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Hlomu series #1
Hlomu the Wife
Hlomu the Wife is essentially a love story that takes its cues from life in a South African township. A young woman named Mahlomu meets Mqhele Zulu and they fall in love. Even though aspects of Mqhele's personality and past make her uncomfortable, Hlomu is happy. Their love is strong and they stand by each other through good and bad. But Mqhele and his seven brothers have a dark and tumultuous past that involves a dead warlord father, mob justice, and lots of unaccounted-for money. The Zulu brothers are rich, handsome, powerful and dangerous. They eventually become one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Johannesburg - but the inherent danger remains.
Hardcover
First published May 12, 2020
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11746 people want to read
About the author
Dudu Busani-Dube
13 books1,969 followersDudu Busani-Dube is the author of the popular Hlomu series of self-published novels, being Hlomu the Wife, Zandile the Resolute, and Naledi his Love, which has sold tens of thousands of copies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
June 25, 2016
It is not everyday that one comes across a love story written by and for a black African woman.....in the 2000's. The opening chapter is set in Bree Street....hello......the main characters live in Naturena..... and somewhere in there there is drama in Clearwater mall. Very relateable. Besides the familiarity of the Hlomu character and setting the storytelling reminds me of chats with my friends...easy just. To top it all the story is one of love. Zulu Taxi Love!! Toxic, scary, funny, addictive love. Once you start the journey with Hlomu you will struggle to let it go. Once you meet the Zulu brothers with their bug-eyes and shady lives you will never look at a tall dark Zulu Taxi driver the same. Enjoy. It's a gem.
July 12, 2016
I will never look at taxi drivers the same way... What an intriguing read! Can't believe I took so long to read this book after a friend recommended it. I read this book in 2 days, that's how good and easy read the book is. As for Hlomu, where does one start? She is a woman who makes things happen, she is a home builder, a pillar of strength for the family and a perfect mother,sibling and daughter anyone could ever ask for. She has imperfections of cause, but gets things done.
August 15, 2016
First let me say a BIG THANK YOU to Dudu for such a beautiful read, i just couldn't put this book down to a point i had dreams of what would happen next. This book just told stories of so many woman,include my own.
November 21, 2020
Did I read the wrong book? this book had four and five stars across the board on goodreads I had to ask myself again constantly if I might have read the wrong book but alas it was not the wrong book.
If you despised Christian Grey from the Fifty shades of grey trilogy then the male main protagonist in this book will have you even liking him. That man is a stalker, narcissist, woman beater and not to mention a murderer and our main female protagonists fancies herself in love with him, I mean African women cannot be this starved for romance to find this book anything other than the utter garbage that it actually is but I digress. This is not a romance novel and I am not sure why it is sold as such and there should be trigger warnings for everything in this book .
This book has a male protagonist with no personality paired with a female protagonist with no agency which all adds up and makes this book painful to read, the number of times I rolled my eyes at the actions of these two jizas! I kept reading this hoping that there was going to be a plot twist and the woman would kill this man but no I read pages and pages on useless conversations, long unnecessary car rides, stalking and Gender based violence and the book seems to glorify the abuse of women in marriage in the name of love.
Saying that, the only good thing for me from this book was the insights into Zulu culture I found that quite interesting otherwise this book should be thrown in the trash and burned
If you despised Christian Grey from the Fifty shades of grey trilogy then the male main protagonist in this book will have you even liking him. That man is a stalker, narcissist, woman beater and not to mention a murderer and our main female protagonists fancies herself in love with him, I mean African women cannot be this starved for romance to find this book anything other than the utter garbage that it actually is but I digress. This is not a romance novel and I am not sure why it is sold as such and there should be trigger warnings for everything in this book .
This book has a male protagonist with no personality paired with a female protagonist with no agency which all adds up and makes this book painful to read, the number of times I rolled my eyes at the actions of these two jizas! I kept reading this hoping that there was going to be a plot twist and the woman would kill this man but no I read pages and pages on useless conversations, long unnecessary car rides, stalking and Gender based violence and the book seems to glorify the abuse of women in marriage in the name of love.
