The Beloved Country, Cry

Note that this review is for the audio book narrated by Michael York. As for the book itself, this is the type of literature that I feel helps expand me as a human being. Paton does a great job of putting me in the shoes of several diverse people going through very difficult situations and helping me see all sides of the racial issues that were occurring in South Africa after World War II.

First of all, I was able to see and feel what the natives were going through with the minority taking over their country and resources. I was able to understand that there were many white people who were actually working for the right thing, plus there were many who didn't seem to understand the impact of their policies on the majority. These are lessons that can be applied in many situations in the world. I only hope that I will learn these lessons and do the right thing in similar situations.

The main characters were very good people similar to some whom I know in real life. The people with weaknesses are also shown with true feelings and humanity. I can understand why this book is listed on many lists of great literature.

As far as the audio book goes, I though Michael York did an excellent job reading this book. His characterizations were excellent, especially that of the old man. It made it very easy to follow the dialog. He was able to convey the emotions very well.

I highly recommend this audio book to anyone interested in great literature. This has to rank as one of my favorite books that I have read recently.

Alan Paton, (January 11, 1903 - 12 April 13, 1988) a white South African and anti-apartheid activist, writes an Afrocentric novel from an African perspective. He became a worldwide bestselling author in 1948. His ardent novel chronicles the journey of protagonist, Stephen Kumalo, a Zulu minister, in search of his son, who's on death row, his brother a politician, redemption for his sister, his friend's daughter, a future for his nephew and a healing for his village beyond Johannesburg, South Africa. This novel is not an easy read, because the reader has to adjust to the language, the land and the culture as told by Paton. But, the reading is worth it. It is a cry for peace, justice and Kumalo's beloved country under what would later be revealed to us as a piece of the institution of apartheid. Highly enduring!

Vandella Brown, Librarian/Author of What Is a Zawadi to We? (Lumenus 2007) http://www.the store.com/Vandella-Brown/e/B001KCN9T6

Dating from 1948, this book is at least as powerful now as when it was written, and was on the list of banned books in the old (white ruled) regime in South Africa. It is a simple story of a poor black pastor as he journeys to Johannesburg in search first of his sister, then of his son, and then relatives of sundry others from the locality. The black pastor also finds his brother, who like many caught within the magnet of J'burg, is not recognisable as the man that departed the countryside.

Alan Paton produced a well crafted and consistently understated volume. From the storyline, lots of sub-plots are interwoven. It is not an open indictment of the apartheid ("separate development") system that was increasingly introduced in South Africa in the late 1940's and 1950's - but yet it is. Almost in a subliminal way, there is a questioning of what is going on in the beautiful country, whilst appearing to "just" tell a tale.

Three books make up the story, although it would not make sense to read one alone or to read them out of order. Paton has a strange symmetry; the first and second books begin in the same way, with almost the same words for half a page of each. I found myself turning back to the opening lines of chapter 1 as I read the first chapter of the second book.

The story left me crying more than once, and when not crying on the outside, I was usually internally. From the mid point, there is an eerie inevitability about the gentle unfolding of the story. You know what is going to happen, at least in part, but it does not stop you reading further.

The cry of the title may be the cry of the author because the land is broken, and the tribe is broken. Paton refers to the tribe, but means the tribal system, with stability and knowing one's position. At the end of the volume, after the events in the storyline, there is some small mending of land and tribe taking place. It is perhaps the beginnings of hope. You have to divorce yourself from the historical reality of the country, as to whether that hope was realised.

I read an American edition. The author's note describes the extra-ordinary help given by an American couple to meet a hard deadline with potential publishers. That in itself lifted me up, and perhaps prepared me for the uplifting pages to follow.

I wish that I had read this book previously. The story-line is fiction, but the message is truth of the most powerful kind.

Peter Morgan ([email protected])

Very logically, it was a trip to South Africa that reminded me of this important book, and I'm very glad I have finally read it. It was probably the right time to read it too, since instead of it striking me as quaint and exotic, it was full of things that were already a little familiar to me, like place and language names.

The characters and plot are all highly symbolic, chosen for their representative value in telling the story of South Africa as Paton knew it, rather than being realistic references to specific people and events. White colonizers first systematically deconstructed the existing tribal system, then with the steady growth of "native" crime, they tried to patch things up. But the damage had been done, and rampant crime is still probably the one near-fatal flaw of modern South Africa. Otherwise it is a vibrant, exciting coming together of fascinating diverse cultures.

One thing that stood out was the sympathetic portrayal of whites who reached out to blacks and tried to redress some of the wrongs imposed by their society. The author himself was one of these, and certainly was using the medium of fiction to tell part of his own story. He succeeds at the same time at winning the readers' understanding of and sympathy for the plight of poor and unsophisticated but basically good and all-too-human blacks caught in the maelstrom of the times they lived in.

The language of the book may sound a bit stilted if you're expecting modern, fast-moving colloquial English. The writing is however in fact quite remarkable in how its echoes the syllable-timed tonal languages of black South Africa, and for me it was overall a pleasing effect.

Highly recommended - this a basic work not to be missed by any aspiring world citizen.

They say the worst fear of a parent is for their child to die before them. There's something unnatural about it. In Cry...two sets of parents have this fear become a reality, but the focus is primarily on the fathers, Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis.

Set in South Africa during the gold mine craze, Cry...shows the effects of white imperialism on a predominately black nation. James' son is one of the few whites sympathetic to the plight of the native African people, yet is shot down by one of them, Kumalo's son, during a robbery.

