Black Orchids by Gillian Slovo - ISBN: 9781844083138
Paperback
A family’s dream of England clashes with 1950s racial reality.

Black Orchids

$40.17

  • Paperback

    384 pages

  • Release Date

    1 September 2009

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Summary

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, t…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781844083138
ISBN-10:1844083136
Author:Gillian Slovo
Publisher:Little, Brown Book Group
Imprint:Virago Press Ltd
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:384
Release Date:1 September 2009
Weight:300g
Dimensions:26mm x 128mm x 198mm
A-Format
B-Format
Black Orchids by Gillian Slovo - ISBN: 9781844083138
128 × 198 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Evelyn, Emil and the children, particularly the boy, Milton, endure a great deal of Englishness, the effortless and understated nastiness that Slovo captures superbly. What we end with is a novel about exile, about homelessness, about identity and loss. These are strong, poignant themes - The Australian

Slovo convincingly relays the sense of otherness - Sun Herald

Black Orchids invokes cross-racial tensions and connections subtely woven into a story that leaves the reader with a startling awareness of a time when individuals pushed back at pressures and toplled the system. A five-star novel - Australian Country Style

‘It’s a compelling book, a thoughtful and beautifully written journey to an exotic time and place.’ - Sydney Sunday Telegraph

About The Author

Gillian Slovo

Gillian Slovo was born in South Africa. She 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.

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