Saying that, the only good thing for me from this book was the insights into Zulu culture I found that quite interesting otherwise this book should be thrown in the trash and burned
November 4, 2016
This writer is gifted in her story telling
September 15, 2022
It took me two months to read this. Hard read. Very hard read. Not my kind of genre. I wouldn't have picked it had it been up to me. I think that I was reading it from my "Parent-like" ego. I found myself chastising and reprimanding Hlomu at every opportunity.
The story spans over 11 years of Hlomu's life. From her first encounter with Maqhele, the-taxi-driver-turned-taxi-owner-turned-business-mogul, the all encompassing thug, at the Bree taxi rank ending with them celebrating 10 years of marriage serenaded by John Legend. Sigh, the stuff that has made Mzansi Magic famous. A legendary love story peppered with ghetto-fabulousness.
The tale was spell bounding. A bit too long winded for me. Filled with unnecessary dialogue, in my opinion. Too many characters. I found myself going back and forth trying to keep up with who's who. I found that because the cast was plentiful, some characters were not given time to evolve. To grow with the story. Maqhele and Nkosana were given time to transform because they played such big roles in Hlomu's story, the others were not given an opportunity to grow, therefore not memorable to me. Sambulo found his voice, not that he ever said much, past the halfway mark into Hlomu's tale largely due to Xolie and Hlomu's relationship.
The plot was way too long making the book quite a thick edition. There were great stories within Hlomu's story which I feel could've been cut down and left to develop to a deeper level. Maybe, Dudu could've broken the tale into a series of 2. Dudu introduced a lot of parallel themes. Abuse within heterosexual relationships. The workings of the taxi industry. Violence perpetuated by family strive. Child molestation and its devastating effects. The harbouring of secrets. Parenting in all its entirety. Parenting our siblings' children. First and second pregnancies in relationships. Whew, the plot kept getting THICKER AND THICKER!!!!!!!Most times I felt like I was watching "The Kardashians" marathon. So wordy. Too many conversations in the first, second and third person. Grammatical errors, which book doesn't have those?? Warped timelines rendering the plot unfollowable in some places.
At some point, I felt like the book was a rehash of some "Housewives of Johannesburg" episode. The private jets. The lavish spending. Pure, pure nauseating opulence. Through all this, Hlomu remained grounded. Steadfast in what she wanted for her family and ultimately she found herself. I loved the idea of her shop. Perfect sanctuary for her. To get away from the madness that was her life. But she didn't hide there. She showed strength by continually making herself be heard. We are sometimes drowned by the BUSYness of relationships, shopping, cultivating envious existences, that we forget to hear our souls speaking to us. The idea of a reconciliation was such an emotional moment for me. When you want to be heard, you stand up and talk.
Reading this book throughout "Women's Month" brought to the fore the very issues that we highlight during this period, gender inequality. Gender roles. Women abuse which the Zulu brothers had no qualms about. I don't think that they realised that they were abusive towards their womenfolk, to them it was just how they did things as men.As Zulu men. Further perpetuating the stereotype that "All taxi drivers are Zulu. All taxi drivers are violent. Therefore all Zulu men are violent". Which reminded me of an essay from Lerato Tshabalala's book about whot not to date.
Once again, black women telling stories affecting our own. Hlomu could've been my child, my sister, my cousin, my niece. We can't pretend as if THIS life is not lived in our townships and suburbs. This right here is how the other half lives. Take out the wealth for a bit and you are left with normal black people doing what normal black people do. Dreaming big. Hoping that we are enough to the people we love. Trusting that those who love us, love us enough to protect us. To provide for us. To take up arms for us. Raising our kids on a wing and prayer. Hounding them children for information. Getting worried when them children shut us out and hauling them back home should they veer too far off the path.
Hlomu's story was a great recounter for me. A narration with local nuances which I could identify with. A great reminder that when you marry black, you marry the whole family and sometimes the whole village. But remember not to let "Somebody nearly left with my stuff", a liberating poem from Ntozakhe Shange's choreo-poetry collection "For Coloured Girls Who Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf".
