Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee  (11)  £5.99

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee  (70)  £5.59

In the Heart of the Country by J.M. Coetzee  (3)  £5.99

Foe (King Penguin) by J.M. Coetzee  (9)  £3.99

Master of Petersburg by J.M. Coetzee  (6)  £5.99

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Book Description
In a South Africa torn by civil war, Michael K sets out to take his mother back to her rural home. On the way there she dies, leaving him alone in an anarchic world of brutal roving armies. Imprisoned, Michael is unable to bear confinement and escapes, determined to live with dignity. Life and Times of Michael K goes to the centre of human experience - the need for an interior, spiritual life, for some connections to the world in which we live, and for purity of vision. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Synopsis
In a South Africa torn by civil war, Michael K sets out to take his mother back to her rural home. On the way there she dies, leaving him alone in an anarchic world of brutal roving armies. Imprisoned, Michael is unable to bear confinement and escapes, determined to live with dignity. Life and Times of Michael K goes to the centre of human experience - the need for an interior, spiritual life, for some connections to the world in which we live, and for purity of vision.

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Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee  (11)  £5.99

Master of Petersburg by J.M. Coetzee  (6)  £5.99

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee  (70)  £5.59

Dusklands by J.M. Coetzee  (3)  £5.49

Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee  (14)  £5.99

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11 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (11 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: An unforgettable masterpiece., 30 May 2000 By A Customer It has been a while that I have read anything as brave, honest and utterly compelling. Coetzee's insight into the struggle of life is quite humbling. Here the character wishes nothing more in life than to exist as a simple man living from the fruits of his labour. To enjoy life immersed in a simplicity which you or I can only read about. Through man's ignorance he is never granted this liberty. I would recommend it a thousand times over - an unforgettable masterpiece for those who understand personal struggle. As I read the final words I dived straight back to the beginning.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: Michael K will stay with me forever, a ghostly book, 12 Dec 2000 By A Customer Michael K left me feeling on the one hand empty inside as though something had left me during the reading and on the other, elated. Wiser. On the surface it's a story of struggle but as you turn each page it slowly dawns that this struggle will never end. It's relentless. The forces against Michael K, a gardner, are too great and too many. In the end he takes his own route through an extrordianry maze of difficulties the best way he knows how until he is left at the end with everything intact, as though he never made the first step of this journey. We are left wondering, who is Michael K? We never discover what Michael K has to say or how he really feels, we must accept that we only know him by the hardships he encounters. The Life and Times of Michael K tells us more about ourselves than it does the characters in the book and this is the real essence of Coetzee's writing. Michael K will stay with me forever, a ghostly book that still haunts the mind.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: Dark Tragedy With Penetrating Light, 11 Dec 2004 By  Garren Mulloy "garrenm3" (Japan) - See all my reviews    This review is from: Life and Times of Michael K (Paperback) This novel begins in a rather humdrum manner of everyday life in hardship. The hardship increases with the complexity of life, and it is the developing confusion of choices and the emerging landscape of morality that intensifies the hardship as much as the harsh physical and political environments. The hardship can seem oppressive to the reader, particularly if you expect some of the more rounded colourings of Alan Paton or Doris Lessing's African works, but perseverance is more than worthwhile. The book can be divided into two main sections, each viewing the world from a distinct perspective: one black, one white. Neither is at ease, nor optimistic, yet, despite the air of oppressive hardship and misery, the ending is something quite unexpected, refreshing, and enlivening. It is too simple to refer to it as optimism or hope, simply a reversion to a simple universal truth. This novel is both a classic of South Africa, and a classic novel of universal appeal. Despite its slimness it is one of the most moving works I have ever read, and perhaps particularly rare for being able to deal with the subject of a black man in apartheid South Africa without ever being a manifesto or sermon. It is simply a eulogy of humanity.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 11 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews Not bad I felt myself wavering through this book, sometimes I was fully engaged sometimes I wasn't. The story is essentially a narative of the central character Michael K, from living... Read more Published 3 months ago by Alex Ireland Something brilliant from nothing In a society in which a whole group of its citizens is accorded no value, what happens when one of them values himself even less? Read more Published 4 months ago by M. Harrison Beautiful writing. I can't think of any other author who can write with the economy of Coetzee. With practically no imagery, he manages to convey a sense of emotion and place which is overwhelming... Read more Published 10 months ago by N. Beddoe An insightful story Written at a time that Apartheid was still very strong, Coetzee gave a philosophical to life in that environment, which in this case is a surreal post-civil war South Africa with... Read more Published on 12 April 2005 by Mikhail Sad life, sad times Whilst appreciating the depth of the character that Coetzee had created in Michael K, I was still very dissapointed by the story. Read more Published on 23 Feb 2004 The hype of this novel outweighs the quality of the story Although it is easy to appreciate the skill Coetzee has in creating such a character as Michael K who is an unknowingly almost tragic figure, and his abitlity to instill pathos... Read more Published on 6 Nov 2003 by Kirsty Good but I preferred Disgrace This is a very well-written book with an interesting story and a unique and memorable literary character in Michael K. Read more Published on 5 Jan 2001 Brilliant I love this book and it's one of my favourite ever. It's beautifully written and portrays the harsh realities of South Africa wonderfully. Read more Published on 19 Oct 1999 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 11 customer reviews...