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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
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
challenging
informative
sad
tense
medium-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
Flawless.
reflective
medium-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
Interesting. I felt like I am lacking too much cultural context to fully appreciate this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: War
Interesting concept and setting, but a drag to read. The writing style was so dense and didn't really add much to the narrative. I get that the author was trying to say things about disorientation in the face of political unrest, but it was just executed poorly and not in good taste. Like how are we still gonna make this about white people.
I guess there were a few interesting parts but mostly it just got in the way of anything interesting the characters were doing, which was way too directionless for me given the stakes of their situation.
I guess there were a few interesting parts but mostly it just got in the way of anything interesting the characters were doing, which was way too directionless for me given the stakes of their situation.
A powerful novel from 1981 banned in apartheid South Africa. When civil war breaks out, July takes the white liberal family he works for back to his village for safety. I was immediately drawn into this story. The writing requires concentration, there’s a lot of understatement and there’s plenty of tension in this tale of role reversal, now the family is dependent on their black servant. The ending is abrupt and ambivalent which makes it less satisfying.
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
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
This feels like the sort of book you’d read in school. Centered on a white family living in a small South African village during the beginning of the fall of apartheid. It was probably progressive for its time but didn’t age well into the 21st century. Glad to get it off my bookshelf though!
This is one of those books that I felt like I was supposed to like because I was an English major. But I didn't.