What people are saying about Then a Wind Blew
“The tragedy of the war for Zimbabwean independence seen from both sides – a great work.” SALLY ROSCHNIK (daughter of Guy Clutton-Brock, founder of the multiracial co-operative Cold Comfort Farm in what was Rhodesia, later imprisoned, then deported from the country in 1971)
“We who were close to it saw the Zimbabwean conflict as a man’s war. There is no such thing, and Kay Powell has channelled the voices to tell us so: women’s voices, with sad, brave, moving songs on their lips. How did we not hear them?” MATTHEW PARRIS (columnist for The Times, and radio and TV presenter)
“A fascinating, ambitious and brave novel that will leave a lasting impression on the reader.” BRIAN CHIKWAVA (winner of the 2004 Caine Prize, and author of the widely acclaimed Harare North, Jonathan Cape, 2009)
“Kay Powell’s novel about women who were trapped in the brutality of the war for Zimbabwean independence, and tormented by it, is both compelling and important; their voices are now alive in this extraordinary and moving book.” PETA THORNYCROFT (South African-based correspondent for, inter alia, The Daily Telegraph and Voice of America)
“This is a unique and important book about the Zimbabwean conflict which ended in 1979 – a searingly poignant reminder that women on all sides often bear the brunt of wars, waged mainly by men. It is also relevant to the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe; a clarion call for women to act assertively to prevent the excesses of violent men.” SENATOR DAVID COLTART (co-founder of MDC, Zimbabwe’s opposition party; MDC MP 2000-2008; elected to the Senate in 2008)
“Then a Wind Blew is an excellent read. Not an easy topic to write on, especially getting everything accurate and realistic, while still telling a gripping story, but Kay Powell succeeds admirably. I couldn’t put it down. Fiction is often a better vehicle than history books if it can get it right – this novel really does that.” MARY NDLOVU (human rights campaigner, teacher and historian; during the war, lived in exile in Zambia with her husband, a Zimbabwean nationalist)
“Kay Powell writes with the authority and love of one who knows the territory intimately. In Then a Wind Blew, her Africa comes to life on the page, its brilliant landscape darkened with the fear of war, the threat of violence, and the sadness of shattered hopes. A moving and illuminating novel. LEE LANGLEY (multi-award-winning novelist, regular book reviewer for The Spectator, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature)
“Then a Wind Blew asks us to look away from images of war as the expression of male heroism in order to hear women tell the bitter truths about war. It traces the lives of three women caught up in the war for Zimbabwe’s independence. Powell gives a multi-faceted view to the war through the lives of these women who come from different but interconnected worlds. BRITTLE PAPER https://brittlepaper.com/2021/06/women-tell-the-truth-about-war-in-kay-powells-then-the-wind-blew/
“This is an honest endeavour to tell the story of the human drama that affected everybody, black and white and in-between, during that highly traumatic period when standpoints and tensions were ratcheted up to breaking point… For anyone who has tried to understand the story of Zimbabwe and also make sense of what happened after independence, as well as what is happening today, I say read Then a Wind Blew.” NEW AFRICAN magazine (review by Baffour Ankomah, Editor at Large)https://newafricanmagazine.com/27403/
“Then a Wind Blew is a beautiful book which traces the final, tragic year of the Zimbabwe independence war through the eyes of three women with very different perspectives of life and war in pre-independence Zimbabwe. It exposes, at a deeply personal level, the toll that war exacts on all involved and it provides real insight into the enduring legacy that Zimbabwe’s war still imposes on its people.” THE HOUSE (magazine of the UK House of Lords; one of the three novels recommended by Lord Oates to his colleagues) https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/recommended-reading-parliamentarians-books-christmas-2021
“For anyone interested in Africa, and especially Zimbabwe, this is a book they should read. Personal, yet cleverly capturing the effect on all women of living in a war zone, it gives you a strong sense of being in Zimbabwe. And it will undoubtedly make you want to go there.” KATE HOEY (Baroness Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin; former Chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe)
