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Dalene Matthee Bosboeke #2
طفل فيلا
لم تنظر إليهم ، بل أشاحت بنظرها إلى الأرض. "إنه طِفلُ امرأة الغابة"، عندما رفَعَت عينيها ، كانت الدموع تنساب على وجهه والأطفال واقفون فحسب.. غارقون في الهزيمة. وراءهم، عند سور الحظيرة، كان كيكر واقفاً ينظر إليها مباشرةً
كل ما يمكن لرواية أن تكون: مقنعة، مثيرة للتفكير، مزعجة، لا تُنسى، وخالدة
جريس إنجولدبي، نيو ستيتسمان
طفل فيلا هي عرض يوسع ويضفي طابع إنساني على فهمنا للصراعات التي أثرت ولا تزال على جنوب أفريقيا اليوم
فرانسيس ليفي، نيويورك تايمز بوك ريفيو
إبداع قوي للزمان والمكان بخيوط قاتمة من القدّر والاضطهاد وجذوره في التربة شبه التوراتية لفن راوي القصص
کریستوفر وردزورث، ذی جاردیان
كل ما يمكن لرواية أن تكون: مقنعة، مثيرة للتفكير، مزعجة، لا تُنسى، وخالدة
جريس إنجولدبي، نيو ستيتسمان
طفل فيلا هي عرض يوسع ويضفي طابع إنساني على فهمنا للصراعات التي أثرت ولا تزال على جنوب أفريقيا اليوم
فرانسيس ليفي، نيويورك تايمز بوك ريفيو
إبداع قوي للزمان والمكان بخيوط قاتمة من القدّر والاضطهاد وجذوره في التربة شبه التوراتية لفن راوي القصص
کریستوفر وردزورث، ذی جاردیان
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
182 people are currently reading
2884 people want to read
About the author
Dalene Matthee
27 books123 followersDalene Matthee (nee Scott) matriculated in 1957 and went on to study music at a conservatorium in Oudtshoorn as well as at the Holy Cross Covent in Graaff-Reinet.
Before gaining fame and wide acclaim for her first "forest novel", she also wrote stories for magazines as well as two popular novels - ’n Huis vir Nadia (A House for Nadia) (1982) and Petronella van Aarde, burgemeester (Petronella van Aarde, Mayor) (1983).
Kringe in ’n bos (Circles in a forest) (1984), a novel about the extermination of the elephants and the exploitation of the woodcutters of the Knysna forest, was an international success. Two other highly successful "forest novels" followed: Fiela se Kind (Fiela's Child) in 1985 and Moerbeibos (The Mulberry Forest) in 1987. Fiela's Child and Circles in a forest were filmed. She also won numerous literary prizes for her works.
After a short sickbed caused by heart failure, she died in Mossel Bay, South Africa. She was survived by her three daughters; her husband, Larius, died in 2003.
Before gaining fame and wide acclaim for her first "forest novel", she also wrote stories for magazines as well as two popular novels - ’n Huis vir Nadia (A House for Nadia) (1982) and Petronella van Aarde, burgemeester (Petronella van Aarde, Mayor) (1983).
Kringe in ’n bos (Circles in a forest) (1984), a novel about the extermination of the elephants and the exploitation of the woodcutters of the Knysna forest, was an international success. Two other highly successful "forest novels" followed: Fiela se Kind (Fiela's Child) in 1985 and Moerbeibos (The Mulberry Forest) in 1987. Fiela's Child and Circles in a forest were filmed. She also won numerous literary prizes for her works.
After a short sickbed caused by heart failure, she died in Mossel Bay, South Africa. She was survived by her three daughters; her husband, Larius, died in 2003.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
August 23, 2024
This is a great South African classic, beautifully written by one of the legends of Afrikaans literature. This captivating story of a 3 year old white boy that had disappeared into the forest just to be found and raised by the colored family, raises issue of race and self identify and gives a glimpse of diverse culture and history of the country. The book is very immersive and panoramic with masterful description of the landscapes. I am very grateful to my South African friends for recommending me this read and look forward to start the “Circles in the Forest” - another Dalene Matthee’s classic novel.
January 30, 2019
A very enjoyable read that occasionally veered to far in the direction of sentimental, and on other occasions in the direction of over-drama. I'm glad to have read it though because it gave me a rich and complicated picture of rural South African culture under apartheid.
November 25, 2012
This is one of those hidden gems that makes random used-book-sale buying worthwhile. Fiela’s Child is so good that I’m surprised it isn’t more widely read (the creepy 80s cover might have something to do with it).
