Synopses & Reviews
Review
“The author of the award-winning Guernica returns with a compelling story of war, violence, and tragedy…Fluctuating from a nostalgic past to a present filled with uncertainty, this story gives a touching and detailed perspective on a cruel war in which children are the innocent victims. This beautifully narrated work will appeal to fans of both historical and general fiction.” Library Journal
Review
“If history is written by the victors, this may explain why so little is known about the travails of the Boers, Dutch colonists of South Africa, against the British….The novel sheds much-needed light on the deaths of thousands of Boer civilians in these camps. A valuable testament providing glimmers, however scant, of hope for humanity.” Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
From a forgotten moment in history comes an inspiring novel about finding strength and courage in the most unimaginable places.
In turn-of-the-century South Africa, fourteen-year-old Lettie, her younger brother, and her mother are Dutch Afrikaner settlers who have been taken from their farm by British soldiers and are being held in a concentration camp. It is early in the Boer War, and Lettie s father, grandfather, and brother are off fighting the British as thousands of Afrikaner women and children are detained. The camps are cramped and disease ridden; the threat of illness and starvation are ever present. Determined to dictate their own fate, Lettie and her family give each other strength and hope as they fight to survive amid increasingly dire conditions.
Brave and defiant, Lettie finds comfort in memories of stargazing with her grandfather, in her plan to be a writer, and in surprising new friendships that will both nourish and challenge her. A beautiful testament to love, family, and sheer force of will, The Lost History of Stars was inspired by Dave Boling s grandfather s own experience as a soldier during the Boer War. Lettie is a figure of abiding grace, and her story is richly drawn and impossible to forget."
About the Author
Dave Boling, a sports writer based in Seattle, is the author of one previous novel, the critically acclaimed Guernica.