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alexture's review
adventurous
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed When the ground is hard. The protagonist, Adele, has learned all the tricks to make the popular girls like her and to be one of them... until suddenly she isn't anymore, dethroned by a new rich girl.
In 1960s Swaziland, broken by Apartheid, a school for mixed-race girls (the richer the kid, the more lenient the teachers; the whiter the kid, the more helpful their "pet" classmates) has an empty room. When Adele is booted out of the Plastics (or their 1960s Swazi equivalent), she ends up in that room, sharing it with Lottie, the daughter of a woman who has boyfriends instead of a proper man, and a dark and fierce girl who fights for what's hers.
A beautiful tale of a child who starts to understand privilege and to question the establishment - all this with the side story, and really it's terrible to call it a side story, of a young disabled kid who would do anything to get out of school, wherever that brings him.
In 1960s Swaziland, broken by Apartheid, a school for mixed-race girls (the richer the kid, the more lenient the teachers; the whiter the kid, the more helpful their "pet" classmates) has an empty room. When Adele is booted out of the Plastics (or their 1960s Swazi equivalent), she ends up in that room, sharing it with Lottie, the daughter of a woman who has boyfriends instead of a proper man, and a dark and fierce girl who fights for what's hers.
A beautiful tale of a child who starts to understand privilege and to question the establishment - all this with the side story, and really it's terrible to call it a side story, of a young disabled kid who would do anything to get out of school, wherever that brings him.
spess's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
alees's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
jegoeck's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
creolelitbelle's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I had no idea of the rich history related to the former Swaziland before this book, but I could make connections to the southern African region due to the 2000s Disney movie, Color of Friendship, and what bit it taught me about South Africa. The story of Adele's time at the school is of little importance compared to how she grows as a person because of everything she experiences while becoming friends with Lottie. In the beginning, I felt a strong distaste for Adele and her attitude against people unlike her, especially those who have it worse than she does (in her eyes). I'm glad I stuck with the audiobook, though. Over time, Adele learns who she is and what she values in other people. The novel of Jane Eyre has strange comparisons to this book, but I see how the girls find solace in the character and her circumstances. Lottie is an amazing person whose head I would've loved to get inside of. A while after finishing the audio, done by a phenomenonal narrator, I realized I was already forgetting character names and pieces of the plot. Good story, better character development, slightly forgettable pieces. The message of "when the ground is hard, the women will dance" is amazing, regardless. Think about it. I love the power behind that saying and Adele's revelation about it in the very end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Bullying
basilkumquat's review
4.0
In a Swaziland mixed-race boarding school, being judged and ranked based on skin color and economic status are "how things are". When Adele is replaced by a richer girl in the top clique, she is forced to room with Lottie, who doesn't get the rules. It soon becomes clear that Lottie does know how things are, but unlike the "good girls" she refuses to accept them. Adele starts questioning why things are the way they are, and if being sweet like honey is the best way forward in a world where wealth and intelligence do not trump race.
peachykeenebooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
After Sugar Town Queens, I’m a big Malla Nunn fan. This is her earlier work of historical fiction about a 16 year old mixed race girl from the city who goes to a private school in the country and loses her popularity but gains so much more. It takes place in 1965, but that’s mentioned only once and I still do not know much about Swaziland. For growing our collection of African lit, I recommend this beautiful novel.
sducharme's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this story of a girl in Swaziland navigating the social structures around her and discovering the beauty of a true friendship, her first. It's a boarding school story, but also so much more. Like most boarding school stories, we see the school as a microcosm of the outside world, but since this outside world is Swaziland we learn about different tensions that exist between groups of people (white, poor white, mixed, black, those with coins, those with paper money...). And we see how all of those concerns become more or less important depending on our narrator's personal development.
There's a murder, friendship drama, mean teachers and kind teachers, but the heart of the story and what compels us to keep reading (in places quite eagerly) is the narrator who is trying so hard to be the best person she can be AND also be true to herself.
There's a murder, friendship drama, mean teachers and kind teachers, but the heart of the story and what compels us to keep reading (in places quite eagerly) is the narrator who is trying so hard to be the best person she can be AND also be true to herself.
saidtheraina's review
5.0
Powerful, rare, true.
I'm always looking for ownvoices books written by authors with perspectives from outside the United States. I'm a public Librarian, and I particularly look for middle-school (grades 6-8) books, as historically I've been invited to present booktalks to virtually all of the thousands of middle school students in my local school district. It's also important that the books have great covers. This book was an easy one to pick for that line-up.
Nunn tells a story apparently based on her own life. The protagonist goes to a boarding school in Swaziland, and the book depicts a year in which this main character changes in several ways after making a new connection with another student.
I particularly want to call out the depiction here of growing up in a single parent home. Adele's mom is the mistress of a man with another family. He financially supports them from a distance, and visits occasionally.
For my booktalk, I abridged a scene from chapter 13 where the MC tries something new. It includes skintone-based violence, and a pivotal moment for the character, and the kids were riveted. It was an often-requested booktalk.
I booktalked that book in January 2020. It's interesting reading that booktalk again now, after the events of Summer 2020.
How many rocks need to be thrown to change the world in a substantial way?
I'm always looking for ownvoices books written by authors with perspectives from outside the United States. I'm a public Librarian, and I particularly look for middle-school (grades 6-8) books, as historically I've been invited to present booktalks to virtually all of the thousands of middle school students in my local school district. It's also important that the books have great covers. This book was an easy one to pick for that line-up.
Nunn tells a story apparently based on her own life. The protagonist goes to a boarding school in Swaziland, and the book depicts a year in which this main character changes in several ways after making a new connection with another student.
I particularly want to call out the depiction here of growing up in a single parent home. Adele's mom is the mistress of a man with another family. He financially supports them from a distance, and visits occasionally.
For my booktalk, I abridged a scene from chapter 13 where the MC tries something new. It includes skintone-based violence, and a pivotal moment for the character, and the kids were riveted. It was an often-requested booktalk.
I booktalked that book in January 2020. It's interesting reading that booktalk again now, after the events of Summer 2020.
How many rocks need to be thrown to change the world in a substantial way?