Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Witten in 1948 and still a masterpiece. I have read it three times and cried three times. I think it is one of the best books ever written.
In 1948 apartheid was begun in South Africa, so although this was the early days of this appalling regime, before it became even more brutal and repressive as it did in the 70s, you are still given insight into the injustices, poverty and suffering that is inflicted upon the black South Africans in a very personal and moving way.
The novel is about a good, moral man, a Zulu pastor who is loved and respected by everyone he meets. The land of the tribal area in which he lives has been destroyed, and the people, including Kumalo, the pastor, are very poor. The young people move to Pretoria in search of work, and are often forced by poverty into lives of crime and immorality. The story shows how this happens through the ways in which apartheid tragically impacts upon Kumalo and his family.
But the novel is even - handed. Although it lays the blame for injustice and cruelty at the white man's door, it also depicts the compassion and courage of those white people who do not agree with the system, and who actively work against it in various ways. Nor are all the black people good. Two examples are Kumalo's own brother who is portrayed as using the system for his own benefit, and the many tribal chiefs who are corrupt.
In the end compassion and kindness win for Kumalo, in spite of the great tragedy that befalls him, but the appalling injustices in the larger society go on
An extremely moving and well written novel, which still has relevance in the world today. I am so glad that I read it again.
In 1948 apartheid was begun in South Africa, so although this was the early days of this appalling regime, before it became even more brutal and repressive as it did in the 70s, you are still given insight into the injustices, poverty and suffering that is inflicted upon the black South Africans in a very personal and moving way.
The novel is about a good, moral man, a Zulu pastor who is loved and respected by everyone he meets. The land of the tribal area in which he lives has been destroyed, and the people, including Kumalo, the pastor, are very poor. The young people move to Pretoria in search of work, and are often forced by poverty into lives of crime and immorality. The story shows how this happens through the ways in which apartheid tragically impacts upon Kumalo and his family.
But the novel is even - handed. Although it lays the blame for injustice and cruelty at the white man's door, it also depicts the compassion and courage of those white people who do not agree with the system, and who actively work against it in various ways. Nor are all the black people good. Two examples are Kumalo's own brother who is portrayed as using the system for his own benefit, and the many tribal chiefs who are corrupt.
In the end compassion and kindness win for Kumalo, in spite of the great tragedy that befalls him, but the appalling injustices in the larger society go on
An extremely moving and well written novel, which still has relevance in the world today. I am so glad that I read it again.
This review will not be helpful to anyone because it's indulgent and personal and likely won't make sense, but it is my reading nonetheless, so I will put it here.
I read this book to connect with my mother --an English teacher in the 1950s and an octagenarian living with dementia now. She once said that this was one of her favorite novels, so, missing her, I read it to see what she saw. I will frame this review accordingly.
The stream of consciousness and modern narrative structure impressed me. My mom always appeared to be on team-traditional --staunch Roman Catholic attending daily mass when she could, voting for the most conservative presidential candidates, believing a woman's role in a family ought to be supporting, drinking to numbness rather than confronting my father on his narcissism. And yet, she loved this book.
Low-key racism was the climate of my childhood home. You'd hardly notice it except when you did, mainly from my dad and brothers, but mom would play along too. Being the baby I was filled with confusion when I grew old enough to understand the implications of their loose talk and racial assumptions. They were (and are) my people, my family, and there is much good about them, but ironically, the good that I had seen --especially from my mother, made it impossible for me to grow with their grain, even though it cost me the comfort of belonging to them.
At the root of this novel is LOVE. The word sounds trite—how can it not given how gererously misused it is. Yet, the word represents the best of our humanity. It was certainly the best part of my mother. Love trumped all --even hatred. The humanity we share with all people is a concept I learned from her. We all love our children --whoever we are, wherever we live, whatever our differences that universal fact unites us.
Two fathers in the novel love their sons: one, black. one, white. For both, the love is heartbreaking. In this, they are united.
I feel guilty taking away anything warm from a setting with racial injustice and cultural devastation directly fostered by Europeans, butting into someone else's land to exploit it (and them), without the burden of owning their negative impact. Nothing is simple in this novel, except love. The love we universally have for our children.
I embrace the complexity of Gertrude, who wants to be better, but is so lost, and lacking in strength. I cannot judge, nor can her brother --because of love. Because we all suffer. Because we do our best, and sometimes our best is hurtful to others and our own souls. It's a grim story, except for love.
I told my mother I had read this book and she smiled but said she only remembered the title. Still, I saw her in the book, and for that I am grateful because I miss her.
I read this book to connect with my mother --an English teacher in the 1950s and an octagenarian living with dementia now. She once said that this was one of her favorite novels, so, missing her, I read it to see what she saw. I will frame this review accordingly.
