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sarlope12's review against another edition
Don’t mind me bawling my eyes out at this very fascinating but complex novel.
flappermyrtle's review against another edition
3.0
It wouldn't be quite right to say I enjoyed reading The Story of an African Farm. Having read Jane Eyre and Jude the Obscure in the past weeks, I opened this novel more or less expecting it to be another Victorian narrative. Instead, I found a novel that was at times reminiscent of Modernist writing in its mixing of forms - one chapter might be quite traditional, while the next might be a parable worked into the original story - as well as its characters, time lapses, and approach to major themes like religion and feminism. Schreiner here also attempted to describe things never described before in the English literature, namely the African landscape that is such a major player in the novel in itself; it is vast and small at the same time, and eventually utterly elusive, but Schreiner has certainly managed to capture its grimness, the empty space, the hopelessness.
The characters are nothing like straightforward Victorian people, either. Waldo and Lyndall, the two protagonists (if there are such in this novel) seem to be people ahead of their time, struggling with the society they live in, and losing badly. Lyndall is often said to be the first truly feminist character in English literature, and I can see that from her speeches on women's liberty and her stance on marriage. Despite this, I did not sympathise with her. Apart from the many tragic characters in The Story of an African Farm, there are also several almost slapstick comedic characters like Tant' Sannie - the thinkers are punished, the oblivious are allowed to continue on seems to be a rule of thumb.
Reading The Story of an African Farm was, therefore, unexpectedly challenging, since as a reader I wished to impose some sort of sensible framework upon it and try to understand all that was going on in the lives of characters involved, and of course did not succeed. I feel this is a book you can come back to again and again, and it will give up something new every time you reread it.
The characters are nothing like straightforward Victorian people, either. Waldo and Lyndall, the two protagonists (if there are such in this novel) seem to be people ahead of their time, struggling with the society they live in, and losing badly. Lyndall is often said to be the first truly feminist character in English literature, and I can see that from her speeches on women's liberty and her stance on marriage. Despite this, I did not sympathise with her. Apart from the many tragic characters in The Story of an African Farm, there are also several almost slapstick comedic characters like Tant' Sannie - the thinkers are punished, the oblivious are allowed to continue on seems to be a rule of thumb.
Reading The Story of an African Farm was, therefore, unexpectedly challenging, since as a reader I wished to impose some sort of sensible framework upon it and try to understand all that was going on in the lives of characters involved, and of course did not succeed. I feel this is a book you can come back to again and again, and it will give up something new every time you reread it.
delimeatz's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
it was a book. interesting how they were able to have a plot occur in africa with only white characters, that was pretty cool. read for my victorian women class
alecjira's review against another edition
2.0
Schreiner somehow manages to be both feminist and racist simultaneously in this novel, and while advocating for women's rights in the 19th century is admirable, the fact that no person of colour is even given a name is inexcusable. Furthermore, the novel would have been a whole lot better had Bonaparte Blenkins been more than a mere caricature of a villain.
pinkjelly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chantekotze's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vanyavampi118's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read it for university. Would not have picked it for myself. It wasn't bad, but characters don't develop a lot and I didn't enjoy the colonist setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
bookmarkhoarder's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
emma_behrens_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Olive Schreiner’s The Story of an African Farm was the fourth text I read for my class on 19th-century fiction, and it was one of the most intellectually stimulating.
The narrative follows Lyndall and Waldo, two children in late-19th-century South Africa who are wise beyond their years. The (somewhat disjointed) plot of the novel revolves around the relationship between these characters and how they philosophically grapple with the world around them, primarily in terms of gender and metaphysics. A rotating cast of characters populate the narrative, their actions supplementing the philosophical conversation at the heart of the text.
The novel’s rather experimental style was at times a strength and at times a hindrance to its storytelling. The novel is told chronologically in two books, the story often devolving into allegories, anecdotes, and monologues. Schreiner’s ideology and messages are quite progressive (the only exception being her view on race), and her work is a part-deist, part-modernist, and part-agnostic look at the world. The minds of her characters are fascinating to inhabit, and I would recommend this novel to anyone looking to be challenged.
erweatherburn's review against another edition
3.0
The Story of an African Farm is a curious book. It is beautifully written and, for the most part, is quite compelling. Yet it is split into two very distinct halves. In the first half, Em, Lyndall and Waldo are young children. They encounter an exciting (and devastating) adventure with a terrifying villain called Bonaparte. This story has a beginning, a climax, and, finally, a conclusion; it is a story in itself, and, as I was reading, I felt as though the book should have been split into two short stories. By the second half, much time has passed; the children have become adults and Bonaparte is now a distant memory. It is in this half which many of the feminist ideals are presented, which, again, makes it feel very separate from the first half of the novel.