“Then a Wind Blew is a beautiful and evocative book that traces the final, tragic year of the Zimbabwe independence war through the eyes of three women with very different perspectives and experiences of life and war in pre-independence Zimbabwe. Its genius is its very personal perspective and its refusal to take sides, letting the reader see the situation in the round and leaving them to come to their own judgements. If you want to understand the full tragedy of the bush war, the terrible toll it exacted on all involved and the enduring legacy it still imposes on this beautiful country and its wonderful people, please read this book. A beautifully written and haunting story that will stay with me for a long time to come.” JONNY OATES (Lord Oates of Denby Grange; current Co-Chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe)
“Then a Wind Blew is a beautiful narrative written in a sober and structured style. Based on true facts, deep research work and personal experience, Kay Powell’s writing is a very promising first novel in the line of Doris Lessing’s legacy of writing on Zimbabwe.” THE AFRICAN BOOK REVIEW https://theafricanbookreview.com
“A must-read for all who are brave enough to consider and reconsider the prickly truths of the guerrilla struggle from the diversely provocative and evocative frames of reference of female voices of war.” MOSI-OA-TUNYA LITERARY REVIEW www.mosioatunyareview.com/blog
“Absorbing and haunting… Then a Wind Blew is atmospheric, lyrical, poignant and enlightening, made all the more engaging by the distinct and captivating voices of the three women whose lives and experiences [of the Rhodesia/Zimbabwe war] it lays bare.” LOVEREADING (leading UK book recommendation website) https://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/9781779223838/isbn/Then-a-Wind-Blew-by-Kay-Powell.html
“In a similar way to Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s novel Half of a Yellow Sun, Kay Powell concentrates on the female experience of civil war… Here, the three women’s stories of everyday lives in war tell us wider stories about society and politics in Rhodesia. It’s not an easy book to read, but it shouldn’t be. It should make us uncomfortable. It should be harrowing. This is what it takes to put across the horrors of war. War is harrowing, and knowing these experiences come from factual accounts and from an author who has lived there gives the story authenticity and makes it hit home even more strongly… The love the author has for the country shines out of the pages, with vivid descriptions of nature and the weather… adding to the sadness that such a beautiful country is being torn apart. The way her writing is so lyrical one moment, then so raw and brutal, really brings home the horrors of conflict… I was left with an aching sadness for the people who lived through this war and the turbulent years since. This is a book that has made me think and will stay with me.” @hayleylotusflo1 (a leading UK book blogger, a participant in June 2021 Blog Tour arranged by @RandomTours) For full review, go to: https://lotuswritingtherapy.com/2021/06/15/then-a-wind-blew-by-kay-powell/
“A compelling read… The writing is well-judged and powerful [and] there is some wonderful imagery… This is a thought-provoking and memorable book which both shocked and educated me in relation to the history of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.” @iheartbooks1991 (a leading UK book blogger, a participant in June 2021 Blog Tour arranged by @RandomTours) For full review, go to: https://cerislittleblog.home.blog/2021/06/10/then-a-wind-blew-by-kay-powell/
“What a beautiful and emotional story! Quite a short book, with just over 200 pages, but such an incredible story packed into it… A must for anyone looking for a story written with a lot of heart, a lot of knowledge.” @speckybooknerd (a leading UK book blogger, a participant in June 2021 Blog Tour arranged by @RandomTours) For full review, go to: https://www.instagram.com/speckybooknerd/
“Then a Wind Blew is a beautifully written novel… Kay Powell has given us the view of war from a mainly female perspective, something not thought of as a norm… A poignant tale of the horrific struggles of one country and the consequences for the people of that country. A novel that will stay with me for a long time.” @ShazzieRimmel (a leading UK book blogger, a participant in June 2021 Blog Tour arranged by @RandomTours) For full review, go to: https://sharonbeyondthebooks.wordpress.com/2021/06/14/kay-powell-then-a-wind-blew/
