Tarnished Idols: Another Novel in the 'Stories from South Africa' (Paperback)

by Marie Warder (Author) "The den in Jeanne deVilliers' Johannesburg home virtually overflows with books..." (more)
Key Phrases: Rayne Cilliers, Nick de Villiers, Uncle Lewis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Oh for the days when chastity was a virtue! -- Bertha le Grange: Youth Counsellor

One of the most captivating novels ever to see the light of day. -- Good Hope Book Choice Award

There is plenty of action and drama in this gripping and convincing narrative… -- Amalgamated Press (S.A.) Ltd.

Product Description
"No mortal is perfect enough to be idolized." Around this proven adage, Marie Warder has woven a gripping tale — a story in which pure love and flaming passion are interchanged with venomous envy and bitter hatred. Against the background of a newspaper office in Johannesburg, and an engineering construction camp in the Orange Free State, a gifted young girl's enduring devotion to a WW2 pilot unltimately exposes her to bitter envy and consuming hatred. In convincing manner, the writer relates the story from the point of view of Paul Jansen, the man who sincerely loved the beautiful Jeanne, but could never be more than a brother to her. The reason? Jeanne already worships another man — an idol with "feet of clay". Her initial adoration and later struggle against this "idol" make for an intensely moving story, sensitively recorded. Marie Warder has a deep knowledge of mankind with all its urges and weaknesses, and her characters are always convincingly portrayed. Here we meet people as we all know them—we see constant misunderstandings that undermine marital happiness, and jealousy that estranges friends. In short: You have in your hand a book you will find difficult to put down.

Publisher's Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dromedaris Books (May 31, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0921966075
• ISBN-13: 978-0921966074
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,833,789 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fascinating book by Marie Warder, June 10, 2005

By	Mary M. Otto (Canada) - See all my reviews

Her characters are so real you want to shake them because of some of the antics they indulge in. She has woven another gripping tale - set in her beautiful South Africa - which is difficult to put down. She is a keen observer of human frailty and most, if not all, her characters are based on people she has known. The course of true love certainly does not run smooth, but the author manages to bring all the characters into their right places by the end. Enjoy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fascinating book by Marie Warder, June 9, 2005

By	Mary M. Otto (Canada) - See all my reviews

Her characters are so real that you want to shake them because of some of the antics they indulge in. Again she has woven a gripping tale - set in her beautiful South Africa - which is difficult to put down.

She is a keen observer of human frailty and most,if not all,her characters are based on people she has known. The course of true love certainly does not run smooth, but the author always manages to bring all the characters into their right places by the end.

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid picture of human realtionaships., July 19, 2006

By	Baruch Levy (Cape Town, South Africa) - See all my reviews

Following rapidly on the heels of "When you know that you know that you know!" comes 'Tarnished Idols', a story which clearly stems from the writer's early experience as a journalist. As used to be the case with so many of her books written in South Africa, before she immigrated to Canada , it is mainly set in a newspaper office, and provides an absorbing picture of what the production of a daily paper entailed before the advent of computers. She is known to paint human relationships very vividly, and this she does in Tarnished Idols. with an intensity which is, in some ways, a departure from the kind of story she loves to tell. South Africa is at war in the nineteen-forties, and this book deals with the consequences of love at first sight, and the enduring passion of a teenager for an air force pilot.