Black Orchids

Black Orchids

by Gillian Slovo (Author)

Synopsis

When the genteely impoverished and rebellious Evelyn marries the charming Emil, scion of a privileged Sinhalese family, she thinks that her dream of a life in England can now at last come true. So the family travel, with their young son Milton, from Ceylon to Tilbury Docks. But this is England in the 1950s and, no matter how hard Evelyn wishes that it would, England does not take kindly to strangers, especially families who are half black and half white. A profound and moving novel, this is the story about the search to feel at home in your own skin.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Virago
Published: 04 Jun 2009

ISBN 10: 1844083136
ISBN 13: 9781844083138
Book Overview: * From the author of ICE ROAD, shortlisted for the Orange Prize, comes a love story that cuts across race and culture

Media Reviews
** 'This immensely absorbing and poignant novel starts out as a love story, set in Ceylon just prior to its independence from Britain in 1948, and develops into a family epic that plays out in postwar England . . . her themes are consistent with her earlier work and just a potent: race, class, the tumultuous politics of identity and belonging, and a dogged refusal to let her characters forget the consequences of their actions * Ceridwen Dovey, FINANCIAL TIMES *
** 'This tale, spanning two countries and two generations, is wrenchingly beautiful, and Slovo is a master of manipulation - so much so that the reader ends up feeling as betrayed as the characters * Clare Longrigg, PSYCHOLOGIES *
Author Bio
Born in South Africa, Gillian Slovo has written nine novels, one of which, RED DUST has been filmed with Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Her first play, Guantanamo, played in London's West End and off-Broadway in New York. ICE ROAD was shortlisted for the Orange Prize.