Philida

A moving story of one woman’s struggle against hierarchies of race and gender that seek her absolute subjugation, Philida vividly dramatises the courage required to lay claim to the protections of the law, to speak out for ones rights even in the moment in which the law is on the wrong side of history

Patrick Flannery, Daily Telegraph

A poignant tale of a slave woman's quest for liberation set in 19th century Cape Town

Glass Magazine

Brink tells this grand-guignol tale in harrowing style

Christopher Bray, Daily Express

A compelling and memorable novel

Alex Clark, Guardian

Rich and complex

Paul Dunn, The Times

Mixing brutal historical fact with legend, the novel paints a fine picture of a disintegrating society

Anthony Gardner, Mail on Sunday

Philida is a unique, illuminating and original book…utterly engaging

Chris Dolan, Herald

In the hands of Mr Brink, one of South Africa’s most famous novelists, the land breathes, it feels alive

The Economist

Philida is a very powerful novel

Michael Arditti, Daily Mail

Brink writes beautiful prose, peppered with evocative descriptions of historic and often tragic Cape life

Regional Press (syndicated review)

Brink writes beautiful prose peppered with evocative descriptions of historic and often tragic Cape life

Zahra Saeed, Irish Examiner

Brink's act of literary ventriloquism in Philida - his summoning of the voice of an illiterate slave-girl from the 1830s, in all its demotic sophistication and expressiveness - is undeniably astounding

Kevin Power, Sunday Business Post

An unforgettable story of one woman’s determination to survive and be free

GQ magazine

Powerful

The Lady

The light and shade that Brink has skillfully introduced into his augmented family history make for a compelling and memorable novel

Alex Clark, Guardian

[A] rich and unforgettable story

Lancashire Evening Post