The book revolves around two families in nineteenth-century South Africa. The Van Rooyens, a white family, live in the dense Forest near the southern coast, where the husband, Elias, turns trees into beams and dreams of striking it rich by killing an elephant. The Komoeties, a black family, live in the arid Kloof on the other side of the mountains, where the wife, Fiela, runs a farm and raises ostriches for their feathers. In 1865, the Van Rooyens’ 3-year-old son disappears. That same year, an unknown 3-year-old boy appears on Fiela’s doorstep; she takes him in and raises him as her own. Nine years later, census-takers discover the boy and try to return him to his “rightful” family. The novel follows the boy, his identity crisis, and both families for nearly two decades.
Fiela’s Child had me enthralled from the beginning. The plot is fascinating: what happens when a biological family and an adoptive family both claim the same child? The novel is less about race, and more about family and identity, than I expected, and I could see both sides of the conflict. The Van Rooyens can claim legal parentage, but can offer their son little in the way of love or economic opportunity; the Komoeties give him both, but Fiela’s actions aren’t entirely aboveboard--she makes only a token effort to find the foundling’s real parents and hides him at home.
The myriad details of daily living bring the setting and the families to life. There’s a very strong sense of place, with great atmosphere and descriptions. The book is also full of ostriches and elephants, which I loved! Both dangerous creatures, about which I learned quite a bit. There are subtle environmental themes as well--while never explicitly discussed, it’s clear that the forest-dwellers’ lifestyle is built on destruction, and progress is a double-edged sword. The writing is quite good, with lots of dialogue, and although originally written in Afrikaans, the book did not feel like a translation (apparently the author is bilingual and translated it herself).
The character development, while not the best I’ve seen, is more than adequate, the family relationships are complex and well-developed and the culture is very much brought to life. I especially enjoyed the way the author shows us aspects of their psyches that don’t make much sense to a modern reader--the forest people’s fear of entering the village, for instance.
My biggest problem is the twist at the end that makes the book’s conflict much simpler and less interesting, as well as a rather creepy relationship that develops toward the end. Overall, though, I enjoyed Fiela's Child and would read more from this author.
The book revolves around two families in nineteenth-century South Africa. The Van Rooyens, a white family, live in the dense Forest near the southern coast, where the husband, Elias, turns trees into beams and dreams of striking it rich by killing an elephant. The Komoeties, a black family, live in the arid Kloof on the other side of the mountains, where the wife, Fiela, runs a farm and raises ostriches for their feathers. In 1865, the Van Rooyens’ 3-year-old son disappears. That same year, an unknown 3-year-old boy appears on Fiela’s doorstep; she takes him in and raises him as her own. Nine years later, census-takers discover the boy and try to return him to his “rightful” family. The novel follows the boy, his identity crisis, and both families for nearly two decades.
Fiela’s Child had me enthralled from the beginning. The plot is fascinating: what happens when a biological family and an adoptive family both claim the same child? The novel is less about race, and more about family and identity, than I expected, and I could see both sides of the conflict. The Van Rooyens can claim legal parentage, but can offer their son little in the way of love or economic opportunity; the Komoeties give him both, but Fiela’s actions aren’t entirely aboveboard--she makes only a token effort to find the foundling’s real parents and hides him at home.
The myriad details of daily living bring the setting and the families to life. There’s a very strong sense of place, with great atmosphere and descriptions. The book is also full of ostriches and elephants, which I loved! Both dangerous creatures, about which I learned quite a bit. There are subtle environmental themes as well--while never explicitly discussed, it’s clear that the forest-dwellers’ lifestyle is built on destruction, and progress is a double-edged sword. The writing is quite good, with lots of dialogue, and although originally written in Afrikaans, the book did not feel like a translation (apparently the author is bilingual and translated it herself).
The character development, while not the best I’ve seen, is more than adequate, the family relationships are complex and well-developed and the culture is very much brought to life. I especially enjoyed the way the author shows us aspects of their psyches that don’t make much sense to a modern reader--the forest people’s fear of entering the village, for instance.
My biggest problem is the twist at the end that makes the book’s conflict much simpler and less interesting, as well as a rather creepy relationship that develops toward the end. Overall, though, I enjoyed Fiela's Child and would read more from this author.
July 30, 2010
I usually immediately sit down and fire off a review upon finishing a book. However, I needed time to ruminate on this one. I needed to let the book simmer in my mind. In a way, I just couldn't think of anything to say about this book beyond simple gushing. Sometimes I feel like my enjoyment and appreciation of a book is inversely proportionate to the number of words I can find to describe it.
In rural South Africa, three-year-old boy Lukas van Rooyen wanders into the forest, becomes lost, and presumed dead. It's a rough terrain populated by "bigfeet" (elephants) who some believe trample humans in a calculated, predatory way. No child could survive.
On the other side of a vast mountain range, a white boy appearing to be about three years old shows up on the door step of Fiela, a black woman whose husband is in jail. She takes the boy in, calling him Benjamin, and raises him as a "hand-child" given to her by God. Understanding the complications inherent in a black family caring for a white child, Fiela keeps the boy relatively hidden -- he doesn't attend church or school with the other children.
