A Blade Of Grass

I am so pleased that my newest pick is by a prize-winning Canadian novelist. A Blade of Grass is set in apartheid South Africa and centres around the unlikely friendship between an orphaned young black woman and her widowed white mistress. Their need for each other, their shared battle against discrimination (though of two different types) and the stark reality of their different destinies made this a very moving read for me.

A young newlywed couple, Ben and Margit come to live on their farm in South Africa in the 1970s. Their farm borders a neighbouring country in turmoil. They are full of hopes and dreams as are most young couples.

Tembi is a young black worker in the farm, full of rebellion and also with her own dreams.

When violence erupts and Margit is widowed she is forced to look for help. The local Afrikaner community is not very welcoming and is leaving the countryside in fear. The black workers on the farm have no desire to obey a white mistress. Margrit refuses to leave and turns to Tembi for assistance.

This is a novel that questions all our values. Who does the land belong to? The purchasers, the workers, the natives or the animals? The countryside is described in breath-taking beauty. The only nit I have is that I wish a few situations were better described. Still, a wonderful novel that makes the reader think.

This book far exceeded my expectations. Lews DeSoto's first book is a HIT and I hope we see more titles by this wonderful story teller.
A story full of tragic events, but at the heart of it, two women, unlikely friends, form a sisterhood and friendship. I could hardly put this book down.

I must read!

I found this book told a powerful story about friendship and trust but I found that every time the protagonist would just get over a bad thing that happened in her life something else horrible would happen. There wasn't enough description of the landscape as I would have hoped, and I found that the ending was a bit rushed but over all it kept me tuned in.