Website Shorts

Have you visited my website barbaramutch.com recently?

I have been updating it steadily with all the news about my novel, The Housemaid's Daughter and its various translations. However, there are some other snippets that you might find interesting. For example: do you know the background to the novel? The story-behind-the-story? Who or what inspired it? And do you know that the Karoo region of South Africa has a fascinating geological history?

If you were intrigued by the music, then do click on the player to listen to the Raindrop Prelude, which is the signature piano piece by Chopin that the heroine, Ada, plays throughout the book. See if you agree with me that it is an evocative metaphor for her life - and for the joys and agonies of her country.
Ada learns to play the piano at about the same time as she learns to read. She soon begins to sense the wonderful parallels between music and language; how when letters and musical notes congregate into words and melodies, their meanings can shift and change. "Musical notes are like words," she says, early in the book. "They mean one thing when played on their own, and quite another when strung together..."

If you fancy listening to some comment about the book from reviewers, click on one of the radio interviews. They range from the informative to the informal (!) - I will leave you to make your own distinction. In the print media section of the website you will find articles, interviews and pictures that have appeared in the UK and abroad, as the book - and I - have made our way around the world. What an extraordinary journey it is turning out to be!