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kiwikathleen 's review for:
Cry, the Beloved Country
by Alan Paton
This is quite possibly the most profoundly beautiful book I have ever read - the word-crafting is exquisite and the story heart-breaking.
All I knew of this book before I read it was that it was written half a century ago, was set in South Africa, and was "a classic". I owned a small old paperback copy for quite a few years, but never got around to reading it, and I think I gave it away last year when I needed to cull my large personal library (a sad story, but true). This year I borrowed a copy from the library and read it as part of a personal book challenge I'm doing.
The story is a simple one. Rev. Kumalo receives a letter from a Theophilus Msimangu in Johannesburg, asking him to come because his sister Gertrude is there and is sick. Kumalo goes, with his wife's blessing and with all their small savings. He goes because their son Absalom also went to Johannesburg and never came back. Johannesburg is a terrible place where Zulus have gone in their thousands and have lost everything that made them part of a cohesive community.
We only have to know a little history to know what kind of things Kumalo found. But he also finds some amazing people with great depths of compassion and a compelling desire to help all the people, black and white, to live lives of justice. Paton has a strong political message and a strong message of hope.
The most powerful thing about this book, however, is the beauty of the prose. I can say no more!
All I knew of this book before I read it was that it was written half a century ago, was set in South Africa, and was "a classic". I owned a small old paperback copy for quite a few years, but never got around to reading it, and I think I gave it away last year when I needed to cull my large personal library (a sad story, but true). This year I borrowed a copy from the library and read it as part of a personal book challenge I'm doing.
The story is a simple one. Rev. Kumalo receives a letter from a Theophilus Msimangu in Johannesburg, asking him to come because his sister Gertrude is there and is sick. Kumalo goes, with his wife's blessing and with all their small savings. He goes because their son Absalom also went to Johannesburg and never came back. Johannesburg is a terrible place where Zulus have gone in their thousands and have lost everything that made them part of a cohesive community.
We only have to know a little history to know what kind of things Kumalo found. But he also finds some amazing people with great depths of compassion and a compelling desire to help all the people, black and white, to live lives of justice. Paton has a strong political message and a strong message of hope.
The most powerful thing about this book, however, is the beauty of the prose. I can say no more!