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Stones for My Father
Corlie Roux’s farm life in South Africa is not the Transvaal is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies, she is left with a mother who is as devoted to her sons as she is cruel to her daughter. Despite this, Corlie finds solace in her friend, Sipho, and in Africa itself and in the stories she conjures for her brothers.
But Corlie’s world is about to the British are invading and driving Boer families like hers from their farms. Some escape into the bush to fight the enemy. The unlucky ones are rounded up and sent to internment camps.
Will Corlie’s resilience and devotion to her country sustain her through the suffering and squalor she finds in the camp at Kroonstad? That may depend on a soldier from faraway Canada and on inner resources Corlie never dreamed she had….
But Corlie’s world is about to the British are invading and driving Boer families like hers from their farms. Some escape into the bush to fight the enemy. The unlucky ones are rounded up and sent to internment camps.
Will Corlie’s resilience and devotion to her country sustain her through the suffering and squalor she finds in the camp at Kroonstad? That may depend on a soldier from faraway Canada and on inner resources Corlie never dreamed she had….
170 pages, Hardcover
First published March 8, 2011
8 people are currently reading
427 people want to read
About the author
Trilby Kent
8 books31 followersTrilby grew up in cities in Canada, the United States and England. After studying History at Oxford University and Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics, training as a maps specialist at a London auction house and pursuing journalistic work from Belgium to the Philippines, she began writing fiction for adults and young adults. This led to an AHRC studentship to complete a PhD in Creative Writing, which produced her second adult novel. Her second book for children, STONES FOR MY FATHER, won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Africana Book Award in 2012 and has since been included on CBC Writes’ 100 YA Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian. Her third novel for young readers, ONCE, IN A TOWN CALLED MOTH will be published in September 2016.
Trilby now lives in Toronto, where she continues to write fiction, review books for the Globe and Mail and Quill and Quire, teach creative writing at the University of Toronto and Humber College, and freelance as a writer and editor.
Trilby now lives in Toronto, where she continues to write fiction, review books for the Globe and Mail and Quill and Quire, teach creative writing at the University of Toronto and Humber College, and freelance as a writer and editor.
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April 17, 2011
Won this book in LibraryThing's Early Reviewers giveaway. I like when that happens!
For the most part, you get what you expect here, some straightforward children's historical fiction. (Technically: I suppose this is a middle-grade book.) As a kid myself I read lots and lots and lots of this genre, and though I loved it greatly, what I remember reading doesn't stand out in memory as very unique. Like anything I guess, it can be a pat genre, and I expected a lot of that from this book. Mostly due to the title, really, and the subject matter. I expected downtrodden victimhood in abundance, and lots of showy research about native African life, and wasn't sure there was required to be a lot more than that.
I also genuinely wanted to learn about the Boer War — my knowledge of it was pretty much at a children's-novel level already, and I expected to see a bit more information on the context of the war. Perhaps the problem is that it really was as simple as it sounds here, but I don't think that's necessarily true. There is some attempt to convey the nasty sides of the good guys and the noble sides of the bad guys, which is an excellent plan, but I found myself feeling confused by the lack of real information: What was really the situation in the camp? (Why did I find out the most from the epilogue and not the narrative?) And what did it mean when Corlie tossed off an explanation of the custom of having an African playmate "gifted" to "most Boer children"? That is a pretty huge concept to take in, actually! Hold on, give me more than two sentences! (Why can't I find more information about that anywhere? Particularly, in the book?)
So the first half of the book, a little eh. Everything is totally ok, but it didn't accomplish terribly much. But a lot of my reservations lifted late in the book. I didn't at all expect the turn that things take in the internment camp, which made things much darker and more interesting than the plain, bleak tragedy I anticipated. And in addition, Corlie ends the book in a much different situation than I imagined she would. That was pretty great.
I do kind of have an axe to grind with youth fiction that explains away the difficult behavior of adults with a simple 11:00 revelation of backstory. Very, very many books work this way, and I know it makes sense in many ways and most often isn't bad. But it usually disappoints me a little — I find it false. Sometimes I think the challenge should be met of bringing across the truth, that adults and parents just sometimes are difficult. And sometimes, you'll never know why.
So I was interested by this, watching Corlie deal with her mother's scorn throughout the book, contrasted with the intentional show of preference for her brothers. It stung, and sometimes this really happens in families, not just in historical fiction. So in some ways I was a bit deflated when this situation is circumscribed by some late backstory from Corlie's aunt. I do like where it led, but convenience isn't an attractive quality in a narrative. Even for children.
So. A bit of both here. But I'd be glad for the book to go out to many readers. It's extremely quick, illustrative of its setting, and ultimately the story is a good one.
For the most part, you get what you expect here, some straightforward children's historical fiction. (Technically: I suppose this is a middle-grade book.) As a kid myself I read lots and lots and lots of this genre, and though I loved it greatly, what I remember reading doesn't stand out in memory as very unique. Like anything I guess, it can be a pat genre, and I expected a lot of that from this book. Mostly due to the title, really, and the subject matter. I expected downtrodden victimhood in abundance, and lots of showy research about native African life, and wasn't sure there was required to be a lot more than that.
I also genuinely wanted to learn about the Boer War — my knowledge of it was pretty much at a children's-novel level already, and I expected to see a bit more information on the context of the war. Perhaps the problem is that it really was as simple as it sounds here, but I don't think that's necessarily true. There is some attempt to convey the nasty sides of the good guys and the noble sides of the bad guys, which is an excellent plan, but I found myself feeling confused by the lack of real information: What was really the situation in the camp? (Why did I find out the most from the epilogue and not the narrative?) And what did it mean when Corlie tossed off an explanation of the custom of having an African playmate "gifted" to "most Boer children"? That is a pretty huge concept to take in, actually! Hold on, give me more than two sentences! (Why can't I find more information about that anywhere? Particularly, in the book?)
So the first half of the book, a little eh. Everything is totally ok, but it didn't accomplish terribly much. But a lot of my reservations lifted late in the book. I didn't at all expect the turn that things take in the internment camp, which made things much darker and more interesting than the plain, bleak tragedy I anticipated. And in addition, Corlie ends the book in a much different situation than I imagined she would. That was pretty great.
I do kind of have an axe to grind with youth fiction that explains away the difficult behavior of adults with a simple 11:00 revelation of backstory. Very, very many books work this way, and I know it makes sense in many ways and most often isn't bad. But it usually disappoints me a little — I find it false. Sometimes I think the challenge should be met of bringing across the truth, that adults and parents just sometimes are difficult. And sometimes, you'll never know why.
So I was interested by this, watching Corlie deal with her mother's scorn throughout the book, contrasted with the intentional show of preference for her brothers. It stung, and sometimes this really happens in families, not just in historical fiction. So in some ways I was a bit deflated when this situation is circumscribed by some late backstory from Corlie's aunt. I do like where it led, but convenience isn't an attractive quality in a narrative. Even for children.
So. A bit of both here. But I'd be glad for the book to go out to many readers. It's extremely quick, illustrative of its setting, and ultimately the story is a good one.
March 3, 2017
“in my heart of hearts I wanted my mother to love me. But I also knew that she would never forgive me for who I was…We were at a stalemate, just like in the war.” (p. 159 Stones for My Father)
SUMMARY
In her young adult novel Stones for My Father, Trilby Kent presents the experience of a small group of Afrikaner women, children, and their "Kaffirs" (African servants) during the period of the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) through the eyes of a young Boer girl, 12-year-old Corlie Roux. The narrative is set in motion with Corlie and her younger brother, Gert, carrying supplies out to a pigeon cote, planning to leave these for pick-up by Boer commandos. The children see that the British--"Khakis"--have discovered this hiding place and now know that a British attack and burning of nearby Boer homesteads, including their own, is imminent.
With the help of Lindy, her African servant, Corlie's mother has almost single-handedly been running their farm since Mr. Roux’s recent death from scrofula. While Mr. Roux had been more interested in saving his farm and his family, Corlie’s mother is hard and bitter, a believer in "the one true faith". She is uncompromising in her hatred of the British. Corlie’s relationship with her mother is strained. It is clear to Corlie that her mother favors her handsome sons and has little patience for Corlie and her "heathen" storytelling. The mystery behind Mrs. Roux’s severe treatment of Corlie is only revealed in the last quarter of the book.
After being discovered by the British, the Roux family and their black servants have little choice but to make their way to a laager—a Boer encampment of women, children, and men too old to fight: all essentially refugees. Here they are soon captured and transported to a British-run detention camp where conditions are squalid and disease is rife. In this place, Corlie is engaged in the struggle of her life and it is here that she uncovers the secret of her mother’s hatred and her own true identity.