Despite Fiela's caution, Benjamin's existence in the Komoetie family is thrown into question when two census-takers arrive at the farm, see a white child living with this black family, and remember the story of a boy being lost in the forest six years before. The men take Benjamin to the regional magistrate who summons Barta van Rooyen. When Barta points to Benjamin in a lineup, he is given back to the van Rooyen family. Now Lukas again, and not Benjamin.
Like Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country (my #3 favorite book of all time), this evocative novel is firmly rooted in the land of South Africa -- its beauty, its brutality, the duality of its ability to both give and take away life. As in many books I deeply love, the landscape becomes a character, literally and metaphorically separating Benjamin Komoetie from Lukas van Rooyen, separating Fiela from her hand-child.
The novel is also incredibly moving. Matthee's Fiela jumps to life, coming off of the page and making the reader's heart break along with hers as she loses Benjamin. I cried multiple times reading this book -- not something that often occurs in my reading. Yes, Fiela's Child is a book about race and class, but more importantly it's an incredible example of a story about the meaning of ones identity, the things that define a person, and love above all else. GO READ THIS BOOK!
In rural South Africa, three-year-old boy Lukas van Rooyen wanders into the forest, becomes lost, and presumed dead. It's a rough terrain populated by "bigfeet" (elephants) who some believe trample humans in a calculated, predatory way. No child could survive.
On the other side of a vast mountain range, a white boy appearing to be about three years old shows up on the door step of Fiela, a black woman whose husband is in jail. She takes the boy in, calling him Benjamin, and raises him as a "hand-child" given to her by God. Understanding the complications inherent in a black family caring for a white child, Fiela keeps the boy relatively hidden -- he doesn't attend church or school with the other children.
Despite Fiela's caution, Benjamin's existence in the Komoetie family is thrown into question when two census-takers arrive at the farm, see a white child living with this black family, and remember the story of a boy being lost in the forest six years before. The men take Benjamin to the regional magistrate who summons Barta van Rooyen. When Barta points to Benjamin in a lineup, he is given back to the van Rooyen family. Now Lukas again, and not Benjamin.
Like Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country (my #3 favorite book of all time), this evocative novel is firmly rooted in the land of South Africa -- its beauty, its brutality, the duality of its ability to both give and take away life. As in many books I deeply love, the landscape becomes a character, literally and metaphorically separating Benjamin Komoetie from Lukas van Rooyen, separating Fiela from her hand-child.
The novel is also incredibly moving. Matthee's Fiela jumps to life, coming off of the page and making the reader's heart break along with hers as she loses Benjamin. I cried multiple times reading this book -- not something that often occurs in my reading. Yes, Fiela's Child is a book about race and class, but more importantly it's an incredible example of a story about the meaning of ones identity, the things that define a person, and love above all else. GO READ THIS BOOK!
February 17, 2013
I read this book in English: Fiela's Child.
I loved this book so much, I think it will be next year's summer reading assignment. Translated from Africaans to English, the story is set in South Africa in the late 19th century. The story opens set in a heavy forest where the primary mode of earning a living is through timber. At the beginning, a four year old boy wanders off and is lost in the heavy fog and thick forest. There are frequent references to the "bigfeet," as the elephants are called. Actually, the elephants almost become a character in the book. The story fast forwards to seven years later to a farm on the other side of the mountains that separate farming land from the forest. Fiela, an extremely determined and loving "brown" woman, had found a young white boy on her steps and raised him with her own children. When census takers, whom Fiela calls peace-breakers, come to her farm, they notice the child. Essentially, the boy is taken from her and given to the white family across the mountains.
The setting of this novel is critical to its storyline, not just because of racial issues, but because of the land. The elephants and ostriches, the mountains and the forest, even the unforgiving sea, all become critical to the story. It is very hard to like the white family, the Van Rooyens, since the father is presented as quite cruel. Part of you wishes the child was not theirs. It is Fiela's deep love for the child that causes her to maintain that he is not, in fact, the Van Rooyens' child even though she knows nothing of his new life with them. Racial issues prevent her side of the story from being heard in the all white court. Until the boy, known to Fiela as Benjamin and to the Van Rooyens as Lukas, grows up, it is unclear whose child he is.
This is a lovely story, and although I got a bit distracted by the love story at the very end, I would put it on the "must read" list of anyone. You will never think of elephants and ostriches the same way again!
I loved this book so much, I think it will be next year's summer reading assignment. Translated from Africaans to English, the story is set in South Africa in the late 19th century. The story opens set in a heavy forest where the primary mode of earning a living is through timber. At the beginning, a four year old boy wanders off and is lost in the heavy fog and thick forest. There are frequent references to the "bigfeet," as the elephants are called. Actually, the elephants almost become a character in the book. The story fast forwards to seven years later to a farm on the other side of the mountains that separate farming land from the forest. Fiela, an extremely determined and loving "brown" woman, had found a young white boy on her steps and raised him with her own children. When census takers, whom Fiela calls peace-breakers, come to her farm, they notice the child. Essentially, the boy is taken from her and given to the white family across the mountains.