“This is a beautifully written novel and despite the harrowing story that it tells, a very enjoyable read. The author grew up in what was then known as Rhodesia and it’s very clear that she has a deep rooted love for the country as this shines through in the wonderfully vivid descriptions of the landscape. … What sets this book apart from other war based novels is the fact that it focuses on the conflict from a predominantly female perspective. This was a first for me and until I read this book, was a point of view that I had given little or no consideration to, but one which needs to be talked about when you take into account all of the conflicts currently happening in various places around the world. …A truly haunting novel that will stay with me for many months to come.” @lilac_hippo (a leading UK book blogger) For full review, go to: https://thehaphazardoushippo.blogspot.com/2021/05/then-wind-blew-kay-powell.html; also on https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2635548-neats
“Kay Powell’s novel is an absorbing story, with many references to historical conflicts and atrocities … This exciting debut novel captures accurately the mood of anticipation from the black population and despondency from the white population in Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was born… …(and) can with pride take its place on the shelves of Zimbabwean literature…” PAT BRICKHILL (Zimbabwean author and activist) https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/new-novel-charts-liberation-war-through-womens-eyes , and in June 2021 newsletter of the British Zimbabwe Society’s ‘Zimbabwe Review’
“A complex novel which depicts the final turbulent months of war in Rhodesia, before its transition into Zimbabwe… Using the voices of the three women, the author manages to successfully interweave a number of key themes, primarily the fight of the indigenous black population for independence from the Europeans.” NB MAGAZINE https://nbmagazine.co.uk/then-a-wind-blew-by-kay-powell/
“Kay Powell wanted to explain the Rhodesian/Zimbabwean war to her daughters, so she wrote a powerful and thought-provoking novel based on the totally different lives of three women caught up in ‘the pity of war’. Through the voices of these women, the complexities of war – what they are fighting for, the influence of politics and propaganda – impact on their lives in ways that, unless experienced, are hard to fathom…. War is a universal theme, and many women – and men – will relate to the complexities of war and civilian life. Kay Powell balances the harshness of these women’s lives against her beautiful descriptions of the country, reminding one of the splendours of nature.” LESLEY CRIPPS THOMSON https://www.africatalked.co.za/novels-fiction/
“Kay Powell’s Then a Wind Blew is important. It seeks to show how war affects the lives of women in particular, and so in a sense it is a universal novel, addressing a universal theme which is too often ignored. The author sets her novel in the last years and months of Rhodesia before independence and the birth of Zimbabwe. The gradual and increasing interplay between the war and civilian life is charted – the distressing sense of displacement…. This is a writerly feat – balancing pacey story-telling with historical and social context and providing us with insights into the swirling politics around race and restitution; the savagery of a guerrilla war; the inevitability of it all.” DUNCAN BAIRD (international publisher) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56664755-then-a-wind-blew
“This is a very well-told story of the conflict in the dying days of Rhodesia. It is not seeking to judge who was right or wrong but, rather, focusses on the victims, in particular the three women protagonists. It invites our sympathy while avoiding mawkishness and makes for a rewarding read.” https://www/amazon.co.uk
“Really enjoyed this book after being recommended to me by a friend. It’s a period of history that I know little about (had to Google a few things!) but it is very sensitively told with well-developed characters. Very thought-provoking in the current political climate, too.” https://www/amazon.co.uk
“A deeply sad story told with consummate skill and order. The brutality of that bush war and its effect on both black and settler communities, so horribly vivid. Neither side is spared.The dialogue between these stressed people whips off the page. And I loved the flights of freedom and hope the birds of the region give us throughout the book.” ROBIN ELLIS (actor, best known for playing Ross Poldark in the BBC 1970s series of ‘Poldark’)
“Kay Powell does for Rhodesia/Zimbabwe what Paul Scott did for the British Raj… I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the dive into the demise of white-ruled Rhodesia and the bloody birth of Zimbabwe.The events are set in the critical transitional period of the late 1970s and early 1980. The interwoven stories are told through the eyes of three women whose lives are all deeply marked by the ugly bush war. I was reminded of Paul Scott’s Jewel in the Crown. Like Scott, Kay Powell writes intertwined, deeply-human tales set against a background of historic changes. She has a good eye for the telling detail and a fine ear for dialogue. The characters are memorable, making for a gripping read. Kay Powell grew up in Rhodesia and has a firm grip on her material.” MEREDITH WHEELER (formerly a writer/ producer for ABC News, New York/London) https://www.amazon.co.uk
“I thought this was an excellent albeit distressing read. It is very well researched, honest and brave. Kay Powell writes like an artist who paints not because she wants to sell her paintings, but because it is an expression of truth.” JUDY CARTER (charities worker, Zimbabwe)
“What a tale! I was transported to Rhodesia and met Susan Haig. There was so much poignancy in the telling of the story. It was a hard read, especially the description of the massacre. Kay Powell has pulled off a great, if at times, painful read. What a heroine in Nyanye I see a film!” LIBBY FAWBERT (formerly a reporter for BBC Radio 4 programmes ‘The World at One’ and ‘PM’)
“Not for the faint-hearted, this is a compelling read. It reeks with authenticity; the author captures the complexity of the political situation in Rhodesia at the end of the seventies and weaves it into a gripping story.” https://www/amazon.co.uk
“Motherhood, sisterhood, faith in God and in yourself, and the fight to take back what is yours form a memorable narrative, rich in beautiful descriptions of the natural environment, depicted in lyrical and raw writing that flows without being shocking just for the sake of exposition.” AMALIA GKAVEA (‘The Opinionated Reader‘) https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
“This was most certainly an eye-opener of a book for me, also heartbreaking in so many ways. Very well written and so very hard to put down once you have started. But it very much exposed to me how little I know of life in this country at the time, something I should really rectify.” FIONA SHARP (Twitter book blogger/reviewer) https://www.waterstones.com/books/reviews/isbn/9781779223838#review-187715
SEE ALSO: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56664755-then-a-wind-blew
What people said about What Not to Write
“As with a missing button or a split fingernail, the English reader’s eye goes straight to the small slips in written language. Judgements can be formed on the basis of a single, trivial error. Here’s how to avoid this.” MATTHEW PARRIS (author, columnist and broadcaster)
“A little gem of a reference book for every office.” PETER SUTHERLAND (former Chairman of BP p.l.c.)
“What Not to Write is useful and fun – a rare combination.” HUGH SYKES (BBC correspondent and Sony News Journalist of the Year, 2004 and 2005)
“Today’s employers demand high standards of written English. This comprehensive guide addresses those areas that cause problems in offices everywhere. An essential tool!” SIR DIGBY JONES (former Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry [CBI])
See also https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21276085-what-not-to-write where you’ll find such comments as:
“My all-time favourite English guide book. Easy to read and very useful for daily life for work!”
“Everyone must have this book. Writing is a way of showing your own style. Yet some general and updated guidelines make your writing more attractive!”
“A simple and direct guide to improve English, this book identifies common grammatical mistakes. Additionally, the author explains most of the rationale behind the corrections with negative examples. The 100+ pages in this book would equip authors with tools to write concisely.”
“I remember purchasing this small text in 2008 to help me write better at university. I read it every now and then because there are some grammatical puzzles that stay with me. I highly recommend for all especially students.”
“I loved this book…Yes…I did excel in Advanced Composition (Thank you Mr. Santon at KCHS) and Grammar at University, BUT I have been making mistakes…Now, to improve further!”
“It’s condensed and concise. I like it since I saw it came in hard cover.”
Kay Powell 