Among the many episodes detailed by the author are Corlie and her brother’s life-changing encounter with sympathetic Canadian soldier fighting with the British who offers them meat, Corlie’s rescue of an orphaned vervet monkey, and her witnessing the death of many Boer children in the detention camp. Among the more interesting but less developed strands of the book is the author’s consideration of the Boer attitude to native Africans through Corlie's long friendship with and deep allegiance to a Zulu boy, Sipho (the son of her dead father's laborer) who was "gifted' to Corlie at her birth.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Stones for My Father allows the reader to enter a world and an era that I have never before seen depicted in children's literature. In fact, my only prior acquaintance with the Boer War was through an Australian film many years back: Breaker Morant. Even though I’m Canadian, I had no knowledge of the Canadian contribution to this war. Certainly, Malachi Byrne, the Albertan farmer that Corlie and her brother receive meat from, doesn’t seem to be a lot clearer than I am about why he is there. (But that is so often the lament of the colonials sent off to fight in the wars of the British Empire.) I wonder if Kent’s depiction of Byrne’s compassionate act toward Corlie and Gert has any basis in the historical research she clearly did to write this novel.
As for Corlie: she is a strong and sympathetic protagonist, determined to reject the model of Boer womanhood that she is presented with. To her credit, Kent manages to adeptly pack considerable historical and geographical information into this short novel. The causes of the war don’t get much treatment, it is true, but what is given is adequate for a young adult novel. Corlie’s view is that the war is a contest between two white tribes over land and gold—and that rings true enough as the observation of a twelve-year-old narrator. There are times, however, when some of Corlie's sophisticated impressions strain credibility. I’m thinking, for example, of the time Corlie, looking into the eyes of a pregnant woman at the British camp, observes: “I realized that the baby inside her was no better than a parasite” (p. 96). On another occasion, a distraught Corlie speaks of “a sensation of being hopelessly suspended in time and space, like a high-wire acrobat anticipating the spring and bounce-back of the safety harness.” (p. 85) Neither of these perceptions strikes me as those of a twelve-year-old child of the African veld. Perhaps the author should have considered a third-person over a first-person narration.
Afrikaans vocabulary is sprinkled quite liberally through the text. While the use of the actual language of the Boer adds flavor and authenticity and it’s not hard to infer the meaning of most of these inclusions, many young readers I know would be put off by them. A glossary would have been a good idea, and a map might have been helpful as well.
Although the subject matter and the cover are grim, Stones for My Father is an informative and intelligently written piece of historical fiction. I don't regret spending a few hours with Corlie, and I learned a fair bit while doing so. Whether this book will actually be read by the audience for whom it is intended seems uncertain. I can imagine that stronger, motivated middle school and young adult readers (Grades 7 and up) who are interested in history, race relations, and/or historical fiction might read the text if it were enthusiastically promoted by teachers and librarians. The book might also be appreciated by adult readers of historical fiction, particularly those interested in the experiences of women and children during war. The book is worthwhile, interesting, and possesses considerable literary merit.
SUMMARY
In her young adult novel Stones for My Father, Trilby Kent presents the experience of a small group of Afrikaner women, children, and their "Kaffirs" (African servants) during the period of the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) through the eyes of a young Boer girl, 12-year-old Corlie Roux. The narrative is set in motion with Corlie and her younger brother, Gert, carrying supplies out to a pigeon cote, planning to leave these for pick-up by Boer commandos. The children see that the British--"Khakis"--have discovered this hiding place and now know that a British attack and burning of nearby Boer homesteads, including their own, is imminent.
With the help of Lindy, her African servant, Corlie's mother has almost single-handedly been running their farm since Mr. Roux’s recent death from scrofula. While Mr. Roux had been more interested in saving his farm and his family, Corlie’s mother is hard and bitter, a believer in "the one true faith". She is uncompromising in her hatred of the British. Corlie’s relationship with her mother is strained. It is clear to Corlie that her mother favors her handsome sons and has little patience for Corlie and her "heathen" storytelling. The mystery behind Mrs. Roux’s severe treatment of Corlie is only revealed in the last quarter of the book.
After being discovered by the British, the Roux family and their black servants have little choice but to make their way to a laager—a Boer encampment of women, children, and men too old to fight: all essentially refugees. Here they are soon captured and transported to a British-run detention camp where conditions are squalid and disease is rife. In this place, Corlie is engaged in the struggle of her life and it is here that she uncovers the secret of her mother’s hatred and her own true identity.
Among the many episodes detailed by the author are Corlie and her brother’s life-changing encounter with sympathetic Canadian soldier fighting with the British who offers them meat, Corlie’s rescue of an orphaned vervet monkey, and her witnessing the death of many Boer children in the detention camp. Among the more interesting but less developed strands of the book is the author’s consideration of the Boer attitude to native Africans through Corlie's long friendship with and deep allegiance to a Zulu boy, Sipho (the son of her dead father's laborer) who was "gifted' to Corlie at her birth.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Stones for My Father allows the reader to enter a world and an era that I have never before seen depicted in children's literature. In fact, my only prior acquaintance with the Boer War was through an Australian film many years back: Breaker Morant. Even though I’m Canadian, I had no knowledge of the Canadian contribution to this war. Certainly, Malachi Byrne, the Albertan farmer that Corlie and her brother receive meat from, doesn’t seem to be a lot clearer than I am about why he is there. (But that is so often the lament of the colonials sent off to fight in the wars of the British Empire.) I wonder if Kent’s depiction of Byrne’s compassionate act toward Corlie and Gert has any basis in the historical research she clearly did to write this novel.
As for Corlie: she is a strong and sympathetic protagonist, determined to reject the model of Boer womanhood that she is presented with. To her credit, Kent manages to adeptly pack considerable historical and geographical information into this short novel. The causes of the war don’t get much treatment, it is true, but what is given is adequate for a young adult novel. Corlie’s view is that the war is a contest between two white tribes over land and gold—and that rings true enough as the observation of a twelve-year-old narrator. There are times, however, when some of Corlie's sophisticated impressions strain credibility. I’m thinking, for example, of the time Corlie, looking into the eyes of a pregnant woman at the British camp, observes: “I realized that the baby inside her was no better than a parasite” (p. 96). On another occasion, a distraught Corlie speaks of “a sensation of being hopelessly suspended in time and space, like a high-wire acrobat anticipating the spring and bounce-back of the safety harness.” (p. 85) Neither of these perceptions strikes me as those of a twelve-year-old child of the African veld. Perhaps the author should have considered a third-person over a first-person narration.
Afrikaans vocabulary is sprinkled quite liberally through the text. While the use of the actual language of the Boer adds flavor and authenticity and it’s not hard to infer the meaning of most of these inclusions, many young readers I know would be put off by them. A glossary would have been a good idea, and a map might have been helpful as well.
Although the subject matter and the cover are grim, Stones for My Father is an informative and intelligently written piece of historical fiction. I don't regret spending a few hours with Corlie, and I learned a fair bit while doing so. Whether this book will actually be read by the audience for whom it is intended seems uncertain. I can imagine that stronger, motivated middle school and young adult readers (Grades 7 and up) who are interested in history, race relations, and/or historical fiction might read the text if it were enthusiastically promoted by teachers and librarians. The book might also be appreciated by adult readers of historical fiction, particularly those interested in the experiences of women and children during war. The book is worthwhile, interesting, and possesses considerable literary merit.
January 21, 2013
This book was awarded the 2012 TD Children's Literature Award, so I was really looking forward to reading it. Set in South Africa during the Boer War, Stones For My Father introduces us to Corlie, a heroine with nerve, smarts, compassion, and an abundance of courage. There is a lot to recommend this book.
I found the portrayal of Corlie's relationship with her younger brother Gert, wavering between part jealous sibling and part loving caretaker, to be spot on. I also loved the description of the landscape: the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of the South African Veldt came alive in this book. The development of the relationship between Corlie and the Canadian soldier was expertly handled, especially in the final chapters of the story, and the details of life in Corlie's community, and then in the internment camp where her family is sent, are fascinating and horrifying.
I did feel let down a bit by the language - there are a lot of foreign terms used that never quite get explained, and even now I am not sure what they mean, which is unsettling and, for me as a reader, frustrating. I love it when novels employ words and phrases unique to a certain time or place, but not having them explained in the moment leaves me with an incomplete picture of the scene in my mind. Additionally, I would have liked the explanation for the hostility that Corlie's mother displays so openly towards her to come sooner than it did, and more subtly.
However, this is still a very well written book. It takes a subject that is rarely discussed in detail, and brings it out into the open in a way that had me reaching for my history books. And that, in my mind, spells success.
I found the portrayal of Corlie's relationship with her younger brother Gert, wavering between part jealous sibling and part loving caretaker, to be spot on. I also loved the description of the landscape: the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of the South African Veldt came alive in this book. The development of the relationship between Corlie and the Canadian soldier was expertly handled, especially in the final chapters of the story, and the details of life in Corlie's community, and then in the internment camp where her family is sent, are fascinating and horrifying.
