chloeread_s's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
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
3.75
thereaderofbooks's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
3.25
tingeorges's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
With incredible writing and interesting narrator shifts thruout the book, it shares the story of segregation in SA. How hard it is for people to chabge when thry are losing their power.
fiberreader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
There were some parts of this book that I really loved -- and there were some that I found utterly and perhaps unnecessarily depressing. The story takes place over several decades in South Africa and is in four parts, each pertaining to one member of the Swart family. As the novel opens, we learn that the family's mother has just died, leaving behind a distraught husband and three teenage children, the youngest of whom could be said to be the main character. And we really know nothing about the mother except what her surviving family reveals and that the titular promise is one she made her husband make, to give their (Black) maid the house in which she lives on their property. That promise is brought up again and again over the decades as the story -- and the family at its center -- unravels.
I thought the structure of the book and the way it was written was interesting, and certainly I think structure that is out of the ordinary appeals to prize juries, but I also found it maddeningly confusing at times. More than once I had to go back and reread to figure out who was speaking (because there are no quotation marks used and few attributions). "Me" is also used regularly throughout the narrative, but it's not written in the first person and I could never tell if there was one character who was supposed to be telling the story. Or is the author the "me"?
There were some parts of this book that I really loved -- and there were some that I found utterly and perhaps unnecessarily depressing. The story takes place over several decades in South Africa and is in four parts, each pertaining to one member of the Swart family. As the novel opens, we learn that the family's mother has just died, leaving behind a distraught husband and three teenage children, the youngest of whom could be said to be the main character. And we really know nothing about the mother except what her surviving family reveals and that the titular promise is one she made her husband make, to give their (Black) maid the house in which she lives on their property. That promise is brought up again and again over the decades as the story -- and the family at its center -- unravels.
I thought the structure of the book and the way it was written was interesting, and certainly I think structure that is out of the ordinary appeals to prize juries, but I also found it maddeningly confusing at times. More than once I had to go back and reread to figure out who was speaking (because there are no quotation marks used and few attributions). "Me" is also used regularly throughout the narrative, but it's not written in the first person and I could never tell if there was one character who was supposed to be telling the story. Or is the author the "me"?
arianamoran's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
bibliolucinda's review against another edition
3.0
“What happens in a room lingers there invisibly, all deeds, all words, always. Not seen, not heard, except by some, and even then imperfectly. In this very room both birth and death have taken place. Long ago, maybe, but the blood is still visible on certain days, when time wears thin.”
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
greebytime's review against another edition
4.0
A well written - if difficult sometimes to read - novel about a dysfunctional wealthy family in South Africa, from the peak of Apartheid into about 2018 at the end.
The writing ignores quotations when characters talk, and switches from one perspective to another quickly and with little or no notice so it’s not a novel built for a “quick read.” The story itself is interesting and makes me realize how little I know about the details of South Africa.
A very good book, if not the most fun read. However, definitely recommended.
The writing ignores quotations when characters talk, and switches from one perspective to another quickly and with little or no notice so it’s not a novel built for a “quick read.” The story itself is interesting and makes me realize how little I know about the details of South Africa.
A very good book, if not the most fun read. However, definitely recommended.