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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
macierules's review against another edition
4.0
It took me several kick-starts to get into this book as the prose demanded complete focus. Gordimer's writing style made it hard to figure out who was saying what. There was a very different sort of rhythm to it, and once I adapted I got into the story.
It's about a white family escaping a fictional civil war in South Africa to live with July (their man servant). The role reversal that results in his village is what makes this book so interesting.
It's about a white family escaping a fictional civil war in South Africa to live with July (their man servant). The role reversal that results in his village is what makes this book so interesting.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
rmhollars's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jessreadsohio's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
machc's review against another edition
3.0
Although I really enjoyed the way Gordimer led the reader into the complex African/white relationship that is South Africa, her jumping back and forth made me nuts! I liked the book but wished it were less scattered.
leam23's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
miamiabobia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-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
3.0
I liked how detailed the writing was. This book definitely made me think. However, the reading experience was not the best for me, and I was periodically very confused.
znorgaard's review against another edition
4.0
It's an interesting proposal for what the ending of Apartheid could have looked like.
Civil War leads to the upheaval of the country and a white family is forced to flee, seeking shelter with their servant (now savior). It's a juxtaposition of white and black life in South Africa.
The book starts off with disjointed prose, odd jumps in time and lacks solid character introductions, exacerbated by en dashes to separate thought from spoken words, changes in speaker, or just changes in topic. It's a challenging style, but you get used to it eventually. Luckily, the non-demarcated jumps in time diminish as you progress through the novel.
The book is full of powerful imagery and does an excellent job of portraying the disconnect between "Weren't we kind and caring bosses/masters." vs "I was a barely paid servant forced to live in segregation and isolation only seeing my family every 2 years." It's not an easy gap to bridge.
Civil War leads to the upheaval of the country and a white family is forced to flee, seeking shelter with their servant (now savior). It's a juxtaposition of white and black life in South Africa.
The book starts off with disjointed prose, odd jumps in time and lacks solid character introductions, exacerbated by en dashes to separate thought from spoken words, changes in speaker, or just changes in topic. It's a challenging style, but you get used to it eventually. Luckily, the non-demarcated jumps in time diminish as you progress through the novel.
The book is full of powerful imagery and does an excellent job of portraying the disconnect between "Weren't we kind and caring bosses/masters." vs "I was a barely paid servant forced to live in segregation and isolation only seeing my family every 2 years." It's not an easy gap to bridge.
macloo's review against another edition
5.0
Not an easy book to read, because it was natural for me to identify with Maureen, a woman who — with her husband and their three children — is rescued from a violent revolution by the family's black servant of 15 years. July, the now-former servant, shelters them in his village, some hours distant from their suburban home. The family is entirely dependent on July, and the role reversal raises so many issues not only about apartheid in South Africa but about race relations and class relations everywhere.
I was less unsettled during the second half of this very short novel than I was while reading the first half. That was probably because Maureen and her children have somewhat adapted to their new situation by then. Her husband, however, is so much a fish out of water, he just doesn't know how to feel. He does useful things, like hunt and fish and build a water retention system for the village, but he's constantly on edge. Maureen tries to integrate herself with the women in the village, but it's clear they don't want her. They tolerate her only because July has brought her and her family, but they don't want to accept her. She will always be an alien to them.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone, anywhere, but expect to be challenged by the story and to feel conflicting emotions while reading.
I was less unsettled during the second half of this very short novel than I was while reading the first half. That was probably because Maureen and her children have somewhat adapted to their new situation by then. Her husband, however, is so much a fish out of water, he just doesn't know how to feel. He does useful things, like hunt and fish and build a water retention system for the village, but he's constantly on edge. Maureen tries to integrate herself with the women in the village, but it's clear they don't want her. They tolerate her only because July has brought her and her family, but they don't want to accept her. She will always be an alien to them.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone, anywhere, but expect to be challenged by the story and to feel conflicting emotions while reading.
jeltenieuwhuis's review against another edition
5.0
Mijn tweede van Nadine Gordimer. The Conservationist, een roman die ik uit de kast van mijn ouders had gejat en zonder al te veel verwachtingen was gaan lezen, sloeg in als een bom: een impliciete, broeierige verteltrant waar het Engelse woord ‘dense’ voor lijkt te zijn uitgevonden en waarin Gordimer gelijkenis vertoont met haar landgenoot Coetzee; en de enorme emotionele intensiteit die daar het gevolg van is… ik vind het prachtig. ‘High emotional voltage’ noemt een van de recensenten achter op mijn tweede Gordimer, “
July’s People het treffend, en ook deze roman is een voltreffer. Er zijn in mijn leven maar weinig auteurs geweest van wie ik alles of toch op zijn minst veel wil lezen: Auster, Kafka, Proust, Woolf, Coetzee, DeLillo, Johnson — daar heeft Gordimer zich nu bij gevoegd.
July’s People het treffend, en ook deze roman is een voltreffer. Er zijn in mijn leven maar weinig auteurs geweest van wie ik alles of toch op zijn minst veel wil lezen: Auster, Kafka, Proust, Woolf, Coetzee, DeLillo, Johnson — daar heeft Gordimer zich nu bij gevoegd.