The setting of this novel is critical to its storyline, not just because of racial issues, but because of the land. The elephants and ostriches, the mountains and the forest, even the unforgiving sea, all become critical to the story. It is very hard to like the white family, the Van Rooyens, since the father is presented as quite cruel. Part of you wishes the child was not theirs. It is Fiela's deep love for the child that causes her to maintain that he is not, in fact, the Van Rooyens' child even though she knows nothing of his new life with them. Racial issues prevent her side of the story from being heard in the all white court. Until the boy, known to Fiela as Benjamin and to the Van Rooyens as Lukas, grows up, it is unclear whose child he is.
This is a lovely story, and although I got a bit distracted by the love story at the very end, I would put it on the "must read" list of anyone. You will never think of elephants and ostriches the same way again!
June 23, 2025
Somehow it’s only June and I’ve read 2 books about a boy named Benjamin who’s in love with his sister
February 10, 2013
All that Benjamin has known is life in the forest with Fiela as his mother. Never mind that his skin is white and hers is colored... Then the census takers come and take Benjamin, stating he is the child that went missing nine years before. Benjamin's entire identity is shattered as he is forced to live with another family and call them Ma and Pa. As an adult, he searches for his true identity.
It took me awhile to get into this one, but I suspect that was because of schedule and having a week gap between starting and reading more. But once I could devote the time to it, I couldn't put it down. Reading this after "Circles in a Forest" was like revisiting an old friend - many of the same place names are mentioned. The descriptions put you right there.
I'm wondering if any of her other books are available in English. If they're anything like "Circles" or this one, they've got to be excellent!
It took me awhile to get into this one, but I suspect that was because of schedule and having a week gap between starting and reading more. But once I could devote the time to it, I couldn't put it down. Reading this after "Circles in a Forest" was like revisiting an old friend - many of the same place names are mentioned. The descriptions put you right there.
I'm wondering if any of her other books are available in English. If they're anything like "Circles" or this one, they've got to be excellent!
April 24, 2022
في الكتاب المقدس مكتوب اسمه ببنجامين كوماتي وفي كتاب القانون بلوكاس فان رووين وبين هذا وذاك كان لابد لاحدهم أن يموت ليعيش الاخر، تحت سؤال من انا عاش لكنها كانت تعرف منذ البداية من هو، تنازلت في الاخير ببنجامين للسماء وبديفيد للارض، تحت كل هذه التعقيدات تنسج خطوط رواية طفل فيلا لتصور حكاية من حكايات الماضي في جنوب افريقيا، القارئ للرواية سيعرف مدى قوة الأدب حين يصبح سفيرا للحكاية بالدرجة الاولى،هنا ادب أفريقي ممتاز بكل جدارة.
رواية استمتعت بها ايما استمتاع شاهدت الفلمين المقتبسين منها وعلى أمل ترجمة كل السلسلة "سلسلة الغابة" من المحروسة ومن عماد منصور اللذان كان لهما الفضل في ترجمة بديعة متقنة.
رواية انصح بها اي قارئ، تقرا اي وقت وفي أي مكان.
رواية استمتعت بها ايما استمتاع شاهدت الفلمين المقتبسين منها وعلى أمل ترجمة كل السلسلة "سلسلة الغابة" من المحروسة ومن عماد منصور اللذان كان لهما الفضل في ترجمة بديعة متقنة.
رواية انصح بها اي قارئ، تقرا اي وقت وفي أي مكان.
November 26, 2011
'Fiela's Child' is a great novel. It's perfect for high school students. It's on the Prescribed Literature in Translation list (IB). It makes use of my favorite narrative technique, free indirect speech with multiple perspectives. And what's more, all of the complicated racial issues are in the backdrop. It's more about a boy finding out who he is. I highly recommend this novel.
September 4, 2023
I feel as though I need to give a little background to explain what this book started off being and what it ended up becoming...
This year for school, one of the books that we have to read for Afrikaans is Fiela se Kind . To make learning easier, I started summarising every chapter after I'd read it. This was easy in the beginning, but towards the end, it became difficult. I wanted to stop summarizing and continue reading, so that I find out what was going to happen next.
Fiela Komoetie is a coloured woman who adopted a white boy, Benjamin. When government census people discover Benjamin, they think that he is Lucas Van Rooyen, the child that went missing in the forest nine years ago. Ben is taken away from his old family, to live with a new one, until he is old enough to search for the truth.
