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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
It took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I was done... WOW! It's really amazing. The writing is so beautiful and there are many inspiring excerpts. There is so much hope in a story about tragedy and oppression, and it makes me want to go out and *do* something. So much of the story is applicable to current situations, whether you're in South Africa or the United States. I would recommend reading the many forewards or author's notes after you have read the book.
A beautiful novel. A little long-winded at times, but still fantastic.
This book made me want to be a better person. An amazing story of forgiveness and charity.
This beautiful novel uses the backdrop of South Africa and it's troubling racist society to tell a story about forgiveness, fathers and sons, city life vs country life, economic and racial injustice, and so much more. I understand why this novel is considered a classic and know it's beauty and truth won't leave my heart and soul. 3.9 Martinie glasses
People try to pigeonhole Paton's novels as being about Apartheid and racial tension or simply lump him in with other African writers as a good portrayer of South African life in the 20th century.
I think that Paton deserves to be listed among the all-time greats of English literature. He writes about universally understood concepts like love, parenthood, broken families, etc. Mostly, Paton writes about sin--from temptation to commission to confession to consequences. The fact that his work is layered with the massive institutional sins of the South African racial laws simply makes his portraits of the multiplying and ravenous destruction of personal sin that much more powerful.
Cry, the Beloved Country is probably Paton's best-known work, and that's a good thing. It showcases the best of his insight into the human condition and it is stylistically brilliant. I've referred to it before as a "lyric novel" because Paton's use of repeated phrases at various points in the story gives the book a cadence that almost makes it seem more like a modern epic poem.
In broad strokes, the plot revolves around an elderly priest (who is a Zulu), a wealthy white landowner from the same region, and the tragic intersection of their lives through the murder of the landowner's son by the priest's son. Through this, the characters are forced to search their own souls, burning out the pride and bitterness that has built up there.
This review is too short to describe this novel in detail, but my goal is to commend to you an excellent author and his magnum opus.
I think that Paton deserves to be listed among the all-time greats of English literature. He writes about universally understood concepts like love, parenthood, broken families, etc. Mostly, Paton writes about sin--from temptation to commission to confession to consequences. The fact that his work is layered with the massive institutional sins of the South African racial laws simply makes his portraits of the multiplying and ravenous destruction of personal sin that much more powerful.
Cry, the Beloved Country is probably Paton's best-known work, and that's a good thing. It showcases the best of his insight into the human condition and it is stylistically brilliant. I've referred to it before as a "lyric novel" because Paton's use of repeated phrases at various points in the story gives the book a cadence that almost makes it seem more like a modern epic poem.
In broad strokes, the plot revolves around an elderly priest (who is a Zulu), a wealthy white landowner from the same region, and the tragic intersection of their lives through the murder of the landowner's son by the priest's son. Through this, the characters are forced to search their own souls, burning out the pride and bitterness that has built up there.
This review is too short to describe this novel in detail, but my goal is to commend to you an excellent author and his magnum opus.
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i read this book for Zoom with Mindy. It is a beautifully written and amazingly evocative book about South Africa. Written in 1948, its precepts are applicable today. In this book a minister’s son living in Johannesburg is convicted of killing the son of a white reformer. The book explores the relationship between these events and the people impacted as a way to explore the conflict on a larger level in South Africa. The book is 76 years old but still relevant today. Unfortunately I read this book in a difficult and fraught time at work when I should have been reading a light rom com or a propulsive thriller and I just could not absorb and appreciate all the details and nuances of what is clearly a brilliant and groundbreaking book
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My dad recently asked for my favorite book, and I said Cry the Beloved Country, although it’s been at least 10 years since I last read it. He immediately took the time to read it himself, and said he enjoyed it and could see why it’s my favorite. I decided this was all a sign it was time to give it a reread, and just finished it tonight completely in tears. It’s still my favorite, even though it breaks your heart again and again. It’s strange that I’m attracted to deeply religious books, as a person who doesn’t really believe in God. But to me, it’s about the beauty of nature, forgiveness, and doing what we can to make things better than we found them.
Deserves to be a classic. Great story, captivating narrative style, important topic and themes.