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Bianca Marais

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Hum If You Don't Know the Words

Bianca Marais (Goodreads Author)

4.24 · Rating details · 7,915 ratings · 1,328 reviews

Perfect for readers of The Secret Life of Bees and The Help, a perceptive and searing look at Apartheid-era South Africa, told through one unique family brought together by tragedy.Life under Apartheid has created a secure future for Robin Conrad, a ten-year-old white girl living with her parents in 1970s Johannesburg. In the same nation but worlds apart, Beauty Mbali, a X ...more

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Published July 11th 2017 by Penguin Audiobooks (first published July 10th 2017)

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Jun 25, 2017 Angela M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss-reviews

There was something about this title that drew me to read the description and then after reading that this was about apartheid in South Africa I decided that I'd take a chance on this debut novel because what did I really know about it? As it turns out, while I didn't know the specifics of the Soweto Uprising which becomes the event in this story that is instrumental in bringing the two main characters together, the treatment of black people sounded all too sadly familiar as I thought about the ...more

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Aug 09, 2017 Diane S ☔ rated it liked it · review of another edition

A book of unbearable loss, grief, sad and yet for the most part beautiful as well. South Africa apartheid, the Soweto uprising and a nine year old white girl caught up in the terror, as well as a Nineteen year old black girl who wants to fight for the cause.

This book is another that presented me with a conundrum. Loved the character of Robin, she provides most of the humor in her young innocence. Humor mixed with sadness as she has lost both her parents to murder on the night of the uprising. S ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 BernLuvsBooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, adult-reads, historical-fiction

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ This one gets all the hearts/stars! What a story!

This novel is set in Apartheid South Africa during the turbulent times of the Soweto Uprising. The time and setting play as pivotal a role in the unfolding of the story as the characters do. You are immersed in the prejudice, racism, tragedy and heartbreaking challenges of the time period.

Beauty is a mother desperate to find and save her daughter, Nomsa, who has become caught up in the protests at Soweto. Robin is a young white girl wh ...more

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Aug 22, 2017 Cheri rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, library-book, historical-fiction, 1970s, cultural-africa

3.5 Stars

“Since June the 16th when South African troops and police opened fire on a peaceful school children’s demonstration, the white government has presided over the largest massacre of its black population since South Africa came into existence. The school boy who led that day’s protest was 19 year old Tsietsi Mashinini.”
BBC World Service:
The Day Apartheid Died – Soweto Uprising
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0376lhc

The story that runs through the many layers of this story is set in Ap ...more

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Feb 26, 2019 Carol added it · review of another edition

Shelves: debut, women, fiction

The Hook - The author herself hands down. I attended a weekend event called Booktopia at one of the best independent bookstores, Northshire, in Manchester, VT. I was looking forward to meeting and hear speak, Chloe Benjamin, author of The Immortalists,one of my favorite books of 2018. Imagine my disappointment when she had to cancel due to illness. The author, taking her place, Bianca Marais. Bianca Marais, never heard of her. Oh, but was I in for a treat. Ms. Marais turned out to be one of the ...more

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Dec 01, 2016 Sam rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-reads

Hum if You Don't Know the Words is a novel set in 1975-76 South Africa, with the Soweto Uprising as the linchpin that brings the two main characters together and sets in motion the events of the novel. While the writing is fairly strong overall, I would only rate this 2.5 stars (rounded down to be an "it was ok" overall rating) because one of the perspectives is far superior to the other, and the ending seemed implausible and somewhat inauthentic, which changed my opinion from a solid 3 star to Hum if You Don't Know the Words is a novel set in 1975-76 South Africa, with the Soweto Uprising as the linchpin that brings the two main characters together and sets in motion the events of the novel. While the writing is fairly strong overall, I would only rate this 2.5 stars (rounded down to be an "it was ok" overall rating) because one of the perspectives is far superior to the other, and the ending seemed implausible and somewhat inauthentic, which changed my opinion from a solid 3 star to a more lukewarm rating.

The novel is told from two perspectives. Beauty, a Xhosa schoolteacher, is a very well drawn character. I was immersed in her story line and character from the beginning, especially since it's told first person present tense so I felt real immediacy with her thoughts and emotions: from her perspective, the reader is on the front lines of the Soweto Uprising, and I had great sympathy and admiration for her decision to leave her young sons in the care of family and move illegally to Johannesburg to track down her freedom fighter daughter who disappeared after the protest turned deadly. Marais avoids traps and potential backlash that other books like The Help (to which this is compared) fell into, in terms of how the black protagonists are given voices and written in such a way as to sound/seem inferior: Beauty's inner strength, her serene but sharp intellect, and the depth of her emotional understanding are all very well presented. She's a fully realized character, and we see just how dignified and powerful she can be as she takes on a domestic position to care for the fragile Robin in a gentle, firm manner (that enables her to have a pass to stay in Johannesburg while searching for her daughter).

By contrast, I never fully connected with Robin as a character or narrator. I think my main issue was that her daily tales weren't as urgent or compelling as Beauty's, but there was also a stylistic choice that increased distance with that character. Robin is 10 years old during the main story and her perspective is told in first person past tense, but her perspective, voice, reflections and thoughts shift haphazardly between the ten-year-old Robin and the adult Robin looking back on the events of the novel. Robin's fragility and fear of desertion following the murder of her parents (in a random act of black vengeance following the Soweto Uprising) are presented well, but I didn't get as much of the rest of her fledgling personality before or after that horrific event. So I never felt as immersed in her emotions and thoughts as I did Beauty's, especially because it would swing from those of a child to an adult who had long processed these events within the same paragraph.

I did think Marais did a very good job of showing agency and empowerment and friendship in 1970s South Africa across a large and diverse backdrop of main and secondary characters. And though I found Beauty's perspective more interesting overall, when her story and Robin's aligned in the second half of the novel, I was really chugging along and enjoying what I was reading. Robin and Beauty's daily lives in Edith's Johannesburg flat and the dinner parties with friends reveal the less known plight and discrimination of homosexuals and Jews in South Africa, and the tense, creepy exchanges Beauty has with varying shadowy figures in the pursuit of her daughter are written nicely. I thought this would be a three star review right up until I arrived at the climax and conclusion of the novel.

Robin makes a critical, selfish decision, and then reveals her error with devastating consequences for Beauty. Robin's motivation for making that choice were well understood from her earlier circumstances and fear of alienation and desertion. What bothered me was the ensuing path to redemption and resolution. (view spoiler). It felt very improbable that this sequence of events could actually occur, and while prior I felt Marais had been very even handed with agency and power, at the final hour Robin assumes the role of white hero to bring Beauty's daughter to her senses and reunite mother and daughter. (view spoiler) Overall, the ending left a less pleasant taste in my mouth, both because of how far-fetched it seemed to be (it really felt like something out of a political thriller albeit with a ten year old in the starring role) and because I felt more justice could and should have been done to the ending of Beauty's story, instead of sidelining her dramatically to let Robin save the day.

Ultimately, I have read and will read much stronger South African-set fiction and nonfiction: this was just ok, and I'd never re-read it or pass on to anyone I know personally. The blurb does compare this title to The Help: if you liked Stockett's book and have interest in apartheid era South Africa, this could be a read for you (though I found the overall writing better in The Help than in this one). But I'd prioritize other titles dealing with similar subject matter first. ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Caroline rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

As I read Hum If You Don’t Know The Words, I cried in my bed, laughed on the subway and nodded in agreement in the passport-office lounge.

I often wished I could pause and tell someone – anyone nearby – about what I was reading at that particular moment. There were so many beautiful passages. Marais’ language is perfect; it is accessible and at the same time, rich. My top contender for favourite line in the book is: “… tears are neither black nor white; they are the quicksilver of our emotional ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Charmaine Shepherd rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

There are some good books that you read once and pass on but occasionally you find one which you can read over and over. I have reread this book 3 times and each time I gain a little more from it. This has to be one of my favourite books of all times and each time I read it, I love it more and more.

The imagery throughout the book is powerful and the author uses language so skillfully that there are passages that I have marked and keep going back to.
One of my favourites is:
Some good-byes are as ...more

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Dec 16, 2017 Jennifer Blankfein rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Full review is up on https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com. Loved this book!

