Woman Zone CT
  • Home
  • About
    • Vision
    • The WZ Team
    • Background
    • Projects >
      • Artscape Womens Humanity Walk
      • The Everywoman Project
      • Women's Walks
  • The Women's Library
  • Book Club
    • About
    • Book Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact
WELCOME TO THE WOMAN ZONE BOOK REVIEW PAGE.                   
​This is where members of the WZ Book Club get to share their thoughts on titles seen on the shelves of our Women’s Library. All reviews are unsolicited and only those attending the WZBC may borrow and review books.
The Woman Zone Book Club meets on the 2nd Saturday of every month between 2pm and 4pm at The Women’s Library, ground floor, Artscape.  All are welcome.
​
We welcome your reviews of women-authored books. Send between 200-500 words and cover pic if possible to info@womanzonect.co.za or hipzone@mweb and we will post it here! 

Echoes of the Mountains: the unsung champions

5/26/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
Author: Pindiwe Mgjima-Mabhena
Publisher: What Now
Reviewer: Nancy Richards
Pindiwe Mgjima-Mabhena describes her book as a tribute and a challenge. A challenge from her to others – those who’ve come from small villages, like hers, Matatiele - but to all the ‘unsung champions’ who lived and laboured under apartheid – to tell their story too.
Relatively speaking she says, she was one of the lucky ones – a school principal father, a 
​ strong, hard working role model mother who ploughed, sewed, cooked and cared diligently and lovingly for her large family. Pindiwe was the last born of seven children. She reflects on what should have been an idyllic rural life – eating vegetables fresh from the fields, cows available to be slaughtered in celebration, surrounded by mountains and rivers. But the shadow of political injustice was long and heavy. Many of her siblings ended up spending more time in exile or in prison than at home and as a family at one point they escaped to Lesotho. They paid a high price for their beliefs.
Some of her siblings fell victim to alcohol, Aids and abuse – and her father, despite his stature and values, became a philanderer. All of this made things considerably worse for her uncomplaining mother who, as Pindiwe laments, never got to enjoy the fruits of her children becoming successful citizens.
It’s a tough story, and as I read it, I was conscious of its echo, not just of the mountains, but in the stories I’ve heard snatches of from so many people who lived and grew up in the apartheid era. Although she writes little about her own journey, other than touching on it here and there, the book is also a vehicle for her to express her own feelings about family and about the social situation, ills and solutions, in general.
It is undoubtedly a challenge to write such a book – dredging back through unhappy memories and troubled times, but its also an opportunity to reflect on and express gratitude for love and loyalty. As the youngest, and one of the few surviving members of the family, it seems appropriate that it was Pindiwe who chose to pull together this family memoir for which I applaud her.  It must be said though that not all ‘unsung champions’ to whom she pays tribute, would have the resources, strength, support and skill to undertake such a task, but she has certainly set an example. And even if they never get into print, one hopes it would be healing for others who follow it.
Finally she talks of the living monument she hopes to create in her home village as well as the Bhelekazi Foundation she plans to set up to give back to her community. Wishing her well and watching this space​.
1 Comment

