What do you think?
Rate this book
The Daughters of Nandi: A Novel
Historical Fiction
194 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2022
1 person is currently reading
57 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 29, 2022
You don't want to sleep on THE DAUGHTERS OF NANDI, Nokuthula Mazibuko Msimang.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
"As she took her dying breath, Nandi Mhlongo, mother of Shaka kaSenzangakhona, cursed the house of Zulu and her family, the Mhlongos, for the disrespect she endured at their hands. In the ancestral realm, Nandi worries that her malediction may have been rash and too dangerous for the descendants of the two houses. The curse can be undone but it will need a human medium to convey the message to the progeny.
Through three historical periods, three women who are extraordinary in their different ways will seek to get restitution for Nani. Gentle keeya, a Motswana woman of the House of Moagi who marries one of Nandi’s descendants as the English, the Boers and the Zulu go to the war in the 19th century; Uju, a spirited married woman who carves a space for herself in history during the forced removals of Sophiatown in the 20th century; and in the 21st century Amangwe, who reluctantly joins her fellow students as they speak up against a meaningless freedom during the #FeesMustFall protests.
Will any of these three women manage to ensure Nandi Mhlongo is appeased and if not, what shall be the consequences to the Houses of Mhlongo and Zulu and to the three Daughters of Nandi themselves?
An engaging debut which seamlessly weaves fact, fiction and spiritualities while subverting the way the reader perceives history."
From the beginning to the end, THE DAUGHTERS OF NANDI is spellbindingly delicious. Moving, spiritually and physically - a fast-paced page turner. E na le "Spirit" sa Kwesta. A perfect group discussion read. Gather your tribe, get some tapas and pink drinks and spend hours chewing on this book.
Thank you, Nokuthula. My weekend was edified.❤
(The Acknowledgements? PRICELESS✊🏿👌🏿) I read them too🙆🏿♀️
Order here: https://store.yoco.com/s/book-circle-... or get it from Bookcirclecapital 27 Boxes, Melville. If you are in Nairobi, order it directly from Zukiswa Wanner.
#homebrewed #supportlocal #womensvoices
ABOUT THE BOOK:
"As she took her dying breath, Nandi Mhlongo, mother of Shaka kaSenzangakhona, cursed the house of Zulu and her family, the Mhlongos, for the disrespect she endured at their hands. In the ancestral realm, Nandi worries that her malediction may have been rash and too dangerous for the descendants of the two houses. The curse can be undone but it will need a human medium to convey the message to the progeny.
Through three historical periods, three women who are extraordinary in their different ways will seek to get restitution for Nani. Gentle keeya, a Motswana woman of the House of Moagi who marries one of Nandi’s descendants as the English, the Boers and the Zulu go to the war in the 19th century; Uju, a spirited married woman who carves a space for herself in history during the forced removals of Sophiatown in the 20th century; and in the 21st century Amangwe, who reluctantly joins her fellow students as they speak up against a meaningless freedom during the #FeesMustFall protests.
Will any of these three women manage to ensure Nandi Mhlongo is appeased and if not, what shall be the consequences to the Houses of Mhlongo and Zulu and to the three Daughters of Nandi themselves?
An engaging debut which seamlessly weaves fact, fiction and spiritualities while subverting the way the reader perceives history."
From the beginning to the end, THE DAUGHTERS OF NANDI is spellbindingly delicious. Moving, spiritually and physically - a fast-paced page turner. E na le "Spirit" sa Kwesta. A perfect group discussion read. Gather your tribe, get some tapas and pink drinks and spend hours chewing on this book.
Thank you, Nokuthula. My weekend was edified.❤
(The Acknowledgements? PRICELESS✊🏿👌🏿) I read them too🙆🏿♀️
Order here: https://store.yoco.com/s/book-circle-... or get it from Bookcirclecapital 27 Boxes, Melville. If you are in Nairobi, order it directly from Zukiswa Wanner.