I did feel let down a bit by the language - there are a lot of foreign terms used that never quite get explained, and even now I am not sure what they mean, which is unsettling and, for me as a reader, frustrating. I love it when novels employ words and phrases unique to a certain time or place, but not having them explained in the moment leaves me with an incomplete picture of the scene in my mind. Additionally, I would have liked the explanation for the hostility that Corlie's mother displays so openly towards her to come sooner than it did, and more subtly.
However, this is still a very well written book. It takes a subject that is rarely discussed in detail, and brings it out into the open in a way that had me reaching for my history books. And that, in my mind, spells success.
April 26, 2011
I received this book free from Librarything's early reviewers program.
This is a short, easy to read but well-plotted novel about a historical event few Americans know anything about. I was aware that there had been such thing as a Boer War in South Africa and had heard something about internment camps, but that was about it.
The protagonist, a twelve-year-old Boer girl, was locked up in a prison camp with her mother and younger brothers, a dreadful place where disease was rampant and people starved to death in vast numbers. It reminded me very much of the Nazi camps, with the main difference being that the British were not deliberately trying to kill the women and children in these camps; they just let them die through neglect and starvation.
A big part of the story is the girl's relationship with her mother, who for no particular reason has always hated her. The story behind that was incredibly sad -- I can't understand why the mother persists in blaming the child so much for something that was not her fault -- but unfortunately that sort of thing does happen all too often.
This would be good for about sixth grade on up, perhaps for a unit on African history. It tells the reader a great deal about the Boer War without sounding too much like it's TRYING to tell the reader about the Boer War, something which is not as easy as it sounds. Recommended.
This is a short, easy to read but well-plotted novel about a historical event few Americans know anything about. I was aware that there had been such thing as a Boer War in South Africa and had heard something about internment camps, but that was about it.
The protagonist, a twelve-year-old Boer girl, was locked up in a prison camp with her mother and younger brothers, a dreadful place where disease was rampant and people starved to death in vast numbers. It reminded me very much of the Nazi camps, with the main difference being that the British were not deliberately trying to kill the women and children in these camps; they just let them die through neglect and starvation.
A big part of the story is the girl's relationship with her mother, who for no particular reason has always hated her. The story behind that was incredibly sad -- I can't understand why the mother persists in blaming the child so much for something that was not her fault -- but unfortunately that sort of thing does happen all too often.
This would be good for about sixth grade on up, perhaps for a unit on African history. It tells the reader a great deal about the Boer War without sounding too much like it's TRYING to tell the reader about the Boer War, something which is not as easy as it sounds. Recommended.
July 12, 2016
I like reading historical fiction. I learn about events/countries/cultures that I didn't know existed, or know very little about. When I was in Bermuda last year, I found out that the British shipped prisoners of war from the Boer War to Bermuda. I was looking for something to read recently, I came across this title. This book gives information and insight into that conflict from the perspective of a 12 year old Boer girl. Very well written and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
June 1, 2016
The second half made me bump it up to 3 *, but the ending made me doubt that decision. Over all a great little historical YA novel.
August 7, 2018
For a second time, the British are invading her beloved homeland in an attempt to control Africa’s gold mines, land, and its people. It’s 1899 and Tweede Vryheidsoorlog: The Second War of Liberation is about to change everything that twelve-year-old Corlie Roux knows and loves.
Corlie’s life will never be the same after her father’s death leaves her cold, cruel mother alone on the family farm to raise Corlie and her two brothers, Gert and Hansie. As soldiers sweep across the land salting the earth under the destroyed crops, burning homes, barns, and outbuildings and killing everything in their path, Corlie and her Mother know it’s only a matter of time before they too, suffer the same fate. All around them other Boer families, neighbours and friends are being burned out and rounded up as the British Army strives to take control.
A desperate attempt at escape is thwarted by brutal soldiers and the starving the family is forced into a filthy, poverty-stricken internment camp against their will. Despite her resilience, Corlie struggles to survive the abuse, starvation, and suffering knowing that something must change if she’s going to endure. A chance encounter with a Canadian soldier she met while foraging out on the veld may just turn out to be Corlie’s only hope to finally live her life without pain, suffering, and the horrors of war.
Author, Trilby Kent has delivered a clear-eyed, historically-significant view of life on the Transvaal during the Anglo-Boer War. An interesting subject; well-written, thought-provoking, and with just enough details to keep the reader engaged with the very relatable and resilient, Corlie. Highly-recommended!
Corlie’s life will never be the same after her father’s death leaves her cold, cruel mother alone on the family farm to raise Corlie and her two brothers, Gert and Hansie. As soldiers sweep across the land salting the earth under the destroyed crops, burning homes, barns, and outbuildings and killing everything in their path, Corlie and her Mother know it’s only a matter of time before they too, suffer the same fate. All around them other Boer families, neighbours and friends are being burned out and rounded up as the British Army strives to take control.
A desperate attempt at escape is thwarted by brutal soldiers and the starving the family is forced into a filthy, poverty-stricken internment camp against their will. Despite her resilience, Corlie struggles to survive the abuse, starvation, and suffering knowing that something must change if she’s going to endure. A chance encounter with a Canadian soldier she met while foraging out on the veld may just turn out to be Corlie’s only hope to finally live her life without pain, suffering, and the horrors of war.
Author, Trilby Kent has delivered a clear-eyed, historically-significant view of life on the Transvaal during the Anglo-Boer War. An interesting subject; well-written, thought-provoking, and with just enough details to keep the reader engaged with the very relatable and resilient, Corlie. Highly-recommended!
July 29, 2018
Review: Stones For My Father by Trilby Kent. 07/20/2018
This is another Early Reviewer book that was published in 2011 and re-published now in 2018. The book was written by a Canadian author with a few flaws but never got in the way of my reading. I enjoyed the book and the subject material captivated me because of the history. The story is set in Africa during the Boer War. I like historical fiction because realism is always throughout the book. History fascinates me because in fills in some of the gaps I don’t know or remember the real answers too. One thing I forgot was about the Canadian’s who also fought in the Boer War. This story is told by a young girl about the families that were invaded by the British who captured women and children and placed them in conservation camps living on rations for food for the duration of the war while their men were battling a lost cause.
Corlie is the young girl telling the story. As the British invaded some families got away in their covered wagons and moved around until they got captured. Corlie and her brother befriended a British Officer in the woods through their travels and never told anyone.
Corlie was in one of those camps with a younger brother who caught an illness and a mother who hated her. Corlie’s mother was so cruel that she tossed her out of their sleeping area and literally abandoned her. Now Corlie is left to find some kind of refuge to survive. She started sleeping in a cubby hole under the barracks where the soldier’s stayed. After a short time they new she was there and never bothered her, in fact some would leave food out for her until she became sick and lost her sight…
The story goes on and the war ends….What happened to Corlie…?
This is another Early Reviewer book that was published in 2011 and re-published now in 2018. The book was written by a Canadian author with a few flaws but never got in the way of my reading. I enjoyed the book and the subject material captivated me because of the history. The story is set in Africa during the Boer War. I like historical fiction because realism is always throughout the book. History fascinates me because in fills in some of the gaps I don’t know or remember the real answers too. One thing I forgot was about the Canadian’s who also fought in the Boer War. This story is told by a young girl about the families that were invaded by the British who captured women and children and placed them in conservation camps living on rations for food for the duration of the war while their men were battling a lost cause.
Corlie is the young girl telling the story. As the British invaded some families got away in their covered wagons and moved around until they got captured. Corlie and her brother befriended a British Officer in the woods through their travels and never told anyone.
Corlie was in one of those camps with a younger brother who caught an illness and a mother who hated her. Corlie’s mother was so cruel that she tossed her out of their sleeping area and literally abandoned her. Now Corlie is left to find some kind of refuge to survive. She started sleeping in a cubby hole under the barracks where the soldier’s stayed. After a short time they new she was there and never bothered her, in fact some would leave food out for her until she became sick and lost her sight…
The story goes on and the war ends….What happened to Corlie…?
September 20, 2020
This book was beautiful as it was devastating with fully fleshed out characters in only 170 short pages. The imagery was so tactile, with consistent comparisons to the South African landscape, that I could almost imagine I've been there. The book reminded me of one of my all-time favourites, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Though sent in roughly the same time period, the two stories take place on different continents, which serves to make the settings quite in-congruent. Still something about the underdog main characters of Stones for my Father and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn--two young girls disliked by their mothers who preferred their sons, that both have a knack for escapist storytelling-- makes me feel as though they could be soul sisters.
A story that describes the darker side of human nature, it still manages to remind us of the goodness that can be found in humanity. Even in as an unlikely a place as our enemy.
A story that describes the darker side of human nature, it still manages to remind us of the goodness that can be found in humanity. Even in as an unlikely a place as our enemy.
February 15, 2019
I have read enough war literature over a few years. But a child's perspective and survival in the Anglo-Boer war shook my insides with pain and heartache. The immeasurable human suffering and brutality, the harsh waves of human emotions and sheer sense of loss clenched at my heart when I read this book!
A short, yet transforming read! A few pages would be blotched with my tears, a few others would have tattered ends because I clutched it so hard for support. Some of them would have my thumb marks because I re read so many lines, so many times!
Even though it's a historical fiction based on the real war, one cannot miss the sheer honesty of the author.
Pick this up, if your heart can take it!
A short, yet transforming read! A few pages would be blotched with my tears, a few others would have tattered ends because I clutched it so hard for support. Some of them would have my thumb marks because I re read so many lines, so many times!
Even though it's a historical fiction based on the real war, one cannot miss the sheer honesty of the author.
Pick this up, if your heart can take it!
July 22, 2018
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
The story of a young girl during the Boer Wars. She has a troubled relationship with her mother. We see the results of the British's burnt earth policy on the women and children. Then she goes into an internment camp. I hadn't realized Canadian soldiers fought for Britain during the Boer Wars.
The story of a young girl during the Boer Wars. She has a troubled relationship with her mother. We see the results of the British's burnt earth policy on the women and children. Then she goes into an internment camp. I hadn't realized Canadian soldiers fought for Britain during the Boer Wars.
November 28, 2018
**3.5 stars**
I had to read this for class and though I didn’t hate it, I didn’t really enjoy the first half of it either. It picked up toward the end, especially the last 15 pages or so where all the walls and prejudices came down. Before that I found it a bit slow and surprisingly unemotional for such a heavy book.
I had to read this for class and though I didn’t hate it, I didn’t really enjoy the first half of it either. It picked up toward the end, especially the last 15 pages or so where all the walls and prejudices came down. Before that I found it a bit slow and surprisingly unemotional for such a heavy book.
August 3, 2018
Short, interesting story mostly about the women and children, Boers, who suffered during the Anglo-Boer war.
January 18, 2021
I really struggled to get into the story of this short YA novel. Perhaps I'll try it again and enjoy more someday.
January 23, 2023
A children's book about the Boer War, from the vantage point if a young girl. A gift from Natasha Kuperman several years ago.
January 26, 2012
4½ Out of 5
Twelve-year-old Corlie Roux lives in South Africa, a beautiful but dangerous place. Her father is dead and her mother is horrible to her, but she loves her brothers, best friend Sipho and the African bush.
But everything is changing, falling apart. The British are attacking, destroying Boer’s farms and homes. Some of the men have made it into the bush to fight, and some families have been able to escape. The unlucky ones have been taken to internment camps.
When everything she knew is changing, and the ones she loves are lost, can Corlie’s strength and love for her country be enough to get her through the raging war? Or will she rely more on a kind soldier from Canada…?
I love, love, love historical fiction, but I must admit I’ve never read anything about the Boer War. After Stones From My Father, I’m desperate to read more, and to read anything else by the author. I fell totally in love with Corlie, with Africa. I cried, laughed and loved – and I adored every single moment.
Corlie was amazing! She loved inventing stories for her brothers, had the most amazing imagination. And she was just so strong! If my mother was as mean to me as Corlie’s was to her I wouldn’t half as brave as Corlie. She was even brave enough to be optimistic, curious and always tried to help. I completely fell in love with Corlie, who was so loyal and loving to her family – mother included – and so in touch with Africa. She was just brilliant: I especially loved it when she was crafty!
The supporting characters were equally amazing. Gert Roux, Corlie’s eight-year-old brother, was brilliant; I loved him! He was smart, the “big man”, clever and sneaky. He really loved Corlie, and she adored him back. ‘Ma’, on the other hand, I did not love. She doted on her sons, and was constantly cruel to Corlie. But as much as I hated Ma from the word go for being so horrid to Corlie, I couldn’t help being impressed by her strength. The question that bothered me throughout? Why does she hate Corlie so much? The answer explained everything, but didn’t really redeem her in my eyes, though I did feel sorry for her. Finally, Corporal Malachi Byrne, who was a Canadian soldier, who was really nice to Corlie. He was also one of my favourite characters. He was so lovely, and it was interesting seeing him talk: he wasn’t sure why he was fighting, as he had never even been to England. He was wonderful: cheerful and patient.
As I mentioned before, I really don’t know much about the Boer War: somehow, it’s managed to escape me. Therefore I loved to see it through Corlie’s eyes. It was terrible, obviously as all wars are, but it was just amazing seeing it through a child’s point-of-view. To begin with it was one-sided (obviously, as it was written by the daughter of a Boer soldier!), but by the end Corlie started to see everything, and the individual Tommies soldiers were shown in almost as a light as the Boers. Of course, she wasn’t a fan of the British as a whole, but I liked seeing the balanced view.
The writing was amazing – emotional, beautiful, strong. Plus it was so Corlie! It made me laugh, cry and fear. The descriptions were just amazing: so vivid and real, as if I were there. I saw Africa as I read; saw Corlie and Gert, saw everything. And when I started, I didn’t really think this would be a twisty book, but boy was I wrong! There were some I suspected, and some that completely shocked me. As you’ve probably guessed from my rambling, I adored every moment of my time in Africa, even if I was crying a lot of the time!
As for the characters, well, they were wonderfully done – they all felt so real to me! They were three dimensional –just jumped right off of the page and into my head. Some I loved with all my heart, some I didn’t, some I pitied, some I grieved. I loved (most of) them so much!
A strong girl, a country crippled by war and a family caught in the middle, Stone For My Father was a powerful, emotional, moving, beautiful story I won’t forget in any kind of a hurry. Corlie, Byrne, Gert and the soldiers on both sides will stay with me for a long time. I’ve already informed my mother, aunt and cousin that they have to read this. Therefore: most certainly recommended (I only shove good books on the relatives)!
Twelve-year-old Corlie Roux lives in South Africa, a beautiful but dangerous place. Her father is dead and her mother is horrible to her, but she loves her brothers, best friend Sipho and the African bush.
But everything is changing, falling apart. The British are attacking, destroying Boer’s farms and homes. Some of the men have made it into the bush to fight, and some families have been able to escape. The unlucky ones have been taken to internment camps.
When everything she knew is changing, and the ones she loves are lost, can Corlie’s strength and love for her country be enough to get her through the raging war? Or will she rely more on a kind soldier from Canada…?
I love, love, love historical fiction, but I must admit I’ve never read anything about the Boer War. After Stones From My Father, I’m desperate to read more, and to read anything else by the author. I fell totally in love with Corlie, with Africa. I cried, laughed and loved – and I adored every single moment.
Corlie was amazing! She loved inventing stories for her brothers, had the most amazing imagination. And she was just so strong! If my mother was as mean to me as Corlie’s was to her I wouldn’t half as brave as Corlie. She was even brave enough to be optimistic, curious and always tried to help. I completely fell in love with Corlie, who was so loyal and loving to her family – mother included – and so in touch with Africa. She was just brilliant: I especially loved it when she was crafty!
The supporting characters were equally amazing. Gert Roux, Corlie’s eight-year-old brother, was brilliant; I loved him! He was smart, the “big man”, clever and sneaky. He really loved Corlie, and she adored him back. ‘Ma’, on the other hand, I did not love. She doted on her sons, and was constantly cruel to Corlie. But as much as I hated Ma from the word go for being so horrid to Corlie, I couldn’t help being impressed by her strength. The question that bothered me throughout? Why does she hate Corlie so much? The answer explained everything, but didn’t really redeem her in my eyes, though I did feel sorry for her. Finally, Corporal Malachi Byrne, who was a Canadian soldier, who was really nice to Corlie. He was also one of my favourite characters. He was so lovely, and it was interesting seeing him talk: he wasn’t sure why he was fighting, as he had never even been to England. He was wonderful: cheerful and patient.
As I mentioned before, I really don’t know much about the Boer War: somehow, it’s managed to escape me. Therefore I loved to see it through Corlie’s eyes. It was terrible, obviously as all wars are, but it was just amazing seeing it through a child’s point-of-view. To begin with it was one-sided (obviously, as it was written by the daughter of a Boer soldier!), but by the end Corlie started to see everything, and the individual Tommies soldiers were shown in almost as a light as the Boers. Of course, she wasn’t a fan of the British as a whole, but I liked seeing the balanced view.