The story spans over 11 years of Hlomu's life. From her first encounter with Maqhele, the-taxi-driver-turned-taxi-owner-turned-business-mogul, the all encompassing thug, at the Bree taxi rank ending with them celebrating 10 years of marriage serenaded by John Legend. Sigh, the stuff that has made Mzansi Magic famous. A legendary love story peppered with ghetto-fabulousness.
The tale was spell bounding. A bit too long winded for me. Filled with unnecessary dialogue, in my opinion. Too many characters. I found myself going back and forth trying to keep up with who's who. I found that because the cast was plentiful, some characters were not given time to evolve. To grow with the story. Maqhele and Nkosana were given time to transform because they played such big roles in Hlomu's story, the others were not given an opportunity to grow, therefore not memorable to me. Sambulo found his voice, not that he ever said much, past the halfway mark into Hlomu's tale largely due to Xolie and Hlomu's relationship.
The plot was way too long making the book quite a thick edition. There were great stories within Hlomu's story which I feel could've been cut down and left to develop to a deeper level. Maybe, Dudu could've broken the tale into a series of 2. Dudu introduced a lot of parallel themes. Abuse within heterosexual relationships. The workings of the taxi industry. Violence perpetuated by family strive. Child molestation and its devastating effects. The harbouring of secrets. Parenting in all its entirety. Parenting our siblings' children. First and second pregnancies in relationships. Whew, the plot kept getting THICKER AND THICKER!!!!!!!Most times I felt like I was watching "The Kardashians" marathon. So wordy. Too many conversations in the first, second and third person. Grammatical errors, which book doesn't have those?? Warped timelines rendering the plot unfollowable in some places.
At some point, I felt like the book was a rehash of some "Housewives of Johannesburg" episode. The private jets. The lavish spending. Pure, pure nauseating opulence. Through all this, Hlomu remained grounded. Steadfast in what she wanted for her family and ultimately she found herself. I loved the idea of her shop. Perfect sanctuary for her. To get away from the madness that was her life. But she didn't hide there. She showed strength by continually making herself be heard. We are sometimes drowned by the BUSYness of relationships, shopping, cultivating envious existences, that we forget to hear our souls speaking to us. The idea of a reconciliation was such an emotional moment for me. When you want to be heard, you stand up and talk.
Reading this book throughout "Women's Month" brought to the fore the very issues that we highlight during this period, gender inequality. Gender roles. Women abuse which the Zulu brothers had no qualms about. I don't think that they realised that they were abusive towards their womenfolk, to them it was just how they did things as men.As Zulu men. Further perpetuating the stereotype that "All taxi drivers are Zulu. All taxi drivers are violent. Therefore all Zulu men are violent". Which reminded me of an essay from Lerato Tshabalala's book about whot not to date.
Once again, black women telling stories affecting our own. Hlomu could've been my child, my sister, my cousin, my niece. We can't pretend as if THIS life is not lived in our townships and suburbs. This right here is how the other half lives. Take out the wealth for a bit and you are left with normal black people doing what normal black people do. Dreaming big. Hoping that we are enough to the people we love. Trusting that those who love us, love us enough to protect us. To provide for us. To take up arms for us. Raising our kids on a wing and prayer. Hounding them children for information. Getting worried when them children shut us out and hauling them back home should they veer too far off the path.
Hlomu's story was a great recounter for me. A narration with local nuances which I could identify with. A great reminder that when you marry black, you marry the whole family and sometimes the whole village. But remember not to let "Somebody nearly left with my stuff", a liberating poem from Ntozakhe Shange's choreo-poetry collection "For Coloured Girls Who Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf".
February 2, 2022
I love this book
Reading this book for the 2nd time after so many years. It's such a beautifully woven story! I must say, though, reading this story again made me realize how I might have overlooked how toxic the relationship between Hlomu and Mqhele is. It surely got better, but quite toxic...
Reading this book for the 2nd time after so many years. It's such a beautifully woven story! I must say, though, reading this story again made me realize how I might have overlooked how toxic the relationship between Hlomu and Mqhele is. It surely got better, but quite toxic...
December 22, 2016
Loved reading this book. Extremely addictive, I could not put it down. I missed out on sleep just so that I could finish it. I did feel though that is was dragged at some parts hence the 4stars and not 5stars.
December 23, 2021
Hlomu the Wife is a riveting novel by Dudu Busani. The novel concerns the modern life of two South Africans falling in love. Busani's style is terse and effective. She has an effective command of narration and dialogue. The story is also very well paced. This is a great page-turner for anyone who is curious about the way things are in South Africa.
September 18, 2017
Good read. I pretended not to notice the spelling and grammatical errors. Highlighted many themes, which induced a lot of emotion. Even after 'they made it' in the 'happy' ending, I still question whether she should have stayed with him. I question the men in my Zulu culture, how she swam into the domestic pool they built for her. I also envied her in some parts of the book, my 21 year old self from Johannesburg will never find a cultured taxi OWNER, mostly because a) I seldom take taxis and b) Berea taxi rank is a myth to a suburban bum like me.
Never the less, I found this type of unconditional love unbelievable and unrealistic, or maybe I'm just too young to understand, if I ever do experience though, I can consider editing this review.
Never the less, I found this type of unconditional love unbelievable and unrealistic, or maybe I'm just too young to understand, if I ever do experience though, I can consider editing this review.
February 19, 2022
I binge watched the TV series that’s inspired by this book before reading it. I had planned on reading the book before watching the series, but FOMO got the best of me. I state this because I am sad to say that I dislike Hlomu the book character more than I do the TV character (and I was indifferent to the TV character). She is shallow, not self aware and one dimensional. She lacks any depth and her life is all about Mqhele. Her character got worse as the book progressed, she became even more vapid.
I wished to understand why Hlomu loved Mqhele and stayed. I needed more of her backstory to understand her rationalizing her decision to be with him and to stay. None was offered.
I obviously dislike Mqhele. Their relationship is just so toxic. Half way through the book I wanted to DNF it. It was excruciating having to deal with Hlomu’s neediness and general lack of self love. Also, the book got a bit melodramatic, private floors at hospitals being booked off for one patient, private jets, paparazzi style interest in the Zulu family (in South Aah🤣, please)... I rolled my eyes and cackled so much at the ridiculousness of it all.
The books saving grace; I loved the family bond and protectiveness, but I couldn’t root for Hlomu and Mqhele. I saw an interview with the author were she stated that one of the book’s themes is black love...where sis? We really need to stop romanticising toxic relationships.
The writing is simple and accessible which made it an easy read. It was unnecessarily long but alas.
P.S - if you are pedantic about grammar and spelling you won’t enjoy this book, especially the second half which is littered with basic errors. I am always lenient on self published authors, so it didn’t grate me much.
I wished to understand why Hlomu loved Mqhele and stayed. I needed more of her backstory to understand her rationalizing her decision to be with him and to stay. None was offered.
I obviously dislike Mqhele. Their relationship is just so toxic. Half way through the book I wanted to DNF it. It was excruciating having to deal with Hlomu’s neediness and general lack of self love. Also, the book got a bit melodramatic, private floors at hospitals being booked off for one patient, private jets, paparazzi style interest in the Zulu family (in South Aah🤣, please)... I rolled my eyes and cackled so much at the ridiculousness of it all.
The books saving grace; I loved the family bond and protectiveness, but I couldn’t root for Hlomu and Mqhele. I saw an interview with the author were she stated that one of the book’s themes is black love...where sis? We really need to stop romanticising toxic relationships.
The writing is simple and accessible which made it an easy read. It was unnecessarily long but alas.
P.S - if you are pedantic about grammar and spelling you won’t enjoy this book, especially the second half which is littered with basic errors. I am always lenient on self published authors, so it didn’t grate me much.
March 31, 2022
I struggled giving this book a review, this is a review without spoilers.
