Reviews - Cry, the Beloved Country

776 reviews for:

What a lovely book. Too often, in attempting realism, authors lean into bleakness and disappointments. But Alan Paton does such a beautiful job of blending those difficulties with a sense of hope and belief in humanity. Highly recommend.

tsemoana's review against another edition

2.0

I knew I was reading a high school edition, but I didn't realise until after I finished that it was also much abridged and simplified. Which explains why it felt so rushed and weird. I'll see about finding the proper version to read as I am interested.

i_island's review against another edition

2.0

dark emotional informative slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Overall: ⭐⭐

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐

Plot: ⭐

Ending: ⭐⭐⭐

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There are some occasional amazing quotes. The formatting kills me. And the work.

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“Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much.”

“For it is the dawn that has come, and it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing. But when that dawn will come of our emancipation, from the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear, why, that is a secret.”

rjskitt's review against another edition

3.5

informative reflective 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: Complicated

veena8artegi's review against another edition

4.0

sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

cemoses's review against another edition

2.0

When I was ten, this book was presented by my teachers as being a profound book about racial injustice.

However, I found the book to be a bit of apology for white South Africa. I felt the message of the book is that not all white South Africa is bad.

Also there was a crime that takes place in the book that I found totally unbelievable.

steven1234fuller's review against another edition

3.0

A moving and powerful story centered around two sets of fathers and sons. The novel lays out themes of finding hope and purpose in the after shock of pain and despair. It explicates forgiveness and familial love in a memorable way. However, with such complex and messy themes, “laying out” and “explicating” are not necessarily the best approach. I would rather have a novel that grapples and wrestles with these messy ideas in a way that feels more human.

While the storytelling and the pacing feel spot-on, the writing style is lacking, and Paton’s voice feels too limp at times. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the contrast between the rural village and the city of Johannesburg, a South African “Babylon.” However, even here I found myself wanting more—the parched, yet beloved agricultural landscapes are established early in the novel as a theme, but it is no adequate follow-up. I suppose I expected the landscape to shape and move the characters in a Cather-esque manner.

I do recommend this novel as a moving story where hope—for fathers, for towns, and for ways of life—all survive the maelstrom of rampant racism, industrialization, socioeconomic failings, and personal tragedy.