Unforgiven: Face to Face with my Father's Killer

5/19/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Author: Liz McGregor
Publisher: Jonathan Ball
Reviewer: Nancy Richards
Of all the stories a child could want to tell about a parent, the last would be their murder. Especially a parent like Robin McGregor. A lively, loving maverick of man, who was viciously stabbed to death in his Tulbagh home in August 2008. Cecil Thomas of Saron was sentenced to 25 years for the killing, and another 15 for aggravated theft. It took a long time for McGregor’s daughter to 
tell this story, and getting there was a slow and painful journey.
Liz McGregor is a journalist and an author, so constructing material into a logical sequence is her craft, but one can only imagine in this case, also an emotional challenge. She opens the book with the scattering of her mother’s ashes. The whole family had gathered for the memorable occasion. Two days later, their father was dead. The subsequent tale she tells weaves from the grisly details of the murder itself, to the trial, to the verdict and through her attempt to get her life back after the horror of it all. She tells how she subsequently writes a book on rugby, finds love, suffers serious injuries, surgery and crippling pain following a freak accident involving a recovering alcoholic. She seeks out help as grief and rage come back to haunt her, she is coming apart – ‘but I have always written my way out of despair’ she says. And this book would be the proof.
In it she also looks back over her father’s life and his dynamic, unorthodox approach to it. She looks into his ancestry and visits Scotland. She reflects back on her own life and significant times with him. The turning point came in January 2018 she says, ‘I steel myself to start my exploration of Cecil Thomas’s life, even though the very thought of it sets my nerves jangling, exacerbated by an ongoing insomnia.’ The exploration is intense. Obsessive. It takes her to Tulbagh. It takes her deep into the dark and murky world of prison, the Numbers gangs and the slippery field of restorative justice. She is determined to meet her father’s killer face to face to finally find out the truth of why he did it, so long after the litany of maddening lies that were heard in court.
The prison system throws up obstruction and cul de sacs, and then she meets Chris Malgas – ‘an anomalous figure in fatigues with a soldierly bearing’ who knows his way around the innards of incarceration. Together with Alan, her now husband, Chris supports her through this quest that she describes as ‘to hear my father’s voice one more time.’ To hear him ‘describing the events leading to his death’. She will never hear that, and ultimately will never know the truth. But what she has unearthed along the way, is an extraordinarily revealing account of one good man’s life, beliefs and finally his murder – one of so many thousand that happen every year in this complex country. Sadly, it makes for compelling reading. ​
0 Comments

The Milk Tart Murders

5/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Author: Sally Andrew
Publisher: Umuzi
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
​Chomping away on the delicious grapefruit and chocolate fudge that arrived with my review book of ‘The Milk Tart Murders’, fourth in the Tannie Maria series, I reflected on the enormous success of Sally Andrew’s character.  And for the uninitiated… 
(seriously?) Tannie Maria is the 50 plus Karoo agony aunt and foodie of note residing in the small town of Ladismith on Route 62. ‘ Journey to the unexpected’ say the ads for this spectacular route and Andrew does huge justice to this part of the country and its folk as she describes the  vistas from Maria’s front stoep, her little cottage, her hens and her wisdom. Coupled with these mysteries, one can feel the specialness that lurks in this part of the world.
This is yet  another book ready to be gobbled up! You’ll meet some old friends from previous stories, some delicious new characters and recipes, the plot will have you biting not only your fingernails, but the Milk Tart that simply has to accompany your reading pleasure. (Recipes at the back of the book.)
Tannie Maria is a down to earth country woman - someone whom all of us relate to. Not particularly glamorous – wearer of veldskoens and practical outfits, she is the tannie using food as a salve to all ills alongside her very practical advice. And a damn fine amateur sleuth – a sort of Karoo Miss Marple!
So what could Milk Tart and Marilyn Monroe possibly have in common? Both take centre stage in this delectable romp and what a journey. It all starts with the special showing of the vintage “Some Like it Hot’ – at Oom Frik’s Fantastique , whose owner is  a long-time fan of the beautiful MM. When Oom Frik is found dead on the scene it seems like his old heart gave out but did it? Grumpy old man that he was, frequently changing his will with the promise of treasure in his earthly belongings, the question is - who’s getting it? And the vultures are circling! When a second body turns up with a note requesting Tannie Maria’s Milk Tart recipe and advice, it’s up to our amateur detectives Maria and journalist colleague Jessica to unravel the mystery. Digging deep they enter dangerous territory with some heart stopping moments! Maria’s relationship with policeman boyfriend Henk is taking strain and there’s lots of misunderstandings – mostly concerning food, and trust, so she’s having to look at herself – and perhaps take her own advice. The wonderfully quirky trail embraces a children’s home, unrequited love, mad aunties, tempting Karoo Zoo biscuits for loosening tongues plus a good supply of marmalade rusks for the intrepid amateur detectives.
I applaud Sally Andrew for her wonderful renditions of South African characters. She has them down to a T – lovingly drawn in a voice that takes you into a community and the endearing and sometimes maddening members.
There is no doubt that Andrew has her heart in the environment, it is evident in every description.  We hold our breath, we laugh with the characters, we taste the food. There is an infectious humour that is as uplifting as the tasty, healing recipes that go along with her advice. I mean who would write a letter to an agony aunt about their pet goat Mildred? And when Tannie Maria responds with wisdom and empathy well, what else would you expect? Uplifting and heart -warming it’s a celebration of life and love. Simply charming with a good dollop of home cooked wisdom Maria will become part of your family.