The feminist aspects of this book are worth mentioning, for they draw in a lot of readers. I won’t deny that this book does contain feminist ideals: it does, but they leave a lot to be desired. Lyndall essentially refuses to marry. She knows that, in marrying, she will be making herself a slave to her husband, so she resolves never to marry. She explains this reasoning to Waldo, making great, moving speeches about the importance of female autonomy. Yet despite these proclamations, Lyndall turns out to be a bit of a romantic; her beliefs are strong, but she begins to struggle with them when she falls in love. In a sense, her actions after this point contradict with the strong messages she presented to Waldo. This disparity makes it very difficult to admire Lyndall. Perhaps she is a woman before her time, because, despite her claims to independence, she begins to doubt herself – along with her ideals. The result is that The Story of an African Farm becomes interesting from a critical point of view, but, as a story, it’s quite difficult to love.
This book is also extremely religious; throughout both the first and the second half of the novel, Waldo is questioning his spirituality and his belief in God. He goes further than simple questions of existence, though; Waldo also asks what type of God there is – does he believe in the unforgiving God of the Old Testament, or the more compassionate God of the New Testament? Waldo spends his entire life in a state of religious turmoil, which can seem a little alienating in terms of the story. There is an entire chapter spent discussing Waldo’s religious beliefs, which, honestly, seems a little excessive.
Yet despite the negative aspects of this book, there was still a lot I loved about it. I have already mentioned the language, but the descriptions in this book truly are beautiful. I also appreciated just how unusual it is; for one thing, there is the fact it was written by a woman; for another, there is the fact that this is an imperialist novel disguised as something far more innocent. The farm is served by a number of African natives who, it can be surmised, are kept on the farm as slaves. They are not at all the focus of the novel, but they are very present within the narrative, and it is interesting to consider the ways that they sink into the background, unappreciated by readers because they are unappreciated by the owners of the farm – they are presented in the way that they would have been viewed during this period: as furniture. They are not given names, characters, or even many actions; they merely exist, which, unfortunately, was the reality for a lot of native Africans during the expansion of the British Empire.
There’s nothing quite like The Story of an African Farm; it is exceptionally unusual, and, for this reason, it is a story I can recommend. At the same time, though, it is not the easiest classic to read, and so I would advise putting it down unless you are prepared for page after page of questions regarding feminism and Christianity.
The feminist aspects of this book are worth mentioning, for they draw in a lot of readers. I won’t deny that this book does contain feminist ideals: it does, but they leave a lot to be desired. Lyndall essentially refuses to marry. She knows that, in marrying, she will be making herself a slave to her husband, so she resolves never to marry. She explains this reasoning to Waldo, making great, moving speeches about the importance of female autonomy. Yet despite these proclamations, Lyndall turns out to be a bit of a romantic; her beliefs are strong, but she begins to struggle with them when she falls in love. In a sense, her actions after this point contradict with the strong messages she presented to Waldo. This disparity makes it very difficult to admire Lyndall. Perhaps she is a woman before her time, because, despite her claims to independence, she begins to doubt herself – along with her ideals. The result is that The Story of an African Farm becomes interesting from a critical point of view, but, as a story, it’s quite difficult to love.
This book is also extremely religious; throughout both the first and the second half of the novel, Waldo is questioning his spirituality and his belief in God. He goes further than simple questions of existence, though; Waldo also asks what type of God there is – does he believe in the unforgiving God of the Old Testament, or the more compassionate God of the New Testament? Waldo spends his entire life in a state of religious turmoil, which can seem a little alienating in terms of the story. There is an entire chapter spent discussing Waldo’s religious beliefs, which, honestly, seems a little excessive.
Yet despite the negative aspects of this book, there was still a lot I loved about it. I have already mentioned the language, but the descriptions in this book truly are beautiful. I also appreciated just how unusual it is; for one thing, there is the fact it was written by a woman; for another, there is the fact that this is an imperialist novel disguised as something far more innocent. The farm is served by a number of African natives who, it can be surmised, are kept on the farm as slaves. They are not at all the focus of the novel, but they are very present within the narrative, and it is interesting to consider the ways that they sink into the background, unappreciated by readers because they are unappreciated by the owners of the farm – they are presented in the way that they would have been viewed during this period: as furniture. They are not given names, characters, or even many actions; they merely exist, which, unfortunately, was the reality for a lot of native Africans during the expansion of the British Empire.
There’s nothing quite like The Story of an African Farm; it is exceptionally unusual, and, for this reason, it is a story I can recommend. At the same time, though, it is not the easiest classic to read, and so I would advise putting it down unless you are prepared for page after page of questions regarding feminism and Christianity.