Hum If You Don’t Know The Words is one of my current favorite debuts! In 1976 apartheid South Africa where racism was a way of life, we meet Robin, a 9 yr old white girl who was daughter to a miner and his wife. Robin’s father did not always treat blacks fairly and, tragically, both parents were murdered, leaving the little girl alone. Then we meet Beauty, a 50 year old, educated, black, single mother of 3; 2 teenage boy Full review is up on https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com. Loved this book!

Hum If You Don’t Know The Words is one of my current favorite debuts! In 1976 apartheid South Africa where racism was a way of life, we meet Robin, a 9 yr old white girl who was daughter to a miner and his wife. Robin’s father did not always treat blacks fairly and, tragically, both parents were murdered, leaving the little girl alone. Then we meet Beauty, a 50 year old, educated, black, single mother of 3; 2 teenage boys living with her in a small village and a daughter who had been living with a relative’s family so she could study in the city. When Beauty finds out her daughter has run away to train for the resistance and she is in danger, she travels to the city to find her.

Young Robin exhibits incredible coping skills she has developed since she was a baby and despite the culture of the country’s environment and being left without her beloved family, she has an open mind looking to receive love and wholeheartedly willing to give. Through circumstances and the kindness of Robin’s aunt, a woman at the library and the social worker, all strong, independent women with good intentions and love and acceptance in their hearts, two unlikely South Africans’ lives become intertwined; Robin and Beauty come to rely on each other. Family is everything to Beauty and she is focused trying to bring her daughter home, but she sees the void in Robin’s life and steps in to fulfill her needs, becoming attached in her own way.

Inequality breeds strife and respect feeds strength, support and positivity. Marais does a wonderful job telling a grueling South African apartheid story while showing the beauty and resilience of all types of women and the way they connect to help each other survive.

I loved Bianca Marais’s writing and the structure of this phenomenal debut book; chapters have alternating narrators with dates and locations to keep the chronology clear. I was 9 years old in 1976 and I am 50 now so I felt a special connection with both of the main characters and appreciated their depth. Both had experienced so much in their unique lifetimes and they are fully round, and richly expressed. These powerful women roll models create unlikely friendships and develop relationships that transcend race, built on love and the need to be loved. According to the author, there is more to this story of Robin and Beauty and I am excited to see when the next book will be published.

...more

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Jan 06, 2019 Icewineanne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-nyn, historical-fiction, 2019-a-z-challenge, travel-bookclub, suspense

A suspenseful family drama that turns into a thriller. The novel is set in 1976 in South Africa. After her parents are murdered, Robin, a 9 yr old child, is sent to Johannesburg to live with her only relative, her deceased mother’s wild, carefree, single sister Edith, who never in her wildest dreams banked on, or ever wanted to a child. Working as an airline stewardess further complicates the situation.
In the second story, Beauty is on the hunt for her 17 yr old daughter who has joined the revol A suspenseful family drama that turns into a thriller. The novel is set in 1976 in South Africa. After her parents are murdered, Robin, a 9 yr old child, is sent to Johannesburg to live with her only relative, her deceased mother’s wild, carefree, single sister Edith, who never in her wildest dreams banked on, or ever wanted to a child. Working as an airline stewardess further complicates the situation.
In the second story, Beauty is on the hunt for her 17 yr old daughter who has joined the revolution in South Africa, some say helping lead the rebellion. Beauty fears for her daughter’s life but in order to move about freely in South Africa to seach for her, she needs a passbook. And it can only be obtained if she has employment. Thus she enters Robin’s life. With the racial divide in South Africa, their lives would have never intertwined, but the uprising conflict has changed all that.

Robin is a worldly child who plays at being a detective (think ‘Harriet the Spy’), while Beauty is a trained teacher who has become caught up in an extremely dangerous situation because of her daughter.

While I enjoyed the book for the most part, it does have a few issues. At one point Robin is placed in a very dangerous situation that I found stretched credulity. Also the author inserts many African words that are never translated, and because I know absolutely nothing about the language, I couldn’t even guess at their meanings. Rather than spend time looking them all up, I just skipped over all of them. However, the words made no difference to the understanding or overall readability of the story.

Considering that the author was raised in South Africa, I was surprised at all of the sterotypes. However, I did enjoy the setting, learning more about South Africa, the people, and their customs. I also learned more about the appalling of treatment of the citizens, the conditions of where they lived and worked.

