Specify Books During The Syringa Tree
| Original Title: | The Syringa Tree: A Novel |
| ISBN: | 0375507558 (ISBN13: 9780375507557) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Chronicle Toward Books The Syringa Tree
In this heartrending and inspiring novel set against the gorgeous, vast landscape of South Africa under apartheid, award-winning playwright Pamela Gien tells the story of two families–one black, one white–separated by racism, connected by love.
Even at the age of six, lively, inquisitive Elizabeth Grace senses she’s a child of privilege, “a lucky fish.” Soothing her worries by raiding the sugar box, she scampers up into the sheltering arms of the lilac-blooming syringa tree growing behind the family’ s suburban Johannesburg home.
Lizzie’s closest ally and greatest love is her Xhosa nanny, Salamina. Deeper and more elemental than any traditional friendship, their fierce devotion to each other is charged and complicated by Lizzie’s mother, who suffers from creeping melancholy, by the stresses of her father’s medical practice, which is segregated by law, and by the violence, injustice, and intoxicating beauty of their country.
In the social and racial upheavals of the 1960s, Lizzie’s eyes open to the terror and inhumanity that paralyze all the nation’s cultures–Xhosa, Zulu, Jew, English, Boer. Pass laws requiring blacks to carry permission papers for white areas and stringent curfews have briefly created an orderly state–but an anxious one. Yet Lizzie’s home harbors its own set of rules, with hushed midnight gatherings, clandestine transactions, and the girl’s special task of protecting Salamina’s newborn child–a secret that, because of the new rules, must never be mentioned outside the walls of the house.
As the months pass, the contagious spirit of change sends those once underground into the streets to challenge the ruling authority. And when this unrest reaches a social and personal climax, the unthinkable will happen and forever change Lizzie’s view of the world.
When The Syringa Tree opened off-Broadway in 2001, theater critics and audiences alike embraced the play, and it won many awards. Pamela Gien has superbly deepened the story in this new novel, giving a personal voice to the horrors and hopes of her homeland. Written with lyricism, passion, and life-affirming redemption, this compelling story shows the healing of the heart of a young woman and the soul of a sundered nation.
Describe Out Of Books The Syringa Tree
| Title | : | The Syringa Tree |
| Author | : | Pamela Gien |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 262 pages |
| Published | : | June 27th 2006 by Random House (first published January 2003) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Cultural. Africa. Southern Africa. South Africa. Historical. Historical Fiction. Book Club |
Rating Out Of Books The Syringa Tree
Ratings: 3.77 From 486 Users | 97 ReviewsCommentary Out Of Books The Syringa Tree
Fiction about the apartheid in South Africa. Would have been better if a) I had known something about the apartheid before reading it (I was getting lost in some of the terms that were being tossed around. The book assumed you knew what was going on historically). and b) if the main character was an activist. I felt that the book was sort of like: "well, bad things are happening. Here's a couple of stories about it. Now lets have our hero flee to America and not come back until everything isA creative retelling of Apartheid history through the eyes of a child.
Not written for an American audienceThe language was difficult to understand because of the different dialect. There is a glossary at the back of the book which most of us didn't discover until we'd already struggled through most of the story. And as one member of my book club pointed out, there is a problem if they have to put a glossary at the back of the book. The narrator is unconvincing as a six year old girl. The writing is very random and sporadic. The book is full of non-essential
An eye-opening tribute to South Africa. Pamela Gien writes beautifully about Apartheid and the relationships of South Africans to one another through the innocent eyes of a young white girl who doesn't understand the seriousness of what she is experiencing in her childhood while under the care of her black nanny Salimina. A beautiful goose-bumps raising read.
Another book group selection and, with the exception of one person, we all hated this book. It was an Oprah Book Club choice at one time, and we normally don't chose those. But this book was highly recommended. Oprah described it as "inspiring and uplifting". I must say that this was one of the most depressing books that I have read in ages and I only finished it because it was for my book group. If there was anything "uplifting" in this book, for the life of me I don't know what it could have
The Syringa Tree was about a white family in South Africa who was different than most families. They treated thier servants like their own family and both had respect for eachother. Lizzy was the main character and the oldest child of the Grace family. She was put through alot of hardships throughout the book that included watching the head servants infant and keep her safe and secret from the police. She had a father who was a doctor who secretly helped blacks and whites in the same business
This book really pushed me to learn more about South Africa, and I loved it for that. However, I did not enjoy reading from a small child's perspective. Also, this book frequently dragged for me. And I just couldn't love the characters. That makes it harder to enjoy a book. The overall story was good though, and worth reading. I think this is a book for avid readers, not reluctant or occasional readers.
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