Child of the River
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4.0 • 9 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A timeless coming-of-age tale of heartbreak and triumph set in South Africa at the dawn of apartheid.
Persomi is young, white, and poor, born the middle child of illiterate sharecroppers on the prosperous Fourie farm in the South African Bushveld. Persomi’s world is extraordinarily small. She has never been to the local village and spends her days absorbed in the rhythms of the natural world around her, escaping the brutality and squalor of her family home through the newspapers and books passed down to her from the main house and through her walks in the nearby mountains.
Persomi’s close relationship with her older brother Gerbrand and her fragile friendship with Boelie Fourie—heir to the Fourie farm and fortune—are her lifeline and her only connection to the outside world. When Gerbrand leaves the farm to fight on the side of the Anglos in WWII and Boelie joins an underground network of Boer nationalists, Persomi’s isolated world is blown wide open. But as her very small world falls apart, bigger dreams open to her—dreams of an education, a profession, a native country that values justice and equality, and of love. As Persomi navigates the changing landscape around her—the tragedies of war and the devastating racial strife of her homeland—she finally discovers who she truly is, where she belongs, and why her life—and every life—matters.
The English language publication of Child of the River solidifies Irma Joubert as a unique and powerful voice in historical fiction.
“Filled with lessons of grace and love, Child of the River is a story that reminds us all to hold steady through life’s most fragile hours.” —Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Perennials
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Persomi is a sharecropper's child living in South Africa during WWII. Working on the wealthy Fourie farm, Persomi desperately seeks to be like the "real" children who are able to live free lives in their own homes. Reading about the war and politics in the newspapers from the Big House keeps her mind off her poor circumstances. She is also consumed with figuring out the identity of her true father, a secret her mother has vowed to take to the grave. When Persomi has the chance to go to the same boarding school that her brother attended, she leaves the life she had always known for a place where she must learn new rules and practices studying, socializing, even how to eat with a fork. Leaning on the strength of her friend Boelie, the son and heir of Mr. Fourie, Persomi excels in her education, studying law and politics. When the feelings between Persomi and Boelie grow, Persomi discovers information that shatters her world before she can even step into it. Joubert (The Girl from the Train) once again demonstrates a knack for stringing believable, interesting characters through a historical South African landscape. Not just a sweet romantic novel, Joubert's book is a testament to the value of hard work and perseverance.
Customer Reviews
CHILD OF THE RIVER
CHILD OF THE RIVER by Irma Joubert..Author also of The Girl From The Train Which was given to me last year to read. Both, were very well done. This also had a deep subject to it, the apartheid element, and the coming of age in South Africa. We see Personi, in her limited view of life, working on the farm. Food is scare, and sharing a bed with her brother. When her brother Gerbrand leaves the farm to go fight. And her fragile friendship and heir to the farm, Boelie joins the underground. The life she has known and the connection to the outside world has been thru these two. Now the possibility is wide open, can she take what is now offered. A complex look of the different characters and how the paths for each was changed.
Given ARC by Thomas Nelson for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
Must read
Excellent book. Well written, I couldn’t put it down. You really feel the pain and joy of the character. I learned much about life in South Africa and its struggles.
Puzzling
I liked this book, but so much was left unsaid that it was a little hard to follow the storyline. I was forced to read between the lines to try to put the story together. And, I still am left wondering why this book is called "Child of the River" because the river played no part in the story.