Fantastic novel. BIG novel. But, an easy read that's difficult to put down. If you loved [b:The Power of One|122|The Power of One (The Power of One, #1)|Bryce Courtenay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388184360l/122._SX50_.jpg|649656], you'll love this one too. More adventures of PeeKay! And, Tandia is great in her own right. ( )

"But I started to realise that it doesn't begin like this, that anybody can be the target for prejudice, all you have to be is 'too' something. Too short, too fat, too clever, too big, too small, too slow, too new, too different from what others think of as normal."

Tandia is the sequel to the author's The Power of One and in this novel Courtenay attempts to look at South African political situation during the 1950's and 1960's through the eyes of a teenage girl. Tandia is a mixed-race bastard, the result of an affair between her Indian father and his black house servant. Tandia is brutally and raped by a South African police man, tossed from her home by her father's jealous wife and finds herself having to take refuge in a brothel deep in the veldt under the watchful eye of Mama Tequila.

Meanwhile, Peekay, the young 'white' protagonist from The Power of One, is now at Oxford, reading law and furthering his boxing career as he endeavours to become the world boxing champion. As he matures he is compelled to explore not only himself but also his interactions with those around him.

When Peekay returns to his homeland he finds a country divided by racial segregation, where oppression of the non-white population is rife, but one that can rally behind their love of boxing. Peekay is fairly unusual in his country, he is not prejudiced by race, instead is willing not to look at the person inside rather than the colour of their skin and who, despite being 'white', is revered by the 'black' population as the 'Tadpole Angel'.

On his return to South Africa Peekay opens a legal practice, trying to defend the disenfranchised. With race relations at fever pitch, to do so he must lock horns with apartheid system. Tandia is extremely beautiful but also has an extraordinary mind, so when she too graduates from law school she joins Peekay at his practice. As they work ever closer together so they also become ever more emotionally attached, a big taboo in a country where mixed race relationships are outlawed.

In many respects the title of this novel is a bit of a misnomer as it actually features more of Peekay's life than it does Tandia's. It is also a pretty hefty tome, my own copy was 900 pages long, but this does at least allow the author to combine well-developed characters with a plot that is rich with detail allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the political events and police implementation of them as they come to life on the page. There is a long list of minor characters, who all add to the richness of the narrative. As the story builds the reader can see Tandia’s growth, personal and emotional, as she battles to find her place in South Africa’s repressive political system whilst also adding to Peekay's own life story leading the reader on two winding but gradually converging paths.

The story is full of twists and turns, there is a mixture of hope and despair, love and hatred, politics and witchcraft. One can only imagine South Africa during the 1950s and 60s, where the Afrikaner population is willing to defend their way of life at any cost, the subjugation of the black population and the brutality that is inflicted upon it. I have always been interested in history and in particular social history, so, not that I would ever condone it, found myself being drawn into the apartheid mentality and how the Afrikaners justified it. This makes it all the more remarkable that the country has managed to reform itself without imploding into sectarian retribution. You can only stand back and admire the willingness of people like Nelson Mandela and the other black leaders who have been willing to work with their oppressors, for the better good of the country, rather than simply drive them into the sea.

Due to it's length and scope I found this novel to be not quite up to the standard of it's predecessor and, as with the former, could have benefited from a little judicious pruning, as parts of it was excessive and repetitive. The ending came as a bit of a shock and overall I enjoyed reading it. ( )

This starts off as the story of Tandia Patel. Like Peekay in The Power of One, Tandia's life begins with violence, prejudice and corruption. Her father, a famous Indian boxing referee, fathered her with his African American mistress. A racially mixed offspring in hyper color-sensitive South Africa is only asking for trouble. While Patel was alive, Tandia's identity was one of confusion - going to school as Indian but coming home to be a black servant to her father's household. After his heart attack and subsequent death, Tandia is predictably banished from his household and must rely on the kindness of strangers, much like Peekay did when he was a child. And speaking of Peekay, his life story continues in Tandia. Fans of Peekay's character will not be disappointed. He only grows more and more admirable as he moves from boxing champion to lawyer, champion to the black community.
Other Power of One similarities include the kindness of an obese and jolly woman, the loyalty of a devoted and deformed servant, and the hatred of a powerful bigot and bully.

It is not a spoiler alert to warn readers of the horrific violence Tandia suffers at the hands of white policemen. I had a hard time reading those early scenes. ( )

I loved this book. It's richly detailed and is a story I won't soon forget. It takes place mostly in South Africa during Apartheid. This powerful story is a sequel to "The Power of One" by the same author, which I have not read yet but will now. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't yet read it. There are small spots of foul language in it and a couple of rough scenes. Other than that, it's a wonderfully told story, realistic, and is about a situation that is tragic for many. The characters are well drawn. I highly recommend the book. The reader is fantastic! ( )

Powerful story of South African woman and people in her life, all drawn sympathetically and compellingly... A sequel to the Power of One. ( )