Shades (novel)


Shades is a historical novel written by Marguerite Poland. The book was first published in 1993 by Penguin books. The novel is supposedly based upon the ancestors of Marguerite Poland and their struggle to survive and cope in the harsh South African environment.

Plot

The plot revolves around a family, the Farboroughs, who lived in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in the early 1900s, in a small community known as St Matthias. The story follows Walter Brownley, explaining what life was like in South Africa just before and during the Second South African War. African exploitation, as seen in the mining on the Highveld, is a major theme of the story.

Characters

The entire story takes place in South Africa.