Procrastination was my best friend when I read this it not a bad book but it had unnecessary drama which was not needed. I had moments where I got confused so I had to reread that chapter until I understood.The writing I was not a fan
Hope this review helped you, good day
Procrastination was my best friend when I read this it not a bad book but it had unnecessary drama which was not needed. I had moments where I got confused so I had to reread that chapter until I understood.The writing I was not a fan
Hope this review helped you, good day
November 30, 2021
2.5 stars. I remember not being able to stop rolling my eyes at every chapter in this book. I hope the series portrays it better. I feel like there is meat here for good content but so far the way the characters are developed did not make me like them. Aside from that initial sexual tension, I really did not like Mqhele. Nothing in my eyes redeemed him for his treatment of Hlomu. The layer of glitz and glamor at the end just did not transition well for me. Though I sympathized with Hlomu I also found myself just rolling my eyes each time she came back to his treatment. I found myself cringing at how she got catty with other females. Even when Mqhele was two-timing her, I never felt she stood up for herself. I read this book last year and to be honest I had no intention of reading further than this book until the series came out. I read the second one hoping my view if this series would change - no luck so far
December 18, 2016
Took me two days to read this and loved every bit of it. I looked forward to the second series.
September 21, 2022
I remember high school me reading this story back when Facebook stories were a thing, where creatives used the platform to express themselves and the agony of having to wait for the next chapter. This was my first time reading a love story based in your own back yard, where you can actually imagine the places and they were real. This is my second time reading this book after so many years and each chapter still gave me the same feelings as I did when I was younger!
Dudu Busani is a talented writer and it’s safe to say she was the first South African black woman author I’ve ever read, and she didn’t miss a single thing. Her writing is just something else, I’ve never wanted to be a taxi queen (lol) like I did when I read this book.
Dudu Busani is a talented writer and it’s safe to say she was the first South African black woman author I’ve ever read, and she didn’t miss a single thing. Her writing is just something else, I’ve never wanted to be a taxi queen (lol) like I did when I read this book.
July 24, 2017
A friend recommended this book to me and it was an easy read filled with taxi rank drama and even though the story takes place in SA, it was relatable cause i'd like to believe taxi drivers are the same everywhere (i'm in Botswana and i know they do the same here too lol). I really enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and had so much drama at every turn. Finally got my hands on a copy of Zandile The Resolute, can't wait to start on that.
January 1, 2018
A really excellent book I enjoyed it thoroughly.
March 31, 2018
Very hard book to rate. On one hand, I didn't want to put it down because I couldn't wait to see what happens next but on the other , I didnt really connect, empathise or relate to any of the 1001 characters in the book. I also didn't enjoy the way it was written. It was like reading one long text message. Relieved that it is over. I would still recommend it to a friend or a book club because there are plenty of issues & themes to talk about (such as marriage, in-laws, forgiveness, sexism, family etc) especially in an African context.
In a sentence it was Desperate housewives of JHB meets 50 shades of Mqhele. A trainwreck you keep watching, well, in this case, keep reading.
In a sentence it was Desperate housewives of JHB meets 50 shades of Mqhele. A trainwreck you keep watching, well, in this case, keep reading.
January 1, 2019
Firstly. This book should have an age restriction or disclaimer of the sexual content. Had a bit of discomfort every now and then. Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book. I went through all sorts of emotions with Hlomu. Got in love with her, mad and disappointed. Definitely left me 'shooketh' most times.
Thankful to have encountered the book and the author. This book is a validation that our stories matter, and we should tell them. We ought to tell them. It is important that we write and give ourselves these books that nothing can take away from us.
Thankful to have encountered the book and the author. This book is a validation that our stories matter, and we should tell them. We ought to tell them. It is important that we write and give ourselves these books that nothing can take away from us.
June 15, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed reading! I still cant believe it took me forever to read it after it was recommend by a friend but once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down......Love it!
Well done Dudu Busani Dube!!!
Well done Dudu Busani Dube!!!
October 3, 2017
Where does one even begin to describe this book? I mean! I'm absolutely in awe of Dudu Busani's mind...every chapter had me feeling a range of emotions. I now find myself subconsciously looking for each of the Zulu brothers. Such an amazing read!
Read
March 7, 2017Very exciting book with attention to details, which took me by storm especially on the romantic part
November 27, 2017
I think every South African women can relate to this book as it is something that happens in our everyday life.