The two fathers are united by this tragic event and the pain that accompanies it. Both men learn and grow from the experience and use this newfound growth and knowledge to help each other and the people of their hometown. They try to make some sense of the havoc in Africa, and to bring hope to the destitute people who are made to help the wealthy get wealthier, but who are not allowed to share any of that wealth. We can see now how Africa has been sucked dry and the people left to starve and die of disease thanks to exploitation.

The story is a 5-star, but the writing style is a 4, averaging it at a 4.5, which has to be rounded to a 5 rating. The language can sound wooden and repetitive. One could argue this is simply how the African people would sound in English; but, I still believe the dialogue could have been livelier than: "Will you stay father? Yes, I will stay son. Okay, father. Okay, son."

To clear up some confusion, some of the chapters consist of no dialogue between the main characters, but dialogue of anonymous and random people in Johannesburg discussing the different ills of the city.

Cry, the Beloved Country is an easy read and a good one.

In this story set in pre-Apartheid (1946-1947) South Africa, Stephen Kumalo, a Native South Afrikaner priest of a rural village, goes to Johannesburg to help his sister, Gertrude, and track down his son, Absalom, who left to check on her and never returned. Once he gets the situation with his sister under control, he sets off with a fellow priest to find Absalom. Unfortunately, the closer they get to tracking down the young man, the worse the situation seems, and, they eventually learn, is; he must suffer the consequences of his involvement in a crime. The author sheds light on the societal issues of the times, especially those involving race, specifically (p 23) "The problem of the decay of tribal culture, the poverty of the reserves, and the flight of the people to already overcrowded urban centers..."And what makes the story so amazing is the way he handles the race and class issues through the actions of the members of the families of the wrongdoer and the wronged. Although I'm not usually a fan of books involving odds-defying character connections, in this case, it's the thing that makes the story so great. A prediction: this story will stick with you. Also good: Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.

Cry, the Beloved Country is a rare book that presents a superbly written story that creates a sense of sacredness that is palpable. The characters in the book demonstrate the struggle of humanity to overcome pain and suffering through forgiveness, redemption and love. The main character Stephen Kumalo, an Anglican Parson in S. Africa, illustrates the gentleness, love and unselfishness that characterize the fruits of a life lived in God's presence. In the sorrows that occur during the story however he experiences darkness described by Paton, "There are times, no doubt, when God seems no more to be about the world." He refuses to lose faith in God or in the people around him. The relationship that buds between him and the father of a man murdered by Kumalo's son represents the fruit of forgiveness and redemption. What comes from it is healing for a valley and a people.

Paton paints the picture of S. Africa that included a beautiful country with beautiful people that had fallen victim to the vices of the modern world and the negative outcomes of a class/race-based society.

This is a book that no doubt contributed to the healing and reconciliation among the people of S. Africa.

In addition to its moral and spiritual qualities, the story is compelling and enjoyable to read.

The plea of the book stands out as the cry for all humanity:
"God save Africa, the beloved country. God save us from the deep depths of our sins. God save us from the fear that is afraid of justice. God save us from the fear that is afraid of men. God save us all."

Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays

Cry, the Beloved Country is a very moving novel about a black man's country under white man's law. Anyone who is interested in race relations, history, or the African language will enjoy this book like I did. This is an insightful book in which I learned a lot about South Africa. I learned that Johannesburg was the center of the gold mine industry. Many people left their small tribal villages to work there in 1946 which is the year this novel is set in.
The basic premise of Cry, The Beloved Country is about a young black man who is accused of and found guilty of murdering a white man. The author does a great job of making the reader care about both the victim and the accused.
The author Alan Paton does a great job of describing the character of the victim Arthur Jarvis as a very caring person who was well respected by people of all races. Arthur Jarvis was concerned with the social problems facing South Africa in 1946 like racial crime, the lack of education of African youth, and the conditions of the gold mines, and the welfare of the workers who labored there.
Alan Paton does an equally excellent job describing the accused person. Absalom Kumalo is the son of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo who goes in search for his son in the first section of the book. The cause of Absalom's crime according to the author is a breakdown of tribal values and family bonds like working together to achieve a common goal and a sense of belonging to a group. The Western emphasis on focusing on the individual influenced the way of thinking in South Africa that led to this breakdown.
I really enjoyed how the fathers of both sons became friends in this book. The white father James Jarvis actually helped Stephen Kumalo The elder Jarvis supplied Stephen Kumalo with milk to nourish the sick children of his village. Jarvis also provided Stephen Kumalo with a person to teach his people how to farm to grow more food.
I appreciated the list of words at the end of the book, because some of the African words were hard to pronounce. I love finding out the meaning of new words even if they are in a foreign languages. Cry, the Beloved Country is a beautifully written book about South Africa with strong themes and memorable characters. I loved this book.

Cry, the Beloved Country, written in 1948, is relevant after all these years. Alan Paton cries for South Africa his beloved country. He cries for the Valley of Umzimkulu the home of Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis. He cries for the city of Johannesburg, the harsh city that spits at the weak with poverty, crime, prostitution and addictions.

Paton uses a third person narrative voice to tell the story of two men--Stephen Kumalo, a black priest (Book I.) and James Jarvis, a wealthy white landowner (Book II.). Paton gets inside the mind of each man, exposes human feelings with depth and restraint. The restraint, in both language and sentiment, gives power to the story. His simple declarative sentences are reminiscent of Hemingway. Paton makes Kumalo and Jarvis fully human heroes, imperfect lovable survivors. They survive after the tragic interconnected deaths of their sons; they relate to each other with dignity and respect.

