Reviews - Cry, the Beloved Country

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769 reviews for:

Cry, the Beloved Country

Alan Paton

3.76 AVERAGE

renniee_'s review against another edition

1.5

dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I have conflicting feelings with this book that I can't describe. Paton's prose is poetic and beautiful, don't get me wrong, and I understand exploring racial injustices in South Africa's history as a white author, but the way he handles African culture and the book's subject matter, especially towards in the end rubs me the wrong way. I can't put it into the right words because I can't remember the extent to which he handles the aforementioned, I'm not the right person for it, and I'm not entirely educated in the subject matter. I do think there are other books that best tell, describe, and critique whatever Paton's trying to do here.

eneida77's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark sad slow-paced

bucket_of_books's review against another edition

4.0

I had to analyse one of this writer’s poems for an assignment and then saw this book in the bookstore.

The moment I started reading it, I was sucked in - I haven’t been this absorbed in a story in a while. This book makes me yearn for more writing from South Africa. I never realised how I could relate to a setting and I want more!

Anywho, the book itself was full of beautiful imagery and poetic language. The tone is quite formal but it adds a layer of humour to the interactions that I enjoyed. There is an interesting stylistic/format choice to forgo quotation marks, but I have no opinions on that really.

I liked being able to get an overview of a pre-Apartheid South Africa and to see how much still felt relevant today. The theme I connected to the most was the concept of fear and how that can rule the way we live our lives. Good stuff.

lanabug711's review against another edition

5.0

Ostensibly a story about race relations in South Africa, this book is also a deep look into faith, hope, and compassion. There are so many layers to this deep book that make for good discussion and quiet reflection. There were also many Biblical allusions that added to the depth and meaning of the story. Highly recommend!