The writing was amazing – emotional, beautiful, strong. Plus it was so Corlie! It made me laugh, cry and fear. The descriptions were just amazing: so vivid and real, as if I were there. I saw Africa as I read; saw Corlie and Gert, saw everything. And when I started, I didn’t really think this would be a twisty book, but boy was I wrong! There were some I suspected, and some that completely shocked me. As you’ve probably guessed from my rambling, I adored every moment of my time in Africa, even if I was crying a lot of the time!
As for the characters, well, they were wonderfully done – they all felt so real to me! They were three dimensional –just jumped right off of the page and into my head. Some I loved with all my heart, some I didn’t, some I pitied, some I grieved. I loved (most of) them so much!
A strong girl, a country crippled by war and a family caught in the middle, Stone For My Father was a powerful, emotional, moving, beautiful story I won’t forget in any kind of a hurry. Corlie, Byrne, Gert and the soldiers on both sides will stay with me for a long time. I’ve already informed my mother, aunt and cousin that they have to read this. Therefore: most certainly recommended (I only shove good books on the relatives)!
Read
May 20, 2011I am a sucker for historical fiction. There is something about experiencing that little slice of history through someone who is 'there' and not someone who is reflecting upon it later that allows my imagination to soar. However, I was reluctant to pick up this book because the cover is a plain sepia and brown, and I was unsure of what was waiting for me. My reservations all disappeared once I started reading and was transported to turn of the century South Africa. My eyes raced across the page in an attempt to gobble up the story of Corlie Roux's lost world.
Reading a story from the perspective of a twelve year old girl, I never felt as if I were being talked down to or that Corlie was a character who knew more than the average twelve year old would. Despite the harsh treatment she receives from her mother, Corlie is never a victim. She uses her love for her brothers and her wonderful imagination to make life better for them all. Appropriately defiant, Corlie's strong will helps get her through the pain of her mother's dislike and the subsequent invasion of the British soldiers.
The dynamics of relationships are interesting in this book. While there has been no mention of an overthrowing of the kaffirs (Black Afrikaans) living in this part of South Africa, it is clear that they are considered inferior to the Boers, the White Dutch Afrikaans. The Boers, in turn, are dismissed and treated as badly by the English who are after the rich diamond mines. While the Boers condemn this treatment from the British, they do not think twice at their treatment of their own servants. Corlie's best friend and ally is a kaffir but Corlie even acknowledges that one day they will no longer be friends, but they will have a relationship that is more servant and master. Corlie encounters the enemy in the form of Corporal Malachi Byrne, Canadian soldier fighting for the British army, and she is unsure if she can trust him. Corporal Byrne, who later takes on the role as caregiver for this Boer girl, finds that he cannot understand why he is fighting this war. After her mother's final denouncement of her, Corlie is cared for by British soldiers. Corlie is left confused by the kindness she experiences from her enemies, The British and the shunning she receives from her own people. Corlie and the soldier are thrown together as the war ends, and Corlie must redefine who she thought she was in a new role. Tweenaged ansgt with a turn of the century twist!
Stones for My Father peaked my interest in other aspects of history. I have studied American History and some Word history but would have never considered thinking about this experience of Afrikaaners and Dutch. I was encouraged to do further research and create a display for those who may want to experience more about this part of history.
Sadly my 'tween aged daughter was not interested in the at all in the book. It was only after I read it and talked it up a bit that I saw her flip through and read a few pages. When I introduced this book to a few young readers at my library they too were not impressed with the cover stating that they wanted to read something else but were willing to give it a try after I talked about the camps and the invasion by the British.
There is another book by Ms. Kent that I have ordered and am very eager to read. If she can bring alive a turn of the century Dutch farm girl and make this city girl interested, I am very eager to see what other treats she has in store.
Reading a story from the perspective of a twelve year old girl, I never felt as if I were being talked down to or that Corlie was a character who knew more than the average twelve year old would. Despite the harsh treatment she receives from her mother, Corlie is never a victim. She uses her love for her brothers and her wonderful imagination to make life better for them all. Appropriately defiant, Corlie's strong will helps get her through the pain of her mother's dislike and the subsequent invasion of the British soldiers.
The dynamics of relationships are interesting in this book. While there has been no mention of an overthrowing of the kaffirs (Black Afrikaans) living in this part of South Africa, it is clear that they are considered inferior to the Boers, the White Dutch Afrikaans. The Boers, in turn, are dismissed and treated as badly by the English who are after the rich diamond mines. While the Boers condemn this treatment from the British, they do not think twice at their treatment of their own servants. Corlie's best friend and ally is a kaffir but Corlie even acknowledges that one day they will no longer be friends, but they will have a relationship that is more servant and master. Corlie encounters the enemy in the form of Corporal Malachi Byrne, Canadian soldier fighting for the British army, and she is unsure if she can trust him. Corporal Byrne, who later takes on the role as caregiver for this Boer girl, finds that he cannot understand why he is fighting this war. After her mother's final denouncement of her, Corlie is cared for by British soldiers. Corlie is left confused by the kindness she experiences from her enemies, The British and the shunning she receives from her own people. Corlie and the soldier are thrown together as the war ends, and Corlie must redefine who she thought she was in a new role. Tweenaged ansgt with a turn of the century twist!
Stones for My Father peaked my interest in other aspects of history. I have studied American History and some Word history but would have never considered thinking about this experience of Afrikaaners and Dutch. I was encouraged to do further research and create a display for those who may want to experience more about this part of history.
Sadly my 'tween aged daughter was not interested in the at all in the book. It was only after I read it and talked it up a bit that I saw her flip through and read a few pages. When I introduced this book to a few young readers at my library they too were not impressed with the cover stating that they wanted to read something else but were willing to give it a try after I talked about the camps and the invasion by the British.
There is another book by Ms. Kent that I have ordered and am very eager to read. If she can bring alive a turn of the century Dutch farm girl and make this city girl interested, I am very eager to see what other treats she has in store.
December 26, 2012
Story Description:
Tundra|March 22, 2011|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-77049-252-3
Corlie Roux’s farm life in South Africa is not easy. The Transvaal is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies,she is left with a mother who is as devoted to her sons as she is cruel to her daughter. Despite this, Corlie finds solace in her friend,Sipho, and in Africa itself and in the stories she conjures for her brothers.
But Corlie’s world is about to vanish; the British are invading and driving Boer families like hers from their farms. Some escape into the bush to fight the enemy. The unlucky ones are rounded up and sent to internment camps.
Will Corlie’s resilience and devotion to her country sustain her through the suffering and squalor that she finds in the camp at Kroonstad? That may depend on a soldier from faraway Canada and on inner resources Corlie never dreamed she had.
My Review:
I felt so terribly sorry for Corlie in this story. Her mother treated her like garbage and hated her as deeply as she loved her sons. In her mother’s eyes, Corlie could do nothing right, she didn’t even have to do anything wrong, her mother just seemed to have this perpetual hatred toward her. In part of the story while they were staying in an internment camp, I cried for Corlie for what her mother did to her. However, a secret is revealed that may shed some light on why Corlie’s mother treated her the way she did.
Corlie, her mother, and brothers are forced to flee their farm when the British are coming to invade but don’t make it very far before they are captured and sent to a camp in Kroonstad. The conditions there are horrible. Little food, starvation, lack of water, lice, children dying of disease or wasting away, just deplorable conditions all round.
The decade long “Scramble for Africa, the Anglo-Boer War (October 1899 – May 1902) was fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics: the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. It was the longest and bloodiest British war fought between 1815 and 1914. Roughly 8,600 Canadians volunteered to fight in the war, making this the first time that large contingents of lives, as well as the lives of between 6,000 and 7,000 Boer fighters, the conflict came to represent the end of the era of “great” imperial wars.”
The Boer War was fought in what is now known as South Africa between the Afrikaners who were of Dutch descent and the British. It really is a very tragic tale that will stir your emotions more than you think. Trilby Kent has done a marvelous job of describing exactly what occurred. You can picture in your mind the woman fleeing with their children, their homes being burnt down, the smell of the internment camp and the death that is rampant there. For anyone interested in history and war this most entertaining story will be right up your alley. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look for more of Kent’s work.
Tundra|March 22, 2011|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-77049-252-3
Corlie Roux’s farm life in South Africa is not easy. The Transvaal is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies,she is left with a mother who is as devoted to her sons as she is cruel to her daughter. Despite this, Corlie finds solace in her friend,Sipho, and in Africa itself and in the stories she conjures for her brothers.
But Corlie’s world is about to vanish; the British are invading and driving Boer families like hers from their farms. Some escape into the bush to fight the enemy. The unlucky ones are rounded up and sent to internment camps.
Will Corlie’s resilience and devotion to her country sustain her through the suffering and squalor that she finds in the camp at Kroonstad? That may depend on a soldier from faraway Canada and on inner resources Corlie never dreamed she had.