#homebrewed #supportlocal #womensvoices
September 20, 2022
"My words spoken again and again in blinding anger during my lifetime are a sad echo across time...Words become manifest. In anger, my words poisoned my bloodline. I can hear their echos still....A curse upon the house of eLangeni for what they did to me. Rejected by Senzangakhona, his sister, Mkabayi, even my own father, Bhebhe, chief of eLangeni. Yes, my father shrunk in shame and looked at me with scorn when I was forced by the Zulu royal family to return home. From now to eternity, generations of my beloved children will know the pain of my humiliation."
What a great book, made up of facts, fiction and spiritualities. I still wonder how the author managed to combine these themes so well that when you read, and looking at the bloodshed our nation has witnessed over the years, you ask yourself if really it is not for the Queens humiliation that we are suffering like this. If you look at how women are being butchered and disrespected, could it not be the words the queen uttered on her deathbed?
Well, to those who know umlando wakwaZulu. Queen Nandi is the mother of King Shaka, the most celebrated king of our time. Shaka's father is Senzangakhona. When they fell for each other, a baby was born outside wedlock. Nandi loved Senzangakhona and like Senzangakhona's father, Jama, Nandi thought their love was enough not to be forced into polygamy. Senzangakhona felt he was thee man, a king and no woman could tie him down and control his heart. The strong headed Nandi decided to leave the royal house. She was followed by izibongo that insinuate that she was a wanderer. She died an angry woman. She knew her power and she stood by what she believed in. All she ever wanted was for women and children to be liberated. To take their own decisions. She opted out when she was denied that right. She left all the gold and glitteres of the royal house just to be who she believed she was. When even Senzangakhona, her lover, could not protect their love, she was shuttered. She then cursed us. Even when her son, Shaka was on the throne, he failed to heal his mother. He disregarded her and forgot her teachings. He became a man who ruled with so much power that a lot of blood was shed.
The story is about Nandi and the three daughters she selected through her unsettled spirit to help her bandage the wounds that cut and left open by the Zulu royal house. In the story, from the spirit realm, she wants to be cleansed. She wants Zulu people to go to eLangeni to ask for forgiveness, to slaughter and cleanse her father's house and her name. In the book, she regrets the words she uttered out of anger. She wants to make things right but she is in another world, she can't reverse the words. She's unsettled because as she had said, we will never find peace. Peace is what we have never had, till to date.
For me, I appreciated how imaginative the author was. She also taught me how important it is to pay attention to everything that happens around us. Nothing that happens, good or bad, that has no meaning. This you will see through the lives of Uju, Keeya and Amangwe. When your life suddenly changes, pay attention. Take dreams seriously because they always have a message or meaning.
A very engaging novel if you love historical fiction with facts. Themes covered are Gender inequalities, GBV, polygamy, spirituality, educational system, apartheid system and many more.
Thanks kaMazibuko, I truly enjoyed this. For reminding us that women were born powerful. That women were born leaders. That women must love and believe in their power. That women have directed great kings and men and made them who they are. That most women have suffered and humiliated through the hands of patriarchal system. That they have been rejected by those who once shared a bed with them, and left to fend for themselves to see to it that the seeds of that relationship live. That with all this, they wait for an apology, they hope that maybe oneday their names would be cleansed but it's an apology that will never come.
I might not have done justice to this review because I have a lot to say but ke I had to share high level. A lot is going on there. A very powerful and compelling read.
What a great book, made up of facts, fiction and spiritualities. I still wonder how the author managed to combine these themes so well that when you read, and looking at the bloodshed our nation has witnessed over the years, you ask yourself if really it is not for the Queens humiliation that we are suffering like this. If you look at how women are being butchered and disrespected, could it not be the words the queen uttered on her deathbed?
Well, to those who know umlando wakwaZulu. Queen Nandi is the mother of King Shaka, the most celebrated king of our time. Shaka's father is Senzangakhona. When they fell for each other, a baby was born outside wedlock. Nandi loved Senzangakhona and like Senzangakhona's father, Jama, Nandi thought their love was enough not to be forced into polygamy. Senzangakhona felt he was thee man, a king and no woman could tie him down and control his heart. The strong headed Nandi decided to leave the royal house. She was followed by izibongo that insinuate that she was a wanderer. She died an angry woman. She knew her power and she stood by what she believed in. All she ever wanted was for women and children to be liberated. To take their own decisions. She opted out when she was denied that right. She left all the gold and glitteres of the royal house just to be who she believed she was. When even Senzangakhona, her lover, could not protect their love, she was shuttered. She then cursed us. Even when her son, Shaka was on the throne, he failed to heal his mother. He disregarded her and forgot her teachings. He became a man who ruled with so much power that a lot of blood was shed.
The story is about Nandi and the three daughters she selected through her unsettled spirit to help her bandage the wounds that cut and left open by the Zulu royal house. In the story, from the spirit realm, she wants to be cleansed. She wants Zulu people to go to eLangeni to ask for forgiveness, to slaughter and cleanse her father's house and her name. In the book, she regrets the words she uttered out of anger. She wants to make things right but she is in another world, she can't reverse the words. She's unsettled because as she had said, we will never find peace. Peace is what we have never had, till to date.
For me, I appreciated how imaginative the author was. She also taught me how important it is to pay attention to everything that happens around us. Nothing that happens, good or bad, that has no meaning. This you will see through the lives of Uju, Keeya and Amangwe. When your life suddenly changes, pay attention. Take dreams seriously because they always have a message or meaning.
A very engaging novel if you love historical fiction with facts. Themes covered are Gender inequalities, GBV, polygamy, spirituality, educational system, apartheid system and many more.
Thanks kaMazibuko, I truly enjoyed this. For reminding us that women were born powerful. That women were born leaders. That women must love and believe in their power. That women have directed great kings and men and made them who they are. That most women have suffered and humiliated through the hands of patriarchal system. That they have been rejected by those who once shared a bed with them, and left to fend for themselves to see to it that the seeds of that relationship live. That with all this, they wait for an apology, they hope that maybe oneday their names would be cleansed but it's an apology that will never come.
I might not have done justice to this review because I have a lot to say but ke I had to share high level. A lot is going on there. A very powerful and compelling read.
March 31, 2024
“My people, I have no regrets. I, Nandi Queen of the Zulu Nation, have lived a life anointed by the ancestors. I was chosen to birth a king and lead my people. I called him uMlilwana. The fire to warm my heart and hands”.
What a refreshing read, Dr Mazibuko Msimang uses historical fiction, archival works and imagination to retell the story of Queen Nandi.
The reader meets the daughters of Nandi, who come from three generations. Their story is told with care and tenderness.
At its core, the story is about the ways in which love permeates our love and impacts the decisions we make.
Keeya, Uju and Amangwe all get to experience the majesty that is Queen Nandi and so do we!
In the end, Queen Nando takes her rightly place as the mother of the Zulu Nation!
Refreshing, engaging and educational
What a refreshing read, Dr Mazibuko Msimang uses historical fiction, archival works and imagination to retell the story of Queen Nandi.
The reader meets the daughters of Nandi, who come from three generations. Their story is told with care and tenderness.
At its core, the story is about the ways in which love permeates our love and impacts the decisions we make.
Keeya, Uju and Amangwe all get to experience the majesty that is Queen Nandi and so do we!
In the end, Queen Nando takes her rightly place as the mother of the Zulu Nation!
Refreshing, engaging and educational
May 21, 2023
Absolutely loved this book! Loved how it traced 3 generations of women in very different circumstances. The deep dives into the circumstances of the different women's lives were engrossing and taught me a lot about South African history. Even though I knew each woman's story was coming to an end, I didn't want it to. But then I was super excited and riveted to get into the next woman's story. The author did such a wonderful job of succinctly spanning centuries with such rich detail. The themes of colonization, racism, misogyny and Black suffering weighed heavy but there was a constant through line of joy throughout it all, which is reflective of the Black experience. Would highly recommend! I read it in one day and couldn't put it down!
March 19, 2023
Beautiful read, spanning 300years up to the present day. I love how Dr Mazibuko Msimang links the past with the present to explain some of our struggles.
October 1, 2024
At first the plot was exciting but as I read further the plot lost its meaning for me. I tried to connect the curse and the modern happenings but didn't worl for me.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews