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Children of Sugarcane

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Children of Sugarcane

By: Joanne Joseph
Narrated by: Roshina Ratnam
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About this listen

“Shanti is a heroine that the reader will not easily forget. The story that is told here is worth not only knowing but also remembering.” (Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, author, filmmaker, and academic)

Vividly set against the backdrop of 19th-century India and the British-owned sugarcane plantations of Natal, written with great tenderness and lyricism, Children of Sugarcane paints an intimate and wrenching picture of indenture told from a woman’s perspective.

Shanti, a bright teenager stifled by life in rural India and facing an arranged marriage, dreams that South Africa is an opportunity to start afresh. The Colony of Natal is where Shanti believes she can escape the poverty, caste, and troubling fate of young girls in her village. Months later, after a harrowing sea voyage, she arrives in Natal only to discover the profound hardship and slave labor that await her.

Spanning four decades and two continents, Children of Sugarcane demonstrates the lifegiving power of love, heartache, and the indestructible bonds between family and friends. These bonds prompt heroism and sacrifice, the final act of which leads to Shanti's redemption.

©2021 Jonathan Ball Publishers (P)2023 Jonathan Ball Publishers Fiction Historical Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Village Dream Africa

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All stars
Most relevant
Heartbreaking yet heartwarming book written about an era of harsh brutality I knew nothing about.
Wonderful narration that enhanced the story and brought the characters to life

Heartbreaking and heartwarming

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Absolutely stunning. The tears. The women. The hardship. The narration. The story, ALL OF IT PERFECTION!!!!!!!

EVERY MINUTE IS PERFECT!!!!

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A beautiful story about a tortuous past. A heavy, heartbreaking listen but worth every minute.

Children of the sugarcane

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The writing and the story held my attention throughout this epic. Narration were also exceptional.

Exceptional

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