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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
only started reading this because it's potential required reading for my major, and while it had great writing and a strong atmosphere masterfully created by the author, It's simply not my cup of tea. It was certainly interesting.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This edition sums up the book perfectly with eight words on the blurb: A murder, a marriage, a land without mercy.
Spectacular.
I'm surprised and disappointed this book hasn't received more appreciation. It's unique and rare to find a novel that presents the point of view of a female colonizer.
I really liked how it deals with bigger issues of race, gender and class, but it's also a very deep and personal story of depression and hopelessness. In some parts I felt uneasy reading it, Lessing's writing makes Mary's restlessnes sip through the pages and into you.
The final act of violence (anticipated in the first pages) feels inevitable, the only reasonable solution to the mounting chaos that she buildt for the whole novel.
I loved how the story ties to Doris Lessing's own experience of feeling at home in a continent that's not hers.
I'm surprised and disappointed this book hasn't received more appreciation. It's unique and rare to find a novel that presents the point of view of a female colonizer.
I really liked how it deals with bigger issues of race, gender and class, but it's also a very deep and personal story of depression and hopelessness. In some parts I felt uneasy reading it, Lessing's writing makes Mary's restlessnes sip through the pages and into you.
The final act of violence (anticipated in the first pages) feels inevitable, the only reasonable solution to the mounting chaos that she buildt for the whole novel.
I loved how the story ties to Doris Lessing's own experience of feeling at home in a continent that's not hers.
Most of the big events in the story are left implicit on purpose-the plot revolves around the horribly depressing life of a hopeless woman, trapped in an unhappy marriage with a poor farmer. The book does a good job of helping the reader understand the geographical and historical context of the story, and does so by including explicit scenes of 'tab-boo' issues such as racism and white supremacy in africa.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I wouldn't know where to start with a review for this one. I thought it was masterful and with excellent characterisation. Obviously it's a critique of apartheid and white colonialism, and for me it was a book about hatred and revenge. Mary hates society for pressuring her to marry and abandon her independent lifestyle; she's spitefully indifferent to her unambitious and flighty farmer husband Dick; she loathes her uneventful life on the farm, and she has disdain and even disgust for the 'natives'. I think she suffers cognitive dissonance when she comes to realise that the native houseboy, Moses, actually shows compassion (in caring for Dick when he falls ill) and even showing concern for Mary's own wellbeing. But he can't forget how she treated him in the past, and takes an opportunity to seek revenge. Not necessarily an easy read, but very well crafted and a lot to think about.
Didn't love this - though I suspect I may have missed something fundamental in symbolism or something else referential. The characters all felt very 1-dimensional, not fully fleshed out.
I was fascinated, however, by the glimpse into rural South Africa/Rhodesia in the mid-20th century, the locale in which Doris Lessing was writing this novel (her first). I imagine her representation was quite bold and daring in that context, and I appreciated her unflinching look at race relations and the injustices upheld by the white farmers and their regime.
I was fascinated, however, by the glimpse into rural South Africa/Rhodesia in the mid-20th century, the locale in which Doris Lessing was writing this novel (her first). I imagine her representation was quite bold and daring in that context, and I appreciated her unflinching look at race relations and the injustices upheld by the white farmers and their regime.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kicking myself that I took so long to get through this because I'm pretty sure it might be perfect.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism