Cry, the Beloved Country (Oprah's Book Club) by Alan Paton
|
List Price: Our Price: $0.62 You Save: $14.38 (96%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Cry, the Beloved Country (Oprah's Book Club)
Book Review: Just great!
Summary: 5 Stars
Alan Paton writes eloquently about personal struggles, triumphs, and losses. Almost biblical, the lyrical dialogues and descriptions draw you into the reality that is South Africa and don't let you go. Stephen Kumalo becomes a hero and a friend to empathize with and admire. As a college student, I have read this book 5 times and written papers on it for English, History, and Sociology classes. (I got A's on all of them!) I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great literature and a great story. The 1995 movie with James Earl Jones was superbly done and was the first of the three versions made to be filmed in South Africa. The last scene with Kumalo on the mountaintop was so beautiful and moving it made me cry
Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
I was originally forced to by this book as an essential requirement for my history class. But as I read the first page, I was captivated. It no longer became a chore for me to sit at home and read this book. I thought it was brilliant. This story takes you back into the segregation between the whites and blacks - the aparthied. It's completely unforgettable and very moving. And just by reading this book, you get a feel of what it was like for a poor, black family. People can disagree soley based on the author's lack of quotation marks, but you have to bear in mind that this story was translated, and somethings aren't going to sound like formal english.Book Review: Pure Poetry
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw the movie made from this book first and I thought nothing could top the beauty of the film. I was wrong, as usual the book is always better than the movie. Alan Paton writes with extrodinary beauty making each sentence into a poetic phrase worth a second glance. He has written a story about racism, prejudice and forgiveness, ideas not often mentioned or acted together. Paton draws his reader into the beauty and magnificence of South Africa without the benefit of pictures, but your mind fills with splendor anyway. The lesson Paton provides is beautiful, to accept others, to betray society's prejudices and to die with a clean and pure heart.
Book Review: Discover the beauty of the land (South Africa)
Summary: 5 Stars
Beautiful imagery, language and chronology. I loved the journey that this book took me on. I read this book very s-l-o-w-l-y to capture every detail to really try and understand. The writing style allows the reader to go through the emotions of the main character (Umfumdisi) on his desperate search to find his son. You will experience the beauty of South Africa, just as you will know the grim of its land. I appreciated the introduction to native words and their meanings, to native traditions and their customs. This was more than a good read, it was an experience. (From the words of Cry, the beloved country - "Go well and stay well").Book Review: This book shaped my conscience.....
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book in 7th grade english class along with To Kill A Mockingbird. Of course I did not appreciate it at the time; but this book opened my eyes to a larger world of social conscience. I guess my teacher was a holdover from the era the Peace Corps, but between her readings and my mother dragging me to various Merchant-Ivory films, Europa Europa at 13 to start it out, A Passage to India at the tender age of 8 (she said she couldn't find a babysitter)I learned to "rise above my raisin" as mama liked to say and see the larger reality of humanity that existed beyond the boundaries of my blue-collar surroundings.