Overall, this book is a bit of a kitchen sink stew, but ultimately I did enjoy the suspenseful aspects of the story that included numerous secrets, subterfuge & clandestine networks.
I read this for my travel book club which will be meeting towards the end of January.
The author Bianca Marais is actually coming to our book club so it should be very interesting but how can you really criticize any aspects of the book with the author in attendance? 😉

3.5 ⭐️ ...more

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Jul 09, 2017 Tania rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, favorite-books, historical-fiction, bookclub, arc-netgalley

I despair that we are all becoming murderers, white and black alike, and that we will never be able to wipe this blood from our hands. I pray that I am wrong.

I loved these characters - Beauty and Robin yes, but also the rest of the cast - Edith, Victor and Morris. The amazing sense of humor throughout provided a much needed lighter side to the story. The writing is beautiful and honest. Written in alternating chapters, Beauty's centered and wise narration balances beautifully with Robin's capric ...more

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Jul 14, 2017 Dorie - Cats&Books :) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-feedback

What a wonderful surprise this book was! The title and cover attracted me to the book and that combined with some great reviews from Goodreads friends made me anxious to read it. I was granted an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley.

I was a mother with young children at the time of apartheid and though I of course knew what going on in South Africa I didn’t at that time dig deeper and/or read much about it, there just wasn’t time. The book takes place in the mid-1970’s.

This book is about a What a wonderful surprise this book was! The title and cover attracted me to the book and that combined with some great reviews from Goodreads friends made me anxious to read it. I was granted an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley.

I was a mother with young children at the time of apartheid and though I of course knew what going on in South Africa I didn’t at that time dig deeper and/or read much about it, there just wasn’t time. The book takes place in the mid-1970’s.

This book is about a 9 year old white girl from South Africa who has to deal with the death of her parents. But that is just the beginning of the struggles for Robin. She is taken in by a loving and caring aunt, Edith, who is a flight attendant and she tries to quit her job and just take care of Robin but that just made her unhappy and depressed. She goes back to work but hires an older black woman named Beauty to watch Robin when she is away. Beauty is in the city trying to find her daughter who was caught up in the rioting during the first days of apartheid and is now missing.

Both points of view were equally interesting and extremely well written. I felt that I could understand some of what Beauty might feel being a mom myself, but of course nothing would equal the things that she experiences and the truths that she discovers. Robin’s point of view is at times very sad and at other times she is enveloped in the kindness of so many peripheral characters who step up to “mother” Robin. There are many wonderful characters including the Goldman’s, a couple who have helped to smuggle Jews out of troubled areas and a homosexual couple who loved to host parties but had a soft spot in their hearts for Robin. There is even a social worker, Wilhelmina, who is assigned to make sure that Robin is being cared for properly, this character showed so much growth during the story.

This is also a coming of age book for Robin and she has to “unlearn” many of the things she had been taught by her parents and friends. The Afrikaners, including her parents, were united in their hatred of Jews, blacks and homosexuals. Through her relationships that revolve around Edith and her apartment she meets Jews and homosexuals and Beauty, her live in caretaker, who is black. Both Robin and Beauty find a love growing between each other that seems surprising to both of them.

I am making this book sound much simpler than it is. It is rich in beautiful prose and well developed characters. It is atmospheric in the description of the riots, destruction and loss of life during Apartheid. It is multi-layered and just a wonderful experience to read!

This is a great book and I will look forward to what this brilliant author has to write next.
...more

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Sep 28, 2017 Bianca rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

I've read this book more than a dozen times. Probably closer to three dozen times. And I have to say... I think it's not without its charm ;-)

This review from Boswell Book Company is one of my favourites:

"It is better than (The Help or The Secret Life of Bees) because it has a lot of sensitivity reading and is aware of what the moment is," Goldin says. "This is not a white savior narrative, this is about two people, and if anyone makes mistakes, it is the little girl."

(The five star review is me ...more

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Jun 25, 2017 Sonja Arlow rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-read, sa-authors, netgalley, africa-themed, recommended

3 1/2 stars

Just before starting this book I thought that the publishers really should have released this book on 16 June, which is Youth Day in South Africa, commemorating the Soweto Uprising. However now that I am done I realise that the book didn’t really focus on this event, but mostly used it as a point of reference for the story.

There are two narrators, Beauty, a Xhosa school teacher who comes to Johannesburg looking for her daughter who participated in the Soweto protests. She later finds ...more

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Mar 30, 2018 Tammy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: release-2017

A TRUE GEM! Highly recommend!

A beautifully written novel about apartheid — tragedy. racism + injustice. survival.
I love that magically somehow the author’s writing is entertaining and beautiful while speaking on this subject.

Set in 1970’s apartheid-era South Africa.. this is the story of Robin Conrad, a 10 year old white child and Beauty Mbali, a black mother whom (after the Soweto student uprising) meet under extreme circumstance + loss. They face heartbreaking challenges while seeking answers ...more

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Sep 02, 2019 Lisa rated it liked it · review of another edition

[3.4] Set in South Africa, the story of a 10 year old white girl and an Xhosa school teacher is excellent at times. I was engrossed in Beauty's search for her daughter and appreciated learning about the Soweto uprising. Robin is a less convincing character - her voice fluctuated from adult to child and I felt detached from her. The ending is nicely wrapped up but too improbable to be comforting.

What I would have loved to read is a novel with the voices of mother and daughter - Beauty and Nomsa. ...more

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Jan 05, 2017 Kevin Kilmartin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Every now and again, a book comes along and crawls under your skin, burrows into your heart and hibernates with you for weeks. This was one of those books for me. This stunning debut novel by South African-born author Bianca Marais is set in South Africa, during the devastating Apartheid regime. Expertly narrated through the perspectives of two characters from different worlds, the story unfolds with lightning pace and is brought to life with heart-wrenching emotion. Marais perfectly captures a ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Faith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: publisher, reviewed, netgalley

"Night settles swiftly. If you are vigilant, and not prone to distractions, you can almost feel the very moment daylight slips through your fingers and leaves you clutching the inky sap that is the sub-Saharan night. It is a sharp exhalation at the closing of day, a sigh of relief." That is South Africa. Unfortunately, South Africa could also be described during Apartheid as: "There is a river of blood in the street and the children are floating in it. They lie in unnatural shapes, limbs bent at "Night settles swiftly. If you are vigilant, and not prone to distractions, you can almost feel the very moment daylight slips through your fingers and leaves you clutching the inky sap that is the sub-Saharan night. It is a sharp exhalation at the closing of day, a sigh of relief." That is South Africa. Unfortunately, South Africa could also be described during Apartheid as: "There is a river of blood in the street and the children are floating in it. They lie in unnatural shapes, limbs bent at awkward angles. Some of them are face-down, drowning, while others lie on their backs gazing up at the sky; they are human debris swept along in a flood of distraction."

This was a moving story told from the alternating points of view of two South Africans in 1976/7 who were trying to maintain their families. Robin Conrad was a nine year old white girl whose parents were killed in Boksburg, Johannesburg, South Africa by some black men after a peaceful student demonstration turned into a riot. Robin was taken in by her aunt Edith who was her only relative. Edith was a flight attendant who did not easily give up her child-free life. Beauty Mbali was a black 49 year old teacher who had to leave her two young sons, Luxolo and Khwezi, behind to try to rescue her teenaged daughter, Nomsa, in Johannesburg where she had gone to be educated in Soweto. Nomsa disappeared after the riots and Beauty refused to go home until she found her. Beauty didn't have permission to be in Johannesburg and didn't have the proper identity papers, so she needed to find work taking care of Robin while Edith traveled.

I liked learning a little about life in South Africa during Apartheid. The Afrikaners had not gotten over losing the Boer War to the British, who had imprisoned Afrikaners in concentration camps. The British and Afrikaners may not have liked each other very much, but they were united in their hatred of blacks, Jews and homosexuals. As Robin spent time with Edith and Beauty she learned that blacks, Jews and homosexuals are actually human beings too, which seems to have been a difficult concept for most South Africans.

