. Apartheid was a South African travesty, not a Swaziland one, but racism was (is) everywhere. What Lottie knows, and Adele begins to grasp, is that being popular at school will only get one so far: school ends, and the world is bigger and less forgiving than Adele is, at the beginning of the book, prepared for. It's beautifully done.
Swaziland, perhaps the 1960s. The year isn't named, but Adele is a student while Swaziland is a British protectorate, and Swaziland gained independence in 1968. Her school is one of careful striations of power: the students are all mixed race, and if they've learned anything, it's that race matters. Race, and money. As Adele understands it, being mixed race makes one superior to being fully black, and being light-skinned and mixed race is better than being dark-skinned and mixed race; money is power; 'always here fathers' are better than 'sometimes fathers'.
Adele's school is complicit in these striations of power. It's not subtle: students whose parents pay full fees are given better rooms with fewer roommates; they receive more food at mealtimes; they are not subject to the humiliation of things like being ordered to lift their skirts at inspection to prove that they are wearing different underwear than the previous day.
Until now, Adele has not had reason to question the system. True, her father is a 'sometimes father'; he is a white man, and although he provides for the family, his presence in their lives is inconsistent and unpredictable—he has another family, one that he doesn't keep secret. The money he gives Adele's mother is enough that they are comfortable, though, and between that and Adele's willingness to toe the line, she's risen in the ranks at school. But in Adele's school world, there's only room for four at the top, and when a new girl supplants her, she topples farther down in the ranks than she would have thought possible. At first, Adele is determined to regain her place—but gradually, thanks to her new roommate, she starts to rethink what is important and why the power system is set up the way it is.
Lottie is fab. Hard, because she has to be. Independent, because she has to be. Focussed, because she has to be. She's about as far down the social ladder as she can get: she lives in a shack, her father is long gone and her mother has a string of boyfriends, and even if she had any money to use to buy favour (Adele, for example, brings a suitcase full of food and goodies—not to use herself but to use as currency), she has no interest in or patience for the kind of petty diplomacy that such favours require. Adele learns from her, but it's not an easy learning. Adele grows gradually, over the course of the book and over the course of many lessons that she's often reluctant to learn. It's wonderfully organic.
A lot happens, plot-wise. I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but it's wonderfully dextrous. Dramatic, but slipping away before anything becomes over the top. The stakes are high—higher than Adele initially understands. Apartheid was a South African travesty, not a Swaziland one, but racism was (is) everywhere. What Lottie knows, and Adele begins to grasp, is that being popular at school will only get one so far: school ends, and the world is bigger and less forgiving than Adele is, at the beginning of the book, prepared for. It's beautifully done.
March 19, 2020
For the full review and a short analysis of the gender gap and some initiatives or projects that are working to improve the situation of the women in Eswatini visit:
https://fictionbywomenmap.wordpress.c...
The 60’s in the British Protectorate of Swaziland: In Keziah Christian Academy, a missionary boarding school for mixed-race students, Adele, a “nice” and well-behaved young woman, is downgraded from the “pretties’” room, a room where only the richest girls sleep. The school is ruled by money....
Even though When the Ground is Hard is a Young Adult novel, Nunn portrays the harsh reality of imperialism. Although the characters never wander too far from the school grounds, we can see the horrific hierarchies created by the imperial system in everything they do.
...
Besides the imperial relations portrayed by Nunn, another really interesting issue dealt in this novel is the relationship between teenagers and how difficult this phase of life can be, the social pressure, the importance of having one’s family support and what young people are sometimes capable of just to belong.
The story is based on Nunn’s mother’s personal experience, which makes it even more interesting. The plot is fast but never rushed and it is beautiful to see how the strong relationship between Adele and Lottie develops. I definitely recommend this book, and it is a perfect gift for teenagers so they can start exploring narratives and stories from all around the world.
Our long-term goal is to read one book written by a female author from every country of the world. Follow our progress!
https://fictionbywomenmap.wordpress.com/
We also have a new Goodreads group:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
December 23, 2022
Read around the world project - Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
This is a prime example of a book I’d normally never pick-up, but I ended up enjoying after it was chosen as one of the read-around-the-world-project picks. Set in 1960s Swaziland, it follows a teenage girl at a private school for other mixed-race children. Realizing that she has been dumped by her previous best friend, she finds herself getting paired up with one of the poorer students at the beginning of term. This is a story of their burgeoning friendship, wrapped around lots of commentary on societal stratification based on class, gender and race. I normally avoid YA novels (especially contemporary/historical fiction ones), but I actually liked the narrative voice of our main character, even if some of the "mean" girl were pretty stereotypical.