My Review:
I felt so terribly sorry for Corlie in this story. Her mother treated her like garbage and hated her as deeply as she loved her sons. In her mother’s eyes, Corlie could do nothing right, she didn’t even have to do anything wrong, her mother just seemed to have this perpetual hatred toward her. In part of the story while they were staying in an internment camp, I cried for Corlie for what her mother did to her. However, a secret is revealed that may shed some light on why Corlie’s mother treated her the way she did.
Corlie, her mother, and brothers are forced to flee their farm when the British are coming to invade but don’t make it very far before they are captured and sent to a camp in Kroonstad. The conditions there are horrible. Little food, starvation, lack of water, lice, children dying of disease or wasting away, just deplorable conditions all round.
The decade long “Scramble for Africa, the Anglo-Boer War (October 1899 – May 1902) was fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics: the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. It was the longest and bloodiest British war fought between 1815 and 1914. Roughly 8,600 Canadians volunteered to fight in the war, making this the first time that large contingents of lives, as well as the lives of between 6,000 and 7,000 Boer fighters, the conflict came to represent the end of the era of “great” imperial wars.”
The Boer War was fought in what is now known as South Africa between the Afrikaners who were of Dutch descent and the British. It really is a very tragic tale that will stir your emotions more than you think. Trilby Kent has done a marvelous job of describing exactly what occurred. You can picture in your mind the woman fleeing with their children, their homes being burnt down, the smell of the internment camp and the death that is rampant there. For anyone interested in history and war this most entertaining story will be right up your alley. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look for more of Kent’s work.
December 1, 2012
Nov. 28/12 About 1/2 through the novel. While well-written, have some problems - there's a section of the book where Corlie and her younger brother Gert encounter a Canadian soldier - though the children speak no English, a point makes several times, nonetheless the first-person narrative relates his side of the conversation which is just bizarre - both the children and the Canadian establish a kind of sign language and I could see that working but nope - Kent pretends that we can understand everything. (And this continues to be an issue throughout the novel and makes less and less sense as Corlie clearly acknowledges her inability to understand the British soldiers and yet Kent provides us with their dialogue as though she does - I understand the importance of our as readers hearing these things but it is a problem that Kent consistently has and that it is not addressed weakens the narrative Dec 1/12)
My bigger problem is around the Boers' racism - perhaps Kent is naive enough to believe that contemporary children will just understand that the Boers' racist attitudes to Africans as well as any other minority that isn't white - the Chinese and South Asians are treated with plenty of racial slurs - but I'm sorry - the Boer War is not on kids' radar and not to deal with the question of whose land did the Boers take themselves before being engaged in this conflict with the British empire seems to me just neglectful. While Kent's Corlie is quite humane, she's nonetheless surprised that the way her family treats their African servants hasn't made those servants big fans of the family. Naive is no excuse. Kent had an obligation here to provide a better context in which to see this conflict.
Dec 1/12
One last thing - Corlie is herself - as the novel reveals - not herself a Boer child (I won't provide other details so it won't spoil it) so her outsider status in the family then becomes "explained" by her truly being an outsider and therefore her holding unconventional ideas about the Africans in the novel becomes "explained" because she isn't who we, as readers, think she is - this is why it seems to me that Kent really needed to provide a better afterward that dealt with the horrific racism that her Boer characters exhibit. But racism is racism - and her mother and the other characters cannot be excused by the fact that these might have been "accepted" ideas held by this group historically. It was wrong then and that Kent doesn't specifically address this in some way is an oversight I can't forgive.
Interestingly I didn't initially read this book because of its subject matter and reading it hasn't been a satisfying experience.
My bigger problem is around the Boers' racism - perhaps Kent is naive enough to believe that contemporary children will just understand that the Boers' racist attitudes to Africans as well as any other minority that isn't white - the Chinese and South Asians are treated with plenty of racial slurs - but I'm sorry - the Boer War is not on kids' radar and not to deal with the question of whose land did the Boers take themselves before being engaged in this conflict with the British empire seems to me just neglectful. While Kent's Corlie is quite humane, she's nonetheless surprised that the way her family treats their African servants hasn't made those servants big fans of the family. Naive is no excuse. Kent had an obligation here to provide a better context in which to see this conflict.
Dec 1/12
One last thing - Corlie is herself - as the novel reveals - not herself a Boer child (I won't provide other details so it won't spoil it) so her outsider status in the family then becomes "explained" by her truly being an outsider and therefore her holding unconventional ideas about the Africans in the novel becomes "explained" because she isn't who we, as readers, think she is - this is why it seems to me that Kent really needed to provide a better afterward that dealt with the horrific racism that her Boer characters exhibit. But racism is racism - and her mother and the other characters cannot be excused by the fact that these might have been "accepted" ideas held by this group historically. It was wrong then and that Kent doesn't specifically address this in some way is an oversight I can't forgive.
Interestingly I didn't initially read this book because of its subject matter and reading it hasn't been a satisfying experience.
April 27, 2011
Children are the most resilient. They can turn an untenable situation into a positive action. Adults tend to be so set in their ways that they are unable to see any other option but to continue doing what they were doing. Corlie Roux was put in a situation of adapt or die. At twelve years old, she knew there was so much more to life than she had seen so far. Growing up in 1890's South Africa with her Boer family was hard. Her father died when she was 9 and she now lived with her ever resentful mother and two younger brothers, whom she doted on. Now the war had reached their doorstep and they had to flee.
This was not the end of Corlie's trials. She watched as her lifelong playmate and soul mate Sipho (was he a Zulu?) was torn away from his family and destined for a cruel fate. When her mother dealt the final blow, it was questionable whether Corlie could survive.
I have read very few books set in Africa and even fewer set in South Africa. All the ones that I have read have a grittiness to them. In this case, the two sets of immigrants, the British and the Boers are battling for control of a land that was not theirs to start with. The children are caught in the midst. It was clear to me through the whole story that these same children, Corlie and Sipho were the ones best suited to survive. They were willing to work together and ignore their differences of colour and religion.
This story captivated me. I didn't want to put it down once I started to read. Corlie seemed such a good girl. She did all the tasks her mother set to her even when she knew that they would not be appreciated. She craved the love that her mother withheld from her yet lavished on her brothers. While she did get affection from Sipho's mother, it wasn't what she yearned for. It was when she met Corporal Malachi Byrne that she finally found a sense of appreciation. I liked how Ms. Kent built up the relationship between the two of them. They didn't speak the same language, but through their actions they were able to become friends. To me, that is a true testament of trust. Even though they had limited history together, they were able to sense the need and the honesty of the other.
I felt that this story contains enough historical fact to be a good introduction to that period in history. It would be a good launching point for further research at the grade school level. I will be passing this along to my daughter to read.
This was not the end of Corlie's trials. She watched as her lifelong playmate and soul mate Sipho (was he a Zulu?) was torn away from his family and destined for a cruel fate. When her mother dealt the final blow, it was questionable whether Corlie could survive.
I have read very few books set in Africa and even fewer set in South Africa. All the ones that I have read have a grittiness to them. In this case, the two sets of immigrants, the British and the Boers are battling for control of a land that was not theirs to start with. The children are caught in the midst. It was clear to me through the whole story that these same children, Corlie and Sipho were the ones best suited to survive. They were willing to work together and ignore their differences of colour and religion.
This story captivated me. I didn't want to put it down once I started to read. Corlie seemed such a good girl. She did all the tasks her mother set to her even when she knew that they would not be appreciated. She craved the love that her mother withheld from her yet lavished on her brothers. While she did get affection from Sipho's mother, it wasn't what she yearned for. It was when she met Corporal Malachi Byrne that she finally found a sense of appreciation. I liked how Ms. Kent built up the relationship between the two of them. They didn't speak the same language, but through their actions they were able to become friends. To me, that is a true testament of trust. Even though they had limited history together, they were able to sense the need and the honesty of the other.
I felt that this story contains enough historical fact to be a good introduction to that period in history. It would be a good launching point for further research at the grade school level. I will be passing this along to my daughter to read.
April 13, 2025
Good historical fiction for children set in South Africa. Could be used in middle grade or high school as well. I didn't know much about the Boer war and while this book doesn't give a broad picture of that struggle, it does show what it could have been like for some of the families in the midst of it. I really liked the book at the beginning. The characters felt alive and the author did a good job of using enough of their language and way of speech to make their dialogue feel really historically grounded, but also not so much that it got confusing to read.
I was disappointed by the ending though. I felt like the main character didn't get much of a resolution to her character arc, which makes me doubt how much of an arc she had in general - even though she was a well-rounded and realistic character with real struggles and real agency.