Within the story of two families the larger story of South Africa emerges. Paton exposes the racism that created Apartheid. He details the loss of self sufficient farming compelling young people to go to the cities to earn a livelihood. He shows the impact on young blacks going to the city and losing their communal tribal life. He shows the generosity of Jarvis' son who devoted his life to social justice and was killed in spite of his effort by a disenfranchised black youth--Stephen's son.

Paton's tone is measured, even unhurried. The tone slows the reader down and forces the reader to look at the reality of the characters. And then the novel moves beyond Kumalo, Jarvis, and South Africa to a broader picture. Like all great art, Paton's text relates to everyone by touching the core of the human condition. Cry, the Beloved Country evokes universal experience of human life. The novel remains important because it remains relevant.

The story of one man's quest to find his son and to seek forgiveness. I had never heard of this book prior to the 1001 Books To Read list (it had not been required reading in high school), and I am sorry I didn't read earlier. This book is one of the most memorable books I've ever read, and I know I will look forward to re-reading it again one day.

I understand some here have not taken kindly to Mr. Paton's writing style, but I found it engaging and very easy to read. His descriptive style, for me, was far from boring and kept me involved in the story to the point where I could envision all that was happening. For me, his words just flowed so evenly.

The story may be a little dated for today's politics being as the novel was written in 1946; however, it provides a thought-provoking point of view of the beginnings of apartheid in South Africa. The issues are complex, and the answers are not always easy or simple, but the effect on people is amazing and long-lasting. Mr. Paton describes how every facet of life is touched through this horrible policy. The dilemma of complexity is driven home when the stories of two men, Kumalo and Jarvis - one black, the other white - come together. Sympathies for both men are strong and the reader can find their hearts wrenched at what happens simply because that's the way it is done.

Well done and thoroughly enjoyed!

I read Cry, the Beloved Country when in high school, not because it was required reading but because I wanted to read it. This was fifty years ago when apartheid was still in existence. It was one of the few books in my life in which the story and the words were so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes then and still does, even when I think about it. I have read some of the negative reviews and they astound me. No, everyone doesn't like the same thing, but it is so hard to understand why someone doesn't get caught up in the sheer beauty of the language or the pathos of the story. I just loved the main character and the depth of his heart. I would always recommend this book to anyone and would always give it my highest rating. Do yourself a favor, open your heart and read this book.

I love this book!!!

This book ranks in my top 5. Everytime I read it I feel something deeply. I think so many people have missed the boat on this one. For many it is a sad, boring story. I see it differently.

This is a story of overcome prejudice. It teaches us about love, redemption, forgiveness and hope. In addition, the true nature of power is exposed. For the two main characters, this story is a journey as each widens his view of life and changes for the better.
As I've shared this journey with them, I have become better.

If you every want to see a "Master's Class" for actors, watch the movie with James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. This is one instance where I felt the movie was actually better than the book.

Have you ever set up dominoes on their end all in a line, then once they are all set up you touch the first one and it sets off a cascade effect knocking them all over one at a time? The beginning of the game is slow and tedious, but the cascade effect is worth it. Some classics are like setting up dominoes. They begin slowly, and the unfortunate reader will put the book down in disgust and never return to it. A more persistent reader is richly rewarded for their patience. Cry, The Beloved Country is that kind of a classic, others are Tale of Two Cities, Dickens and Jane Eyre, Bronte.
The language is beautiful, I don't enjoy flowery descriptions of scenery, but in Cry the descriptions helped you feel as if you were there without being too lengthy. The characters are well developed, and some are people I would really love to know. However, because I did care about the characters, the story in the beginning, is just so sad that I almost fell into that catagory of unfortunate readers who quit reading early and miss out on the treasure. I'm grateful that I didn't.
Inspite of the difficult beginning, this has become one of my favorite books. It carries you from despair to hope. It is a story about South Africa and its people, but it is also a story that has something for each of us.
Cry, The Beloved County leaves you a better person when you put it down than when you started it. It is a journey not to be missed.

Profound

This book was interesting, poignant, sensitive and written in an atmosphere of inspiration and hope. I felt an instant connection with the minister at a heart felt level. Seldom is a religious person depicted with such honesty, directness and humility that can be believed as the main character in, Cry the Beloved Country. I am not a religious person but I truly felt drawn in by the profound love and directness. If ever there was a platform for religious belief it is demonstrated in this book.
This book points in the most direct way that as parents we must have a relationship with our children that will influence them in positive ways and encourage them to think before they act because our children have more opportunities to destroy their lives than we have power to keep them safe.
This book should be grabbed with hunger by anyone who wants to be educated, seek maturity and wants to be a really good parent. Perhaps from those who just don't get it or thought this book is boring, well, they are the people who just aren't there yet. Bless their hearts

This review is more of the novel than of this particular edition of "Cry, the Beloved Country" (but I do own a copy of this edition and am pleased with it; have bought a couple of copies of this same edition and given them to friends as well -- it is light, portable, and the pages are easy to turn and easy to read).

"Cry, the Beloved Country" is an amazing novel written by one of the most celebrated writers from South Africa. Set in a country that has been torn apart (in so many ways, including emotionally and spiritually) by apartheid, the main plot is a sad story that at the same time highlights: (a) the years of racial division, bitterness, suffering, injustice, etc., are a big factor in what happens; and at the same time (b) personal responsibility cannot be done away with or excused because of the severity of the sufferings.

The characters are very believable and you can really empathize with them. At the same time, it is all written in a very lyrical style that shows the author's love for the country and continuing hope that things can change for the better.

This is the second Oprah's Book Club selection that I have read, although, like the first, I read it a few years back before that appellation was added. I was just expecting a sad story and some social commentary. I had no idea of the pathos and bitter irony that Paton would be able to wring from this ostensibly simple tale of fathers and sons. As far as African Literature goes, and I am by no means an expert, I would consider this the best novel that I have read, Achebe withstanding.
The story is centered on Reverend Stephen Kumalo, a Black Anglican Minister in a rural South Africal tribal community. He departs to look for his son Absalom quickly in the novel. The first part deals with his search in Johannesburg, which exposes some miserable and excruciating injustices to the native population. He is accompanied by a fellow minister, the Reverend Msimangu, a more liberal but nevertheless devoted preacher. We also meet John Kumalo, a leader for Black rights who has nevertheless become corrupt in his work. As Kumalo looks for his son he is exposed to these conditions for the first time, having never been out of his insular farming community before. Some of his observations are truly shocking.
The novel really picks up in the second part, when we discover what has happened of Absalom: he has killed a white man named Jarvis who was an idealist and fought for Black rights fiercely. This is where we meet his more bigoted father, James Jarvis, a rich farm owner who sees his bigotry validated when his son dies at the hands of a man he wanted to help. However, as Jarvis examines his son's writings and how he lived, he begins a powerful movement toward the idealism of his son. This corresponds with Kumalo's crisis over his son being a murderer. The most powerful moment is the brief conversation between Jarvis and Kumalo, which drips of conflict but nevertheless ends in closure and understanding.
The novel ends powerfully as well. Jarvis ends up giving a sizable portion of his fortune to help Kumalo's impoverished farmers, Absalom is (inevitably) executed for his offense, and the novel ends with Kumalo contemplating his life on the top of a mountain while the sun goes down, a fascinating juxtaposition of symbolism that wraps up an intriguing novel quite nicely.
This novel tackles a plethora of themes, most notably the relationships between fathers and sons, the rift between White and Black, rich and poor, and the proud and the fearful in both mid-twentieth century Africa (which would shortly make Apartheid an official policy) and in all society. It also shows how people will willing to sacrifice many things and live in fear instead of fixing the enormous social problems they face. What results is a devastating little novel about what happens in a post-imperialist society, which is as senseless as is is poignant. This is a book that is often required reading of High School students (it was for me) but it is a first step in understanding what happens in such societies, abroad and here. This book has a ring of bitter truth to it and is unforgettable without being lurid. A must read for anyone who thinks they know what injustice means but has never experienced it.

Wonderfully written and spoken, Cry, the Beloved Country addresses the social issues on an intimate level in the 1940's of South Africa. Paton slowly takes the reader into the life of a rural black priest who leaves his small village in search of family members. He finds the ways of the large city confusing on many levels as he discovers his sister has turned to prostatution to support herself and young son. He finds his brother, relatively successful, but outspoken against the racial divide that ruled South Africa. Finally, he locates his beloved son, Absalom, but this brings no joy, as the young man has murdered a popular white man. The father of this white man is also involved in a search. He tries to understand the senseless death of his son and in so doing searches his soul and beliefs about apartheid. A classic read.

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.

This is a novel in my collection that I return to again and again. It is beautifully written, lyrical prose that drew me in when I first read it 20 years ago, and maybe even more so when I read it again. The characters are deeply rooted and real, the dialogue clear - one can hear the tone of the words and see the characters as they talk. There is much depth, heart, and compassion in the Rev Kumalo, whose journey to the big city of Johannesburg is heart-wrenching, as he sets out to find the fate of his family members who'd left his native tribe and never returned. This is a profound novel about faith, the human spirit, brokenness and restoration, justice, and race relations as it played out in South Africa. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good literature.

The extraordinary beauty of Paton's best-known novel--the first of many works set in his native South Africa--is not its lyrical prose, its biblical allusions, or its evocative descriptions of Natal and Johannesburg. While all of these elements are striking and original, what truly lends the work its power are the moral questions the author leaves unanswered. Refusing to assign blame and casting an empathetic look both at the ruling white class and at impoverished blacks, Paton offers a far more devastating condemnation of apartheid than if he had written a book with clear-cut villains and saviors. The author's abhorrence of what became of South African society never threatens to overwhelm his love for his homeland.

The novel's two protagonists are Stephen Kumalo, a black pastor in the countryside, and James Jarvis, a wealthy white man. Both men are remote from their sons; Absalom left his rural home to seek a new life in Johannesburg, where Arthur Jarvis fights for racial justice--much to the chagrin of his conservative father. Chance and circumstance throw these two young men into a fatal confrontation, and their fathers struggle to make something from what little remains of their sons' lives.

Paton acknowledged that he began this novel shortly after reading Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath"--and the influence is obvious and deliberate. Published as protest novels, both works revealed to an international readership the squalid lives of migrant workers and of the African underclass, respectively. Not coincidentally, both novels are also heavily indebted to the Book of Job. Overall, I think Paton's book improves on its illustrious counterpart; remaining faithful to the traditions of American naturalism, Paton's prose strips away Steinbeck's occasionally excessive verbiage to a leaner, meaner singsong prose.

Yes, you've read this before. You probably read it in high school, or a good college literature class.