The chapters from the point of view of Beauty seemed slightly more realistic as she risked her life to relentlessly search for her daughter and at the same time developed a loving relationship with Robin. The Robin chapters were most believable when they dealt with her grief, loneliness, fears and love of Beauty. They were less believable when she turned into a miniature Nancy Drew and carried out her own investigations. Overall however, I really liked these characters, so much so that I want to know what happened to them after the book ended.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. ...more

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Jan 01, 2017 Shannon A rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Finished in a day. A beautiful woven story full of tenderness, suspense and quick-wit that will have you on the edge of tears one moment and dabbing them away from laughter the next. A refreshing bright and thoughtful debut.

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Aug 27, 2020 Lindsey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: to-read-and-own

I’m humming because I have no words. This book is simply amazing - just pick it up.

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Jan 27, 2017 Emily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It's been quite a while since I developed a crush for a book like I did with Marais' debut. Probably not since The Help, or Little Bee, or Secret Life of Bees... Hum If You Don't Know the Words was just the reminder I needed that in the midst of hate and chaos, simple acts of love and kindness at the personal level will turn the tide. How relevant and reassuring given the times we find ourselves in today.

The characters are moving, their arcs of transformation beautifully crafted from beginning t ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Bev rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Just finished "HUM IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE WORDS" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved the title; how many times have I heard that growing up in a church choir and music classes at school? And, for the book where language played a huge role, it had a special meaning.
The introduction to Robin and Beauty in the first 2 chapters captivated this reader. Robin in C 1 reminded me of Scout in To Kill a Mocking Bird, but she quickly became herself. The author does a remarkable job of painting portraits of h ...more

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May 01, 2018 Becky rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-5-star-books, books-read-in-2018, books-bought-in-2018, booktopia-2018

I had the pleasure of meeting Bianca Marais at a book event I attended in Vermont. She was a fill in author as one of the others had to cancel due to illness. She was a wonderful addition & her story & her book where captivating.

The book is told in 2 voices, one being Robin, a nine year old privileged, sheltered white child who lives in Johannesburg with her family....she is precocious & at this young age so is only exposed to the life her family lives & only knows what she hears & sees in her s ...more

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Dec 06, 2017 BookOfCinz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: debut, 2017-reads, historical-fiction, all-the-feels, underwhelming

Three things I loved about this book:
1. The cover design- absolutely in love with it.
2. The title- I love a good book title and this one really speaks to me and how I try to approach life.
3. Where it was set- in South Africa. I have a fascination with this country so reading a story set there.

As you can see, I really wanted to love this book but it felt short in certain areas for me. The characters Beauty and Robin were very colourful. I loved how the author portrayed them as strong and brave ...more

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Jun 30, 2018 Camie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A book about love and loss in Apartheid South Africa. On the day of the Soweto Uprising, a protest by black students which ignites racial conflict in Johannesburg, Robin Conrad a nine year old white girl loses both her parents and Beauty Mbali a Xhosa woman from a nearby rural area learns that her daughter Nomsa one of the young students is missing.
Fate will bring these two together in one household where they will form an unlikely bond as they are forced to look beyond their differences in an ...more

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May 16, 2018 Jo Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love historical fiction that grabs me and doesn't let go until I have found out more about the true history I have been reading...this book did just that, and hasn't let go. Even though I've read Nelson Mandela's biography, this brought apartheid in South Africa right in my face, and I am still goggling about what's going on there, about the uprising in Soweto, etc. The author, Bianca Marais, was a fill-in for an ill author at Booktopia in Manchester, Vermont, week before last, and she hooked ...more

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May 15, 2018 Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-the-best, very-best-of-2018, booktopia-2018

I attended a book event in Vermont earlier this month and one of the authors to speak was supposed to be Chloe Benjamin author of The Immortalists. Last minute she cancelled due to illness and Bianca Marais took her place. I'm so very glad she did!!! This book was amazing, the characters of Robin and Beauty are so special and I hated to finish this book. I read for pleasure but I also read to learn about our world. I enjoy learning through Historical Fiction. South Africa in 1976 is a place I ne ...more

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Jul 18, 2017 Meredith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copies

What a beautiful and heart-wrenching story! This book is set in Apartheid-Era South Africa and follows two characters whose paths should never have crossed, but due to tragic circumstances they end up becoming some of the most important people in each other's lives. I can't believe this is a debut book! I hope there's a second book planned, because I need more Robin and Beauty in my life! (And I need to learn more South African history!)