Fiela se Kind contains a whole load of family dynamics and shows how different people act in different environments. While Fiela se Kind does deal with race and racial discrimination, it mostly revolves around the main character, Benjamin/Lucas as he searches for his identity and place in the world. Fiela se Kind is heartbreaking, real and unflinchingly honest. Every aspect in Fiela se Kind from the settings of the forest and the sea to the characters seems realistic. An added bonus, is the cool facts that I've learnt about ostriches and elephants...
I LOVED reading Fiela se Kind This book started off being something that I was forced to read for school, and somewhere, somehow, it became a story that I couldn't finish fast enough. If I hadn't had to read this story for school, I wouldn't have even gave it a glance (mostly because of the cover), and that would have been a shame. This book makes me proud of South African literature!
This year for school, one of the books that we have to read for Afrikaans is Fiela se Kind . To make learning easier, I started summarising every chapter after I'd read it. This was easy in the beginning, but towards the end, it became difficult. I wanted to stop summarizing and continue reading, so that I find out what was going to happen next.
Fiela Komoetie is a coloured woman who adopted a white boy, Benjamin. When government census people discover Benjamin, they think that he is Lucas Van Rooyen, the child that went missing in the forest nine years ago. Ben is taken away from his old family, to live with a new one, until he is old enough to search for the truth.
Fiela se Kind contains a whole load of family dynamics and shows how different people act in different environments. While Fiela se Kind does deal with race and racial discrimination, it mostly revolves around the main character, Benjamin/Lucas as he searches for his identity and place in the world. Fiela se Kind is heartbreaking, real and unflinchingly honest. Every aspect in Fiela se Kind from the settings of the forest and the sea to the characters seems realistic. An added bonus, is the cool facts that I've learnt about ostriches and elephants...
I LOVED reading Fiela se Kind This book started off being something that I was forced to read for school, and somewhere, somehow, it became a story that I couldn't finish fast enough. If I hadn't had to read this story for school, I wouldn't have even gave it a glance (mostly because of the cover), and that would have been a shame. This book makes me proud of South African literature!
March 5, 2013
I loved this book so much after reading it in high school that I did not resell my "school-edition" copy.
A lot of South African literature deals with our colour-obsessed history (both past and current), but I think that the most effective way to get the point across is to leave off rattling off statistics and illustrate how each and every individual in this country has been affected. Dalene Matthee achieves this by focusing on the lives of two families who each feel that they have the right to a young boy - one family because his skin matches theirs, the other because he has been raised by them.
Any reader whose country has experienced mass injustice might like this book, but so might any reader who has not, as this is a well-researched work of historical fiction, and above all a human story.
A lot of South African literature deals with our colour-obsessed history (both past and current), but I think that the most effective way to get the point across is to leave off rattling off statistics and illustrate how each and every individual in this country has been affected. Dalene Matthee achieves this by focusing on the lives of two families who each feel that they have the right to a young boy - one family because his skin matches theirs, the other because he has been raised by them.
Any reader whose country has experienced mass injustice might like this book, but so might any reader who has not, as this is a well-researched work of historical fiction, and above all a human story.
May 14, 2008
Based on a true story, this recounts what happens when a white boy is unofficially adopted by an African woman in nineteenth century South Africa. When Fiela finds Ben on her doorstep, she takes him in as her own, never mind their different skin colors, or the fact that the authorities may soon come and take him away. But eventually Ben is taken away and forced to live with a family that claims he is their lost son. But Ben never truly feels like a part of their family...
I read this book for a world literature class in college and I have never forgotten it. The writing is so real and the story so heart-breaking. This book more than any of the many movies I've seen about South Africa and apartheid made that horrible part of history real and true to me.
I read this book for a world literature class in college and I have never forgotten it. The writing is so real and the story so heart-breaking. This book more than any of the many movies I've seen about South Africa and apartheid made that horrible part of history real and true to me.
April 11, 2022
Why did I read this you ask
The answer is pretty simple, it's the setwork for Afrikaans (FAL) and I feel that I might understand and retain more information if I read the book/drama in English.
Now that I'm done, I can affirm that I have retained more information, I just need to find the vocabulary to be able to answer questions in Afrikaans🙂.
My Thoughts about Fiela:
I enjoyed this, it was surprisingly a very engaging book with pretty interesting and intricate characters. I enjoyed the POV of both Lukas/Benjamin and Fiela but not Elias, probably because he was a selfish, greedy and lazy character.
Thats it. That's all I have to say.
The answer is pretty simple, it's the setwork for Afrikaans (FAL) and I feel that I might understand and retain more information if I read the book/drama in English.
Now that I'm done, I can affirm that I have retained more information, I just need to find the vocabulary to be able to answer questions in Afrikaans🙂.
My Thoughts about Fiela:
I enjoyed this, it was surprisingly a very engaging book with pretty interesting and intricate characters. I enjoyed the POV of both Lukas/Benjamin and Fiela but not Elias, probably because he was a selfish, greedy and lazy character.
Thats it. That's all I have to say.
