Cry, the Beloved Country

Rating:
Summary: Interesting for a textbook, boring for a novel...
Review: I read this book last year as part of an AP English class, and wasn't very impressed. Sure the book serves as a good history lesson, and has a somewhat interesting storyline, but it is lacking as far as pacing goes. I would only recommend this book if you're really interested in old South African society. If you're looking for a good read, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I love literature and I hate to be politically incorrect. And perhaps I'm being unfair - I did read this a while ago and only because it was required reading in high school. But many classics and important novels are actually good! I'm being sarcastic, but the point is, that I remember this book as being unbearably slow and boring. Yes, boring! It was well writeen, and the dynamics of it were interesting and it did stick in mind for being a great view and exposure into another's life and culture and time. But it was slow and boring and uninvolving. The characters and the "lyrical" writing resulted in my feeling removed from it. Boring!

Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking tale of rich/poor differences
Review: This is the second Oprah's Book Club selection that I have read, although, like the first, I read it a few years back before that appellation was added. I was just expecting a sad story and some social commentary. I had no idea of the pathos and bitter irony that Paton would be able to wring from this ostensibly simple tale of fathers and sons. As far as African Literature goes, and I am by no means an expert, I would consider this the best novel that I have read, Achebe withstanding.

The story is centered on Reverend Stephen Kumalo, a Black Anglican Minister in a rural South Africal tribal community. He departs to look for his son Absalom quickly in the novel. The first part deals with his search in Johannesburg, which exposes some miserable and excruciating injustices to the native population. He is accompanied by a fellow minister, the Reverend Msimangu, a more liberal but nevertheless devoted preacher. We also meet John Kumalo, a leader for Black rights who has nevertheless become corrupt in his work. As Kumalo looks for his son he is exposed to these conditions for the first time, having never been out of his insular farming community before. Some of his observations are truly shocking.

The novel really picks up in the second part, when we discover what has happened of Absalom: he has killed a white man named Jarvis who was an idealist and fought for Black rights fiercely. This is where we meet his more bigoted father, James Jarvis, a rich farm owner who sees his bigotry validated when his son dies at the hands of a man he wanted to help. However, as Jarvis examines his son's writings and how he lived, he begins a powerful movement toward the idealism of his son. This corresponds with Kumalo's crisis over his son being a murderer. The most powerful moment is the brief conversation between Jarvis and Kumalo, which drips of conflict but nevertheless ends in closure and understanding.

The novel ends powerfully as well. Jarvis ends up giving a sizable portion of his fortune to help Kumalo's impoverished farmers, Absalom is (inevitably) executed for his offense, and the novel ends with Kumalo contemplating his life on the top of a mountain while the sun goes down, a fascinating juxtaposition of symbolism that wraps up an intriguing novel quite nicely.

This novel tackles a plethora of themes, most notably the relationships between fathers and sons, the rift between White and Black, rich and poor, and the proud and the fearful in both mid-twentieth century Africa (which would shortly make Apartheid an official policy) and in all society. It also shows how people will willing to sacrifice many things and live in fear instead of fixing the enormous social problems they face. What results is a devastating little novel about what happens in a post-imperialist society, which is as senseless as is is poignant. This is a book that is often required reading of High School students (it was for me) but it is a first step in understanding what happens in such societies, abroad and here. This book has a ring of bitter truth to it and is unforgettable without being lurid. A must read for anyone who thinks they know what injustice means but has never experienced it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel and excellent choice for Oprah's Book Club
Review: Paton's novel relies heavily on his descriptions of South Africa and the characters of the story to get the reader involved in the simple, yet elegantly crafted story line. This novel is an excellent choice for Oprah's Book Club, for the depth of the characters is immense and much of the underlying meaning of the novel may require discussion to rise to the surface for many readers.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read. It is moving and compassionate, and Paton understands Africa and human nature so well, as well as all the prejudices of Apartheid South Africa in its early days. If you enjoyed this book, I really recommend reading A TELLING TIME by GLYNNIS HAYWARD which also tells a story of compassion, love and prejudice in South Africa in the 1970s. There is hope and reconciliation in her book, rather than total despair. Read them both.

Rating:
Summary: Oprah picks another winner!
Review: It took me a while to get into this beautiful novel, but once I adjusted to the style of the writing, I was hooked -- and put everything else on hold until I finished. This is truly an unforgetable experience. One which I highly recommend to everyone. Viva Oprah! Also recommended: [e-mail] by Tom Grimes, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez. Of all the novels I've purchased through Amazon -- Cry, the Beloved Country was the most rewarding.

Rating:
Summary: The essential South African novel
Review: CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY captures the essence of pre-apartheid South Africa in story that is both evocative and heartbreaking. This classic is a must-read for those fascinated by the enigma that is South Africa. So is DISGRACE, by J.M. Coetzee, and A DRY WHITE SEASON by Andre Brink. For a recent and accessible novel set in South Africa against the backdrop of the apartheid and post-apartheid era, try Lynette Brasfield's wry, poignant novel, NATURE LESSONS, which is told from the point of view of a white woman growing up with her paranoid mother in a paranoid society. And of course the books of Nadine Gordimer and Doris Lessing are essential if you're interested in this part of the world--though Paton's book remains the South African equivalent of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

Rating:
Summary: A heartbreaking story of redemption and forgiveness
Review: Tragic story set in South Africa during a now-ended era. Cry the Beloved Country is worth a careful read for its many-layered messages of loss and faith, of murder and penitence, of guilt and redemption - and through it all is Rev. Kumalo's love for his people (and not just his, but for the inherent goodness in ALL people), his family, his church - and most of all, his country.
It's a classic that has already withstood the test of time - and will doubtless continue to do so.
Don't miss it, and share it with someone else.

Rating:
Summary: Should be read by all
Review: I read this the first time at 15, and stayed up all night to finish the story. Beautifully told and deserves to be reread and reread. The story talks of race, of strife, but mostly of life and the little things that happen (and big things) and change how we see the world. Really is one of those books that everyone should read at some point in their life.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: "Spark Notes Cry, The Beloved Country" summed of "Cry, the Beloved Country" very nicely, and was very insightful. The explanations were very educational and helpful and is a good companion for the novel. As always, you should read the Spark Notes AFTER you have the "Cry, the Beloved Country." I recommend.