0 Comments

Three Holocaust books

5/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
​THE LAST CHECKMATE by Gabriella SAAB published by William Morrow (fiction)
Daughters of the Labyrinth by Ruth Padel published by Corsair (fiction)
The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington published by Hodder&Stoughton (non-fiction)
Reviewed by Beryl Eichenberger
There is a plethora of Holocaust books, some considered good, some considered tasteless, others criticised, lambasted and suggestive of too much fiction thus undermining the horror of the time. While reviewers may be subjective, their own or their family history may well inform their views, in the end the opinion rests with the reader; how they assimilate and use the information.
In terms of fiction novelists may embroider their stories to make facts palatable, but the blend of fact, its accuracy and the extensive research required to marry it with fiction should never underplay reality. What is apparent, now that Holocaust survivors are passing on, is that there is a younger generation seeking to find and tell these stories.  We know that many survivors could not speak about their experiences and their stories so often died with them. There is a curiosity and passion that this younger generation display in wanting to honour those who survived, thus ensuring that the world will not forget.
Reading Holocaust novels is to read the pain etched on the pages, particularly if there is a personal connection. So please forgive me if I try to take a pragmatic view, a neutral stance on your reading choices. In keeping the memory alive, we are reminding the public of a horror that should NEVER happen again.  Sadly war and genocide are a fact of life  – it is happening as we speak; we can never deny this. Books on the subject form the platform for knowledge; can perhaps be the change,but more than anything they are a legacy for the future.
Yom HaShoah or World Holocaust Day is commemorated annually on April 28 and in the light of those candles of memory I wanted to talk briefly about three books read recently. Each has a special link to the Holocaust. From skills that could keep you alive, to haunting memories and secrets affecting a family history in present day; these stories demonstrate the strength of the human spirit.
Gabriella Saab’s debut novel “The Last Checkmate’ is a powerful story of surviving Auschwitz. A young Polish resistance worker Maria Florkowska is interned in Auschwitz but she is a master chess player and it is this that keeps her alive. Each game she plays with the sadistic camp deputy, who she discovers deliberately oversaw her family’s slaughter, could be her last. Her game plan for revenge moves the pieces of the story to a climactic close after liberation. The measured writing does not spare the agonies of prisoners, what people had to do to survive and what liberation brought with it. We are drawn into the suffering of Father Kolbe, who sacrificed his own life to save a prisoner and in 1982 was elevated to sainthood. It is a complex story told in vivid prose. Saab’s grasp of historical fiction melds her characters with those that existed and her research is exemplary. Read the Author’s notes as they shed light on the depth of her research. This is an author to watch.
Ruth Padel is a British poet and author and her writing has a rhythm that reflects this. Evocative, haunting and echoing lines paint a picture of buried secrets on Crete, an island full of its own myths and legends. ‘Daughters of the Labyrinth’ is set in the present but it explores the depth of buried memories, of stories never told, loss and denial. Sixty-something international artist Ri was born in Crete, brought up as a Christian but left for London in her 20s. Sponsored by the family friend Mr Michael she studied art and has made a successful career, something her Cretan mother Sophia seems always to resent.  After the tragic death of her Jewish husband David, the news her mother is very ill draws her back to the island. It is her father who starts telling Ri her mother Sophia’s real story, one that saw her hidden throughout the war and her community driven from Crete. Coming to grips with this answers many questions and confirms instincts but brings with it confusion and finally peace. Unfurling the story is a walk through life’s labyrinth and Padel’s writing evokes the many moods and colours of this journey.  Padel asks the question: How well do we know our own family…something we may well ask ourselves. A rich, satisfying and thoughtful novel.
I grew up in the ‘rag trade’ so fashion was part of my life for many years. When I watched an interview with author Lucy Adlington on her book ‘The Dressmakers of Auschwitz’ I was intrigued – who would have thought of a fashion salon in the heart of one of the most notorious concentration camps. This is the true story of the women who sewed to survive and it is quite remarkable. Adlington’s diverse sources, her tenacity in finding the truth and being able to interview some of the last surviving seamstresses brings to life what became known as the Upper Tailoring Studio. Started by the very fashion conscious Hedwig Höss, wife of the infamous Rudolf Höss at the height of the Holocaust, twenty-five, mostly Jewish young inmates sewed garments for the Nazi élite. The hypocrisy of being beautifully dressed while prisoners were stripped to humiliating nudity cannot be lost on the reader. The friendships these women forged lasted long after the war and Adlington weaves this little known story within the context of the Nazi policies; the greed, exploitation and cruelty which drove the regime. It is a fascinating piece of history meticulously written and researched.    
These are but a tiny sliver of what is available but are chapters of the legacy library that we must continue building.  
0 Comments

The Lightness of Air

5/4/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Author: Angela Miller-Rothbart
Publisher: Texture 
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenbergers
​To decide to start writing a novel at 70 is quite something . but for Angela Miller-Rothbart her love of writing led her to recount a story that she had been told by a friend. From novella to full length book “The Lightness of Air’ evolved as she consulted publishers and colleagues, who  encouraged her to  write more.
The result is a novel that will grasp you tightly by the hand and not let you go until the last 
page as you take this journey with a Bergen-Belsen survivor. The beautiful writing will sweep you along in the waves of loss, survival and happiness – a memorable reminder that happiness is of one’s own making.
There are many Holocaust novels, some better than others, but each one is a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the will to live. Each has their place in keeping memory alive and passing on a legacy to future generations as the last of the survivors pass on. Lest we forget…
It is a writer’s skill to hook us on the first page and so it was when I picked up this up book. As the book opens we meet Bergen- Belsen survivor Helena Jablonski in 1990. It is afternoon and Helena  is at her desk, contemplating what has arrived that day.  
‘It has been there all day. The long white envelope is weathered with age, the familiar script on the front faded but still legible. That, and the foreign stamp, indicate to her what it is certain to contain.”
And so we are enticed into this story of love and courage.
 ‘She is aware that the contents could alter her life, and she knows how swiftly the world can tumble and change.’ As she muses: ‘This is my connection with past and present, but will it deepen old wounds?’
There is such empathy and tenderness in this story that will resonate with families across the world.  Many survivors were unable to speak of their experiences and so it is with gratitude that we are able to journey with this courageous young woman. Navigating a life post camp, post war and across continents to find some peace from her horrific losses, the winding path through the decades is rich and engaging, textured and heartrending . How survivors of the worst horrors that humans had to endure, face a future so bereft is hard to understand, But Miller - Rothbart articulates the basic tenets of loss, love and happiness with a rhythmic prose that is mesmerising.
As the world shifts in 1939, Helena, from a privileged Polish Jewish family, is incarcerated in Bergen – Belsen. As liberation dawns she is reunited with her closest friend Sofia. The two young girls struggle to the American Zone in their attempt to get to Palestine. Both their futures are shaped by the kindness of those trying to help the displaced, hollow survivors. Helena is billeted with the warm and homely Rachel who becomes her lifelong friend. Max Harris, the young American volunteer plays a pivotal role in her life and we meet new characters who shape Helena’s future. We travel from Poland to Paris, New York and the Middle East and the winelands of Paarl, South Africa where each stop brings arichness to Helena’s shattered life. It is a testament to resilience, to grasping opportunity, to opening one’s arms to friends who become family.  
Miller-Rothbart is adept at creating the back stories of the main characters, shifting effortlessly from present to past to create families, heirlooms and an ineffable atmosphere that brings you into their homes. Above all the novel is a story of hope and forgiveness while never sidestepping the horrors of the war and the painful blocks on which a survivor rebuilds their shattered life.
Listen to this review on FMR 101.3 Book Choice on June 6 2022
​
0 Comments

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About
    • Vision
    • The WZ Team
    • Background
    • Projects >
      • Artscape Womens Humanity Walk
      • The Everywoman Project
      • Women's Walks
  • The Women's Library
  • Book Club
    • About
    • Book Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact