What do readers think of The Housemaid's Daughter by Barbara Mutch? Write your own review.

Author Barbara Mutch has scored a home run with her debut novel, The Housemaid's Daughter. Set in South Africa during apartheid, it is a deeply moving tale of love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, acceptance and shame. I read this book in two days and found the story compelling and beautifully written. Long after finishing this novel, the story lingers in my heart and mind.

A good choice for book clubs!

This book was interesting as it got me thinking that even long ago 'outsiders' often became thought of and treated as family members. The story does a good job of weaving racial and cultural differences into stories about family. Additionally, it points out that there have been people throughout history who were able to remain free of bias and who at times were the only ones ensuring survival of those who were being outcast or mistreated due to bias. Can we foster support for a kinder, more bias-free world through books such as this and reading in general?

To be perfectly honest, I was not prepared to like this book. It seemed it was to be a light read, one fraught with probable missteps – a white woman writing from the perspective of the black daughter of a mid-century housemaid in South Africa's remote Karoo. But from the start, the writing was delightful, the characters true and sympathetic, and the story simply engaging. Stylistically, I noticed none of the awkward prose commonly seen in first novels. Quite the contrary, Barbara Mutch seems a born writer who, if justice exists, must certainly have a successful career ahead of her. I was happy to have spent a few days at her emotional mercy, immersed in her sweet, sometimes heartbreaking story about the true definition of family.

It took me quite a while to be drawn into the book, but I am very glad that I persevered. It blossomed into a riveting and heartbreaking story of apartheid in South Africa and the bonds of two women who rise above cruelty to find love, hope and redemption. It is the story of Irish immigrant Cathleen Harrington and her housemaid's daughter Ada. When Master Edward starts a sexual relationship with Ada, the shame and birth of a light skinned, blue eyed baby girl take the story into uncharted territory. How Ada and Madam Cathleen survive the turbulent times and situations they find themselves in make for a wonderful book.

So begins Barbara Mutch's saga about an Irish immigrant, Cathleen and her devotion to her housemaid's daughter, Ada. The reader journeys back and forth through the black and white worlds of South Africa from the 1920's.Although this novel was slow and repetitive at times for me; two facts regarding this novel make it so compelling, one is Ada's naivete. Her child-like outlook makes for the telling of a truly unbiased tale of apartheid by the many characters that are introduced through Ada's eyes. Second, is Ada's love of music and her mastery of the piano, bringing such beauty in a time of so much tragedy.

The Housemaid's Daughter follows the life of the title character. From her birth into the household of ex-pat Irish immigrants through her life living with the social changes brought on by Apartheid, the Handmaid's Tale explores the ideas of love, loyalty, servitude, acceptance and discrimination. The novel is beautifully written and will transport the reader into a world not often explored.

In this book, the protagonist, Ada, was someone I couldn't connect with very much; her personality seemed flat, somehow, and incapable of showing much emotion. The story line was good, although it proceeded too slowly for my liking. I did enjoy the author's scene-setting talents, her ability to almost put you right in the landscape, feeling the breeze and smelling the scents. She seemed less proficient in portraying people's feelings. A number of the characters were almost totally undeveloped, Dawn and Rosemary in particular. Fleshing out those two characters would have helped the story (for me, at least). A good first book, nonetheless - book clubs will like it.

While "The Housemaid's Daughter" was an enjoyable enough read, I feel that I've read this same story many times before. It was a little too predictable for me.