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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Brilliant, real and terrible in its unabashed sadness. This one will stay with me for a while.
I read this as part of a Back to the Classics challenge for 2016. There are many good reviews on goodreads for this already. I have to agree with the reviews who said it was not an "enjoyable" read or a good-time type of book. The subject matter precludes that - colonialism, racism, the mental breakdown of the main character, her murder at the hands of an African man who worked for her. Be prepared for a direct portrayal of racism in thought and deed.
The story of Mary and Richard Turner on a small farm in colonial South Africa is powerfully presented in economical, vivid prose. Lessing's narrator does not come out and make judgments about the characters of Mary and Richard or their neighbors. We are given enough background to understand them to a certain degree and to understand how they see and hold back from each other. Lessing's ability to capture the desperation and anger and present it in telling gestures or imaginative comparisons really impressed me. While Richard arguably needs Mary much more than she needs him - except that without him, she has no place in society any longer - Mary's wasting away once fully cognizant of her position and her husband's likelihood of success, made me almost want to root for them. That is impressive considering how awful they are towards the Africans who work for them and without whom they could not have attempted to make a living on the farm.
I highly recommend this book and plan to re-read it in a few years time. Now I need to read more fiction having to do with South Africa in general.
The story of Mary and Richard Turner on a small farm in colonial South Africa is powerfully presented in economical, vivid prose. Lessing's narrator does not come out and make judgments about the characters of Mary and Richard or their neighbors. We are given enough background to understand them to a certain degree and to understand how they see and hold back from each other. Lessing's ability to capture the desperation and anger and present it in telling gestures or imaginative comparisons really impressed me. While Richard arguably needs Mary much more than she needs him - except that without him, she has no place in society any longer - Mary's wasting away once fully cognizant of her position and her husband's likelihood of success, made me almost want to root for them. That is impressive considering how awful they are towards the Africans who work for them and without whom they could not have attempted to make a living on the farm.
I highly recommend this book and plan to re-read it in a few years time. Now I need to read more fiction having to do with South Africa in general.
Lo curioso de este libro es que empecé compadeciendo a Mary, luego la odié y al final la volví a compadecer.
El libro comienza con el final, el asesinato de Mary Turner y el libro cuenta toda su vida, desde su infancia hasta el momento inevitable en que su "boy" la asesina. Relata así su horrible y fallido matrimonio con Dick Turner que la arruina y su personalidad orgullosa, retraída y que la lleva a la locura. Y es que mientras más leías sobre lo mal que les iba, y lo desdichada y que comenzabas a sentirte mal por ella y por su mala decisión de casarse, notabas lo desagradable, violenta y inhumana que era con los negros, sus descripciones y malos tratos superaban incluso las condiciones poco humanas en las que vivía en una casa que se caía a pedazos. Encerrados en su mundo, los Turner van de mal en peor. Pero de cierta manera, la muerte de Mary puso fin a una vida que suplicaba por acabarse, y la extraña relación de ella con Moses te da mucho en qué pensar. Creo que es el primer libro que leo ambientado en África, y el primero de Lessing. Fue fácil leerlo y muy dinámico, aunque siendo yo una mujer no dejaba de pensar lo mala idea que es casarse con un granjero cuando estás viviendo comodamente en la ciudad.
Y muchas veces por leer esto antes de dormir soñé con Mary y fue raro.
El libro comienza con el final, el asesinato de Mary Turner y el libro cuenta toda su vida, desde su infancia hasta el momento inevitable en que su "boy" la asesina. Relata así su horrible y fallido matrimonio con Dick Turner que la arruina y su personalidad orgullosa, retraída y que la lleva a la locura. Y es que mientras más leías sobre lo mal que les iba, y lo desdichada y que comenzabas a sentirte mal por ella y por su mala decisión de casarse, notabas lo desagradable, violenta y inhumana que era con los negros, sus descripciones y malos tratos superaban incluso las condiciones poco humanas en las que vivía en una casa que se caía a pedazos. Encerrados en su mundo, los Turner van de mal en peor. Pero de cierta manera, la muerte de Mary puso fin a una vida que suplicaba por acabarse, y la extraña relación de ella con Moses te da mucho en qué pensar. Creo que es el primer libro que leo ambientado en África, y el primero de Lessing. Fue fácil leerlo y muy dinámico, aunque siendo yo una mujer no dejaba de pensar lo mala idea que es casarse con un granjero cuando estás viviendo comodamente en la ciudad.
Y muchas veces por leer esto antes de dormir soñé con Mary y fue raro.
Here body and mind were subservient to the slow movement of the seasons: she had never in her life watched an implacable sky for signs of rain, as she did now, standing on the verandah, and screwing up her eyes at the great massed white clouds, like blocks of glittering crystal quartz sailing throught the blue
When you find out little or less about the murder at the end than you knew at the start, this novel has to be amazing. It explores the idea that natives of Rhodesia were people and how that idea threatens to cripple the belief system of white-supremacy.
Wow. This book truly showcases the depth, and emotive intensity of Doris Lessing’s writing. In only 206 pages, the reader is taken through an incredibly complex and shocking novel - one which showcases all the parts of society, those that are ugly, uglier and with tiny hints of a brighter future that do not save the reader from a sense of melancholy. This is an important read for all.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Vomit
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced