Format: Kindle Edition 5.0 out of 5 stars STIRRING AND ORIGINAL This is a book set in the Apartheid era of South Africa, and is written by someone who clearly knows what it was like. There is a lovely lyricism to the non-standard English that brings the country and culture alive just through the evocative phrasing and descriptions.I found the main character of Betty to be frustrating, challenging, and ultimately inspiring. There were times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop crying; but this is a character to be understood in the context of the situation she was growing up in. How would I react under such oppression? Such continual thwarting of my dream? Such arbitrary rules from government that were designed only for the benefits of the whites?But this is not an anti-white book. It’s an even handed and balanced look at the power of Mandela’s urge for peace and reconciliation. Betty’s love affair and her travels, from South Africa to England, show her the common humanity in everyone, and her faith keeps her strong.It’s a book that is both fascinating from a historical point of view, and yet has a very immediate appeal to the modern reader – because the issues raised in this book have not yet gone away. ~ S MORTON, Amazon.co.uk

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story!, 24 May 2014 As well as being a good old love story, this book gives an insight into the life of ordinary people living during the apartheid years in South Africa. I learned so much. The book contains many lessons for us all, not least showing how different governments create education systems to keep social segregation systems going to ensure the powers of the dominant class or race are kept safe. The great message of the book is that we must never stop challenging these systems. It's a story of love, loss, great individual courage and strength. ~ Netta Ford, Amazon.co.uk

When I started reading Starlight in the Ring on a rainy afternoon in the Heart of England, my life experiences could not have been further from those of its fictional South African heroine, Betty Baker. However, this indefatigable character quickly drew me into her world. The novel’s preface states its aims: to show the impact of the draconic Apartheid laws on a bright girl, who harbours ambitions to become a teacher. Twelve chapters of Betty’s first-person narrative are interspersed with diary extracts and personal references. Time shifts further break up the novel’s structure: the first chapter outlines Betty’s recollections of her wedding day in 1975, while chapter two takes the reader back to 1960 and the start of a chronological account of Betty’s difficult childhood in South Africa. Betty’s descriptions of her daily life under the menacing shadow of Apartheid are immensely thought-provoking: the daily toil in the Burgersdorp farming community, her inferior schooling, the tragic consequences of Betty’s forbidden love affair and her struggle to obtain a teaching qualification. The relationships Betty forms are at the heart of this novel. Quinnen succeeds in creating fictional tension to highlight the grave social injustices. She develops the reader’s empathy and understanding and makes us reflect on the true costs of achieving personal goals. Throughout the 253 pages of the novel, we feel Betty’s fury, we languish with her in confusion, we share her bouts of sadness, shame and self-doubt, and we fervently encourage Betty to pursue her ambitions despite tremendous obstacles. There are some omissions in the narrative: Betty’s challenges of settling in Yorkshire, the births and personalities of her two children are not described. The ending of the novel leaves further unanswered questions: Will Betty secure her first teaching job in Yorkshire? Will she succeed in combining work with bringing up her own children? Will she continue, from afar, to raise awareness of a deeply divisive period in history? Will she remain in contact with her South African family and Namibian friends? Overall, the novel left a deep impression on me as a reader. It is one of the best fictional chronicles of a period of social injustice I have ever read. Starlight in the Ring is a novel which leaves a shard in your consciousness because, despite the storyline being set against a clearly-defined socio-historical period, the novel’s message is timeless and waiting to be interpreted anew by every reader who picks up this book. Christina Westwood MA (English Literature) ~ GEM Magazine

5.0 out of 5 stars STARLIGHT IN THE RING: A MUST READ STORY 25 Jun 2014 By Dr S Kachilele Format:Paperback|Verified Purchase A well written novel covering a remarkable historical period in South Africa. A very interesting book, with unpredictable plot. The story revolves around families living in South Africa, South West Africa and England. In each chapter, Betty Baker takes the reader through her adventurous life. We learn about her family aspirations, setbacks and inspirations. In her writing, Quinnen is very good at painting pictures in the mind of a reader. I did feel sorry for both Betty and Jimmie’s families. They had a very strong relationship, helping and caring for each other in every possible way, yet trapped and limited by the laws. I had mixed emotions, as I turned the pages, unable to put it down. I enjoyed the love triangle, and kept wondering who was Betty marrying in chapter 1 – I wished it was Mark. I loved reading about South Africa from this positive point of view – certainly the book is not anti- Europeans or anti-Natives. A brilliantly entertaining and inspirational story of hope that left me with more questions about what happened to Jimmie and Betty’s family in the end. ~ Dr S Kachilele, Amazon.co.uk

This 'autobiographical style' of account does highlight in quite a lot of depth and detail and with much deliberation the struggles of the main protagonist growing up and striving to improve herself against the apartheid laws which existed in S. Africa through out most of the 20th century. As a historical piece of writing, it is enlightening and informative for any reader. The 'flashback' style of writing is good for this kind of account. ~ Shrewsbury Words

A compelling read - this book pulls at the heart strings to unravel a symphony of emotions! ~ Suzie Churchill