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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I bought this book a number of years ago and it has been sitting on my bedside table. I picked it up recently and had completely forgotten what it was about when I started reading it. I almost put it down after the first 30 or 40 pages as it basically described the main character, David Lurie, forcing himself on an undergraduate student in his class. He is forced to leave the university in 'disgrace' and goes to spend time with his daughter, Lucy, out on a farm. I should mention that this book takes place in South Africa in the post-Apartheid years. Lucy and her father are both white. Lucy's neighbor, Petrus, is black and started off working for Lucy, but has slowly become a landowner himself. This is where the book gets interesting. There is a lot of exploration of the changing power relationship between white and black South Africans explored through the relationships between David, Lucy, and Petrus. Given the current political and social climate in the U.S., I found the book really spoke to me. The book is a hard read. Although beautifully written, the story and the characters are difficult. There is just so much awful that happens in this book that I was glad it was a short book because I was not sure how much more I could take.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wish that I could say David got what was coming to him. I wish I could say there was some grand redemption arc. There is neither.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a tricky one to rate. This book is very evocative. David is a deplorable character who leaves you with much to question yet forever remain without answers. I felt disgust very strongly. I also found the philosophical and anthropological musings to be quite rich. I found Lucy as frustrating as David did and do not understand why she made the choices she did after the attack. But there were also passages that were VERY boring. Particularly his writing scene. I found myself doing calculations to get me through the book — if I’ve read 60 pages and this book is around 200, I only need to do what I had already done two more times before I’m near the end — and that sort of thing. Even still, I know I will think about this book for a LONG time to come. And for that, it is a worth something.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Abortion
I had high expectations, and indeed it's excellently written and a quite "heavy" book. However, I probably would have felt more passionately about it had I not gotten halfway through and realized I'd seen the movie version about seven years ago, and was thoroughly disturbed at the time. I was too young then to absorb/appreciate the nuances and poignancy of the story, and perhaps since a lot of it is about the "disgrace" of aging- maybe I'm still a little too young. And John Malkovich - just no.
Brilliant and I never want to read it again. Bleakest book I have ever read in my life, but thoughtfully explores some of the more complicated issues of the human race.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A man has awful sexual relations and is disgraced (hence title) yet does not seem to connect the dots when his daughter is raped. The reader notes say this is a book about South Africa post-apartheid but that seemed secondary to me.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Do you hope you can expiate the crimes of the past by suffering in the present?
[b:Disgrace|6192|Disgrace|J.M. Coetzee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385161943l/6192._SY75_.jpg|1882981] by [a:J.M. Coetzee|4128|J.M. Coetzee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1550676691p2/4128.jpg] is a captivating exploration of human complexity. Despite his despicable actions, protagonist David Lurie becomes a morally intricate character, skillfully crafted by Coetzee's powerful writing. The novel's beauty lies in its ability to challenge our emotions, making it difficult to simply despise Lurie. Through his questionable choices, David Lurie prompts readers to confront uncomfortable truths about human nature and empathy.
Coetzee's skillful storytelling and honest depiction of human complexity turn Disgrace into a deep and unsettling exploration of remorse, resilience, and the quest for atonement.