Official Review: The farm by Frans Bijsterveld
Posted: 26 Feb 2021, 13:38
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The farm" by Frans Bijsterveld.]
The farm by Frans Bijsterveld is a non-fiction book about the author's family roots. Mr. Bijsterveld anchors his story on the life of his great-grandmother, Anna Hazelhurst. Anna's father, João Albasini, had endured the deadly sea voyage with his father from Portugal to Mozambique. He eventually settled in South Africa, where Anna was born in 1874. In 1895, she married James 'Jim' Hazelhurst, and they went on to have four children, which included the author's grandmother. When their son turned 13, Anna traveled to England with her children to enroll him in a boarding school, but they couldn't make it back to Africa due to World War I. While still in England, she got the sad news of her husband's death. So in 1916, Anna returned to their home in Selukwe, Southern Rhodesia, with her children to develop their farm. She completed their farmhouse and began commercial operations in it. Anna was a very respected woman who went through a lot to provide for her family, giving them memories they would treasure through generations.
This book is a product of thorough research and exciting storytelling skills. What I like the most about this book is that it contains lots of documents and pictures which corroborate the author's story. Also, I was able to put faces to the names mentioned in the book through the photos, which made the book more engaging.
Another aspect of this book I liked is that it brought back memories of how life used to be, especially in Africa. I also enjoyed the history lessons in the book and learned a lot about colonialism in Africa. The author's insights into the South African Boer War and the transportation business in Africa at that time are also commendable.
Furthermore, the author's writing style makes his narrations easy to follow. And the family tree diagram he included helped me to know who was who. However, I didn't enjoy the organization of some of the pictures in the book. In some cases, there would be more than three photos in one frame, which made the pictures a bit unclear at first glance. I didn't enjoy having to zoom in to understand them.
Overall, my reading experience was a fascinating one. The book is exceptionally edited and without any errors. Due to the issue I mentioned above, I am reluctantly taking a star off its rating. But considering the many other points going for the book, it deserves more than two stars. Therefore, I rate The farm 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical non-fiction stories, especially those interested in learning about the challenges faced by European pioneers in Africa.
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The farm
View: on Bookshelves
The farm by Frans Bijsterveld is a non-fiction book about the author's family roots. Mr. Bijsterveld anchors his story on the life of his great-grandmother, Anna Hazelhurst. Anna's father, João Albasini, had endured the deadly sea voyage with his father from Portugal to Mozambique. He eventually settled in South Africa, where Anna was born in 1874. In 1895, she married James 'Jim' Hazelhurst, and they went on to have four children, which included the author's grandmother. When their son turned 13, Anna traveled to England with her children to enroll him in a boarding school, but they couldn't make it back to Africa due to World War I. While still in England, she got the sad news of her husband's death. So in 1916, Anna returned to their home in Selukwe, Southern Rhodesia, with her children to develop their farm. She completed their farmhouse and began commercial operations in it. Anna was a very respected woman who went through a lot to provide for her family, giving them memories they would treasure through generations.
This book is a product of thorough research and exciting storytelling skills. What I like the most about this book is that it contains lots of documents and pictures which corroborate the author's story. Also, I was able to put faces to the names mentioned in the book through the photos, which made the book more engaging.
Another aspect of this book I liked is that it brought back memories of how life used to be, especially in Africa. I also enjoyed the history lessons in the book and learned a lot about colonialism in Africa. The author's insights into the South African Boer War and the transportation business in Africa at that time are also commendable.
Furthermore, the author's writing style makes his narrations easy to follow. And the family tree diagram he included helped me to know who was who. However, I didn't enjoy the organization of some of the pictures in the book. In some cases, there would be more than three photos in one frame, which made the pictures a bit unclear at first glance. I didn't enjoy having to zoom in to understand them.
Overall, my reading experience was a fascinating one. The book is exceptionally edited and without any errors. Due to the issue I mentioned above, I am reluctantly taking a star off its rating. But considering the many other points going for the book, it deserves more than two stars. Therefore, I rate The farm 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical non-fiction stories, especially those interested in learning about the challenges faced by European pioneers in Africa.
******
The farm
View: on Bookshelves
