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Empire Settingsby David Schmahmann |
Judy Stanton (09/05/11): Empire Settings is a story about South Africa, during
and after apartheid, told from the perspective of three members of a Jewish family and one of their
slaves. The story was interesting, and I learned more about apartheid and how it was viewed by those
who lived through it, but it was not compelling. The only "suspense" is finding out whether the son who
fell in love with the daughter of a domestic worker ever reunites with her. Having recently seen the movie
"The Help," I found the perspective of Baptie, the black women who lived in the Divin home and brought up
the children, to be most compelling. So sad how the "mother-child" type ties with her are so quickly
and easily broken as the family moves on.
Rating: ***
