Reviews

Agaat by Marlene Van Niekerk

mtwitchell01's review

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5.0

A very hard read but so so good. Such a complex story of societal structure, racism, motherhood and love. These characters are flawed but you see them at every single angle. Probably the most in depth and nuanced character development I have ever read. Absolutely incredible.

vicncheese's review

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Slow. Kind of expecting to see the character starting out and not the other way around.

I wanted to get to the good part but it was only talking about the future plot.

amandatacklestbr's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ilaurin's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a very long book but worth the read. The story is one of complex relationships, the most intense between a white African woman and her black protege, turned maid, turned carer. It takes place in South Africa, mostly during Apartheid and although politics are barely mentioned, it molds the life of the protagonists. Deep story worth the read.

bccoulter's review

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4.0

I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I enjoyed it. I need to give it much more thought - both as a family history and as an allegory. No one in the book is truly likeable and yet everyone is a sympathetic character in some sense. Interesting.

myrthekorf's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

fluoresensitive's review

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bettyvd's review against another edition

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4.0

Ik heb geaarzeld om 4 sterren te geven, maar ik moet toch toegeven dat ik dit boek met plezier gelezen heb. Bij aanvang had ik veel scepsis, maar die vloeide gaandeweg weg.
Misschien net iets te nadrukkelijk de cirkel rond willen maken, maar wel mooie taal en goed opgebouwd. Voor wie een trage roman apprecieert, voor wie eens wil kennis maken met het leven op een boerderij in Zuid Afrika tussen 1950 en 1995 ongeveer.
Interessant hoe een van de hoofdpersonages eigenlijk onbekend blijft.

patchworkculture's review

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challenging dark reflective medium-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

4.0

sam8834's review against another edition

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4.0

There's really a lot to digest in this book, much of which I can't articulate because I'm still thinking about all the pieces of it - the psychology of power dynamics between races and sexes illustrated through relationships between husband and wife, master and slave, caretaker and patient, children and maternal figures, and many more. Not to mention, these roles aren't cut and dried, and some characters fill opposing sides of the power spectrum at various points in their lives.

Also, poetic writing. Also, a chapter structure that takes a minute to get used to, but that unifies the whole epic story pretty well. This isn't the easiest read, but it's thought-provoking and worth the effort.