Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190953 in Books
• Published on: 1987-02-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 1248 pages

Customer Reviews

Monumental
This most fascinating of books tells the story of South Africa in the form of an Epic. It traces the history of South Africa, from the arrival of the first black Africans, through to the cementing of apartheid (the book having been first published in 1980). To a certain extent, the book traces the history of South Africa through the history of a certain (fictional) family, the Van Doorns. As the story strides through history, we see the various members of the family born, make their mark upon history, and then pass on. Along the way, the story takes many sidetracks, showing the history of other people and groups that also affected South African history, as they also join the narrative.

It's hard to say too much about this book. It is simply monumental in its scope, and yet in execution it is wonderfully simple and easy to read. Having read this book (in two volumes), I now feel a much deeper understanding of the history of South Africa, and the varied people who live there, than I could ever have gotten from a history book. The book is very even-handed, showing the heights and the depths that people of all colors can reach to.

Overall, I think that this is one of the most important books that I have ever read, and certainly one of the most masterfully written. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Accurate, unbiased account of South Africa's history
Only up till the time of writing of course.

I first read this book some 15 years ago, while I was still living in South Africa, where I was born. The accuracy, and factual way that the author presented South AFrica, and her people impressed me greatly, and to a certain extent helped me understand the ways of many of SA's people.

I did find it a little slow going, and hard to get into in the beginning, but after the first section in becomes compulsive reading, and not something you want to put down ... which is a little difficult, as its not a short book.

A Worthy Read
An interesting and rewarding read that gives a valuable insight into the history of South Africa. The book is particularly strong on the traditions of the Afrikaners and goes a long way to describing how apartheid came into being. The only criticism I have is the awful typos as the text is absolutely littered with spelling mistakes.