December 6, 2017
Very entertainment book. I would give it 4 stars for the quality of entertainment.
March 11, 2020
I don't know how many times I've read this book! I can't get enough of Hlomu's life.
January 9, 2022
I finished binge-watching the showmax series based on this book and, because I enjoyed it so much, I decided to read the source material. After reading some reviews and Twitter comments from readers who found this story harmful I can confidently tell you all that the first red flag in Hlomu and Mqhele's romance is that the series is self-published. I am not a literary snob, by any means, "trashy" books; fanfic.com and AO3 true blood ending rewrites (don't judge, the beginning of 2020 was a really hard time for me), that Wattpad fever dream titled "after"- I've read them all. And so I knew what to expect, but the spelling mistakes were distracting. To make a comparison I think of the version of 50 Shades of Grey that was typed on a blackberry phone (apparently) and published on Tumblr versus the version of the book that was released under a publishing house. EL James' story was not transformed into Pulitzer prize-winning stuff, but I am assuming that someone was charged with the job of ironing out grammar and spelling errors to justify why people should buy it instead of reading the version self-published online. In fact... I lowkey suspect that I have some bad egg version of the book compared to some of the readers who have given this story 4 or 5 stars... we cannot have read the same thing. There is a passage that made my brain short-circuit, it goes:
"He draws me closer to him, starts unfastening my robe and I flinch. He notices.
“I want to see you….” He says, looking into my eyes but still unfastening.
My robe drops on the floor before I can gather strength to protest, I am now semi-naked with only
two pieces of lace covering probably a quarter of my body.
He looks at me, like I’m a pot-plant or some sort of decoration."
Did she really mean a pot-plant? Maybe I am the stupid one who hasn't had weird moments with potted plants but I think the eye of an editor would have picked this out and pointed how ineffective it is in describing the interaction. Why a pot-plant?
I love the idea of people getting their work out and I cannot ignore the implications (financial and creative limitations) of working with a publishing house. I also am excited about the buzz around the book and the fact that people who don't read as voraciously as some of us on this site were interested enough to pick up a book, especially because whenever there is rage about a book in the book community it is mostly about Western work and to feel included in the frenzy some of us will only ever have GoodReads and youtube to turn to. This series was recommended to me by my cousin because she and all of her friends had read it and so I have had someone to live update on my progress on the book- that is part of why I enjoyed this read and the reason for the single star I guess. I suspect that I will never not enjoy reading about places that are familiar to me, there is, I think, the advantage of a literary shorthand when writing about a place that you know most of your readers will know about- anyway...
The story is really interesting in the beginning, I thought their courtship was really cute however, unlike in the tv show the criminal activity and conflicts of the Zulu brothers are way in the background of this story and mostly remain ambiguous and unknown to the reader. Perhaps knowing about the dangerous life that Mqhele and his brothers live provides the perfect background noise for a thrilling and passionate romance- we don't have that in the book and so it just wasn't compelling. A lot of fans say that the Mqhele is better portrayed in the book and I have to disagree- in here he is only ever-horny or mad to the point of giving his wife silent treatment (which doesn't help move the story along btw) leaving the room for a smoke if not violently beating Hlomu. That's it. In essence, he is just like any other hero in the romance genre but considering this I think the makers of the tv series did a great job because I think I prefer SHowmax Mqhele to this silent weirdo with a sweet-tooth and a smoking habit. The book spans over about eleven years and honestly, it could have ended at the eight-year mark because nothing much else happens that we need to know about- none of the potential conflicts amount to anything really and all of the conflicts that arise because of the brother's business in the taxi industry or their past are never dealt with on the page instead Hlomu will either be told by someone that the problem has been dealt with or not... and well... what do we do with that? I wonder if I will read the other books in this series but I have to say that I cannot wait for season two to be released because Nkosana's love life is finally being addressed (yay!).
All of my criticism aside this series did something for the culture and we are all enjoying talking about it- I can't imagine that there is a better sign of success for an author so hats off to Dudu Busani- Dube.
"He draws me closer to him, starts unfastening my robe and I flinch. He notices.
“I want to see you….” He says, looking into my eyes but still unfastening.
My robe drops on the floor before I can gather strength to protest, I am now semi-naked with only
two pieces of lace covering probably a quarter of my body.
He looks at me, like I’m a pot-plant or some sort of decoration."
Did she really mean a pot-plant? Maybe I am the stupid one who hasn't had weird moments with potted plants but I think the eye of an editor would have picked this out and pointed how ineffective it is in describing the interaction. Why a pot-plant?
I love the idea of people getting their work out and I cannot ignore the implications (financial and creative limitations) of working with a publishing house. I also am excited about the buzz around the book and the fact that people who don't read as voraciously as some of us on this site were interested enough to pick up a book, especially because whenever there is rage about a book in the book community it is mostly about Western work and to feel included in the frenzy some of us will only ever have GoodReads and youtube to turn to. This series was recommended to me by my cousin because she and all of her friends had read it and so I have had someone to live update on my progress on the book- that is part of why I enjoyed this read and the reason for the single star I guess. I suspect that I will never not enjoy reading about places that are familiar to me, there is, I think, the advantage of a literary shorthand when writing about a place that you know most of your readers will know about- anyway...
The story is really interesting in the beginning, I thought their courtship was really cute however, unlike in the tv show the criminal activity and conflicts of the Zulu brothers are way in the background of this story and mostly remain ambiguous and unknown to the reader. Perhaps knowing about the dangerous life that Mqhele and his brothers live provides the perfect background noise for a thrilling and passionate romance- we don't have that in the book and so it just wasn't compelling. A lot of fans say that the Mqhele is better portrayed in the book and I have to disagree- in here he is only ever-horny or mad to the point of giving his wife silent treatment (which doesn't help move the story along btw) leaving the room for a smoke if not violently beating Hlomu. That's it. In essence, he is just like any other hero in the romance genre but considering this I think the makers of the tv series did a great job because I think I prefer SHowmax Mqhele to this silent weirdo with a sweet-tooth and a smoking habit. The book spans over about eleven years and honestly, it could have ended at the eight-year mark because nothing much else happens that we need to know about- none of the potential conflicts amount to anything really and all of the conflicts that arise because of the brother's business in the taxi industry or their past are never dealt with on the page instead Hlomu will either be told by someone that the problem has been dealt with or not... and well... what do we do with that? I wonder if I will read the other books in this series but I have to say that I cannot wait for season two to be released because Nkosana's love life is finally being addressed (yay!).
All of my criticism aside this series did something for the culture and we are all enjoying talking about it- I can't imagine that there is a better sign of success for an author so hats off to Dudu Busani- Dube.
Read
July 19, 2024No. Would not recommend.
July 17, 2022
One of my favourite authors in South Africa, it made me fall in love with my man all over again.
August 28, 2017
The book sneaked up on me. I had planned on reading it much later when I "have time", but I made the mistake of "checking the style". By the end of the week I had read all 3 books, thanks to a friend who has assumed the role of my supplier.
The series reads like a TV series, I could see every episode unfolding, turning my emotions upside.
A damper, however, is the carelessness in editing, or lack thereof. All three books are littered with grammatical and spelling errors. An occassional typo is forgivable but when "holy" permanently changes to "holly", and other such silly mistakes; it is hard to ignore. Also the relience on "crutches" is distracting. One such crutch is the word "shady", that as a reader I end up doubting my understanding of the word.
Lastly, the leading ladies could have been more distinct, and not use the same expressions and nuances.
Overall, I commend Dudu for her ability to balance her thoughts, giving hints along the way for something that takes place much later. There's fluid continuity to her story telling, with each small part a link in a chain. Her charecters are well developed, yet real enough to have relateable inner conflicts that make them unprecictable.
Hlomu The Wife
I enjoyed the effort put in Hlomu's charecter. Different as she acts from how I would; her thought process is transparent, allowing us some understanding of her view point. We see her change gradually; growing, losing parts of herself,discovering other parts, changing priorities, living, surviving, learning and unlearning. We are able to be part of her journey.
