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brendap's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
anaoliveira's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Racism
_shan_n_'s review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? No
4.25
ka_timbuktu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
5.0
Loyal to king & country....this thrilling Titanic-like-movie of a book takes us back to the inter war years & the role played by ordinary people for ordinary reasons in the war through the life story of the protagonist Pitso (the calling). The book - this historical fiction that reenacts the tragic sinking of the SS Mendi in a dramatic fashion, dismisses the fact that ordinary black South Africans participated in the war out of loyalty to the British empire & her colony South Africa - loyal to king & country. It was mainly out of ordinary reasons - some where just looking for adventure. Dancing The Death Drill is a bitter & beautiful story of love in time of war....a thrilling story of travel & adventure. It's an African Titanic.
ka_timbuktu's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
0.5
Black Titanic
pebi_books's review against another edition
5.0
"historical fiction to grapple with the present. Great historical fiction is more about the present than it is about the past." - Zakes Mda
The story starts with a tragic event that leads to the retelling of a story on the life of Pitso Motaung. A man who just "randomly" killed 2 strangers he was serving at the restaurant where he works. The question on everybody's minds is why could a man such as himself kill complete strangers or are they even strangers?
His history takes us to the beginning of his parents love story (during the Anglo-Boer war). His father being a soldier who deserted the war and somewhat ended up in a village.
In a time when relations between a white and a black person were prohibited their love story began. With possible trouble brewing with the villagers due to their relationship they decide to escape to a more friendlier environment and yet they were met with even more hostility. They find refuge & work at an Indian family's home and that's where their son Pitso is born and raised.
Pitso's life leads to a rather unfortunate love life which is one of the many reasons that lead him to sign up to join the men at war.
His journey from South Africa on the SS Mendi is satisfying to read. The characters the story focuses on mould the story beautifully into a memorable labour of art. Reading and feeling like these are everyday people with emotions and human nature common amongst ourselves.
The book is a wholesome piece of story telling magic. It transports you from the first page into the lives of individuals whose pains and frustrations you feel and sympathize with. It has love stories, beautiful and tragic. It tells of a history many of us might not even be aware of until we grab the book itself and delve into it.
It concludes with each fiber of your curiosity nourished with the magic of good story telling.
It really leaves you feeling wholesome and satisfied.
The story starts with a tragic event that leads to the retelling of a story on the life of Pitso Motaung. A man who just "randomly" killed 2 strangers he was serving at the restaurant where he works. The question on everybody's minds is why could a man such as himself kill complete strangers or are they even strangers?
His history takes us to the beginning of his parents love story (during the Anglo-Boer war). His father being a soldier who deserted the war and somewhat ended up in a village.
In a time when relations between a white and a black person were prohibited their love story began. With possible trouble brewing with the villagers due to their relationship they decide to escape to a more friendlier environment and yet they were met with even more hostility. They find refuge & work at an Indian family's home and that's where their son Pitso is born and raised.
Pitso's life leads to a rather unfortunate love life which is one of the many reasons that lead him to sign up to join the men at war.
His journey from South Africa on the SS Mendi is satisfying to read. The characters the story focuses on mould the story beautifully into a memorable labour of art. Reading and feeling like these are everyday people with emotions and human nature common amongst ourselves.
The book is a wholesome piece of story telling magic. It transports you from the first page into the lives of individuals whose pains and frustrations you feel and sympathize with. It has love stories, beautiful and tragic. It tells of a history many of us might not even be aware of until we grab the book itself and delve into it.
It concludes with each fiber of your curiosity nourished with the magic of good story telling.
It really leaves you feeling wholesome and satisfied.
spiraldots's review
5.0
Review originally written for my blog
I received this as an eARC from Jacaranda Books, and was first drawn to it because of the stunning cover. I'd not read any Historical Fiction in a while, and this sounded particularly fascinating as I'd never heard of the SS Mendi before this and I really enjoyed reading Salt to the Sea last year about another navel disaster, that of the Wilhelm Gustloff which I had also not heard about before reading the book.
The novel starts off with Pitso serving customers in a restaurant when suddenly he stabs two of them to death and calmly waits to be arrested. A reporter tracks down a friend of his to learn his life story and from there we go right back to the Boar war, following first the story of his father and mother then Pitso right through from when he was a child until he enlists on the SS Mendi and the events that surrounded the sinking and the aftermath of that.
The book was very well written and it was clear that a lot of research had gone into it, and I was particularly pleased with the end where the author discussed his research and even included a suggested further reading section.
Pitso was an excellent character, I really loved reading about his life and the difficulties he faced due to his background. The rest of the characters were all very well written and I really enjoyed the use of language in the book - both the way it was written, and the inclusion of several languages that the characters spoke (the main two being Sesotho and Zulu). The mix of various South African languages really helped immerse you in the novel and I enjoyed seeing the interaction between the different cultures.
I was a huge fan of this book, and ended up staying up until almost 3am to finish it as I just couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend it to everybody and it also works really well for a variety of challenges that are running - it works as a "Book about War" for Book Riot's challenge, it's a South African book for those doing Read Around the World challenges and could count for several squares on #DiversityBingo
I received this as an eARC from Jacaranda Books, and was first drawn to it because of the stunning cover. I'd not read any Historical Fiction in a while, and this sounded particularly fascinating as I'd never heard of the SS Mendi before this and I really enjoyed reading Salt to the Sea last year about another navel disaster, that of the Wilhelm Gustloff which I had also not heard about before reading the book.
The novel starts off with Pitso serving customers in a restaurant when suddenly he stabs two of them to death and calmly waits to be arrested. A reporter tracks down a friend of his to learn his life story and from there we go right back to the Boar war, following first the story of his father and mother then Pitso right through from when he was a child until he enlists on the SS Mendi and the events that surrounded the sinking and the aftermath of that.
The book was very well written and it was clear that a lot of research had gone into it, and I was particularly pleased with the end where the author discussed his research and even included a suggested further reading section.
Pitso was an excellent character, I really loved reading about his life and the difficulties he faced due to his background. The rest of the characters were all very well written and I really enjoyed the use of language in the book - both the way it was written, and the inclusion of several languages that the characters spoke (the main two being Sesotho and Zulu). The mix of various South African languages really helped immerse you in the novel and I enjoyed seeing the interaction between the different cultures.
I was a huge fan of this book, and ended up staying up until almost 3am to finish it as I just couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend it to everybody and it also works really well for a variety of challenges that are running - it works as a "Book about War" for Book Riot's challenge, it's a South African book for those doing Read Around the World challenges and could count for several squares on #DiversityBingo
phumlani's review against another edition
4.0
Theres a history lesson cleverly hidden in the pages of this book, it grips you with its flowing narrative and by the time you discover its a historical work and you remember you aversion to historical fiction, its too late, you're too invested to put it down!
Its a sad tale of the lives lost during the senseless war and its a generation old question, why did the blacks get involved in a war that had absolutely nothing to do with them, it s stark reminder (for those who are fortunate enough to forget) of the cruelty of racism and the lack of value white people put on black lives, its about individual friendships across the racial divide, love,the effect of absent fathers and one guys refusal to do away with is black heritage.
Its a sad tale of the lives lost during the senseless war and its a generation old question, why did the blacks get involved in a war that had absolutely nothing to do with them, it s stark reminder (for those who are fortunate enough to forget) of the cruelty of racism and the lack of value white people put on black lives, its about individual friendships across the racial divide, love,the effect of absent fathers and one guys refusal to do away with is black heritage.