Book Description
"Written with the pace of a thriller" (Times Literary Supplement), Red Dust is set in a rural South African town, where three people are about to meet their past. Sarah Barcant has left her law career in New York to assist an old friend as prosecutor on a Truth Commission hearing. Dirk Hendricks, a former police deputy, is being taken in handcuffs to the station where he once worked. There he will confront Alex Mpondo, the man he had tortured, who is now an MP.
Customer Reviews:
Why isn't this an Oprah book pick?.......2006-02-23
I actually had to read this novel for a literature class I am taking. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. As far as mysteries go, Slovo does a great job of pulling you along as she creates secrets and mysteries that you want to find the resolution to. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to those who love a good mystery, especially.
Truth? Reconciliation?.......2006-02-09
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was set up in post-apartheid South Africa, enabled people who had been imprisoned for the crimes they had committed in apartheid times to secure an amnesty, provided they told the full truth about their activities to a court set up by the commission, presided over by judges and with perpetrators and victims represented by lawyers. This novel deals with one such case in a dusty little town called Smitsrivier.
Dirk Hendricks, a former policeman now imprisoned, had applied for amnesty in respect of his having severely tortured Alex Mpondo, now a member of Parliament. The powerful middle section of the novel is about the hearing of his case by the Commission. The tense confrontation between Hendricks and Mpondo in court is painful in the extreme. The burly Hendricks, who has been well-briefed by his lawyers and is in any case very familiar with court proceedings, who knows all about psychological weaknesses and is a shrewd actor to boot, is determined to conceal the full truth. Mpondo has for some years tried to bury the memories of what he has suffered, but now they surface and cripple him. Moreover, he is also crippled by something else (which I must not reveal in this review) which both he and Hendricks know but which Mpondo's constituents do not. There is also the undercurrent that the two men are bound to each other by a terrible kind of intimacy.
Closely interwoven with the Hendricks-Mpondo relationship is that between Pieter Muller, another ex-policeman, and James Sizela, a black headmaster, desperate to find the remains of his son Stephen whom Muller had killed. While Mpondo and Sizela are very different characters, Hendricks and Muller are, from a fictional point of view, perhaps a little too much alike; and the key confrontation between Muller and Sizela, though it is as tense as that between Hendricks and Mpondo and as powerfully written, struck me as being rather closer to melodrama than to drama. And although the game of bluff and double bluff that is played at the end of the book can be seen as an ironic commentary on the word "truth" in the title of the Commission, it also subtly, but I think unintentionally, shifts the novel from a profound exploration of the psychology of torturer and victim to an altogether slicker level of story-telling. But despite these reservations, I found this book so gripping that I stick with a five star rating.
Lastly, a few words about Sarah Barcant, Mpondo's lawyer. She had been born in Smitsrivier and had been trained there as a lawyer; but fourteen years ago, during the apartheid period, she had left for New York. One of the many excellent qualities of the book is her awareness of how much has changed in South Africa during her absence - and how much has not: in particular the eternal landscape of South Africa, its light and its scents, which are wonderfully conveyed. At the end the question is posed whether she had been a New York lawyer for so long that she never really understands what (in the author's view, I think) the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was, and what it was not and could not be.
Post Apartheid South Africa.......2005-02-28
Sarah Barcant is a successful young lawyer in New York who grew up in Smitrivier, South Africa. One day she gets a call from Ben Hoffman, a retired lawyer who used to be Sarah's professional mentor, asking her to come back to Smitrivier to take up a case. And so after fourteen years, Sarah returns to the town where she grew up to do Ben a favour because she thinks she owes him so much. A policeman, Pieter Muller, is suspected of having killed James Sizela's son Steve during the Apartheid. Muller's culpability has been a belief in Smitrivier for thirteen years, ever since Steve was arrested on Pieter Muller's orders and then disappeared. So now the Truth Commission is James's last chance to find his son's body and have him properly buried. The timing appears to be perfect since the Truth Commission is about to deal with the jailed policeman Dirk Hendricks who applied for amnesty for the torture of Alex Mpondo, now an MP in the South African government. The plan is to use Alex Mpondo's presence at the hearing to threaten Hendricks that unless he reveals Pieter Muller's complicity in the murder of Steve Sizela, he may not get his amnesty. But the search for the truth is going to be far more arduous than Sarah imagined - perhaps even an impossible task.
Mrs Slovo casts a merciless look at contemporary South Africa where heroism and perfidy are no longer distinct, where new truths are as painful as old lies, where torturers, once heroes, are now victims. An excellent novel which shows the absurd relationship between aggressors and victims and the power between the torturers and the tortured.
Addressing the evils of Aparteid..........2003-04-19
Since 1985, during The Emergency that tore open the façade of apartheid in South Africa, the citizens of the township of Smitsrivier have waited for the Truth Hearings. The hearings are scheduled to facilitate the amnesty of political prisoners, usually former policemen and other government agents who perpetrated violence against the blacks. In return for telling all of the circumstances of torture and other brutality, including murder, the Commission will decide whether to allow amnesty for each current appeal.
The central figure of the Truth Commission in this case is Dirk Hendricks, a former policeman applying for amnesty for the beating and torture of Alex Mpondo. Hendricks is the critical link between Mpondo and Steve Sizela, Alex's compatriot, who was also arrested and beaten, only Steve's body was never recovered. Alex holds the key to Steve's murder, but has been unable to remember anything clearly since his beating, whether Hendricks participated in Steve's murder or has knowledge of who actually did the deed. Alex engages in a dangerous dance with his tormentor, allowing Hendricks to prick his memory with questions and insinuations, hoping to remember. At issue is Alex's participation without allowing his further victimization.
A successful young New York lawyer, Sarah Barcant, is summoned to Smitsrivier to manage Alex's case. Her mentor, Ben Hoffman, who is dying, places a phone call requesting her help. He knows he cannot be refused, due to the ties of the past. Sarah and Ben hope, as part of the process, to uncover Steve's murderer and ascertain where he is buried, that his still grieving parents may see their son properly interred.
Using Sarah as a vehicle, Alex confronts Dirk Hendricks, willing to suffer the indignity of facing his tormentor all over again when they are face to face. But Alex is outraged when Hendricks declares himself a sufferer of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder while "doing his job", a critical factor in Hendricks' defense. Hendricks assumes the mantle of victim, giving a brilliant performance before the Committee while on the witness stand. Sarah's task, given Alex's newly awakening insights, is to unmask the policeman for the monster that he really is. This will necessitate drawing out the personality Hendricks seeks to hide from his audience, the darkness waiting to surface.
The denouement of the murderer and restoration of Steve Sizela's body to his parents serve to begin a healing process in only one of the towns so devastated by long years of apartheid, a land too long immersed in fear and hatred. Racial tension and animosity still exist in Smitsrivier, where black and white exist side by side, but in a more subtle and insidious form. Yet Slovo's South Africa is a gorgeous and fascinating country, ripe with promise, reaping the rewards of a revolution against inequality and repression of the human spirit. The task is to harness that great source of humanity for the good of a country whose past cannot be allowed to govern the future. The idyllic prose is as rich as this vast land in transition, an important contribution toward the understanding of a new South Africa. Luan Gaines/2003.
Superior Courtroom Thriller.......2002-09-17
This is an excellent courtroom thriller about torturers and victims confronting each other in the context of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The plotting is superb and the story has enough twists and turns to hold the reader's interest all the way to the surprise ending(s). Certain passages -- and one key scene -- are overly cinematic but this doesn't seriously detract from the book's pleasures. That said, Red Dust is not Dostoevesky. The characters all speak alike (whether white or black, English or Afrikaaner), whites are more finely drawn than blacks, and the protagonist -- a South African practicing law in the US -- is the least necessary character in the book (basically, she gets in arguments). Disappointingly, Slovo doesn't provide much social context or use the novel to educate readers about the liberation struggle in South Africa.
Book Description
Author John De Bevec weaves a vibrant, moving saga of immigrants in the new land of America. Range life becomes alive. Hockey stars are born. Deftly intertwining two family's lives it is spiced with exciting sports, feasting and touched with tragedy. De Bevec creates an unforgettable novel, rich with literary grace and memorable characterizations. A great American read!
Book Description
To win his father's ranch, a hard-living cowboy settles down and takes a wife -- another man's wife!
The youngest McKettrick brother, Jeb, is the wild one who never could stay out of trouble. And trouble is what he gets when he proposes to Chloe Wakefield. No sooner had he and the pretty schoolteacher tied the knot than Jeb discovers she's already married! After a major dustup with Chloe in a Tombstone barroom, an irate Jeb hightails it back to the Triple M Ranch, certain that his chances of winning the spread in a marriage race with his brothers are dashed.
Now Chloe has come to Indian Rock, hoping to find her beloved uncle John and a much-needed teaching post. But when she unexpectedly crosses paths with Jeb, her rage -- and passion -- flare even stronger than back in Tombstone. Chloe never intended to mislead Jeb about her previous marriage to a scoundrel of a man. But when she finds out Jeb needs a bride and a baby in order to inherit the Triple M, she is livid.
