Barbara Mutch Livres

Set in 1930's, The Fire Portrait starts with an epic relocation from England to a hamlet in South Africa and offers insights in art and the rural community.

Set against the backdrop of Apartheid-era South Africa, the novel explores the intense conflict between love and duty. It delves into the lives of characters navigating a harsh landscape, where societal expectations and personal desires clash. The narrative reveals the emotional struggles faced by individuals as they confront the realities of their world, highlighting themes of sacrifice and resilience amidst oppression.

Simon's Town is a vibrant and diverse community in the Union of South Africa. Louise Ahrendts dreams of being a nurse instead of entering domestic service as expected. With the Second World War arrives Lieutenant David Horrocks. Despite their differences and a changing society around them, Louise and David are determined to be together.

Duty and love collide on the arid plains of central South Africa. Cathleen Harrington leaves her home in Ireland in 1919 to travel to South Africa and marry the fiance she has not seen for five years. Isolated and estranged in a harsh landscape, she finds solace in her diary and the friendship of her housemaid's daughter, Ada."

Südafrika in den 1930er Jahren: Das Leben der jungen Ada wird bestimmt durch ihre Herkunft. Als Tochter des farbigen Hausmädchens ist ihr der Weg zu höherer Bildung verwehrt. Doch die Herrin des Hauses, Madame Cathleen, unterrichtet das Mädchen allen Konventionen zum Trotz und bringt ihr das Klavierspielen bei. Die Musik von Chopin und Beethoven eröffnet Ada eine neue Welt, und allmählich liebt Cathleen das Mädchen wie ihre eigene Tochter. Doch ihre Freundschaft wird in dem geteilten Land auf eine harte Probe gestellt.