In the city of Johannesburg a father seeks his delinquent son. His search takes him through a labyrinth of murder, prostitution, racial hatred and, ultimately, reconciliation.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"A beautiful novel, rich, firm and moving-its writing is so fresh, its projection of character so immediate and full, its events so compelling and its understanding so compassionate, that to read the book is to share intimately, even to the point of catharsis, in the grave human experience treated." (New York Times )
"The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa and one of the best novels of our time" (The New Republic ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
"The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa and one of the best novels of our time" (The New Republic ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
First published in 1948, Cry The Beloved Country stands as the single most important novel in twentieth-century South African literature. (20020218)
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
IT IS SOME eleven years since the first Author's Note was written. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
IT IS SOME eleven years since the first Author's Note was written. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Sancho Mahle
Format:Paperback
It is a blessing for a booklover to come across a story which is so deep like Cry the beloved country. The characters are dissected and made so real. The plot is awesome and the pace of the story is fast moving. Plotted in the depth of Apartheid South Africa, this story brought out the lamentation of a soul of a nation, a lamentation that is felt by all the different ethnic and racial groups involved. I watched the movie on the story "Amok" and it gave the full visual presentation of the story. I will recommend this book to all booklovers with a curious mind about an era, a people and a nation that stared at disaster straight in the eyes and chose the option of peace.Also recommended:The usurper and other stories, Disciples of Fortune,Animal farm
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I have read this novel twice. It is truely a work which challenges the reader on various levels. At times you are locked in a wonderful lyrical poem; the descriptions of South Africa are vivid and so authentic that you are there. Paton is wise enough to pace the action in a previous time. There is no one that is naive enough to keep the heart wretching drama in the past. It is prehaps these fact that everyone can relate to in the pathos of Rev. Kumalo in his journey to reunite the tribe and his gradual awakening to the fact that there are changes that are occurring that his compassion and tears can do nothing for. Indeed this is worth the reading. The only complaint I have is that there is not enough attention given to Gertrude. But this criticism does not decrease the value of the book. One can still see Mr. James Jarvis in the delipated church as the rain washes away his hatred and it is replaced by compassion. "Cry The Beloved Country" is not just a novel about South Africa but about the social injustices we all see around, or at least we should be able to see .
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By HORAK
Format:Paperback
Reverend Stephen Kumalo lives with his wife in a remote village, Ndotsheni, where he is a respected umfundisi. His sister Gertrude, his brother John and his son Absalom have all gone to live to Johannesburg. One day The reverend receives a letter from Theophilus Msimangu urging him to come to Johannesburg because Gertrude is very sick.
And so begins Stephen's long descent from the mountains to the capital which almost resembles a descent into Hell. Indeed, he is to discover that Gertrude is a prostitute and liquor seller who doesn't care about her young daughter, that John is a politician fighting against the white leadership and that Absalom has murdered a white man.
Mr Paton admirably portrays all the contradictions which the people of South Africa endured in the 1950s. And he does so through the eyes of a forlorn old man who tries to make sense of the way the members of his family behave. The author's humanity, compassion, generosity and wisdom are apparent in every sentence he writes and his novel shows with sensitivity the complex social and racial issues in a country where so many had to suffer for so long.
And so begins Stephen's long descent from the mountains to the capital which almost resembles a descent into Hell. Indeed, he is to discover that Gertrude is a prostitute and liquor seller who doesn't care about her young daughter, that John is a politician fighting against the white leadership and that Absalom has murdered a white man.
Mr Paton admirably portrays all the contradictions which the people of South Africa endured in the 1950s. And he does so through the eyes of a forlorn old man who tries to make sense of the way the members of his family behave. The author's humanity, compassion, generosity and wisdom are apparent in every sentence he writes and his novel shows with sensitivity the complex social and racial issues in a country where so many had to suffer for so long.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 320 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent - a book that`s really worth reading.
The writer paints a vivid picture of life in South Africa in the 1940s. Absolutely excellent. The sign of a good book for me is when you keep thinking about the issues presented in... Read more
Published 1 day ago by BGH
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book
i got this book for my wife as we had spent a few years in South Africa a few years back. She enjoyed the book and would recommend it .
Published 17 days ago by Ian Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Novel Cries Out...
to be read, well over half a century since Alan Paton understood and mourned for his beloved South Africa.Prepare to be profoundly affected, moved and informed. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jose Spinks
2.0 out of 5 stars
poor story
After all I have read about this book I was very disappointed when I came to read the book. It was very slow moving and did little to describe the situation in South Africa at the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Juliette Langford
4.0 out of 5 stars
Truth and Reconciliation
Getting involved in this and moving along with it was surprisingly leaden; I didn't think it would be such a demanding, long, `heavy' read or as terribly grim and sad as it turned... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. Katharine Kirby
5.0 out of 5 stars
Free at last, Free at last...
Alan Paton raised the issue of emancipation, from fear, as the last line in this seminal work. Paton was a member of Africa's "white tribe," the dominant one at the time, and this... Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2011 by John P. Jones III
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cry, the Beloved Country
An excellent, honest story of heartache on both sides of Apartheid. A must read for everyone.
Published on 9 Aug 2010 by jeancc
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely Beyond Any Singing of It
Stephen Kumalo, a black Anglican priest from a rural Natal village, travels to Johannesburg to search for his for his son Absalom, with whom he has lost touch, and his younger... Read more
Published on 20 May 2010 by J C E Hitchcock
4.0 out of 5 stars
wise, beautiful, and not lightly read...
Cry, the Beloved Country was banned in South Africa when it was published in 1948. Later that same year the National Party introduced apartheid. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2010 by LittleMoon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everybody Should Read This Book
This book was on Oprah's list for a reason. Read it ... and weep. I did, again, and again, and again. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2008 by JEM
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