I found it unrealistic how quickly she and easily she gave up on being with her mom and brother and the rest of her people, and how she was content to accept her part English identity and just go to stay with the English soldiers - which she had all her life thought of as the bad guy. I also found it unrealistic that her staying with a group of soldiers would be a safe place for her. And her contentment with the situation at the end made me curious about the author's views. After all that we saw in the novel about the poor treatment of the native Africans as well as the poor treatment of the Boer families who were captured in the war, am I now supposed to feel good about the British winning? I get that the author didn't want to paint them as purely evil, and wanted to show them as characters you could empathize with too. But it would take a lot more time and narrative to really make that feel realistic. The author did a good job of setting up the relationship with the Canadian soldier and that felt mostly believable, but I wasn't ready to suddenly extend that to the entire regiment of English soldiers. And the main character wouldn't have been either. After all they had been through at the hands of the English, she wouldn't have been like "oh I'm part English? Ok great! I'll just desert my family and culture and go live with the English now."
It's unfortunate because I don't think it would have taken a whole lot of editing to fix this issue. And apart from the ending it was a really good book.
I was disappointed by the ending though. I felt like the main character didn't get much of a resolution to her character arc, which makes me doubt how much of an arc she had in general - even though she was a well-rounded and realistic character with real struggles and real agency.
I found it unrealistic how quickly she and easily she gave up on being with her mom and brother and the rest of her people, and how she was content to accept her part English identity and just go to stay with the English soldiers - which she had all her life thought of as the bad guy. I also found it unrealistic that her staying with a group of soldiers would be a safe place for her. And her contentment with the situation at the end made me curious about the author's views. After all that we saw in the novel about the poor treatment of the native Africans as well as the poor treatment of the Boer families who were captured in the war, am I now supposed to feel good about the British winning? I get that the author didn't want to paint them as purely evil, and wanted to show them as characters you could empathize with too. But it would take a lot more time and narrative to really make that feel realistic. The author did a good job of setting up the relationship with the Canadian soldier and that felt mostly believable, but I wasn't ready to suddenly extend that to the entire regiment of English soldiers. And the main character wouldn't have been either. After all they had been through at the hands of the English, she wouldn't have been like "oh I'm part English? Ok great! I'll just desert my family and culture and go live with the English now."
It's unfortunate because I don't think it would have taken a whole lot of editing to fix this issue. And apart from the ending it was a really good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2011
Reason for Reading: In my love of all things Victorian, I enjoy reading historical fiction about the Boer War, especially when it involves the Canadians who fought in the war.
This is a haunting story of the Boer War (fought in what is now South Africa) between the Africaaners (of Dutch descent) and the British. Told through the eyes of a young girl, we are told the behind the scenes side of the war, that of the Boer women and children left alone on the veldt to fend for themselves. Often their homes are burnt to the ground so that they cannot help their soldiers hiding out in the bush and many turn to joining together and forming laager's with their wagons to protect themselves against the British. But eventually, in this losing war, woman and children are rounded up and placed in internment camps for the duration. Corlie's father died of sickness before the war started, so she is left with a mother who hates her for some secret reason and two little brothers, one four years younger and the other a babe in arms.
Quite a tragic tale as we learn of Corlie's life, where the only love she's known came from her now deceased father. She is close to her younger brother and to the African servant boy, but she is getting to an age where her playing with him is now frowned upon. A harsh, mother who obviously loves her brothers and not herself takes them along on their journey away from the British but only to end up under their guard in the interment camp. Corlie does make a secret friend along the way though of a Corporel who looks British only he has a small maple leaf on his uniform to distinguish him as being Canadian. This man pops up several times in Corlie's life and through him we learn the British side of the War.
A well-written, intense story. Tragic, harsh and bittersweet it shows the side of war of those who are not fighting but simply living in the war zone. A quick read, I found quite gripping and enjoyed the character of Corlie who had a rough life yet was a friendly, loving girl with an imagination and a fondness for storytelling. A good read.
This is a haunting story of the Boer War (fought in what is now South Africa) between the Africaaners (of Dutch descent) and the British. Told through the eyes of a young girl, we are told the behind the scenes side of the war, that of the Boer women and children left alone on the veldt to fend for themselves. Often their homes are burnt to the ground so that they cannot help their soldiers hiding out in the bush and many turn to joining together and forming laager's with their wagons to protect themselves against the British. But eventually, in this losing war, woman and children are rounded up and placed in internment camps for the duration. Corlie's father died of sickness before the war started, so she is left with a mother who hates her for some secret reason and two little brothers, one four years younger and the other a babe in arms.
Quite a tragic tale as we learn of Corlie's life, where the only love she's known came from her now deceased father. She is close to her younger brother and to the African servant boy, but she is getting to an age where her playing with him is now frowned upon. A harsh, mother who obviously loves her brothers and not herself takes them along on their journey away from the British but only to end up under their guard in the interment camp. Corlie does make a secret friend along the way though of a Corporel who looks British only he has a small maple leaf on his uniform to distinguish him as being Canadian. This man pops up several times in Corlie's life and through him we learn the British side of the War.
A well-written, intense story. Tragic, harsh and bittersweet it shows the side of war of those who are not fighting but simply living in the war zone. A quick read, I found quite gripping and enjoyed the character of Corlie who had a rough life yet was a friendly, loving girl with an imagination and a fondness for storytelling. A good read.
April 3, 2012
This is a great example of how history can really be brought to life through fiction. I knew nothing about the Boer War before reading this but now feel as if I have a good idea of what it would have been like to have lived through it.
I adored Colie. She has a resilience and strength to her that I envy. Her mother is absolutely awful to her but she doesn't let it affect how much she loves her family. I did think there might be an explanation for why her mother behaved in the way she did - and although one was given it wasn't what I thought it was going to be and - in my eyes at least - did not redeem her mother's actions. But at the same time I could see where Corlie got her strength - her mother was a formidable women who knew how to get on and survive even the hardest of circumstances.
I also adore Gert and loved his relationship with Corlie. The two obviously loved each other greatly and that was wonderful to read. I also fell head over heels in love with Api! Honestly, how adorable! Corporal Malachi Byrne was an interesting character too - someone who questions what he's doing and I liked the connection that develops between him and Corlie. That something good could come out of all the hatred surrounding her.
There is violence and devastation too. Unsurprisingly, much of the hatred and violence did not only come from the enemy but from their own too which is disturbing to read. I admired Trilby Kent for not shying away from this and creating a story that feels real. Devastating, but honest and real.
Although this is only around 180 pages it didn't feel like a quick read - I found myself really immersed in the story and would love to read more by this author.
I adored Colie. She has a resilience and strength to her that I envy. Her mother is absolutely awful to her but she doesn't let it affect how much she loves her family. I did think there might be an explanation for why her mother behaved in the way she did - and although one was given it wasn't what I thought it was going to be and - in my eyes at least - did not redeem her mother's actions. But at the same time I could see where Corlie got her strength - her mother was a formidable women who knew how to get on and survive even the hardest of circumstances.
I also adore Gert and loved his relationship with Corlie. The two obviously loved each other greatly and that was wonderful to read. I also fell head over heels in love with Api! Honestly, how adorable! Corporal Malachi Byrne was an interesting character too - someone who questions what he's doing and I liked the connection that develops between him and Corlie. That something good could come out of all the hatred surrounding her.
There is violence and devastation too. Unsurprisingly, much of the hatred and violence did not only come from the enemy but from their own too which is disturbing to read. I admired Trilby Kent for not shying away from this and creating a story that feels real. Devastating, but honest and real.
Although this is only around 180 pages it didn't feel like a quick read - I found myself really immersed in the story and would love to read more by this author.
April 26, 2014
My mind seems to be on covers today. Here's one that is, for the book, absolutely perfect. You only need one look to know that that little girl lives a hard life: not necessarily one harder than anyone around her, but hard nonetheless. (I'm reminded strongly of American Dust Bowl pictures from the 1930s, actually.)
And Corlie does have a hard life. It's the late 1800s in South Africa, her beloved father's dead, and she and her family -- including a mother who has never shown any love to Corlie -- are driven from their home by the invading British. If the Transvaal was harsh, the internment camps are harsher, and Corlie has to face any number of things she's ill prepared for, from death to family background.
Kent makes a point to paint neither the British nor the Boers as right or wrong. Corlie is only a child, so of course as the book opens she believes, as she was taught, that the Boers are good and the British more or less evil. As the story unfolds, though, she gradually comes to understand that the two are not so different. Her family is isolated enough that her only friends are her brothers and Sipho, an African servant boy. (Which -- hmm. Okay. Not sure that the concept of 'gifting' a servant to a white child was explained well enough, one, and two, Corlie's affection for Sipho felt...well, partly as though it was there so that the reader understands that Corlie isn't as racist as the adults around her.) Kent paints that isolation, and Corlie's feeling of always being on the outside, beautifully, but I wish she had gone further to let us really understand what life was like for Corlie (and, while we're at it, Sipho), both before the war and while in the camp.