Sometimes I wish she was a bit bolder, stronger, and not so self sacrificing. That she saw how her husband has broken her, how he continues to break her; how broken he is himself. Their marriage is selling us dreams, unsustainable dreams.
I would have liked a more active approach to solving their marital woes, instead of good intentions and sincere apologies.
The series reads like a TV series, I could see every episode unfolding, turning my emotions upside.
A damper, however, is the carelessness in editing, or lack thereof. All three books are littered with grammatical and spelling errors. An occassional typo is forgivable but when "holy" permanently changes to "holly", and other such silly mistakes; it is hard to ignore. Also the relience on "crutches" is distracting. One such crutch is the word "shady", that as a reader I end up doubting my understanding of the word.
Lastly, the leading ladies could have been more distinct, and not use the same expressions and nuances.
Overall, I commend Dudu for her ability to balance her thoughts, giving hints along the way for something that takes place much later. There's fluid continuity to her story telling, with each small part a link in a chain. Her charecters are well developed, yet real enough to have relateable inner conflicts that make them unprecictable.
Hlomu The Wife
I enjoyed the effort put in Hlomu's charecter. Different as she acts from how I would; her thought process is transparent, allowing us some understanding of her view point. We see her change gradually; growing, losing parts of herself,discovering other parts, changing priorities, living, surviving, learning and unlearning. We are able to be part of her journey.
Sometimes I wish she was a bit bolder, stronger, and not so self sacrificing. That she saw how her husband has broken her, how he continues to break her; how broken he is himself. Their marriage is selling us dreams, unsustainable dreams.
I would have liked a more active approach to solving their marital woes, instead of good intentions and sincere apologies.
June 28, 2018
Sometimes, I believe in my country. Sometimes I am convinced that we are a beautiful country with beautiful people who tell beautiful stories. Dudu, has joined the ranks of those beautiful people. This book is a masterpiece...even with its many faults, it is still 💯 faultless in my eyes and this is why:
1. This is a South African author, writing a story about South Africans for South Africa...this in itself gains the book at least 3 stars. Just nje, because I can!
2. Then there’s the way the book is written. Simple prose, written simply...no jargon, no trying to be smart and definitely without the condescending tone some authors use. This read felt like an anecdotal tale told to me by my best friend over a good bottle of wine. The really good kind, grown in Stellenbosch in that land we keep crying for...it is that good!
3. The subject matters, while too many...really, can one family be this dysfunctional?...are all relevant and topical subject matters. I must say though that some subject matters were not fully developed which did not bode well with me. The introduction of rape and molestation should be done with a little more sensitivity and development. This also includes suicide, infidelity and incarceration. Each of these is a tale in and of its own. It requires attention to detail and a weaving of a tale that allows the reader some comprehension...Dudu, next time, do that better for us please.
Otherwise...this gets a 4.5 star...concreted to a 5 star from me!! Well Done to the author, really...this makes me proud.
PS: my review hasn’t even touched the actually story and it won’t...read it for yourself and twice if you’re South African, this is our Black Panther!!
1. This is a South African author, writing a story about South Africans for South Africa...this in itself gains the book at least 3 stars. Just nje, because I can!
2. Then there’s the way the book is written. Simple prose, written simply...no jargon, no trying to be smart and definitely without the condescending tone some authors use. This read felt like an anecdotal tale told to me by my best friend over a good bottle of wine. The really good kind, grown in Stellenbosch in that land we keep crying for...it is that good!
3. The subject matters, while too many...really, can one family be this dysfunctional?...are all relevant and topical subject matters. I must say though that some subject matters were not fully developed which did not bode well with me. The introduction of rape and molestation should be done with a little more sensitivity and development. This also includes suicide, infidelity and incarceration. Each of these is a tale in and of its own. It requires attention to detail and a weaving of a tale that allows the reader some comprehension...Dudu, next time, do that better for us please.
Otherwise...this gets a 4.5 star...concreted to a 5 star from me!! Well Done to the author, really...this makes me proud.
PS: my review hasn’t even touched the actually story and it won’t...read it for yourself and twice if you’re South African, this is our Black Panther!!
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