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The Housemaid's Daughter, by Barbara Mutch
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Barbara Mutch's stunning first novel tells a story of love and duty colliding on the arid plains of Apartheid-era South Africa
When Cathleen Harrington leaves her home in Ireland in 1919 to travel to South Africa, she knows that she does not love the man she is to marry there ―her fiance Edward, whom she has not seen for five years. Isolated and estranged in a small town in the harsh Karoo desert, her only real companions are her diary and her housemaid, and later the housemaid's daughter, Ada. When Ada is born, Cathleen recognizes in her someone she can love and respond to in a way that she cannot with her own family.
Under Cathleen's tutelage, Ada grows into an accomplished pianist and a reader who cannot resist turning the pages of the diary, discovering the secrets Cathleen sought to hide. As they grow closer, Ada sees new possibilities in front of her―a new horizon. But in one night, everything changes, and Cathleen comes home from a trip to find that Ada has disappeared, scorned by her own community. Cathleen must make a choice: should she conform to society, or search for the girl who has become closer to her than her own daughter?
Set against the backdrop of a beautiful, yet divided land, The Housemaid's Daughter is a startling and thought-provoking novel that intricately portrays the drama and heartbreak of two women who rise above cruelty to find love, hope, and redemption.
- Sales Rank: #179850 in Books
- Brand: Mutch, Barbara
- Published on: 2015-01-13
- Released on: 2015-01-13
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.21" h x 1.22" w x 5.47" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 416 pages
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Irish émigré Cathleen Harrington settles in the small town of Craddock in South Africa in 1919, where she marries the reticent Edward. Feeling lonely and isolated, she forges a unique bond with black housemaid Ada, whom she teaches to read and write and play the piano. Their relationship deepens over their shared passion for classical music, especially since Cathleen’s own daughter exhibits none of her mother’s generous spirit. But when Ada finds herself in a compromising position, she leaves the household, hiding herself in a nearby black township, where she secures a position as a music teacher. There she is forced to confront the racial tensions of apartheid, which she had previously been sheltered from due to her privileged existence. In this moving first novel, Mutch’s lilting prose summons the stark South African landscape, making readers feel the heat of the Karoo Desert and fear the rising waters of the Groot Vis. More than that, Mutch conveys the joys of dancing and music, the exultation of hope and courage, and the pain of being ostracized for one’s skin color. Rich in detail and subtle in its politics, this affecting novel tells a poignant, inspiring story. --Joanne Wilkinson
Review
“A compelling story . . . Ada's voice is by turns as lyrical and fierce as the music she plays on her beloved piano . . . Mutch evokes compassion for this stark and beautiful land and for the characters who strive to find their place amidst the turmoil that grips it.” ―Patricia Falvey, bestselling author of The Yellow House
“[An] exquisite debut . . . This is a book to be cherished, one that will grow deeper and richer with re-reading.” ―Anna Jean Mayhew, author of The Dry Grass of August
“If you loved The Help, try The Housemaid's Daughter . . . The friendship at its center will leave your heart singing.” ―Good Housekeeping (UK)
About the Author
BARBARA MUTCH was born and raised in South Africa, the granddaughter of Irish immigrants. She is married with two sons and divides her time between Cape Town and London. THE HOUSEMAID'S DAUGHTER is her first novel.
Most helpful customer reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
A beautiful novel written with great tenderness and understanding
By Sheila Mary Belshaw
A great deal of the appeal of this beautifully written debut novel lies in the wholly convincing voice of the young black narrator, Ada. Born in 1930 - fatherless, unschooled - she grows up in service to a family of Irish immigrants in the remote town of Cradock on the edge of the Karoo,a semi- desert area of South Africa, itself an intrinsic and mesmeric element of the story, with its starkness, its beauty and the unpredictability of the Great Fish River beautifully evoked in this South African-born author's lyrical prose.
Barred from attending the white school where Cathleen Harrington teaches music, Ada nevertheless gleans an unusually well-rounded education from her liberal thinking "Madam" and her son "Master Phil" with whom she plays from early childhood and whom she idolises. Both treat Ada as one of the family, though she is no more than tolerated by Cathleen's husband, "Master Edward" and their daughter "Miss Siobahn". Madam, disappointed by Siobahn's total disinterest in the piano, directs her passion for music towards Ada, whose latent talent is soon revealed. Barbara Mutch gives us a totally believable picture of the development of a highly talented pianist. There is a good deal of emphasis on Ada's favourite piece of music, Chopin's The Raindrop, that resonates throughout the novel and highlights one of the most dramatic episodes - the flooding of the Great Fish River.
After her mother Miriam's early death, Ada automatically assumes the housekeeping duties at Cradock House. She spends more and more time playing the piano, giving great pleasure to her listeners - even to the dour Master Edward, and apart from sleeping alone in the wooden kaia in the back garden she is otherwise totally integrated into the Harrington family. Thus shielded from the realities of the outside world it is little wonder that a close bond is forged between the girl and her madam, and that only gradually does Ada realise that there is a difference in the way black people and those with white skins are perceived.
Ada is privileged to be part of a family whose human values resist the influences of the growing racial prejudices of the 1930s and 40s, right through to the 80s. Although the novel is far from being weighed down by the political changes taking place because of Apartheid, with the early uprisings against racial oppression only delicately sketched in, Ada is nevertheless drawn into the conflict which does have an important bearing on her fortunes and misfortunes.
Coerced into an illegal relationship that results in the birth of a child with a far lighter skin than her own, she is forced to flee from the family she loves, seeking refuge on the other side of the river, eking out a living by taking in washing - until one day she hears that in a nearby township school there is an old piano that nobody plays.
This transforms her life and provides a page-turning situation that makes this book difficult to put down.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
A superb book
By Lou
I grew up in South Africa so reading this book had special meaning for me. Ada's mother could have been the housemaid who was part of our family as I grew up and my beloved housekeeper who helped me raise my children. Barbara Mutch draws a vivid word picture of life in a small Karoo town and the distinct line between the empowered White Community and the disempowered Blacks. South African Whites chose not to see their Black employees as having a life outside of their employer's home. Cathleen stepped over that line and loved her maid and her maid's daughter. When Ada developed a passion for music to match Cathleen's it created an irrevocable bond and that reinforced their commitment to each other. When Ada feels she has betrayed Cathleen she leaves her employment without any explanation and enters a world very different to the sheltered existence she has known all her life as part of Cathleen's home and family. That world exposes her to the suffering of her fellow Blacks in the Apartheid era. She endures and music helps her cope and survive and eventually reunites her with her beloved Cathleen.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Very moving; very well-done
By D. Williams
THE HOUSEMAID’S DAUGHTER is set in early twentieth century South Africa; the time for this novel spans from about the early 1920’s to the 1950’s. Cathleen Harrington, from Ireland, arrives in South Africa to marry a man she hasn’t seen in five years and isn’t certain that she truly loves.
Ada is the daughter of the Harrington’s housekeeper Miriam. Cathleen takes a liking to Ada and sees Ada’s talent and intelligence; “the Madam,” as the servants address her, teaches Ada to read, write, do arithmetic, and play the piano. Schools are segregated in South Africa at that time, so teaching Ada herself, though shady on legality, is the lesser of the evils of the time.
Even though “the Madam” (Cathleen) is very kind to Ada, particularly considering the times, Ada runs away from the household. Under an assumed name, she starts teaching music at a school for Blacks and Coloureds (mixed-race) and lives among them.
Aparthied laws become increasingly harsh. Fewer and fewer places and positions are open to Blacks and Coloureds.
Cathleen wonders about Ada’s whereabouts, but her husband forbids her to search, nor will he explain why he forbids her to search.
Though the style of this novel seems simple (after all, it is mostly from Ada’s point of view), it deals well with very complex issues. The characters are well-drawn, and readers can empathize with all of them, even those who are supposed to be the “bad guys.” The setting truly draws readers in; even those who have never been to South Africa can imagine where and when they are.
A short glossary in the back matter helps readers with vocabulary of the time and place. It is apparent from Mutch’s biography that she has done her homework; it states that she was born and raised in South Africa and the granddaughter of Irish immigrants (much like the Harringtons) and now divides her time between Cape Town and London.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes good historical fiction.
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