The Girl from Simon's Bay

By: Barbara Mutch

Narrated by: Chipo Chung

A seashell, a sealed letter from a tenuous connection to a forbidden wartime romance...

Union of South Africa, 1937: Louise Ahrendts, daughter of a shipbuilder, nurtures the idea that through hard work, she could step beyond a destiny of domestic service. When the Second World War breaks out and the port becomes a hub of activity, Louise's path crosses with that of Lieutenant David Horrocks. Despite the gulf in their backgrounds, Louise and David are determined to be together. But as the end of the war approaches, will they find their way back to each other?

©2017 Barbara Mutch Ltd (P)2017 W.F. Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"I found her writing gripping and soul searching." (Leah Fleming, author of The Last Pearl)
"The work of a born storyteller." ( Sydney Morning Herald)

Narration

Chipo Chang’s voice & English narration is beautiful & flawless, however I encourage practicing South African words & phrases prior to narration.

Beautiful

What a sad story and to make us realize the sins of the past…. Ended beautifully…. Beautifully written…. Just loved it.

Epic love story

Narrator superb made this story
Honestly this caught me on so many
Levels! Such a love story so profound the author wrote so beautifully. Didn’t want it to end confused about why David had a child with his wife who he was in love with Louise? (Oops) changed the whole storyline

Like

The description of the life in early 20th century in Simon’s Bay is very good

Emotional Masterpiece

I enjoyed every moment of the story, although, as a South African, it spoke to my conscience. The author mainly avoided stereo types, so often found in books on this subject. Perhaps the nature descriptions, crucial to the content, were too long and detracted from the pace of the book. The narrator disappointed however. She never managed the South African accent, in fact the Scottish matron had the best SA accent. The few Afrikaans words used, were sadly mispronounced.