marita van der vyver 
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WHERE THE HEART IS - DIE HART VAN ONS HUIS Marita van der Vyver’s Where the Heart is is like a pretty cake tin filled with slices of life. And I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a book (or indeed, a cake) this much. With delicious tales about realities that resonate with everyone, like renovations, strikes and the quest for food colouring, the book offers a taste of life in Provence. It is also full of unexpected humour. When I read this little gem, my shoulders shook with such uncontrollable mirth that I woke the sleeping man at my side: “In French Alain is pronounced Aláng, Thomas is Tommah and Hugo is Ighó. Try and explain that to your uncle in Upington. My friend Koos gave up after three days and started calling Alain Elaine. Alain still calls Koos Quees.” Formerly Die Hart van ons Huis, Where the Heart is doesn’t read like a translation – instead featuring beautiful English flavoured with whimsical Joanne Harris-type ingredients. Not only a delightful book to read, it’s a wonderful book to own. |
THERE IS A SEASON - VERGENOEG 8 november 2007 When I encountered Marita van der Vyver’s last book, Where the Heart is, I described it as ‘a pretty cake tin filled with slices of life’ and I mentioned how some of its tongue-in-cheek comments on people and personalities ‘made my shoulders shake with such uncontrollable mirth that I woke the sleeping man at my side’. Well, Marita’s done it again. This time, when my chuckles woke the (same) man beside me, he knew enough to ask, “It’s that Afrikaans author again, isn’t it?” There is a Season (translated from the Afrikaans Vergenoeg) is both very funny and very heart-breaking. It gives us Adele, a charismatic woman of 60, who leaves hospital to go home to rural Vergenoeg and die of cancer – in the arms of her adult daughters, the irritatingly responsible San and the unashamedly irreverent Bella. As Adele's physical deterioration – and the feelings that accompany this process – is described in painful detail, we ache for all three characters. And we’re reminded of mothers and daughters and family and fights and present selves and past mistakes and journeys that, in the end, have nothing and everything to do with death. Like Where the Heart is, There is a Season doesn’t read at all like a translation, instead featuring beautiful English flavoured with whimsical ingredients and delicious dialogue. |
ENTERTAINING ANGELS - GRIET SKRYF 'N SPROKIE ‘A real rarity … funny, wry … hard to resist.’ ‘Sharp, intelligent, provocative and honest, it’s also very, very funny.’ ‘Heartbreaking enough to matter and risqué enough to make you laugh, shudder, or maybe both'. ‘One of the discoveries of the year. A magical tale, beautifully written and humorous. You’ll be glued to every word.’ ‘For those who’ve encountered romantic travails, the kind of good company misery loves.’ ‘Bridget Jones with more brain cells and much more style … real emotion and real humour … a real book, for that matter.’ ‘Unlike any fairy tales you’ve ever read … funnier and more varied than Angela Carter’s Freudian rewrites and subtler than Fay Weldon’s wish-fulfillment fantasies … A beguilingly fresh and optimistic look at life after marital breakdown.’ ‘Funny, intelligent, and inventive … A modern-day fairy tale with an irreverent feminist twist. ‘Inventive … puts a witty feminist spin on the brothers Grimm.’ ‘Delightfully loony.’ CHILDISH THINGS - DINGE VAN 'N KIND ‘Van der Vyver writes perceptively about the delights and agonies of growing up.’ ‘As complex as anything Margaret Atwood has written … finely shaped, deliciously bitter-sweet novel.’ ‘Marita van der Vyver’s exuberant, compassionate meditation on growing up is funny and occasionally heartbreaking.’ ‘Evocative, nostalgic portrait of the mid-seventies … sometimes agonizing, sometimes hilarious, often profound.’ ‘A book to think about and read again.' BREATHING SPACE - WEGKOMKANS ‘Van der Vyver’s compelling novel … covers ten years in the lives of a group of ten friends … counterpointing accounts of births, marriages, adulterous liaisons and deaths with the turbulent events taking place in the world outside. It all makes for an absolutely gripping read.’ ‘Van der Vyver has written yet another important part of the documenting of our history and she has done it with grace and humanity.’ ‘Marita van der Vyver is one of South Africa’s greatest literary assets: she is able to create the atmosphere of a country in turmoil yet deal so skillfully with the characters involved that you could actually be in any country in the world.’ ‘A gripping encounter … van der Vyver’s sensual style colours and crafts the novel.’ ‘A rich book, a multi-layered book, like a thickly-applied oil painting, where each stroke of viscous paint offers a different nuance and understanding.’ ‘Another winner from a fine South African author.’ ‘Breathing life into Afrikaans literature.’ ‘Engaging and authentic.’ TRAVELLING LIGHT- GRIET KOM WEER ‘Though it is written with a light and rapid touch, often irreverent and very funny, it is a profoundly satisfying read.’ ‘Van der Vyver writes with a light touch, amusing even when the subject matter is serious, and the peripheral characters are all beautifully drawn and make for a satisfying read.’ ‘It’s a blast from beginning to end … She writes well, has a wonderful sense of humour and tells a story of friends, family and lovers that’s quite endearing.’ ‘Van der Vyver knows how to entertain. She also knows how to give real-life drama a magical twist.’ ‘She examines the question of cross-cultural relationships and the changing nature of South African society … a wonderful read, arguably better than any of her previous novels.’ SHORT CIRCUITS - BESTEMMINGS 'Journeys of both body and mind are brought to the reader with Van der Vyver's well-developed ability to bring humour to pathos.' 'In these stories, the mood varies from pathos to comedy, but all concern significant truths... that we all recognise and can relate to in different ways.' |
TIME OUT - STILTETYD 'Van der Vyver is one of those writers who just gets better and better with every book, and she was pretty damn good to start with... One of the best books I have read this year... I cannot recommend highly enough that you get hold of a copy of it quickly. ' 'A moving study of loss and survival which avoids any pat, feel-good platitudes.' 'Van der Vyver has created a masterpiece in Time Out. It is an astonishing piece of work, dissecting mourning with laser precision.' 'Quite simply she is one of South Africa's best writers and has an uncanny ability to unlock the absurdity, sadness and joy of life in her writing.' 'Oh joy, another book by Van der Vyver!' 'At times harrowing, the book is not oppressive but lifted by Van der Vyver's wisdom and ability to weave spells with her books... A writer who just gets better and better.' 'Time Out could have been grim, but it is not... It gleams with warmth and intelligence, and is something of a tour de force.' Franse Briewe - Pos uit Provence "Her anecdotes are firmly based on everyday reality - even if it's the French version of it. You will never look at Provence with the same eyes again." "As Van der Vyver so brei soos sy skryf, spog haar gesin waarskynlik met truie wat die winterkoue kan verskrik, musse en serpe wat die sneeu kan laat smelt." "'n Ras-egte storieverteller wat haar lesers weereens van die eerste tot die laaste rubriek bekoor met skerp humor en 'n kuier-Afrikaans wat só eie aan Van der Vyver geword het." Dis koue kos, skat - Just Dessert, Dear "The bright pink cover shouts chic lit, but - as is mostly the case with Van der Vyver - the secret lies in exposing the different layers ... This reader fell boots and all for the story of Clara Brand of Brand Street. Absolutely wonderful with a glass of wine at the fireside." "The book is often very funny, and also poignant." "'n Baanbrekersroman ... iets werklik vernuwends (wat ook) vernuwing bring binne 'n spesifieke genre. (Ek kan my goed indink dat dit eendag die onderwerp vir 'n verhandeling gaan word: Die stemme in Dis koue kos, skat.)" "Bied leesgenot in minstens twee opsigte: die intertekstuele en -dissiplinêre verwysings, en as variasie op die briefroman-genre ... terselfdertyd 'n verhaal wat Marita-die-outeur- met duisende 'lewende' lesers deel." "The
usual Marita-success elements are there: fluently flowing language, convincing characters, drama, irony, lots of self-parody and lovely humour. There really are scenes that make you laugh out loud, and when you reread them later, the same thing happens again." Die Ongelooflike Avonture van Hanna Hoekoem - THE MOVIE!! click on the buttons to see the movie trailer and reviews
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