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A review by drewsy
Ladysmith by Giles Foden
3.0
This book tells the story of the siege of Ladysmith during the Boer war. I found the book quite slow and laborious to start off with, but after a bit of perseverance things do start to pick up. Following several different characters, the reader gets a good impression of what life was like during the siege; it was pretty grim for natives, colonists and soldiers alike. However because of the flitting back and forth between characters, it is hard to feel any particular connection to any of them.
What Ladysmith does do successfully is portray how the Boer war was the point of a changing tide from old Colonial values, and also how Britain's struggle to maintain control of southern Africa changed how we were perceived by other nations, eventually leading to the decline of the Empire.
What Ladysmith does do successfully is portray how the Boer war was the point of a changing tide from old Colonial values, and also how Britain's struggle to maintain control of southern Africa changed how we were perceived by other nations, eventually leading to the decline of the Empire.