And Corlie does have a hard life. It's the late 1800s in South Africa, her beloved father's dead, and she and her family -- including a mother who has never shown any love to Corlie -- are driven from their home by the invading British. If the Transvaal was harsh, the internment camps are harsher, and Corlie has to face any number of things she's ill prepared for, from death to family background.
Kent makes a point to paint neither the British nor the Boers as right or wrong. Corlie is only a child, so of course as the book opens she believes, as she was taught, that the Boers are good and the British more or less evil. As the story unfolds, though, she gradually comes to understand that the two are not so different. Her family is isolated enough that her only friends are her brothers and Sipho, an African servant boy. (Which -- hmm. Okay. Not sure that the concept of 'gifting' a servant to a white child was explained well enough, one, and two, Corlie's affection for Sipho felt...well, partly as though it was there so that the reader understands that Corlie isn't as racist as the adults around her.) Kent paints that isolation, and Corlie's feeling of always being on the outside, beautifully, but I wish she had gone further to let us really understand what life was like for Corlie (and, while we're at it, Sipho), both before the war and while in the camp.
April 29, 2011
After reading Kent’s debut novel, Medina Hill, I was excited to do another blog tour featuring her newest book. Once again Kent paints a unique time and place setting that holds a touching message of hope, survival, and family.
Similar to the war-torn stories like I Am David, Stones for My Father follows a young girl whose life is dramatically changed by violence and war. Corlie’s search for the truth also plays a wonderful part of the novel as she not only battles the hardships of an abusive parent but observes a changing culture. The descriptions of Corlie’s homeland of South Africa, its people–both native and of Dutch descent– and environment are nicely intertwined into the heart of story. Though the book slowed quite a bit toward the end and I wasn’t completely satisfied with what became of our heroine, Stones for My Father is still a well-written (and very informative) book for young readers; I greatly enjoyed it. I hope Kent continues her story-telling.
Recommendation: Although I can mostly see middle graders picking-up this book, it does have a very “mature” appeal to it in which enables “older readers”, such as myself, to enjoy it as well. Recommended for ages 10+
Content: Violence, death, war (PG)
See full review at booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com–ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
Similar to the war-torn stories like I Am David, Stones for My Father follows a young girl whose life is dramatically changed by violence and war. Corlie’s search for the truth also plays a wonderful part of the novel as she not only battles the hardships of an abusive parent but observes a changing culture. The descriptions of Corlie’s homeland of South Africa, its people–both native and of Dutch descent– and environment are nicely intertwined into the heart of story. Though the book slowed quite a bit toward the end and I wasn’t completely satisfied with what became of our heroine, Stones for My Father is still a well-written (and very informative) book for young readers; I greatly enjoyed it. I hope Kent continues her story-telling.
Recommendation: Although I can mostly see middle graders picking-up this book, it does have a very “mature” appeal to it in which enables “older readers”, such as myself, to enjoy it as well. Recommended for ages 10+
Content: Violence, death, war (PG)
See full review at booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com–ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
May 20, 2011
I didn't know much about the Boer Wars before reading this book. So I went into the novel with a great deal of apprehension because I am not really interested in historical fiction. However, I did find that once I overcame some of the terminology and the language barriers, that I was able to really enjoy the book.
The beginning was a little slow and I had difficultly "getting into" the story of Corlie Roux until the family was driven from there home, right before the British soldiers arrived. Once they were on the run, the emotional bond between Corlie and her brother Gert drew me in and showed the story of a girl who was determined to survive this ordeal. Corlie is a strong character whom even her own mother cannot stand and pushes away every chance that she gets. Although many times this leaves Corlie floating apparently aimlessly for a while, she still has the heart of a lion for such a young girl.
I would have liked to see the storyline develop a little more. This was a short book, and appropriate for the young adult range, and informative as well, but there seemed to be difficulty really getting involved with the characters early on. I struggled until about half way through the book. If the depth in the middle had been applied at the beginning, I believe it would have been much more enjoyable.
The beginning was a little slow and I had difficultly "getting into" the story of Corlie Roux until the family was driven from there home, right before the British soldiers arrived. Once they were on the run, the emotional bond between Corlie and her brother Gert drew me in and showed the story of a girl who was determined to survive this ordeal. Corlie is a strong character whom even her own mother cannot stand and pushes away every chance that she gets. Although many times this leaves Corlie floating apparently aimlessly for a while, she still has the heart of a lion for such a young girl.
I would have liked to see the storyline develop a little more. This was a short book, and appropriate for the young adult range, and informative as well, but there seemed to be difficulty really getting involved with the characters early on. I struggled until about half way through the book. If the depth in the middle had been applied at the beginning, I believe it would have been much more enjoyable.
June 10, 2011
Why I read this: I really enjoyed Trilby's previous book Medina Hill and was happy to join her tour for Stones of My Father.
Plot: Corlie is constantly feeling her mother's wrath. When they have to abandon their farm to flee the British, she finally finds out why her mother favors her younger brothers over her. This book really tore into my emotions and was quite a turbulent ride. Trilby has again produced a book that really speaks to the reader and gives such a clear view of that time in history it was like I was there with Corlie.
Characters: Corlie was very strong for such a young character. She endured so much after her father died and when she is forced to live in a refugee camp, she uses her wits to make sure she is well fed.
Relatability: I think fans of historical fiction will love this one. Or anyone who likes a strong female lead character.
Cover Commentary: Harrowing, isn't it? I love it, definitely speaks to the novel.
Plot: Corlie is constantly feeling her mother's wrath. When they have to abandon their farm to flee the British, she finally finds out why her mother favors her younger brothers over her. This book really tore into my emotions and was quite a turbulent ride. Trilby has again produced a book that really speaks to the reader and gives such a clear view of that time in history it was like I was there with Corlie.
Characters: Corlie was very strong for such a young character. She endured so much after her father died and when she is forced to live in a refugee camp, she uses her wits to make sure she is well fed.
Relatability: I think fans of historical fiction will love this one. Or anyone who likes a strong female lead character.
Cover Commentary: Harrowing, isn't it? I love it, definitely speaks to the novel.
May 31, 2011
This was a great read, and a beautifully constructed, well-thought out portrayal of a girl in the midst of a confusing, consuming set of circumstances. I always have trouble enjoying books told from the point of view of children, because they seem really inauthentic somehow. That wasn't the case here. The point of view, a ten-year old girl facing war, the loss of her home, the death of a friend, incarceration, and fear, and yet somehow growing to act as a leader when needed and make friends in unlikely places? Perfect. I also appreciated the seeming lack of bias in the positions of the Boers and the British during the war: atrocities were committed on both sides, and that's fully recognized here, where it isn't in some other factual and fictitious accounts of the war.
My only complaints: the length (almost too short, I wanted more!), and the backstory of the mother, which just felt...odd. Not bad, just odd. And a little too neatly explained away.
My only complaints: the length (almost too short, I wanted more!), and the backstory of the mother, which just felt...odd. Not bad, just odd. And a little too neatly explained away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2012
Stones For My Father is an interesting glimpse into the world of the Anglo-Boer War, and the people who were involved in it. It’s a neat slice of history that may be little known to some people, but this book is a perfect starting place. It covers all the facts in an easy-to-read, but still well written way. The characters are realistic and the world of the South African wilderness is beautifully described.
Some authors struggle with having a particular ‘voice’ when writing historic novels like this, as they find it difficult to write convincingly in the manner, style or setting of that time. But fortunately in this case, the cultures, lives and voices of the Boer people are very believable.
Stones For My Father is an excellent historic novel set during the Anglo-Boer War that is sure to delight history fans and entertain others.
Some authors struggle with having a particular ‘voice’ when writing historic novels like this, as they find it difficult to write convincingly in the manner, style or setting of that time. But fortunately in this case, the cultures, lives and voices of the Boer people are very believable.
Stones For My Father is an excellent historic novel set during the Anglo-Boer War that is sure to delight history fans and entertain others.
April 26, 2012
I have read so many wonderful books in my life, many of which I gave four stars (which, as we all know, is a totally arbitrary and somewhat meaningless judgment). STONES FOR MY FATHER received five stars because this was for me a perfect gem of a book. The setting (South Africa’s Transvaal) and time (Boer wars) are unusual, but what I loved most was how tightly focused the author stayed on 12—year-old Corlie Roux and how the war affects her and her family. Even though the time (1899-1902), people and place are quite different, I was stunned at how many similarities this story had to the book I’m writing on the Trail of Tears. Kent vividly captures place, time and characters in a poignant, gripping read. And as an extra plus, the cover (for once) featured a girl that looked very much of the time and author description. Her dead-on look at the camera added to my reading experience
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