May 18, 2010
This was a beautifully written mood piece about a black family that take in a white trash baby and raise him as their own. eventually he is recognized and taken back by his white family who are not nearly as wise and loving as his own adopted family. the book gives a very vivid feeling of south africa. and it is a great coming of age story.
February 14, 2022
رواية تجعلك تعيش مع شخصياتها في عالم أخر. تشعر بأنك خارج الزمان والمكان تطفو في مكان بعيد في زمن أبعد تجتاحك أسئلة كثيرة تبحث عن إجاباتها مثلما يفعل لوكاس أو بنيامين.
عندما تنهي الرواية ستشعر بالفراغ وبقشعريرة كأنك انسلخت فجأة من عالم عشت فيه لبعض الوقت.
عندما تنهي الرواية ستشعر بالفراغ وبقشعريرة كأنك انسلخت فجأة من عالم عشت فيه لبعض الوقت.
September 19, 2008
A really good and different story about a poor black faring family in South Africa bringing up a lost white child.
May 6, 2025
Interesting book but it gets a little crazy… the premise of the story is a bit unbelievable imo cuz that’s a crazy coincidence about lukas disappearing at the same time as bejamin appearing for fíela
but i like the elephants and the overall setting was cool 😎
but i like the elephants and the overall setting was cool 😎
April 23, 2020
'Do you know who I am, Ma?'
He was so calm, like one in pain and hiding it. 'You're a lamb that was deserted and put into Fiela Komoeti's care by God; then others came and messed it up with a stupid story!'
'I didn't mean to upset you like this!'
'Don't turn away, Benjamin! We must talk this over properly.'
May 18, 2012
A story of two families as different as they could be, and a court that wasn't as wise as Solomon when asked to choose between two women claiming the same child. Fiela Komoetie, living on the open veld, raised her white "hand-child" (adopted child) Benjamin with all the love she gave her other children, and then some, though half-knowing that the government wasn't going to allow the child to stay with her when they found out. At the other end of a landscape of contrasts, in a dark forest, lived Barta Van Rooyen who would eventually claim Benjamin. The contrast between Fiela's pride and dignity and Barta's family's scrabbling, violent, fearful lives was equally great.
This was a memorable portrait of the natural world of 19th-century South Africa, with its forests, elephants, ostriches, and birdsongs, already passing away under the axes and plows. As a depiction of the social world of the time, it was more particularistic, taking in only a few families. The author was more interested, I think, in exploring Benjamin's identity crisis, unable to identify with the family he'd been told was "his" when taken to the forest; a crisis she brought to a height by the rather obvious plot device of having him fall in love with his "sister". She was also interested in reflecting on "the power of a woman", the instinct of love and protection as she sees it, so lacking in weak Barta.
This was a memorable portrait of the natural world of 19th-century South Africa, with its forests, elephants, ostriches, and birdsongs, already passing away under the axes and plows. As a depiction of the social world of the time, it was more particularistic, taking in only a few families. The author was more interested, I think, in exploring Benjamin's identity crisis, unable to identify with the family he'd been told was "his" when taken to the forest; a crisis she brought to a height by the rather obvious plot device of having him fall in love with his "sister". She was also interested in reflecting on "the power of a woman", the instinct of love and protection as she sees it, so lacking in weak Barta.
October 10, 2009
I picked this up in the airport in Johannesburg, in preparation for the long 14 hour flight home. It grabbed me at once. The story takes place in South Africa in the late 19th century, and judging from the acknowledgements and list of sources, the story has some basis in fact. A young white boy appears at the doorstep of Fiela, a coloured woman who takes him in and raises him as her own. About the same time, the son of a white woodcutter strays into the forest and is never found. Years later, a census taker “discovers” Fiela’s child and insists he must be taken from her because of the child’s different race. The question becomes: Is Benjamin really the woodcutter’s son? The plot goes back and forth between the two families. A reviewer on Amazon.com says, “This is a story told with great sensitivity of the life style of the people who inhabited the Cape in the mid 1800’s. It is a compelling book, heart wrenching at times, humorous at times, but always it gives the reader a feel for what was happening in the hearts of the people involved. This book could be described a bit like a prison, because once it gets hold of you, it doesn’t let go, not until it has finished with you, and not you with it.”
September 18, 2016
306 pagina,s en levendig beschreven.
Wist trouwens niet dat slagtanden an olifanten zo zwaar kunnen zijn.
Triest dat er daardoor jacht op de olfanten wordt gemaakt maar het hoort "gewoon" bij dit verhaal.
Ook leuk om te lezen hoe het met de struisvogels gaat :-)
Vond het een mooi boek en wilde dan ook graag weten hoe het nu met hem verder zou gaan...
Wie is hij?? Aan het eind van het boek weten we in elk geval "wie niet"...
De moeite waard!!
Wist trouwens niet dat slagtanden an olifanten zo zwaar kunnen zijn.
Triest dat er daardoor jacht op de olfanten wordt gemaakt maar het hoort "gewoon" bij dit verhaal.
Ook leuk om te lezen hoe het met de struisvogels gaat :-)
Vond het een mooi boek en wilde dan ook graag weten hoe het nu met hem verder zou gaan...
Wie is hij?? Aan het eind van het boek weten we in elk geval "wie niet"...
De moeite waard!!
May 4, 2018
Although I thought it was a bit overrated and it took a while for the story to get going, I was left wanting more in the end. Matthee gets the reader emotionally tied to the story. She succeeded in portraying the setting of the specific time era extremely well, as well as twisting the preoccupied ideas any reader would have.
February 2, 2013
This book surprised me - in a good way. I found myself unexpectedly captivated by both the author's style and the story itself. Overall a compelling story, though the ending was, perhaps, a little too neat.
May 4, 2016
Awesome read, i think that society on the whole can really learn from this book about breaking the cultural barriers that so divide this awesome, wonderful, God's treasure which i call home.
May 7, 2025
Okay but a little hard to believe at times. A rock named Emu Rock is implausible, especially if it was in the ocean. Maybe Dangerous Rock would be a more fitting name.
January 19, 2019
Ryk aan karakters en emosies, aan kind wees en ouer wees, aan grootword, aan hartseer en hoe ons n keuse het hoe ons harte werk. Sal dit elke jaar lees!
August 12, 2014
Title: Fiela’s Child
Author: Dalene Matthee
Rating: 4.5/5
I had to read this novel for, and I actually enjoyed this contemporary classic.
Synopsis: In Africa a child wanders too far into the Knysna Forest. He never returns. Nine years later, two government officials, working on a census, find a white child living with a Coloured family in the mountains on the other side of the forest. They take him away from the stricken Fiela, who has brought him up, and give him back to his 'original' family. Whipped into using a new name and calling strangers 'ma' and 'pa', Benjamin is so stunned that the cannot cry and waits for Fiela to reclaim him. But Fiela, powerless before authority, never comes. So Benjamin has to grow up before he can go in search of the truth
This is a novel I wasn’t expecting to enjoy, but I quickly became engrossed in this dramatic story. Without giving too much away, “Fiela’s Child” follows Benjamin/Luckas who is on constantly on a search for his identity. To figure out whom he is and where he belongs. To figure out if the love he feels is sin or true.
Setting plays a large part in this novel. The African mountainous landscape creates a mold to show the separation between classes. Those who live in the Long Kloof are colored, and more family oriented. Those who live in the Forest believe in a village lifestyle – where everything you own belongs to everyone, and are white. As well, the village is more upper-class business men, and is close to the sea port. Each of these different settings set the stage for Benjamin/Luckas’ search for identity, and the various different lifestyles he forms.
In the end, this was a very inspiring classic novel that is very similar to a coming to age novel, and the constant want to figure out “who we are”. I believe this is a novel everyone should read at least once in a lifetime.
Author: Dalene Matthee
Rating: 4.5/5
I had to read this novel for, and I actually enjoyed this contemporary classic.
Synopsis: In Africa a child wanders too far into the Knysna Forest. He never returns. Nine years later, two government officials, working on a census, find a white child living with a Coloured family in the mountains on the other side of the forest. They take him away from the stricken Fiela, who has brought him up, and give him back to his 'original' family. Whipped into using a new name and calling strangers 'ma' and 'pa', Benjamin is so stunned that the cannot cry and waits for Fiela to reclaim him. But Fiela, powerless before authority, never comes. So Benjamin has to grow up before he can go in search of the truth
This is a novel I wasn’t expecting to enjoy, but I quickly became engrossed in this dramatic story. Without giving too much away, “Fiela’s Child” follows Benjamin/Luckas who is on constantly on a search for his identity. To figure out whom he is and where he belongs. To figure out if the love he feels is sin or true.
Setting plays a large part in this novel. The African mountainous landscape creates a mold to show the separation between classes. Those who live in the Long Kloof are colored, and more family oriented. Those who live in the Forest believe in a village lifestyle – where everything you own belongs to everyone, and are white. As well, the village is more upper-class business men, and is close to the sea port. Each of these different settings set the stage for Benjamin/Luckas’ search for identity, and the various different lifestyles he forms.
In the end, this was a very inspiring classic novel that is very similar to a coming to age novel, and the constant want to figure out “who we are”. I believe this is a novel everyone should read at least once in a lifetime.
March 7, 2014
Actual rating is a 4.5 star. I liked this book. I was surprised because I had to read it for literature class and that should have been enough to turn me off from it, but here I am actually writing a review.
For a book my literature teacher practically had to force me to read, it's really good. In fact, I finished it way before I had to because after he told us to read chapter 1, 2 and 3, I just had to figure out what happened next. This book has mystery, suspense, romance, action, and ofcourse, a little bit of tragedy. I'll see if I can review it without giving anything away.
It's set in 19th century South Africa. So, in the intro a child get's lost in the forest and is never found. Scene change, a couple of white guys come up and discover a white child, amongst a black family and says the child, Benjamin, is the same child that was lost, Lukas. Benjamin's black mother, Fiela, argues fervently against this and tries to get her son back, and then a whole bunch of stuff happens, but it's really cool I promise.
I loved Fiela. She kinda reminded me off my own mother, so fierce and loving and proud. She's also pretty religious which makes her say hilarious things sometimes.
Another character I think i liked was Nina. Actually Nina and I pretty much had a love hate relationship. She had a very self-destructive nature, which i hated, but she was clever and mischievous, which I just had to respect.
In short, if you have to read something for literature, read this book. In fact, read it anyway. It's good, I'm telling you.
-0.5 for the end though. not that it was bad, just as a personal preference I didnt like the ending. I felt it was too abrupt, but I think that was kind of the point.
For a book my literature teacher practically had to force me to read, it's really good. In fact, I finished it way before I had to because after he told us to read chapter 1, 2 and 3, I just had to figure out what happened next. This book has mystery, suspense, romance, action, and ofcourse, a little bit of tragedy. I'll see if I can review it without giving anything away.
It's set in 19th century South Africa. So, in the intro a child get's lost in the forest and is never found. Scene change, a couple of white guys come up and discover a white child, amongst a black family and says the child, Benjamin, is the same child that was lost, Lukas. Benjamin's black mother, Fiela, argues fervently against this and tries to get her son back, and then a whole bunch of stuff happens, but it's really cool I promise.
I loved Fiela. She kinda reminded me off my own mother, so fierce and loving and proud. She's also pretty religious which makes her say hilarious things sometimes.
Another character I think i liked was Nina. Actually Nina and I pretty much had a love hate relationship. She had a very self-destructive nature, which i hated, but she was clever and mischievous, which I just had to respect.
In short, if you have to read something for literature, read this book. In fact, read it anyway. It's good, I'm telling you.
-0.5 for the end though. not that it was bad, just as a personal preference I didnt like the ending. I felt it was too abrupt, but I think that was kind of the point.
January 26, 2018
Wow, this book was a hard one to read.
First of all, Dalene Matthee was a brilliant writer, and I think I will be picking up another of her books once again. This book was so realistic, so poetic, and it wasn't originally written in English people! She had a way of getting you so caught up in each of the characters lives, each of them had such unique problems that somehow all revolved around this one boy. She used humour in subtle, innocent ways, and was also brave enough to write about such a cruel situation.
I had such strong feelings for Benjamin/Lukas. He had such a difficult life from the beginning, and it his problems just continued to grow the older he got. It's amazing that he grew to be such a decent person, and honestly, I give all the credit to Fiela. I loved all the rotating POVs, it was nice to have all the characters insight, even Elias' sickening descriptions of torture and pathetic laziness.
This was the hard part: I didn't know who to hate (except for Elias, that was easy). It was hard to feel rage at Barta for taking Benjamin away from Fiela, but she was just a mother trying to reconnect with her lost son. We all would do everything to get a child back, it was just sad to feel both mother's pain. Even if it was not evident, Barta did fight for Benjamin in her own silent way.
This book was amazing, and I enjoyed it every step of the way. Which is surprising, considering this was an English book that I was forced to read! Please make this book more popular, everyone should experience it.
First of all, Dalene Matthee was a brilliant writer, and I think I will be picking up another of her books once again. This book was so realistic, so poetic, and it wasn't originally written in English people! She had a way of getting you so caught up in each of the characters lives, each of them had such unique problems that somehow all revolved around this one boy. She used humour in subtle, innocent ways, and was also brave enough to write about such a cruel situation.
I had such strong feelings for Benjamin/Lukas. He had such a difficult life from the beginning, and it his problems just continued to grow the older he got. It's amazing that he grew to be such a decent person, and honestly, I give all the credit to Fiela. I loved all the rotating POVs, it was nice to have all the characters insight, even Elias' sickening descriptions of torture and pathetic laziness.
This was the hard part: I didn't know who to hate (except for Elias, that was easy). It was hard to feel rage at Barta for taking Benjamin away from Fiela, but she was just a mother trying to reconnect with her lost son. We all would do everything to get a child back, it was just sad to feel both mother's pain. Even if it was not evident, Barta did fight for Benjamin in her own silent way.
This book was amazing, and I enjoyed it every step of the way. Which is surprising, considering this was an English book that I was forced to read! Please make this book more popular, everyone should experience it.
March 25, 2016
Here are the questions we discussed at the Reading the Western Landscape Book Club at the Arboretum Library of the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden on March 23, 2016
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