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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Reverend Stephen Kumalo of Ndotsheni, a small village in South Africa, goes one day to the capital Johannesburg, where both his sister Gertrude and his son Absalom have disappeared. He ends up finding them both, but too late because Absalom is accused of something terrible : the murder of a white man. While the main thread is Absalom's trial, we see life in Ndotsheni, the relations between races, for good and for bad. I've read reviews saying South Africa was like a separate character, and this is definitely true.
The way it's written, almost orally and with lots of repetitions, could have become annoying and pretentious, but in this case it just worked. The apparent simplicity in the language used made the story told seem deeper, like we understood more by not having to force ourselves to try to understand a convoluted sentence. If that makes sense XD
And now I want to learn Zulu!
The way it's written, almost orally and with lots of repetitions, could have become annoying and pretentious, but in this case it just worked. The apparent simplicity in the language used made the story told seem deeper, like we understood more by not having to force ourselves to try to understand a convoluted sentence. If that makes sense XD
And now I want to learn Zulu!
This was , of course, on my high school reading list. I remembered having loved it but little else beyond the barest story outline. Older, wiser, more aware it touched me much deeper this time. I appreciate that it deals with an extremely complex situation, revealing multiple aspects of the causes and potential cures. While a message of hope it is also tinged with deep sorrow and no easy answers. Reading it this week in the midst of our nation’ s own debates about class and tribe was particularly thought provoking.
This quote is one that will remain with me:
“The truth is that our civilization is not Christian ; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of high assurance and desperate anxiety, of living charity and fearful clutching of possessions.”
This quote is one that will remain with me:
“The truth is that our civilization is not Christian ; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of high assurance and desperate anxiety, of living charity and fearful clutching of possessions.”
If I made any suggestion about this book, it would be to read a version that does not have as many introductions or forewords as the one I chose.
As I dislike "seeing" a movie before I see it with extensive previews, I dislike "reading" the book in the foreword and introductions. Let me discover the reason for the title of the book. Let me find the major themes. Let me enjoy the book, dammit!
Without violating the spirit of the above rant, I feel I cannot really discuss what I liked, disliked or found interesting in this book. But will do so anyway, with a polite *spoiler alert* placed here. Those of you who've read the book or those of you for whom a discussion of a book's themes is not antithetical to enjoying the read upon reading it, proceed below the line placed below.
Cheers,
Teri
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Paton, per the introductory materials noted above, had read Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath prior to writing this book. I did like his take on the alternating descriptive scenes and action scenes, although it was not as crisply delineated as Steinbeck did. And the use of dialogue not attributed to a character as a descriptive device, including the use of the dash instead of quotation marks, was nicely familiar.
I have read many books about Nelson Mandela's life and the anti-Apartheid movement (all read 20 or more years ago), and reading "Cry, the Beloved Country" was interesting because it set the stage for Mandela and the other leaders of the anti-Apartheid movement. It also did a better job of exposing or highlighting the fears and concerns of the Afrikaners, that lead to Apartheid, than I had read before. In the 1980's, the "how did we get here?" question was not as pertinent as "how do we go forward from here?" In that sense, it was nice to read a glimpse into how Apartheid came about and how the tribal system fell apart in a multi-factorial fashion.
All in all, and enjoyable read.
Cheers,
Teri
As I dislike "seeing" a movie before I see it with extensive previews, I dislike "reading" the book in the foreword and introductions. Let me discover the reason for the title of the book. Let me find the major themes. Let me enjoy the book, dammit!
Without violating the spirit of the above rant, I feel I cannot really discuss what I liked, disliked or found interesting in this book. But will do so anyway, with a polite *spoiler alert* placed here. Those of you who've read the book or those of you for whom a discussion of a book's themes is not antithetical to enjoying the read upon reading it, proceed below the line placed below.
Cheers,
Teri
__________________________________________________________________________
Paton, per the introductory materials noted above, had read Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath prior to writing this book. I did like his take on the alternating descriptive scenes and action scenes, although it was not as crisply delineated as Steinbeck did. And the use of dialogue not attributed to a character as a descriptive device, including the use of the dash instead of quotation marks, was nicely familiar.
I have read many books about Nelson Mandela's life and the anti-Apartheid movement (all read 20 or more years ago), and reading "Cry, the Beloved Country" was interesting because it set the stage for Mandela and the other leaders of the anti-Apartheid movement. It also did a better job of exposing or highlighting the fears and concerns of the Afrikaners, that lead to Apartheid, than I had read before. In the 1980's, the "how did we get here?" question was not as pertinent as "how do we go forward from here?" In that sense, it was nice to read a glimpse into how Apartheid came about and how the tribal system fell apart in a multi-factorial fashion.
All in all, and enjoyable read.
Cheers,
Teri
Balanced and amazingly touching. Can really see the Grapes of Wrath/Steinbeck influence.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
True forgiveness and compassion in a completely messed up world.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
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:
Complicated
The story, while interesting, was very slowly paced. Paton's choice of using George Orwell's style of using dashes to indicate dialogue rather than quotation marks made reading very confusing. Still a brilliant book that is very important to the country's history.
inspiring
reflective
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
Good themes and a great look at pre-Apartheid South Africa, but boring and pacing was horrible. Also I hate how he structured those quotes