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The Breadwinners: A Family Saga
An epic family saga set in South Africa. A spurned lover marries for money and ignites a family feud of passion and betrayal that spans three generations. It is New Year's Eve 1924 and Charles McGill is devastated when the woman he loves announces her engagement to Lucas Connelly, his friend and co-worker. Charles drowns his sorrow in drink and seduces Hilde Richter, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. When Hilde finds she is pregnant her father offers to set up the penniless Charles with his own bakery if he will marry her. Charles readily agrees and, unknown to Hilde, the two men draw up a contract. It is the beginning of a bitter rivalry between Charles, Lucas Connelly, and Miles Davenport their former employer. A rivalry that fractures families, tests love and loyalty, and comes at a cost that Charles could never have imagined. The Breadwinners covers six decades and leads us through the successes and failures of the three families as they survive the great depression, the war years and the isolation of South Africa.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
404 pages, Paperback
Published December 19, 2010
11 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Jan Hurst-Nicholson
22 books49 followersJan Hurst-Nicholson has been writing for about 25 years. Her articles, humorous articles and short stories have appeared in South African and overseas magazines and these were compiled into a book: ‘Something to Read on the Plane’ a bit of light literature, short stories & other fun stuff.
Her first children’s book was ‘Leon Chameleon PI and the case of the missing canary eggs’ published by Gecko Books, and was one of Bookchat’s 1993 South African Books of the Year. This was followed by ‘Leon Chameleon PI and the case of the kidnapped mouse’ (both now available as e-books on Amazon) ‘Leon Chameleon PI and the case of the bottled bat’ is awaiting publication. These are humorous, animal, detective stories set in a nature reserve.
‘Bheki and the Magic Light,’ which tells of a rural child’s fascination with a torch, was published by Penguin SA.
‘Jake,’ was published by Cambridge University Press.
The Race (an inspirational story for LEFT-HANDERS)is now avilable as an e-book
Born in the UK, Jan emigrated from Liverpool to South Africa in the 1970s. Her experiences moving to a new continent were the inspiration for her humorous novel ‘But Can You Drink The Water?’ which was a semi-finalist (top 50 out of 5000) in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
This is now available on Amazon as a Kindle digital book and has sold over 15 000 copies.
Jan worked in the R&D department of a large bakery for several years, and this gave her the idea for ‘The Breadwinners,’ a family saga spanning 50 years and set in Durban. This is now available on Amazon as a Kindle digital book.
Jan has also written a YA novel, Mystery at Ocean Drive, which was a runner-up in the 2010 Citizen/Pan MacMillan YA novel award, and is now available as a Kindle digital book.
Jan's latest novel is "With the Headmaster's Approval" a contemporary story set in the UK,
Jan has also written a non-fiction book. PUBLIC SPEAKING - Banish the Butterflies. A must-read for anyone involved with public speaking.
Jan’s writing also appears in ‘Edge Words’ (20 stories from the Cheshire Prize for Literature 2006) published by University of Chester, ‘Chicken Soup for the Caregiver's Soul’ and ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul 101 best stories On Being a Parent,’ and ‘Summer Shorts’.
Her first children’s book was ‘Leon Chameleon PI and the case of the missing canary eggs’ published by Gecko Books, and was one of Bookchat’s 1993 South African Books of the Year. This was followed by ‘Leon Chameleon PI and the case of the kidnapped mouse’ (both now available as e-books on Amazon) ‘Leon Chameleon PI and the case of the bottled bat’ is awaiting publication. These are humorous, animal, detective stories set in a nature reserve.
‘Bheki and the Magic Light,’ which tells of a rural child’s fascination with a torch, was published by Penguin SA.
‘Jake,’ was published by Cambridge University Press.
The Race (an inspirational story for LEFT-HANDERS)is now avilable as an e-book
Born in the UK, Jan emigrated from Liverpool to South Africa in the 1970s. Her experiences moving to a new continent were the inspiration for her humorous novel ‘But Can You Drink The Water?’ which was a semi-finalist (top 50 out of 5000) in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
This is now available on Amazon as a Kindle digital book and has sold over 15 000 copies.
Jan worked in the R&D department of a large bakery for several years, and this gave her the idea for ‘The Breadwinners,’ a family saga spanning 50 years and set in Durban. This is now available on Amazon as a Kindle digital book.
Jan has also written a YA novel, Mystery at Ocean Drive, which was a runner-up in the 2010 Citizen/Pan MacMillan YA novel award, and is now available as a Kindle digital book.
Jan's latest novel is "With the Headmaster's Approval" a contemporary story set in the UK,
Jan has also written a non-fiction book. PUBLIC SPEAKING - Banish the Butterflies. A must-read for anyone involved with public speaking.
Jan’s writing also appears in ‘Edge Words’ (20 stories from the Cheshire Prize for Literature 2006) published by University of Chester, ‘Chicken Soup for the Caregiver's Soul’ and ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul 101 best stories On Being a Parent,’ and ‘Summer Shorts’.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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August 9, 2014Unrated review by fellow-author and online acquaintance
Jan Hurst-Nicholson's The Breadwinners is a family saga set among three baking dynasties in and around Durban, South Africa. The saga extends from the mid-Twenties through to the Sixties (or maybe the Seventies) and follows that timeline with few jumps forward. This results in a text that rushes through the ambitious timeline and leaves little time for development. As a consequence you learn a lot about who had a baby and who married whom, but there is disappointingly little detail about the evolving social context outside the narrow confines of the Durban baking industry. That social context involved the rise of the National Party and the creation of the apartheid system yet the only politics mentioned are about South Africa's limited role in World War Two.
The novel is billed as a family saga and it reads like a business-centred soap opera for which there is a considerable market. It would been improved if it had been written as a series of novels or if some of the timeline was omitted, because it is all a bit rushed. It will not appeal so much to readers of historical fiction as the historical context (aside from World War Two) is restricted to developments in the baking industry. This contrast between a family-focused saga and historical fiction is starkest when the cast of characters is considered: they are all white. There are black servants and bakery workers but they have few lines to utter in this drama that includes the period of the Sharpeville Massacre.
This novel will appeal most to those who are comfortable reading a story about South Africa told from a purely white perspective and who relish details about pregnancies and family squabbles. If you are seeking political comment or enlightenment about the history of South Africa in the mid-Twentieth Century you should look elsewhere. Those readers who relish business-centred soap operas may find this to be their cup of (redbush) tea, but would probably prefer the baked goods to come with a more substantial filling than the over-ambitious timeline allows for.
© Mercia McMahon 2014
Jan Hurst-Nicholson's The Breadwinners is a family saga set among three baking dynasties in and around Durban, South Africa. The saga extends from the mid-Twenties through to the Sixties (or maybe the Seventies) and follows that timeline with few jumps forward. This results in a text that rushes through the ambitious timeline and leaves little time for development. As a consequence you learn a lot about who had a baby and who married whom, but there is disappointingly little detail about the evolving social context outside the narrow confines of the Durban baking industry. That social context involved the rise of the National Party and the creation of the apartheid system yet the only politics mentioned are about South Africa's limited role in World War Two.
The novel is billed as a family saga and it reads like a business-centred soap opera for which there is a considerable market. It would been improved if it had been written as a series of novels or if some of the timeline was omitted, because it is all a bit rushed. It will not appeal so much to readers of historical fiction as the historical context (aside from World War Two) is restricted to developments in the baking industry. This contrast between a family-focused saga and historical fiction is starkest when the cast of characters is considered: they are all white. There are black servants and bakery workers but they have few lines to utter in this drama that includes the period of the Sharpeville Massacre.
This novel will appeal most to those who are comfortable reading a story about South Africa told from a purely white perspective and who relish details about pregnancies and family squabbles. If you are seeking political comment or enlightenment about the history of South Africa in the mid-Twentieth Century you should look elsewhere. Those readers who relish business-centred soap operas may find this to be their cup of (redbush) tea, but would probably prefer the baked goods to come with a more substantial filling than the over-ambitious timeline allows for.
© Mercia McMahon 2014
July 5, 2011
Love, passion, family rivalries and ruthless business dealings combine to make `The Breadwinners', by South African Indie writer, Jan Hurst-Nicholson, a totally absorbing family saga.
The novel explores the lives of three South African families, each involved in the bakery industry. It spans three generations and is set against a backdrop of 20th century world events.
Similar novels of the family saga genre often feature families whose wealth has been generated through banking, multi-national corporations or genealogy. Hurst-Nicholson, who was previously employed in research and technology in the South African baking industry, has stuck to the adage: write about what you are familiar with, and her experience has added a refreshing authenticity to her description of the setting. This is further supported by the use of colloquial terms, the meaning of which is generally clear from the context or by using the Kindle dictionary.
Characterization is one of this novel's strong points and each of the many characters is fully fleshed out. There are some excellent examples of imagery, concise descriptive detail and a strong emphasis on characterization through verbs not adjectives, or 'show not tell'.
If a fault or blemish had to be identified, it might be the somewhat abrupt ending of the novel. While it was appropriate, I was left hoping for more and I sincerely hope the author is considering a sequel.
If you enjoy the work of Barbara Taylor Bradford, Belva Plain and Catherine Gaskin then you will enjoy `The Breadwinners' as well.
An enjoyable and engrossing read. Four stars.
The novel explores the lives of three South African families, each involved in the bakery industry. It spans three generations and is set against a backdrop of 20th century world events.
Similar novels of the family saga genre often feature families whose wealth has been generated through banking, multi-national corporations or genealogy. Hurst-Nicholson, who was previously employed in research and technology in the South African baking industry, has stuck to the adage: write about what you are familiar with, and her experience has added a refreshing authenticity to her description of the setting. This is further supported by the use of colloquial terms, the meaning of which is generally clear from the context or by using the Kindle dictionary.
Characterization is one of this novel's strong points and each of the many characters is fully fleshed out. There are some excellent examples of imagery, concise descriptive detail and a strong emphasis on characterization through verbs not adjectives, or 'show not tell'.
If a fault or blemish had to be identified, it might be the somewhat abrupt ending of the novel. While it was appropriate, I was left hoping for more and I sincerely hope the author is considering a sequel.
If you enjoy the work of Barbara Taylor Bradford, Belva Plain and Catherine Gaskin then you will enjoy `The Breadwinners' as well.
An enjoyable and engrossing read. Four stars.
April 10, 2019
I really enjoyed this book about a 3 generation family who are in the bread making occupation. They tell the story of being in competition basically with 2 other families in the industry. It was a good read but I kept having to go back to the first chapter to see who was realated to who. There is a lot of discord among the families. The author did her best I guess, to get the story out there.
January 24, 2013
It was depressing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews