Trilby Kent

I can't put my finger on why I found this story so compelling. It's quiet, and even though big things happen the tone remains quiet, as though you are watching from afar. But the far away perspective doesn't make it boring - it's all crystal clear, and sometimes flits quickly from one scene to the next as though you are watching snippets of film, or catching quick soundbites of dialogue. Occasionally when something extraordinary is happening in life I have that weird out-of-body feeling, as though my life is a movie and I'm watching it all happen, crystal-clear but distant at the same time - that's how this felt. I really liked it, mostly because I liked all the characters, and even though the words were spare, it all came to life completely. My only doubt was if Ana could really be so quick to catch up to the modern world after living so remotely for her whole life. She seems really nimble about understanding technology and other people and cultures. That might be believable or it might be a stretch, but all in all this was a really interesting book about being displaced and uncovering past family mysteries.… (meer)

Set during the Boer War, Coraline is now coping with the death of her father and the fact that the English could arrive any day now and steal her mother and brother's farm. In the end, she and her family flee into the African bush with her black friend Sipho's family. They are trying to make it to the laager - a group of wagons owned by Boers like themselves , who have banded together after being pushed off their land. Eventually Corli'e family catch up to the laager but are soon overun by English soldiers and sent to live in a prisoner of war camp that has terrible conditions. This is only after Coralie is separated from Sipho and his family , and Sipho is accused of using the cover of the battle to kill a Boer who was horrible to him. In the camp, Coralie must use every once of brain power to ensure that she, her mother and her two little brothers do not become malnourished from the poor rations and succumb to the illness and disease that is rife in the camp.

Heartbreaking and quite violent at times, this is a short historical account of a war that we hear little about in Australia. Like the My Story books only more gritty and therefore for older readers.… (meer)

I requested this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program because I was interested in learning more about the Mennonite culture the young protagonist was brought up in. Though there are some flash-backs to her life there, she was really too young to fully understand what was going on. Due to this, the story is not as fascinating as I had hoped, but the character of Ana is more relatable. As other reviewers have mentioned, Ana adapts very quickly to her new life in Canada as she searches for her mother. She seems to be putting in a lot more effort than her father is, even though he ostensibly moved the two of them there for that purpose. The eventual climax and reunion is not as revealing as I'd hoped, but the subject matter is probably tempered for a young audience. It was a quick read, and pretty much enjoyable.… (meer)