You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Beautifully written novel, and very powerful story. Definitely worth reading. It's a difficult read only insofar that the narrator, while sympathetic, is fairly unlikeable and unpleasant to spend an entire book with.
I’m not even sure how I feel about this book, it’s left me angry, sad, frustrated and more but all in a good way (I think). It has and will leave me thinking about it for quite some time I’m sure.
What a book! It's my first (but I hope not last) by the author. I must have heard of him during his heyday, which was a bit early in my consciousness of contemporary literature, and then his worked was incepted to me through [b:The Friend|40164365|The Friend|Sigrid Nunez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544364669l/40164365._SY75_.jpg|56847766].
There are so many layers to explore this book through - I'm glad I read it with a book club, but a short class might have been more helpful (although there certainly is plenty of commentary and criticism available!). I completely missed the connection to Byron, except as a general stand in for the Western canon in the context of "the great rationalization" (one of the many references to South African politics/culture that I also didn't understand). I'm sure I missed most of the Biblical references as well, although we were at least able to catch the scapegoat, sheep, and, on the last page, reference to the lamb.
It was also interesting to approach the book through the lens of #MeToo. While the book predates the movement by a number of years, of course, the situation is eternal. Personally, I was really surprised at the ability of the narrative to present the main character's duality in considering his own sexual experiences vs what happens to his daughter - which I think is a common compartmentalization, but as a reader, seemed both understandable and reprehensible.
I was more concerned with the degree to which this book is intended as an allegory to political situations in South Africa, but I read it as a more sophisticated commentary without absolute moral judgement or a simple conclusion around any of these topics.
Anyway, once I finished this, I turned around & started it all over again, and it moves The Friend back up on my reread list too. I've also added some other South African voices to my tbr. What a satisfying book - which, while writing this, I also realized I had confused (prior to my reading) with [b:The Human Stain|11734|The Human Stain (The American Trilogy, #3)|Philip Roth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308953496l/11734._SY75_.jpg|1118624]!
There are so many layers to explore this book through - I'm glad I read it with a book club, but a short class might have been more helpful (although there certainly is plenty of commentary and criticism available!). I completely missed the connection to Byron, except as a general stand in for the Western canon in the context of "the great rationalization" (one of the many references to South African politics/culture that I also didn't understand). I'm sure I missed most of the Biblical references as well, although we were at least able to catch the scapegoat, sheep, and, on the last page, reference to the lamb.
It was also interesting to approach the book through the lens of #MeToo. While the book predates the movement by a number of years, of course, the situation is eternal. Personally, I was really surprised at the ability of the narrative to present the main character's duality in considering his own sexual experiences vs what happens to his daughter - which I think is a common compartmentalization, but as a reader, seemed both understandable and reprehensible.
I was more concerned with the degree to which this book is intended as an allegory to political situations in South Africa, but I read it as a more sophisticated commentary without absolute moral judgement or a simple conclusion around any of these topics.
Anyway, once I finished this, I turned around & started it all over again, and it moves The Friend back up on my reread list too. I've also added some other South African voices to my tbr. What a satisfying book - which, while writing this, I also realized I had confused (prior to my reading) with [b:The Human Stain|11734|The Human Stain (The American Trilogy, #3)|Philip Roth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308953496l/11734._SY75_.jpg|1118624]!
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perhaps more enjoyable for men to read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail
This reads exactly like all the books I was forced to read in high-school, all the traditional Romanian literature depicting rural life, full to the brink with unlikeable, boring, uncultured and pathetic people, with basic lechers and weak women. Hated every single word of this book but I gave it 3 stars because I see its literary value. I hated 90% of the classic literature shoved down my throat in school as well but in all honesty, that is because I as a person could not be further away from the characters and their lame contexts and existences.
challenging
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A profound book full of sad but necessaryreflections on human nature. The protagonist’s daughter, Lucy, seems to be the most realistic person in this book and her conversations with her father allow Coetzee to really deeply explore human emotions.
The only part I found jarring was the Byron subplot that initially complemented the storyline but then seemed to become increasingly arbitrary.
The only part I found jarring was the Byron subplot that initially complemented the storyline but then seemed to become increasingly arbitrary.
I'm a somewhat recent university grad, and this is one of those books that I feel would be improved by some gloss/illumination as I could tell I was missing many of the nuances of South Africa Coetzee worked to weave into "Disgrace." Nonetheless, I was (surprisingly) deeply invested in a story told from the perspective of an objectively flawed and largely unlikable character. This book often seemed like an examination of the abject-- all that is us, or could easily be us, but is uncomfortable and unaccepted by us. Where we would normally look away or elect ignorance to avoid facing this discomfort, Coetzee compells the reader to candidly address issues of injustice, judgement, sex, violence, rumour, regret, and helplessness. Both an uncomfortable and affecting read.
I don't really know how I feel about this book except that it fucked me up. I will NOT cry in the library
I enjoyed parts of this story and I really wanted to like it more than I did, but it was just so... depressing? Like, I wanted to feel sympathy for the main character but I couldn't help but feel like he just created his own problems and was just reaping what he had sown. Parts of it seriously just broke my heart with an overwhelming sadness and feeling of defeat. I want to feel emotions when I read a story but this one was just too much. And the ending... well, it was abrupt and destroyed me just a little bit, not gonna lie.