Yes, you know the story.

But this is one to own -- a beautiful hardcover version of this book. Treat yourself.

The story itself is still sumptuous, a pleasure for the senses. Your pity and understanding well up as you read this story, and especially the words of Kumalo and Jarvis, the murdered man.

The hopefulness at the end -- the sad and searing ending -- America still struggles with these ideas. The simple and complex language, the points of view, the cross-cultural explanations... not only black and white race relations, but also white Americans and the Indian nations share perspectives on this.

Read it again as an adult -- you will be moved.

REVIEW: CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTY
As a seminarian, let me first say this: "Cry, The Beloved Country" taught me more about being a true, compassionate Christian minister then from all I've learned in my short time in seminary. How can I make such a statement? Because the author, Alan Paton, does more to illustrate the power and truth of Christian charity than the best Sunday sermon could ever hope to achieve.
Like all truly great literary works, this book works on multiple levels, the highest being theological. One could write a doctoral dissertation on the Christian theology which pervades every single page of this novel. And yet there is very little preaching, and only a tiny handful of Bible quotations. We are not being talked down too, we are not being lectured; rather, we are being invited into a world where the best virtues are illustrated, not commanded.
Those looking for a political treatise on the evils of apartheid will be sadly disappointed, as this book was written before those laws were put in place. (In fact, the word "apartheid" never appears once in the story.) However, one can easily see the evil seeds being sown that will bear a bitter harvest in years to come.
There are three main characters in this story: the old Zulu Anglican pastor Stephen Kumalo, the wealthy white farmer James Jarvis and the country of South Africa as it was in the early to mid 1940's. The way in which these three characters interact with each other is truly remarkable, and sometimes quite surprising. I could say much more about the plot and characters, but it will be much more fun for the reader to discover these things on his own. It is well worth the effort.
As I write this review, the book is the current selection of "Oprah's Book Club." While I've always taken that label as a warning to avoid a work of fiction, this time it proved to be an invaluable guide to a book I would have otherwise overlooked. The book club's new emphasis on "the classics" is an excellent idea. The first two choices of "East of Eden" and "Cry, the Beloved Country" are outstanding selections. Much credit goes to Oprah Winfrey for steering us out of the gutter of contemporary fiction, and helping us to enjoy the rich, powerful treasures from our recent past. You go, girl.
I read a tremendous amount of books, more so than anyone else I know. So you can truly appreciate how significant it is when I say "Cry, The Beloved Country" is one of the top ten best English language novels I've ever read. Very highly recommended.

Cry the Beloved Country is a beautifully written book that bares the heart of one man's story about racial divide and it's effect upon his family. It tells the tale of tremendous injustice that is lain upon the shoulders of those who had their lives forever altered by a series of events and decisions forged out of ignorance and indifference. It is a grand novel of South African politics, underlain by the stories of those who lived under the legal system. It tells about good men and uncaring men, men of different races who are selfish and men of different races who care beyond measure. It shows how the racial divide is built by people on both sides and also how it is systematically deconstructed by good, honest decent men to whom race itself is not a measuring stick.

This is a classic book, set against the amazing backdrop of a land that is in and of itself a contradiction, both lush and yet bleak, like the heart and soul of each person involved in this novel, where the consequences of each action carry on far beyond their perceived boundaries.

Somehow, in my slog through high school English, I was deprived of the reading of Paton's "Cry, the Beloved Country". Unlike many things, though, this was a true deprivation. I first read this several summers ago; though Paton's novel is specifically relevant to an era that is now receding into the past, his prose remains haunting. So deceptively simple is his language, yet flowing, this is almost a book best savoured aloud (well-worth the reading of to a friend).

Though apartheid has now blessedly slipped the scene, leaving South Africa with its aftermath to struggle through, Paton's story of the Reverend Kumalo's search for redemption is enduring. Perhaps most significant though, is the very simple idea at the core...reconciliation...of father with lost son, lost daughter...of murderer with the victim's kin...and...in Paton's time, and still so in our own...of each of us with our fellow humans.

This is a book that moves me deeply every time I read it, and loses nothing in a rereading. Of the thousands of books I have read, encompassing a myriad of styles, of academic fields...this is still the one book that I recommend without hesitation, without prejudice, to any and to every. This is a truly beautiful work.

Got this book for my daughter...
it was required summer reading....
Boring, boring, boring...
you can skip whole chapters and not miss anything.
very mundane.
Now that Summer is over...
my daughter plans to find out WHY the teacher assigned this book?!?!

Somehow this was a classic I "missed" in high school and college. I just finished reading it yesterday and still find myself thinking about many of the beautifully rendered scenes. Others have summarized the plot -- I love the labyrinthine (Dante-esque in scope) descent from the country side into the hell of Johannisburg. As we watch the narrator weave his way in and out of the horrible living conditions, we are presented with a modern day Inferno that would have made Dante proud.
The dialogue is rich and detailed and the character's well-developed. There are some gut wrenchingly scenes between a father and his son, not to mention between his other siblings as well. Bitter disappointments, difficult circumstances and a trial that makes To Kill a Mockingbird's look fair add to the book's tension. Overall, a lyrical and stirring portrait of unfairness and oppression (but also beauty and purity) in South Africa and one family's trials and tribulations. It makes one wonder how much things have really changed from Paton's day.