Learning to trust will be the hardest part of this mixed-up marriage -- until a stagecoach robbery and the return of a dangerous stranger prove to Jeb and Chloe that they need each other to love and honor as long as they both shall live.
Customer Reviews:
Secondhand Bride.......2007-08-12
One of the best books I have read, I have read the Trilogy and loved all three.
Secondhand Bride.......2007-08-10
This is great book if you read the other two books of the McKettrick family you will enjoy it. Dont forget to read about the last or should I say first brother of the McKettrick Cowboys. Title: "McKettrick Choice".
AMAZING SERIES!.......2007-08-07
Miller is an exquisite storyteller. I have read many of her titles--including every single McKettrick story beginning with Rafe and ending with Keegan (some more than once), and each one left me wanting more. I assure you you won't be disappointed.
Great Series!.......2007-08-01
If you like cowboys and romance then this is the series for you!
Love this story line!
Hated to reach the end of this book.......2007-06-14
Couldn't stop reading! Read High Country Bride and Shotgun Bride before reading this title.
Book Description
One special lady will help this cowboy lawman win his father's ranch -- and steal his heart in the bargain....
Kade McKettrick's got five mail-order brides-to-be camped out at the local hotel, all more than eager to provide him with the heir that will win him the Triple M ranch. But Kade, the newly appointed marshal, has his hands full with a troublesome outlaw gang. Why, then, is he so easily distracted by pretty "Sister Mandy" -- who most assuredly is not the nun she claims to be?
On the run from her outlaw stepfather, Mandy Sperrin hides beneath her solemn disguise, and vows to keep her wild, passionate nature from the respectable citizens of Indian Rock. Yet when the handsome marshal makes it clear that he wants her, Mandy gives in to her heated desires....
Despite the secrets that may lure them both perilously close to danger, Kade knows that proposing marriage may be the only way to keep this spirited woman by his side. But are her ties to a shadowed past more threatening -- and closer -- than Kade knows? His strong, sensual embrace may charm Mandy's wild heart -- but will she surrender to a lifetime of his deep and powerful love?
Download Description
"One special lady will help this cowboy lawman win his father's ranch -- and steal his heart in the bargain.... Kade McKettrick's got five mail-order brides-to-be camped out at the local hotel, all more than eager to provide him with the heir that will win him the Triple M ranch. But Kade, the newly appointed marshal, has his hands full with a troublesome outlaw gang. Why, then, is he so easily distracted by pretty ""Sister Mandy"" -- who most assuredly is not the nun she claims to be? On the run from her outlaw stepfather, Mandy Sperrin hides beneath her solemn disguise, and vows to keep her wild, passionate nature from the respectable citizens of Indian Rock. Yet when the handsome marshal makes it clear that he wants her, Mandy gives in to her heated desires.... Despite the secrets that may lure them both perilously close to danger, Kade knows that proposing marriage may be the only way to keep this spirited woman by his side. But are her ties to a shadowed past more threatening -- and closer -- than Kade knows? His strong, sensual embrace may charm Mandy's wild heart -- but will she surrender to a lifetime of his deep and powerful love? "
Customer Reviews:
JUST HORRIBLE!.......2007-05-16
I have read more romance novels that I can count and I think this was the VERY worst. I had to force myself to finish it. There is no real love story. The plot is unbelievable and lacks depth. This was the first novel I have read where I didn't like the female lead. YIKES! MAIN problem I had with this book, Kade was thoughtful, caring, sweet, mild mannered, a book worm actually, the peace maker of the family in the first book HIGH COUNRTY BRIDE, In this book he is a marshal, pig headed, rude, thoughtless and childish! BIG ERROR on the Auther's part!
I am going to read the 3rd in this series on the hope that Miller gets her act together!
Terrific!.......2006-08-23
Arizona territory, 1885
SHOTGUN BRIDE is a terrific McKettrick Cowboys sequel to HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE! Be sure to follow up with SECONHAND BRIDE and MCKETTRICK'S CHOICE.
Another wonderful Book.......2006-08-12
I really enjoyed this book as much as the first. The one thing I really did like about this series is that you still read about the whole family. Alot of the series books don't include anyone from the first and I liked that these ones do.
Shotgun bride.......2004-12-17
This story lacks the romance its back cover promises. Yes there are wedding bells but what a disappointment to learn more about the family verses the relationship between the two main characters.
I wanted to use the shotgun!!!!!.......2004-09-02
This bit of fluff was ok but........no passion, no excitement, wham, bam, thank you maam. I like to read stories of the Old West where 'men were men and women were women', but this was a trifle boring. Concepcion, the housekeeper (sp) had more personality than anyone else in the whole book.
