The Fiercest Heart

The Fiercest Heart by Stuart Cloete is a story of the Boers who trekked north from the South African Cape into unknown lands in order to live free of the British yoke that had been tightening around them. In this story they were trekking from the eastern Cape and their journey led them through an area that would eventually become known as Lestho. The history of Lestho is entwined with the Boers. Originally called Basutoland, some of the Boers settled in the Western Highlands of this country. As the natives waged war alternately with the British and the Dutch, the Boer colony went through both peaceful times and times of war. Eventually the King of Basutoland made peace with Queen Victoria. The British promptly signed a treaty with the show more Dutch and allowed them to hold a portion of Basutoland and include it as part of their Orange Free State. Of course once gold was found in Kimberly, the Orange Free State attracted the attention of the British once again.

Set in the 1830’s, the main character in The Fiercest Heart is Francina, a young Boer girl who, with her grandmother Tante Maria and granduncle, Oom Willem Prinsloo, become voortrekkers and leave behind their farm and comfortable lifestyle to trek uncountable miles through unchartered wildlands with about six other families. They are searching for a place where they can settle and live without Britain‘s laws and taxes. Before they reach a safe haven they have to face warlike Zulus, wildlife, flood and fire.

This was a very popular book when it was originally published in the early 1960’s, a movie was made as well. I had originally read this book while in my teens and remembered it quite favourably. Unfortunately, I probably should have left this one buried in the mists of time as today, the sexism and male hubris is difficult to swallow and I had to force myself through to the end of the book. There was less plot and more heaving chests than I remembered and I would have liked both the male and the female characters to have been developed more than the stereotypic identities that the author gave them. show less

Two Deserters from the British Army join the Great trek of the boers into the Orange Free State. They fight the Zulus, and the nice one finds love. Pretty racist, by modern standards.

Set in the 1830s this is the srtory of a group of Boer trekkers, who abandoned the safety of their flourishing farms, driven by a dislike of the British and the need to discover a new Canaan. It tells of their adventures whilst overcoming the many obstacles which confronted them, warlike Zulus, flood, fire and treachery. A rip-roaring tale, a South African "Western".