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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
Short but really beautifully written story about a white family rescued by their black servant, July, during a revolution. In my opinion, Gordimer deserved her Nobel Prize for Literature.
I didn't love the writing style but appreciated the point of the story. Didn't love the ending. Sometimes ambiguous endings just seem lazy.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
medium-paced
I had difficulty enjoying this novel but I loved the idea and statements behind it!!
This book is fine…The premise is really interesting but the excecution just felt off Like the premise had the potential to go in a direction that would have been more entertaining + historically informative but it just didn’t. Also it was difficult to understand who was talking and what was happening and I kept having to like re read scenes to figure it out
The premise of this book was thought provoking, but it was a miserable read. The author’s unusual use of punctuation did not enhance the narrative and made it difficult to follow the story. I’m not sure why Nadine Gordimer exempted herself from traditional rules of punctuation. —not a fan-
Mielenkiintoinen kuvaus siitä mitä tapahtuu, kun enemmistöstä tulee vähemmistö. Lukupiirissä pureksittua, tutustumista afrikkalaiseen sielunmaisemaan.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
This story was readable via the audiobook and the physical copy that I had, because otherwise I would have been so lost. The book was so long winded in areas where I felt there wasn't a need for it to be, but it added so much that I didn't think it would need. When I first started reading this book, I genuinely felt so frustrated because I couldn't understand why Maureen was so oblivious to her own circumstances. As though she had completely forgotten she was an occupier/colonizer. And with the current occupation of Gaza, I was conflicted in the direction of this story. "Was this story trying to make me sympathize with these occupiers?" I asked myself. And in the end, all it did remind me that I was looking at a white woman and made me realize, damn, you really are a colonizer. Crocodile tears and everything. I felt reassured by the ending. She ran. Ran for the safety and protection that white supremacy had to offer. Maybe I'm too biased, but it felt as though this was a story of humiliation, an embarrassing moment for these characters who were once on the top trying to act as though they lost their power and autonomy when in reality they had it with them, and even after everything, they would continue to have it. Honestly, I ended up loving this story by the last half. The first part threw me for a loop.