I almost didnt finish it and waded thru to the end to see how it all turned out. This is my first western from LLM and I will get her future books from the library.
Customer Reviews:
The Cowboy and His Wayward Bride by Sherryl Woods (Large Print Silhouette Special Edition).......2006-11-17
Another 'White Pine' book set in Los Pinos, Texas. This time the hero is Harlan Patrick Adams, cousin of Justin Adams (Natural Born Lawman). There are minor appearances by several other recurring characters, and we get to witness the less-than-successful first meeting of Slade Sutton & Val Harding (Suddenly, Annie's Father). Books in this series are: A Christmas Blessing (Luke Adams & Jessie Adams); Natural Born Daddy (Jordan Adams & Kelly Flint); The Cowboy and His Baby (Cody Adams & Melissa Horton); The Rancher and His Unexpected Daughter (Harlan Adams & Janet Runningbear); The Littlest Angel (Angela Adams & Clint Brady); Natural Born Trouble (Dani Adams & Duke Jenkins); Unexpected Mummy (Chance Adams & Jenny Runningbear Adams); The Cowgirl and the Unexpected Wedding (Lizzy Adams & Hank Robbins); Natural Born Lawman (Justin Adams & Patsy Longhorn); The Unclaimed Baby (Sharon Lynn Adams & Cord Branson); The Cowboy and his Wayward Bride (Harlan Patrick Adams & Laurie Jensen); Suddenly, Annie's Father (Slade Sutton & Val Harding); The Cowboy and the New Years Baby (Trish Delacourt & Hardy Jones); Dylan and the Baby Doctor (Dylan Delacourt & Kelsey James); The Pint Sized Secret (Jeb Delacourt & Brianna O'Ryan); Marrying a Delacourt (Mchael Delacourt & Grace Foster); The Delacourt Scandal (Tyler Delacourt & Maddie Kent).
Description from the book back cover:
This Child is Mine ... Rugged rancher Harlan Patrick Adams was fed up with his childhood sweetheart Laurie Jensen. After all, she had admitted she loved him - and then left him, with no explanation. But then he saw her picture in the tabloid newspaper. Clutching a tiny baby girl ... who had his eyes! Well, that did it. Harlan Patrick was going to go to the mother of his child and knock down her door, if that's what it took. Demand some answers. Claim what was rightly his. Maybe even ... get down on one knee and beg her to marry him? A man had to do what a man had to do ...
Beautiful.......2000-03-28
I thought that this story of love separated by life desires was true to life and very sweet. Harlan Patrick became one of my favorite characters right at the beginning of Natural Born Lawman, and I was thrilled to hear that he had his own book. His heartache over losing his longtime love to the career she had ben dreaming about for years was very true to life, as many people sacrifice love for their dreams. But I was definately happy that their love survived and prospered. It was a wonderful book, and I hope that I can find many just as good.
Customer Reviews:
Loved It!.......2006-07-02
This was the first book I read from Carolyne Aarsen. I could not put this book down. Joe and Rebecca are complete opposites and by the worlds standards, they should be all wrong for eachother. It is a heartwarming story of the emotions that are involved with falling in love. I found this book to be better than a good movie!
My FAVE!.......2006-01-04
I absolutely love this book! It was the first love inspired book I'd ever read and I've read many others since. Out of all the love inspired books I've read, this one is my favorite! I completely recommend this book to everyone!
believable emotions and dialogue.......1999-10-15
The conflicts in this story do not distract from the heartwarming attraction between Joe and Rebecca. The story rings true and is filled with tender moments. A truly satisfying read.
Good read.......1999-08-03
Really enjoyed this book. It's nice to read a romance book without alot of fluff to full up the pages.
Customer Reviews:
YOUR HEART GROWS WITH EVERY TURN OF THE PAGE.......1998-09-25
I LOVED THE WAY MEREDITH STOOD UP TO JOHN LEE WITH A GREAT AMOUNT OF SELF ESTEEM EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS DEALING WITH ENORMOUS PAIN. CASSIE BROUGHT OUT THE REAL WOMAN IN HER AND JOHN LEE BOTH. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LOSS OF HER OWN CHILD WAS HEART WRENCHING.
Books:
- Shadows on the Hudson
- Snow White and Russian Red
- Snowleg
- Snows of Yesteryear
- Solibo Magnificent
- Staying On: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction Series)
- Tell Me What to Eat If I Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Nutrition You Can Live With (Tell Me What to Eat)
- That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, Book 3)
- The Body Artist: A Novel
- The Book Borrower: A Novel
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