kimbacaffeinate
Written on Jul 13, 2013
Diener takes us to Zululand in the late 1800’s a time when the British Empire was conquering lands to secure their dominance. Here we meet Elizabeth Jones a redheaded white woman who survived a ship-wreck at fifteen and was taken in by a Zulu family. Her Zulu family and the Zulu way of life have become very important to her, and as the British Empire make their way towards them Elizabeth finds herself a key part of the Zulus strategy to stop the British. Disguised as a young soldier she infiltrates their camp as a spy and the tale that unfolds was captivating, touching and a fascinating look at this time period.
Elizabeth and her story immediately captivated me. She is strong, brave, patient and conflicted. Her back history plays a role in her decisions and she felt genuine. I really would have liked the tale to start sooner, or flashback on her life in Zulu. Captain Jack Burdell is conflicted about his sense of duty and the war itself. He wasn’t really fleshed out enough for me, but I did like that he kept Elizabeth’s secret. The romance was sweet and I loved watching it unfold as the sexual tension slowly built and we waiting for one of them to make the first move. We get to know some of the characters on both sides of the war, giving us a personal perspective to this war and its people. Diener skillfully wraps you up knots and you find yourself rooting for both sides.
This was my first visit to Zululand and I was swept up in the details and panoramic views Diener provided. The tale flowed smoothly as she shared with us British and Zulu movements before the battle of Isandlwana. The novel is woven with historical tidbits and truths which I found fascinating. The daunting task of moving such a large troop across this unforgiving landscape was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the natives and their strategies. As I read I became curious about the actual events and I found myself searching Google for more information. I discovered that indeed a white child was ship-wrecked and adopted by a family and that after the battle survivors were questioned about a woman. *shivers* We are privy to multiple perspectives through journals, letters and thoughts and these provided the most insight into the characters themselves. From a historical perspective the tale was enthralling and I loved learning about these events. Diener’s love and passion for this period and place is evident in her words. Each chapter begins with correspondence from both governments and it helped give you a sense of the political climate. While the characters were unique, and had their own voice, I would have liked them to be fleshed out more. Call me greedy but I wanted to know more about Elizabeth’s time in Zulu and I really would have liked to know Jack more. This is the type of novel that could easily have handled a more pages and swept us up from the shipwreck to the battle itself. I enjoyed the novel and would love to revisit Zululand.
Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer