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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
Interesting book, but very challenging to read. The writing is difficult, and you have to read it very slowly and carefully to understand it.
I have been wanting to read this South African author for a while so I picked up this book. Wow. It reminded me a bit of Graham Greene's writing: very vivid and character-driven with brilliant quotable lines. A white couple needs to hide out in the home village of their black servant during the war between the blacks and whites. Death is all around and life is uncertain. The psychologies of all the characters are well portrayed, almost coldly, as they clash with each other and the cultures. What July is and what he becomes; what are the white couple and what do they become? The ending left me quite confused and I'll have to do a lot of thinking about it. I'm not sure what had happened. I'm taking off a star for it, but it may be the fault of me and not the novel; and something tells me confusion is not far from what Gordimer wants. Violence, and what it does to us, is always a terrifying confusion.
Very interesting concept. The relationship between Maureen and July is amazing; Seeing how July felt about the city relationship they had was very interesting and it shows that white priviledge, even then, does not allow you to see the whole story.
My only complaint is that the story uses a lot of local language and coupled with jumps in temporality at times I got lost.
My only complaint is that the story uses a lot of local language and coupled with jumps in temporality at times I got lost.
challenging
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
Nadine Gordimer is a Nobel prize laureate and it's not hard to see why. Her use of similes and metaphors is just breathtaking. Her ability to paint a picture in front of the reader's eyes in intricate detail leaves one spellbound.
*3.5*
in 2017, it was the year of virginia woolf. in 2018, it was the year of marcel proust. in 2019, it will be the year of the female nobel prize laureates. hurrah!
JULY: nadine gordimer who won in 1991, 25 years after the last female winner, nelly sachs.
according to the nobel committee, gordimer was awarded the recognition for "her magnificent epic writing [that] has - in the words of Alfred Nobel - been of very great benefit to humanity".
not only this was the first take on speculative fiction from the list of female winners so far, it was also the most experimental writing. i must admit, it took me a couple of pages to follow what was happening. gordimer's prose felt almost liquid at times, going back and forth without warning between past and present events. i should also admit i didn't know this was meant to be speculative. i just assumed the civil strife retold was an actual historical event. did it affect my reading experience? i cannot say. certainly the story and the characters take on a new light from this perspective. however, the novel as it was originally in my head did not feel like it needed to be changed.
although i enjoyed the story and gordimer's accomplished style, i usually find myself hard pressed to give high ratings to short books. novels in particular. to me, short novels should pack a greater emotional punch in order to give them a higher rating than the average three stars. gordimer's novel did not aim to make this impression and i cannot fault it for it. the plot centres around a civil war and yet, there are hardly no explosions or signs of violence. so much of the story revolves around the inner lives of each character that the external conflict comes across as a background detail. because of this quietness and introspective narrative, emotions ran down low.
nothing to be done about that. still, i will be picking up another of her 15 published novels in the future.
in 2017, it was the year of virginia woolf. in 2018, it was the year of marcel proust. in 2019, it will be the year of the female nobel prize laureates. hurrah!
JULY: nadine gordimer who won in 1991, 25 years after the last female winner, nelly sachs.
according to the nobel committee, gordimer was awarded the recognition for "her magnificent epic writing [that] has - in the words of Alfred Nobel - been of very great benefit to humanity".
not only this was the first take on speculative fiction from the list of female winners so far, it was also the most experimental writing. i must admit, it took me a couple of pages to follow what was happening. gordimer's prose felt almost liquid at times, going back and forth without warning between past and present events. i should also admit i didn't know this was meant to be speculative. i just assumed the civil strife retold was an actual historical event. did it affect my reading experience? i cannot say. certainly the story and the characters take on a new light from this perspective. however, the novel as it was originally in my head did not feel like it needed to be changed.
although i enjoyed the story and gordimer's accomplished style, i usually find myself hard pressed to give high ratings to short books. novels in particular. to me, short novels should pack a greater emotional punch in order to give them a higher rating than the average three stars. gordimer's novel did not aim to make this impression and i cannot fault it for it. the plot centres around a civil war and yet, there are hardly no explosions or signs of violence. so much of the story revolves around the inner lives of each character that the external conflict comes across as a background detail. because of this quietness and introspective narrative, emotions ran down low.
nothing to be done about that. still, i will be picking up another of her 15 published novels in the future.
had it for my English syllabus, but this was an amazing read! the writing was so descriptive and fun to read! It shines a light into the terrifying, schemes of conflict between black and white people in a divided South Africa.
I'm in love w Nadine Gordimer's writing, I'd definitely read more books of hers in the future!
I'm in love w Nadine Gordimer's writing, I'd definitely read more books of hers in the future!
fast-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
July's People by Nadine Gordimer (1981)
Grade: B
Boxall's "1001 books to read before you die" #51
2021 read #89
Synoposis: Maureen and her husband, Bam, live in South Africa during apartheid where a Civil War has broken out. Maureen's servant, July, decides to hide her family in his village. They struggle with this adjustment to a new life and are fearful that their hiding place will be discovered.
Thoughts: Plotwise this book was pretty good. It's a short book and moves fast. Nadine Gordimer doesn't explain much so its up to you to fill in a lot of details. The novel explores a lot of deep topics on apartheid and inequality. What I didn't like was the author's writing style; I found it hard to read. I don't read a lot of books about countries south of the equator so I am glad I read this one.
Grade: B
Boxall's "1001 books to read before you die" #51
2021 read #89
Synoposis: Maureen and her husband, Bam, live in South Africa during apartheid where a Civil War has broken out. Maureen's servant, July, decides to hide her family in his village. They struggle with this adjustment to a new life and are fearful that their hiding place will be discovered.
Thoughts: Plotwise this book was pretty good. It's a short book and moves fast. Nadine Gordimer doesn't explain much so its up to you to fill in a lot of details. The novel explores a lot of deep topics on apartheid and inequality. What I didn't like was the author's writing style; I found it hard to read. I don't read a lot of books about countries south of the equator so I am glad I read this one.