After finishing "Cry, the Beloved Country", I can confidently say I have never read a more beautifully written novel in my life. Page after page, Paton eloquently knits together a tale of a struggle for reproach, as well as the very real and vicious cycle of injustice and inequality into one modest and sincere work of art. "Cry, the Beloved Country" is set in mid-20th century South Africa, during a time of transition between the modest values of the traditional African tribe and Christian faith to the radically immoral prospects of the modern day metropolis. The novel begins in a small village located in Eastern South Africa, but quickly shifts to the booming city of Johannesburg as it follows the journey of Rev. Stephen Kumalo as he does everything he can to retrieve his only son and sister whom he has lost all connections with upon their previous departure. During Kumalo's wild goose chase, he realizes the weakening separation that his once steadfast family has undergone. Regardless, Rev. Kumalo does what he can to mend his broken tribe through the great faith he asserts as he experiences the strange cruelties of the big city. A few universal themes which Paton tries to express to readers is the rapprochement between fathers and sons. Although Rev. Kumalo and his son, Absalom, as well as James Jarvis and his son, Arthur, have many distinct differences throughout the progression of the novel, in the end, Paton reminds us that a place of compromise and harmony always exists; you just have to persist through disagreements. Paton's writing also depicts a never ending cycle of inequalities and injustices, which were a heavy burden throughout history, but particularly through the trials and changes of this book, which inevitably concluded the fate of several characters. I personally was highly pleased with this novel. To me, the raw beauty and distinction of Paton's writing was a unique way to stress the messages he was trying to convey. It truly is a classic which deserves more credit than it tends to be given.

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never before read this novel. But I’m glad I finally did. The story of the apartheid South Africa of yesterday provides understanding to the South Africa of today. Paton’s prose is as illuminating as the social and political realities depicted within Cry, the Beloved Country. It’s a heart-breaking read, important in understanding the vast social disparities and brutal oppression and segregation of the majority population in 1948. It’s also relevant to parents who cannot control or protect their adult children—often, we can only respond to events that unfurl. The character of the Zulu priest, Steven Kumalo, provides a moral center to this novel, and is a character to be long remembered and emulated.

Cry, The Beloved Country is a tremendous work of art. It really, really is. It may not be as "good" as the somewhat similarly-themed The Power of One...but it is "better," if you take my meaning. Deeper, more profound. More illuminating and thought-provoking.

Author Alan Paton was a devout Christian and a Kafferboetie--two things which I, emphatically, am not--but his literary ability, dovetailed with a definite time-and-place serendipity, enabled him to fuse those aspects of his persona into a book which transcends identity and politics, and which speaks not only to the Amy Biehls of this world. It touched me, and I think that South Africa, under black rule, is doomed to Zimbabwe's fate.

But politics and dogma aside, this book is a gift, not a polemic. It is a cri de coeur, not a political tract. It's a book that espouses a Christian moral ethic which, in the abstract, non-Christians should be receptive to. It is of Paton, but not for Paton. It's for you and I, whether black, white, liberal, conservative, and so forth.

Now, one last thing: How in the hell is this book not included on the MLA 100? It is MUCH better--not just as a book, but in terms of the significant issues it raises--than some of the pap stinking up the list. (E.g., Wide Sargasso Sea, On the Road.) It is CLEARLY superior to credible books on the list such as A Bend In The River, and the Studs Lonigan trilogy. Paton was a staunch liberal activist, and his book has as its main character an extremely sympathetic black South African...how did this not appeal to the bien-pensants who composed the list?

I don't get it. It should have been included...but it wasn't. Read it anyway, though.

I can't believe I'd never heard of this book before I received the list of books my church ladies book group was going to cover this year. I could not put this book down. It is the story of two elderly South African men, one black and one white, who had never met until the lives of their only sons tragically intersect. The two men find, not only that their sons were not the sons of their youth but vastly different, indeed their fathers truly had no idea what kind of men they had become.

As they try to come to know and understand the men their sons had become, two fathers learn and grow, themselves becoming new men in the process.
I highly recommend this book - I only wish I'd known about it sooner!

Oh, and I'm so glad that I did not know it was an Oprah's book club pick because, sad but true, that would have turned me off of it before I even opened the cover!

This book is filled with poetry and symbolism. The writing style of Alan Paton is truly amazing and each line is rich in metaphor and understanding. Obviously inspired by the country he is writing about you can feel the love he has for Africa in each and every line of this text.
As for the story it's a very interesting look at the coming of age in a society that probably doesn't want to come of age yet. It probes deep questions about what right societies have to interfere with each other and what steps can and can't be taken after interference has already occurred. One of the most powerful messages for me was that you can't go back. The natives in the book can not return to the culture that they once had, instead they must look for a way to combine their old culture with the new culture that has been forced upon them. The book seems to give hope that this is possible and makes us realize that culture is stronger than the conditions it lives in and can stand strong against even the heaviest adversity.

"What are master-pieces and why are there so few of them?" was Gertrude Stein's rhetorical question. Gertrude would have found plenty to criticize about Cry, the Beloved Country. Sentimental; politically correct; intensely personnal; carefully crafted; embedded in a time, a place, and a people - Alan Paton's novel is everything that Ms. Stein despised in novels. But it is also undeniably a Master-Piece.

Cry, the Beloved Country is at once a poetic portrait of South Africa, a testament of racial justice, and the universal story of suffering and despair overcome by hope and love. The protagonist is a village parson, Stephen Kumalo, who travels to Johannesburg in seach of his loved ones (son, sister, and brother) who have been lost to urbanization. In his search, Kumalo loses more than he thought he had to lose. But his stubborn integrity is rewarded in all the ways that matter.