The stream of consciousness and modern narrative structure impressed me. My mom always appeared to be on team-traditional --staunch Roman Catholic attending daily mass when she could, voting for the most conservative presidential candidates, believing a woman's role in a family ought to be supporting, drinking to numbness rather than confronting my father on his narcissism. And yet, she loved this book.
Low-key racism was the climate of my childhood home. You'd hardly notice it except when you did, mainly from my dad and brothers, but mom would play along too. Being the baby I was filled with confusion when I grew old enough to understand the implications of their loose talk and racial assumptions. They were (and are) my people, my family, and there is much good about them, but ironically, the good that I had seen --especially from my mother, made it impossible for me to grow with their grain, even though it cost me the comfort of belonging to them.
At the root of this novel is LOVE. The word sounds trite—how can it not given how gererously misused it is. Yet, the word represents the best of our humanity. It was certainly the best part of my mother. Love trumped all --even hatred. The humanity we share with all people is a concept I learned from her. We all love our children --whoever we are, wherever we live, whatever our differences that universal fact unites us.
Two fathers in the novel love their sons: one, black. one, white. For both, the love is heartbreaking. In this, they are united.
I feel guilty taking away anything warm from a setting with racial injustice and cultural devastation directly fostered by Europeans, butting into someone else's land to exploit it (and them), without the burden of owning their negative impact. Nothing is simple in this novel, except love. The love we universally have for our children.
I embrace the complexity of Gertrude, who wants to be better, but is so lost, and lacking in strength. I cannot judge, nor can her brother --because of love. Because we all suffer. Because we do our best, and sometimes our best is hurtful to others and our own souls. It's a grim story, except for love.
I told my mother I had read this book and she smiled but said she only remembered the title. Still, I saw her in the book, and for that I am grateful because I miss her.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this as a teen. I was in my first book club. One other woman and myself; I had joined it through my high school. I can't review more intelligently as it was years ago, but I remember the feeling of having felt and learned something.
I bought this book in the summer of 2006, and looking back, it was a strange purchase at the time. I don’t particularly like the cover (which as I’ve said before is rather important to me) and I’m surprised the synopsis of the story would have interested me. But something told me to pick that book out of the thousands that I’m sure were surrounding it, and that gut instinct did me good!
I read this right after “The Book of Negroes”, and it was difficult to switch my mind over to the totally different style of writing, but once I got going I couldn’t stop. Words alone like “Umfundisi” make this book an exceptional read and expressions such as “go well” and “stay well” truly brought the characters and surroundings to life.
This book takes the reader through a journey from a rural village in South Africa to the ever growing metropolis of Johannesburg and its Shanty Towns. When the story takes place in the countryside the language is slow, descriptive and melodic. I found myself “dallying” through pages and matching my reading with the pace of life described within. When the story moves to Johannesburg, everything picks up. The sentences get shorter, there is much more dialogue between characters, but it is most often short, concise and directly to the point. Alan Paton does an amazing job creating a sense of urgency and I was flipping pages as quickly and with as much determination as Kumalo and Msimangu had about getting through the Shanty Towns, searching for Absalom.
Cry, the Beloved Country is a literary work of art! When I look back at all the crappy books we had to read through the education system, I wonder why we were never given books like this. I would have been so much more engaged and actually interested in what we were learning if it had been wrapped up in words like Alan Paton’s.
I read this right after “The Book of Negroes”, and it was difficult to switch my mind over to the totally different style of writing, but once I got going I couldn’t stop. Words alone like “Umfundisi” make this book an exceptional read and expressions such as “go well” and “stay well” truly brought the characters and surroundings to life.
This book takes the reader through a journey from a rural village in South Africa to the ever growing metropolis of Johannesburg and its Shanty Towns. When the story takes place in the countryside the language is slow, descriptive and melodic. I found myself “dallying” through pages and matching my reading with the pace of life described within. When the story moves to Johannesburg, everything picks up. The sentences get shorter, there is much more dialogue between characters, but it is most often short, concise and directly to the point. Alan Paton does an amazing job creating a sense of urgency and I was flipping pages as quickly and with as much determination as Kumalo and Msimangu had about getting through the Shanty Towns, searching for Absalom.
Cry, the Beloved Country is a literary work of art! When I look back at all the crappy books we had to read through the education system, I wonder why we were never given books like this. I would have been so much more engaged and actually interested in what we were learning if it had been wrapped up in words like Alan Paton’s.
loved the prose, could have done without the white savior vibes.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wasn’t sure what to expect but this was such a sad book. Someday, it’d be nice if we could live in a world where people don’t have to feel this sort of fear or struggle so much to belong.