This is a prime example of a book I’d normally never pick-up, but I ended up enjoying after it was chosen as one of the read-around-the-world-project picks. Set in 1960s Swaziland, it follows a teenage girl at a private school for other mixed-race children. Realizing that she has been dumped by her previous best friend, she finds herself getting paired up with one of the poorer students at the beginning of term. This is a story of their burgeoning friendship, wrapped around lots of commentary on societal stratification based on class, gender and race. I normally avoid YA novels (especially contemporary/historical fiction ones), but I actually liked the narrative voice of our main character, even if some of the "mean" girl were pretty stereotypical.
May 9, 2021
I LOVED this novel! I felt like I received an inside tour of 1960’s Swaziland (now Eswatini). It’s why I read. Finding gems like this is why I read.
There aren’t enough fantastic coming of age stories featuring girls of color. When the Ground is Hard rises to the top of fantastic in this genre. The heroine and her best friend are smart, complex, real, and it’s impossible not to love them. Nunn’s writing took me right into the heart of Swaziland in all it’s complexity, yet also told a universal tale of wanting to fit in and finding connection.
I hope this book finds its way into schools, libraries, and homes because it’s a story worthy of reading.
There aren’t enough fantastic coming of age stories featuring girls of color. When the Ground is Hard rises to the top of fantastic in this genre. The heroine and her best friend are smart, complex, real, and it’s impossible not to love them. Nunn’s writing took me right into the heart of Swaziland in all it’s complexity, yet also told a universal tale of wanting to fit in and finding connection.
I hope this book finds its way into schools, libraries, and homes because it’s a story worthy of reading.
April 6, 2019
Beautiful, lyrical.
June 12, 2019
For this review and many others, please visit - https://bionicbookwormblog.wordpress.com
I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this book. All I knew was that two girls came together through a copy of a book. Does a book lover need to know much else? What ended up happening was I stumbled into a story of a young girl realizing that she has dreams and worth, and a friendship that changed their lives.
Adele is popular in school. She is mixed race with a white father, so that automatically gives her a higher status within the school. Her father pays full fees at the Academy, her uniform is new, her shoes shine, and her house back home has carpets. But when she’s suddenly cast aside for a more wealthy student that just arrived, she needs to find out where she fits within school society all over again. Meet Lottie. She comes from nothing, is wild and carefree, does as she pleases, and doesn’t care to be in the social ladder of school. They’re forced to share a room at the beginning of the term and Adele is none too happy about it. She was popular and important….. and now she’s cast aside to live with a girl who isn’t mixed race and comes from nothing. Soon Adele realizes that none of that matters….. and what a beautiful thing that was!!!
Adele has an interesting living situation. Her mother isn’t married to her father. Her father is married to another woman who lives in another city with his other children. He comes to stay with them when he can but he makes sure that they’re well taken care of. In school, her mixed race and white father makes her “more important”. But, to the people of Swaziland, this is something they look down on them for. They’re just another family who doesn’t think that being black is a thing to be proud of. This dynamic was SO interesting and complicated. Her mother wanted only the best for her children; basically more than she had growing up herself. She talked frequently about European rule, paved roads, carpets in the house, high heeled shoes, and so much more. If you lived in a hut with dirt floors, well, you were a step below. So Adele grew up thinking this way. Until Lottie changed everything.
When Lottie came into the picture, Adele began to question why those students who were gifted school fees got less food at dinner, and how that was fair. She began to see the beauty in the people of Swaziland and how their black skin and tradition were a thing to be proud of and not look down on. And how dirt floors in their homes doesn’t determine their intelligence and worth. Most of all, Lottie inspired questions of a woman’s worth. Adele had seen her mother’s world revolve around her father – their lives and gratitude revolved around him, no matter how often he was home or with his other family. Lottie inspired Adele to begin thinking if she deserved things for herself because she wanted them, and if she needed to live for a man.
The writing was absolutely stunning. The descriptions of Adele’s surroundings was so detailed and entrancing. I had a very clear vision in my mind of how everything looked – and I even felt as though I could feel the ground beneath me and smell the air blowing through my hair. But it was how she explained the complicated nature of Swaziland and its people that was just SO well done! There were so many different layers to the people, how they lived, what they felt, and what was in their hearts. I feel like, as an outsider, I really understood where they were all coming from. I could understand every one of their emotions and how their lives circulated, even though it hurt to understand it sometimes. On one hand I can see how people like Adele’s mother would want more for themselves and their families. But, on the other hand, it hurt to see such a beautiful way of life could be cast aside and looked down on. This book was simultaneously so many things – Heartwarming and heartbreaking. Beautiful, yet ugly. One thing for sure, this book was WONDERFUL!
If you love books about friendships, culture, social status, and love of reading, you need to read this! It was stunning, well written, heart wrenching, impactful, and eye opening. I HIGHLY recommend!
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House Canada and G.P Putnam for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are uninfluenced.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this book. All I knew was that two girls came together through a copy of a book. Does a book lover need to know much else? What ended up happening was I stumbled into a story of a young girl realizing that she has dreams and worth, and a friendship that changed their lives.
Adele is popular in school. She is mixed race with a white father, so that automatically gives her a higher status within the school. Her father pays full fees at the Academy, her uniform is new, her shoes shine, and her house back home has carpets. But when she’s suddenly cast aside for a more wealthy student that just arrived, she needs to find out where she fits within school society all over again. Meet Lottie. She comes from nothing, is wild and carefree, does as she pleases, and doesn’t care to be in the social ladder of school. They’re forced to share a room at the beginning of the term and Adele is none too happy about it. She was popular and important….. and now she’s cast aside to live with a girl who isn’t mixed race and comes from nothing. Soon Adele realizes that none of that matters….. and what a beautiful thing that was!!!
Adele has an interesting living situation. Her mother isn’t married to her father. Her father is married to another woman who lives in another city with his other children. He comes to stay with them when he can but he makes sure that they’re well taken care of. In school, her mixed race and white father makes her “more important”. But, to the people of Swaziland, this is something they look down on them for. They’re just another family who doesn’t think that being black is a thing to be proud of. This dynamic was SO interesting and complicated. Her mother wanted only the best for her children; basically more than she had growing up herself. She talked frequently about European rule, paved roads, carpets in the house, high heeled shoes, and so much more. If you lived in a hut with dirt floors, well, you were a step below. So Adele grew up thinking this way. Until Lottie changed everything.
When Lottie came into the picture, Adele began to question why those students who were gifted school fees got less food at dinner, and how that was fair. She began to see the beauty in the people of Swaziland and how their black skin and tradition were a thing to be proud of and not look down on. And how dirt floors in their homes doesn’t determine their intelligence and worth. Most of all, Lottie inspired questions of a woman’s worth. Adele had seen her mother’s world revolve around her father – their lives and gratitude revolved around him, no matter how often he was home or with his other family. Lottie inspired Adele to begin thinking if she deserved things for herself because she wanted them, and if she needed to live for a man.
The writing was absolutely stunning. The descriptions of Adele’s surroundings was so detailed and entrancing. I had a very clear vision in my mind of how everything looked – and I even felt as though I could feel the ground beneath me and smell the air blowing through my hair. But it was how she explained the complicated nature of Swaziland and its people that was just SO well done! There were so many different layers to the people, how they lived, what they felt, and what was in their hearts. I feel like, as an outsider, I really understood where they were all coming from. I could understand every one of their emotions and how their lives circulated, even though it hurt to understand it sometimes. On one hand I can see how people like Adele’s mother would want more for themselves and their families. But, on the other hand, it hurt to see such a beautiful way of life could be cast aside and looked down on. This book was simultaneously so many things – Heartwarming and heartbreaking. Beautiful, yet ugly. One thing for sure, this book was WONDERFUL!
If you love books about friendships, culture, social status, and love of reading, you need to read this! It was stunning, well written, heart wrenching, impactful, and eye opening. I HIGHLY recommend!
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House Canada and G.P Putnam for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are uninfluenced.
June 4, 2020
*Thank you to Penguin for sending me a Netgalley Arc to review!
