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Title:
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House of Stone |
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Authors:
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Lamb, Christina |
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Genre:
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Non Fiction |
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Pages:
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290 |
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Year:
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2006 |
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Language:
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English |
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Description:
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This book aims to tell the history of modern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe (from 1970 to 2006) through the personal stories of two of its citizens. Nigel Hough is the son of white farmers who attends the most prestigious private boy's school in the nation, while Aqui grows up in a poor village where her family is considered well-off because the daughters wear shoes. Interwoven with the triumphs and tragedies of their own lives is the tale of a country changing from white-governed Rhodesia into an independent, hopeful Zimbabwe, and finally into the destroyed plaything of dictator Robert Mugabe.
Comments from Groups:Found the book to be fascinating and great to get background on such a tragic country. Morrinsville 002 Very good. Terrible story but well written. Presents both sides in a balanced way...Very revealing. Wellington 036 Easy to read but still very informative - pitched just at the right level. A must read for all groups. NewPlymouth 014 We found the book very informative and unbiased, and we all agreed that the Zimbabwe tragedy was better understood. Drummond 001 Lively discussion on this one. Interesting to learn stories from both parties involved in this conflict ... and to hear of Mugabe's early history. Dunedin 021 Worth reading - politics made palatable by inclusion of extracts from the interviews with the two characters. Palmerston North 008
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Categories:
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Non fiction, Biography, Historical, Zimbabwe |
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Reviews
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By: TAKA 001
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2024-02-01 12:55:14 |
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Informative, thought provoking, and very well balanced - giving both sides of the story. The ending could not have happened if Nigel and Aqui hadn't talked together. |
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By: ISLA 001
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2024-02-01 12:53:38 |
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An unbiased account - very confronting. |
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By: CLUTHA 001
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2024-02-01 12:52:05 |
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We all enjoyed the refresher of this recent history of Zimbabwe and its despot leader, Robert Mugabe. Told from two sides of the coin - it kept us interested and guessing. |
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By: HAVE 012
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2024-02-01 12:11:47 |
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Everybody loved this book. The only complaint was the small print! |
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By: NELS 061
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2023-04-26 12:03:28 |
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Rich in history and well-written. |
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By: CHCH 086
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2022-08-23 12:14:32 |
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Even if not a particularly enjoyable book to read, we all learned so much from it. |
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By: RIVER 001
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2022-08-01 12:35:03 |
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A good read, putting both sides of a complex story. |
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By: DUNED 039
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2021-10-11 11:28:24 |
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The book was an interesting read and a sad walk through history. |
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By: AUCK 223
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2018-10-31 14:40:24 |
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We mostly found the book interesting and less depressing than expected, as in this case (at the end) black and white (employer and worker) found respect and affection for each other. |
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By: AUCK 271
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2018-10-31 14:36:15 |
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Some of the group found the author's journalistic style of writing to be some what dull and pedestrian, with too much political detail. Others thought it a very candid, compelling account of the two opposing lives, entwined in the brutal, tragic downfall of their beloved Southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. The group all expressed shock at the racist, patronising attitude of the white farmers toward the black farm workers. They were also shocked by the equally racist, envious attitude of the black workers toward the white citizens and with its murderous consequences..... |
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By: PALMN 013
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2018-10-31 14:17:45 |
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A very informative book. Terrible what power given to one man can do! |
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By: ASHB 009
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2018-10-31 13:48:53 |
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This was a very informative book, and we had one of our best ever meetings. We had as a guest, a woman who had lived in Zimbabwe for many years before coming out to NZ. Her sons had gone to school with the main person in the book. She told us what her life had been like, with some frightening times. We had many questions for her. |
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By: AUCK 199
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2018-10-31 13:46:13 |
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Our group found 'House of Stone' a compelling read. As a historical account of the happenings in Zimbabwe, it was a story well worth reading. The characters of Nigel and Aqui were well developed and true, and for many of us it was the strength of these characters that made the book. We all found it stylistically awkward - somewhere uncomfortably between history and fiction, and techniques, such as the use of italics, just distracting. |
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