Thanks, Putnam, for the Advanced Copy! ...more

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Aug 24, 2020 Jenna | JennaStopReading rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I don't even know that I have the words to properly describe how beautiful this book is. I'm so speechless that I am using a thesaurus to think of the best words possible to illustrate it. Here are a 5 reasons why this book blew me away and received 5 stars.
Hum If You Don't Know the Words is an example of story telling at its finest. Two POV's can stress me out, but this one was stitched together so seamlessly that I never felt confused or defeated.
The characters were flawed but lovable.
Nothing ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 Renee (itsbooktalk) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

You can find all my reviews at www.itsbooktalk.com

There are three things that really drew me to this novel....the cover, especially the colors, the title, and the first sentence of the blurb mentioning The Help. You see, I absolutely loved The Help, so I hit the request button as fast as possible on Netgalley and hoped for the best. I was thrilled to get this the day before it published and I immediately dropped all my other reads and started this one. I have to say, I've fallen victim to this m You can find all my reviews at www.itsbooktalk.com

There are three things that really drew me to this novel....the cover, especially the colors, the title, and the first sentence of the blurb mentioning The Help. You see, I absolutely loved The Help, so I hit the request button as fast as possible on Netgalley and hoped for the best. I was thrilled to get this the day before it published and I immediately dropped all my other reads and started this one. I have to say, I've fallen victim to this marketing ploy before...the "perfect for readers of" one...and I've been severely disappointed in the past. I'm happy to say this book completely lived up to the comparison of The Help, although not in a similar plot way, rather in the way it evoked similar feelings in me.

The story is set in 1975-1976 South Africa with the Soweto Uprising as the catalyst that connects the main characters, Robin and Beauty. We're first introduced to Robin, a precocious 9 year old girl and her parents, all of whom I immediately connected with as their voices were so well developed. I loved how the author set up their family life and really allowed us to get to know them. The dialogue was fantastic and I felt like I was there feeling the heat and the dust near the mines. When tragedy strikes the family and Robin is forced into a completely different life, it broke my heart! I had just gotten to know all of them. What occurs for Robin after this tragedy is the basis for the rest of the story. Especially when she makes a spur of the moment decision later in the story that changes the course of the most important relationship she has left.

Beauty is a mother of two young sons who leaves her rural South African village when her daughter goes missing in Johanessburg during the Soweto Uprising. Her life eventually intersects with Robin's and how this changes both their lives and whether Beauty ever finds her daughter...well you'll just have to read to find out but believe me when I say, I was so invested in these characters, especially Beauty, that I couldn't put this book down until I found out! What I found surprising was the fact that, for me, Beauty's character stole the novel and she really reminded me of Abileen from The Help. There's wit, humor, happiness and sadness all wrapped up in a well paced plot. As I said, the author manages to write in such a way that the characters all came to life, even Elvis the parrot, although at times he was over the top.

If it sounds like this was a 5 star read for me, it really would've been except for some minor issues I had with Robin's character and the last couple chapters. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Robin but there were times her character, who's 9, behaved and spoke like a 5 year old and then other times she seemed to be 16 or older. It seemed a little inconsistent. Now, I can't really say why the last few chapters gave me pause without spoiling things but I will say that they really tested my ability to suspend disbelief which is ok (it's fiction I get it) but the level was pretty high. Then, the ending...I'm all kinds of conflicted about it and really need to discuss it! That being said, this would make a great book club pick as there's lots to discuss as far as character's actions and the plot. I do highly recommend this and I'm very much looking forward to Bianca Marais's next novel.
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About Bianca Marais

Bianca Marais

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Bianca Marais holds a Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies where she now teaches creative writing.

Before becoming an author, she started a corporate training company and volunteered with Cotlands, where she assisted care workers in Soweto with providing aid for HIV/AIDS orphans and their caregivers.

She champions the Own Voices movement in he ...more

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“I didn’t know what to say in a world where people were hated and attacked for not being the right color, not speaking the right language, not worshipping the right god or not loving the right people; a world where hatred was the common language, and bricks, the only words.” — 7 likes

“I don't know this song. They haven't taught me it to us at school."
" When in doubt, just do what I do, Robs. Hum if you don't know the words” — 5 likes

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