This is a story about Adele, a mixed-race girl growing up in the 1960's in Swaziland. She attends a boarding school with other mixed-race children, where she is popular and enjoys the benefits of her family's economic status. However, this year, things change when she is cast out of the popular group and forced to roommate with Lottie, a troublemaker from a poor family. While Adele is not happy with this development at first, this book follows the growth of her friendship with Lottie, as the girls learn about each other and themselves, and begin to come to grips with the various hierarchies and social expectations operating within their boarding school, and indeed, Apartheid-era Swaziland as a whole.
I really enjoyed this book. Adele and Lottie warmed my heart, and I loved watching their friendship grow and force Adele to grow along the way. The story covers so much ground without ever feeling like it was crammed or dragging on. Somehow, it packs the punch of exploring race, class, ability, family, heritage, pride, compassion and shame, all wrapped up in a package with the comfort and warmth of small moments, like two girls sharing cookies and reading a book together by candlelight.
There is representation in this book that I am unable to speak on the quality of, but I will mention that the use of the character with learning disabilities felt a little bit strange to me, as the character seemed to act only as a plot device and . But again, I am not in a position to provide a real perspective on that representation.
I definitely recommend this book for YA readers who would like to read about a time and place and people not often represented in YA coming of age stories.
This is a story about Adele, a mixed-race girl growing up in the 1960's in Swaziland. She attends a boarding school with other mixed-race children, where she is popular and enjoys the benefits of her family's economic status. However, this year, things change when she is cast out of the popular group and forced to roommate with Lottie, a troublemaker from a poor family. While Adele is not happy with this development at first, this book follows the growth of her friendship with Lottie, as the girls learn about each other and themselves, and begin to come to grips with the various hierarchies and social expectations operating within their boarding school, and indeed, Apartheid-era Swaziland as a whole.
I really enjoyed this book. Adele and Lottie warmed my heart, and I loved watching their friendship grow and force Adele to grow along the way. The story covers so much ground without ever feeling like it was crammed or dragging on. Somehow, it packs the punch of exploring race, class, ability, family, heritage, pride, compassion and shame, all wrapped up in a package with the comfort and warmth of small moments, like two girls sharing cookies and reading a book together by candlelight.
There is representation in this book that I am unable to speak on the quality of, but I will mention that the use of the character with learning disabilities felt a little bit strange to me, as the character seemed to act only as a plot device and . But again, I am not in a position to provide a real perspective on that representation.
I definitely recommend this book for YA readers who would like to read about a time and place and people not often represented in YA coming of age stories.
July 18, 2022
4.5
I love reading other cultures and their history. When the Ground is Hard did an excellent job in bringing me into the life of a 16 year old in Swaziland. Set in 1960, we follow two girls with different social backgrounds and how they got to know one another during their time in boarding school.
There was tremendous character development with a beautiful and detailed story that talked about racism, being born in the wrong social class, and the concept of friendship. I found it hard to put down as I grew attached to our once bratty and spoiled main character. However, as she is demoted from popular girl and forced to spend time with an outcast - whose skin colour didn't match others and having a poor parent - our main character discover true kindness, bravery and friendship.
While this story is marketed as YA novel, I can easily see this targeting middle grade readers as well. With well written themes and a very sweet story, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a new read.
The only thing that I would liked different is perhaps a date introduced from the start. It was tricky to figure out what time frame this story took place in without looking it up on the internet. The year itself was given after 75% of the book was complete. Other than that, this was a perfect story.
I love reading other cultures and their history. When the Ground is Hard did an excellent job in bringing me into the life of a 16 year old in Swaziland. Set in 1960, we follow two girls with different social backgrounds and how they got to know one another during their time in boarding school.
There was tremendous character development with a beautiful and detailed story that talked about racism, being born in the wrong social class, and the concept of friendship. I found it hard to put down as I grew attached to our once bratty and spoiled main character. However, as she is demoted from popular girl and forced to spend time with an outcast - whose skin colour didn't match others and having a poor parent - our main character discover true kindness, bravery and friendship.
While this story is marketed as YA novel, I can easily see this targeting middle grade readers as well. With well written themes and a very sweet story, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a new read.
The only thing that I would liked different is perhaps a date introduced from the start. It was tricky to figure out what time frame this story took place in without looking it up on the internet. The year itself was given after 75% of the book was complete. Other than that, this was a perfect story.
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