Children of Sugarcane, Joanne Joseph
Children of Sugarcane, Joanne Joseph
List: $14.00 | Sale: $9.80
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Children of Sugarcane

Author: Joanne Joseph

Narrator: Roshina Ratnam

Unabridged: 11 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/10/2023


Synopsis

“Shanti is a heroine that the reader will not easily forget. The story that is told here is worth not only knowing but also remembering.” – Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, author, filmmaker and academic  Vividly set against the backdrop of 19th century India and the British-owned sugarcane plantations of Natal, written with great tenderness and lyricism, Children of Sugarcane paints an intimate and wrenching picture of indenture told from a woman’s perspective.  Shanti, a bright teenager stifled by life in rural India and facing an arranged marriage, dreams that South Africa is an opportunity to start afresh. The Colony of Natal is where Shanti believes she can escape the poverty, caste, and troubling fate of young girls in her village. Months later, after a harrowing sea voyage, she arrives in Natal only to discover the profound hardship and slave labour that await her. Spanning four decades and two continents, Children of Sugarcane demonstrates the lifegiving power of love, heartache, and the indestructible bonds between family and friends. These bonds prompt heroism and sacrifice, the final act of which leads to Shanti's redemption.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah on November 25, 2022

*I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.* I knew very little, if anything, about indentured laborers who journeyed from India to South Africa to work on sugarcane plantations in the late 19th century prior to this novel. The story of Shanti, who ran away from her home in......more

Goodreads review by Mary-Anne on November 10, 2021

Well written, engaging and heartfelt. My best read this year by far.......more

Goodreads review by Mariana on March 05, 2023

This novel really touched my heart! This journey of a young Indian woman from the 1880’s looking for a better life in another continent is a masterpiece! I don’t know much of this time of history but the reviews that I read on goodreads are consensual on admitting how good of a research Joanne Joseph......more

Goodreads review by Maniki_021 on September 30, 2024

TW : Rape, abuse , death , abortion, famine, grief , immorality, violence, suicide, humiliation, execution. OMG , I love a well researched historical fiction book. I’m just going to start off by saying the story broke my heart in so many ways . This book reminded me so much of Rosanna Amaka’s Rose a......more

Goodreads review by David on February 18, 2024

I remember when this book came out a couple of years ago. I listened to an interview with Joanne Joseph on the radio. At the time, I thought to myself, sounds interesting, but I'm not likely to read it - I have too many other things to read. I thought of Joanne Joseph as a news reader and not as an......more