Gem Squash Tokoloshe: Amazon.co.uk: Rachel Zadok: Books

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

My Name is Red

by Orhan Pamuk

3.6 out of 5 stars (42) �4.79

The 19th Wife

by David Ebershoff

3.7 out of 5 stars (57) �3.20

Revolutionary Road

by Richard Yates

4.5 out of 5 stars (75) �4.69

The White Tiger

by Aravind Adiga

3.7 out of 5 stars (102) �3.84

The Angel Makers

by Jessica Gregson

4.8 out of 5 stars (5) �7.19

› Explore similar items

Product Description

The Telegraph
The language is intense, lyrical and absorbing: it unfolds a compulsive story

The Times
Where did they find so many excellent unpublished writers?...Magic twines around reality like ivy on the bark of a tree

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

south africa(1)

See all 2 tags...

Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't live up to the hype, 23 Jun 2006

By	Scribbler (London, UK) - See all my reviews

I was disappointed by this book, I must admit. It has an intriguing beginning and the first section, describing Faith's life on the farm as a girl, is powerfully written - but the second part of the book completely fails to deliver, in my opinion. I found Faith an unsympathetic adult character, the Jo'burg people are like cardboard cut-outs, and the scenes with the faith healer are verging on the ridiculous. Having Faith's grief conveniently healed by an outside agent rather than redemption coming from within herself is a cop-out and renders the story ultimately unsatisfying.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Gem Squashed, 10 Jul 2006

By	L. Aroni (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

I chose this book because the title caught my attention (having grown up in South Africa, the title transported me back to childhood days when evidence of the 'Tokolshe' was everywhere!).

Unfortunately I felt a little disappointed about half way through the book. It's one of those stories that is littered with stereotypes and even though I found her writing very descriptive and enjoyable I thought the characters were one dimensional. I would have liked a little more insight into each character and felt I was never given the chance to fully understand or feel for any of the characters (even though the potential was there.)

It's one of those books where we know the ending before the protagonist - and I found that to be quite frustrating in places primarily because the story moves at quite a slumbered pace. There also seem to be places in the book where the author got a bit 'stuck' (for want of a better word) and wasn't quite sure how to move the story forwards.

I did enjoy the book though and I especially enjoyed all the references to places and things in South Africa that reminded me of my childhood. I think it's a fantastic first effort but it's most definitely not in the same league as other more seasoned writers exploring the subject of apartheid and life in SA.

I'm not certain whether I would recommend it to a friend.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read, 16 Nov 2005

By	"izzx" - See all my reviews

I picked up this book with no real expectation, Started reading it with a smile, and finished reading it avidly, wanting to know more, wanting to get to the end, but at the same time not wanting it to end.

The rhythm of the book started at a normal pace, making me discover at a little girl’s world, a very different world from mine, a fascinating world. One in a far away land, in an isolated place, a place & life full of fairies & mystery, but not your usual sweet pretty fairies, no, mysterious and dangerous one. Not your usual everyday life either, well, not for long anyway, one which suddenly changes, hurts, falls apart & picks up the pace & intrigues.

By the middle of the book, the pace seems to keep on getting faster; events & time move on, questions kept on forming in my brain, what is happening? I want to know, I want to read more, and I don’t want to put this book down. Till the end, I did not know & till then end, I wanted to know more. Till the end I was taken by, intrigued, interested and surprised!

You have to read this book! I loved it! It is very well written; it draws you in & spits you out at the end, all astonished & satisfied! A fantastic read!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 16 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and beautiful
The clever and arty use of descriptive prose conjures a complete and detailed image of a place I've never seen. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Rebecca

4.0 out of 5 stars Mother and Daughter
A child growing up on a farm in S. Africa with her mother, Bella. With her father often away on long trips, Faith is left under the influence of her mother and the fairy world her... Read more

Published 8 months ago by soffitta1

1.0 out of 5 stars Weak weak weak
Contrived stereotype characters. Written by someone with preconceptions and lack of empathy for some of the subjects, many of the caricatures rang false. Read more

Published 8 months ago by iliketowatch

5.0 out of 5 stars Atmoshperic and insightful
I found this book full of atmosphere and insight. The book is written about tragic events following a family break-up on a small farm in South Africa viewed from a young girl's... Read more

Published 9 months ago by John M

5.0 out of 5 stars Frighteningly good
There are some books that stay with you for a very long time. Unsurprisingly, it was shortlisted for the Whitbread prize, and is the kind of debut novel that makes you wonder how... Read more

Published 11 months ago by Alison Penton Harper

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read - a surprising and powerful book
I picked this book up, thinking that it was a cute cover and the blurb sounded fairly promising but nothing that would really grip me or last in my memory for a long time... Read more

Published on 19 May 2006 by Freya Freeman

4.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably assured first novel
I found this book totally engrossing, from the deeply creepy beginning to the shock near the end (well it came as a shock to me, but perhaps I am rather slow). Read more

Published on 15 April 2006 by allwillbewell

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping!
Being South African and growing up with much of what Zadok describes, I found the story easy to follow and despite being so sad a worthwhile read. Read more

Published on 5 April 2006 by Mrs. Ruth Levine

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning start
If the first few pages don't make you want to know how this story ends I'll be amazed. The writer really gets into the scary parts of being a child witnessing something... Read more

Published on 26 Feb 2006 by Betty and Lucy

2.0 out of 5 stars What a depressing story!
I don't mind stories with sad bits in them, or sad endings, but I found this whole book depressing. Read more

Published on 9 Jan 2006

› See all 16 customer reviews...

Listmania!

Best books of the 2000's: A list by Peover Reader
Books I have read in 2009: A list by unlikely_heroine "unlikely_heroine"
Some of my favourite books that I would reccommend: A list by H

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Books > Fiction > By Period

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream

From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

›Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon

Gem Squash Tokoloshe (Paperback)

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Beauty without the Beast

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Treat Someone

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

	88% buy the item featured on this page: Gem Squash Tokoloshe 4.0 out of 5 stars (16) �5.49
	12% buy When a Crocodile Eats the Sun 4.9 out of 5 stars (28) �4.49