The literary quality of this novel is undeniable. Paton shows a fine facility with with dialect, description, point of view, and voice. I was particularly impressed by Paton's effective use of the second person in passages that evoke sympathetic internal dialogs and solidify his varied characters.

If there were more stars with which I could rate this book, I would use them all. I have read this book many times, and would like to share my thoughts on one of the most beautiful books in the history of literature and in the English language. It is a story about friendship, humanity, being hurt and being free; it is a story about kindness, forgiveness, sacrifice and perserverence. But most of all, it is a story about a love so amazing that it must die so that the seed which falls can grow again. Although the evil of Apartheid has been finally abolished by justice and righteousness, the lesson that it has taught us must never be forgotten. And Paton's unique diamond of a masterpiece will continue to speak resoundingly to the future about a painful history of mankind that spelt deep tragedy but great poetry and human triumph as well. I cannot begin to extol the beauty of this novel - so profoundly rich in Christian virtues, so poignantly told. If you wish to hear the African grass sing its morning song, to hear a land of blood and tears beat her heart, and to marvel at the integrity which is man - read this wonderful book. It will change your life.

The story line involving several generations reveals how age affords patience and a sense of realism to a person. It also reveals how distorted a society can become for both the oppressed and the oppressor. Written during apartheid, it's a world divided by fear and pain even unto death.

Paton was not exactly a career writer when he took this up. Anyone who is interested in learning how to write effective, creative dialogue would do well to read this. Quotation marks are not used and therefore not OVERused. Instead it begins with a simple dash mark like this -Pretty good eh? It was so REFRESHING, I never realized how tedious and distracting breaking away to quotation marks could be in reading and attempting to comprehend a novel. Paton in not being overschooled in writing of the novel didn't know the rules so didn't use them, resulting in a really fresh piece of writing.

How on Earth could *anyone* think this book is boring? (I have always doubted others' insistence that our culture has been turned by television and computers into a short-attention-span travesty, but now I am reconsidering that skepticism.) If this book is boring, a speech by Martin Luther King is boring. A beautiful day at the beach, or on a mountain, is boring. A beautiful woman is--boring. And frankly, if you think those things are boring, I have little use for your opinion.
More pertinently, there is so much about this book that is so moving, and what is moving is exciting by definition (at least in MY opinion). The universality of Paton's dialogues, the way he shifts so effortlessly from present to past tense to convey tension and emotion, his command of the Zulu culture and of the history and terror of his native land--all of these factors are simply astounding. This is a book people will read three centuries from now--and it will be just as exciting then.

Of the (literally) thousands of books I have read in my life, this is still my favorite. I first read it as a freshman in high school (in 1960, when apartheid was still the law of South Africa), and the sheer beauty of the language took away my breath. The words were so powerful that I memorized many portions of the text, just so I would be able to repeat the words aloud whenever I wished. When JFK was assassinated in 1963, I gave a presentation to my senior English class, and began it with the section of this book that starts: "There is not much talking now, a silence falls on them all...." The class was mesmerized at Mr. Paton's eerily appropriate words, and tears were shed. I've always encouraged my own children to read and they are almost as voracious with books as their dad. Needless to say, this is one of the books I highly recommend to them, because of the excellent writing, and I highly recommend it to you for the same reason.

A beautifully written exploration of racial divisions that transports the reader into 1946 South Africa through Paton's vivid descriptions of place and people. Originally written around 1948, it's themes of race, family, injustice, and political division ring as true today throughout our world as they did then. Though this story is set in South Africa, there are people in every country who can find relevance in the issues raised in Cry, The Beloved Country because bigotry continues to find a home in the hearts of many. There are still many in our world who are being treated unjustly due to their skin color, their political beliefs, their religion or lack thereof, or nationality. Reading this books touches the heart and makes one long for a world where our differences no longer divide us but become a way for us to enrich one another's lives.

I didn't know what to think of Oprah's latest selection, I'd never heard of this book before. But, oh, was I happily surprised! I was very impressed. I thought it would be dull and drab, but from page 2, it drew me in and I enjoyed reading this book immensely.
Before reading this book, I couldn't find anything that really gave a description, so here's my synopsis, in case you were looking for one:
This book is about two families living in Africa. One is black and one white. We follow them through their struggles and hardships and watch their lives intertwine in the most magical way. This book is full of thought provoking ideas and the writing is at times poetical.
If you'd find a book about Africa, in the 1940's something that would interest you, I'd very much recommend this book. At 270 pages, it's a short, easy, enjoyable read.

Hi. I'm a high-school student, a 9th grader to be exact. I was not assigned this book, but did pick it from a list to read for a report. I am EXTREMELY glad that I did. I do admit that it is hard to get into. In the beginning, I was quite annoyed at Paton for blatantly ignoring correct grammar on quotes, and if you don't get it, i would suggest just reading the first few chapters a couple times in a place where you can concentrate. If you can be patient this long, it will suddenly click. I picked up and put this book back down about twice in two weeks,just to read the first five chapters, but then i was able to get into it, and finished it within two days.

If you can perservere, get ready for a passionate, wonderful, brilliant ride. The characters are incredibly sincere, in both their good and bad sides. Paton does not try to make anyone a hero, even priests loose their temper at some point. What he does manage to do is make you laugh, open your mouth wide with astonishment, anger you, make you cry, and finally leave you with a sense of hope. This is an amazing book that captures the essense of South Africa's struggle for balance, in a time when white people were ripping away any structure the black Africans had, and expecting them to deal with what ideas and technology were brought from the western world. We read Kaffir Boy earlier this year, and it is very interesting to see the difference of opinion on little things like the Afrikaans language when a book is written by a white South African, and a black South African. (I...just don't know if i would recommend Kaffir Boy.)

This is...I've run out of adjectives. But this is a simply marvelous book, which EVERYONE needs to read. And understand. And enjoy. Because it's very hard not to.

If you find the style at all tedious, you probably haven't experienced first-hand the melodious, story-telling voices of South Africans.
Paton weaves a complex tapestry of images, and perspectives; and he uses native South African Voices to do it. For example - revealing how wealthy Pastor Kumalo looks to his poor, shoeless parishoners; but how wealthy whites see this same man as old, tired, and in poor cheap clothes, frayed at the edges as so many of their people seem to be.
The imagery is both beautiful and heart-breaking.
I first read this as Apartheid was coming to an end in South Africa. My friends tell me that though laws have changed and continue to change, many customs and prejudices are much harder to break down and renew.
So Paton's work is in many ways still current - and always poignant.

With Cry, The Beloved Country Alan Paton creates a world were hate is predominant and respect is required of all native African citizens for their white "superiors." Paton creates a novel that plays out so true to life, so full of compassion for its characters, and so full of heart-ache is can bring one to tears.
The novel focuses on its protaganist, an aging African minister named Stephen Kumalo, who is on a quest to find his son Absalom in the big city (the largest in Africa at the time I belive) Johannesburg. Here he searches all over, but only in vain, for the places where his son has resided, but his son has already departed from them. But its in Johannesburg where Reverend Kumalo discovers his sister and her son, his brother (a carpenter come political activist), and other characters that range from a fellow pastor to the father of a son who has been murdered.
Cry, the Beloved Country, reads like many ancient texts oddly enough, and some readers may find it difficult to keep up with because Paton uses no quotation marks to signify dialogue, but nonetheless Cry, the Beloved Country is a captivating novel that reaches into one's soul and explains the boundaries of compassion, and the meaning of friendship even in the most trying of times.

"Yes, it is dawn that has come. The titihoya wakes from sleep, and goes about its work of forlorn crying. The sun tips with light the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand. The great valley of the Umzimkulu is still in darkness, but the light will come there. Ndotsheni is still in darkness, but the light will come there also. For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing. But when that dawn will come, of our emancipation, from the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear, why, that is a secret." (Ch. 36)

CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY is a compelling novel that allows people of all cultures, of all generations to see through the eyes of those that suffer under opression and injustice. CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY, set against the backdrop of contemporary South Africa (1946), is a story about a black South African named Stephen Kumalo who journeys through South Africa to the city of Johannesburg to find his son, Absalom. After he finds him, he discovers that his son has done a horrible thing. This leads leads Kumalo to cross paths with a white man named James Jarvis. Kumalo and Jarvis, through their journey of suffering, both find that love is the only way the "the Beloved Country" South Africa can heal.

Paton's use of imagery allows the reader to have a clear vision of the consequences of Apartheid in South Africa--the devastation of native land and the breakdown of the Zulu, Xosa, and other native tribes. The universal themes in the novel--social injustice, hope, love, etc.--are the reasons that CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY lives on...spreading its powerful message to all cultures and generations.

I recommend this novel from the high school age and up...And a great reference to better understand the book is Cliff Notes, & if you want a free resource, check out [...] Both are great references.

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

Alan Paton certainly had his heart in the right place but couldn't disguise his paternalistic feelings of the plight of the native South African, bringing down what was otherwise a good novel. While Paton recognized the vast injustices being committed in his nation, he failed to recognize the ability of the African to address these concerns. Instead, he created dramatic contrasts between the rural countryside and the City of Gold, Johannesburg, which drew these rural natives into its teeming midst, only to find pain and heartache. In this case it is a father looking for his son, Absalom, only to find that his son has killed a white man. The book resonates with Biblical allusions, taking on the form of a parable, but Paton did not explore the complexities of the situations he created too deeply. He used them more for effect. This is what is most disconcerting about the novel, as it seemed aimed more at a liberal white reader, forcing him to identify with one of his own in the victim he created in Arthur Jarvis.
While Paton struggled admirably to get into the mind of Stephen Kumalo, the berieved father of the son who was an accomplice in the murder of Jarvis, Kumalo is forced to turn to a benevolent white lawyer to represent his son in court. This relationship reinforced Paton view that utimately it was the white man who would save the black man by attacking his own system of government. While this served as an indictment, of sorts, against the apartheid system, it had a hollow ring to it, not taking into account the vast number of protests and other forms of non-violent demonstrations Black, Coloured and Indian South Africans held in defiance of apartheid laws. Instead, Paton reduced apartheid South African to the most simplistic of terms, unable, it seemed, the understand, or at least come to terms with, the number of gradients in the system.
Still, it is a moving novel, especially when Paton deals with what he understands most, the anguish of the conscientious white man in reconciling himself with a corrupt system of government. This is seen mostly through James Jarvis, whose son was murdered by Stephen Kumalo's son. One gets the sense that Paton put a lot of himself into Jarvis.

A generation of Americans like myself read this book in high school, but like most of us I had trouble relating to a world that seemed so alien from my own. I reread the book years later while on a trip to South Africa, and against the backdrop of Johannesburg's shantytowns the book came alive. Indispensable reading for anyone considering a trip to the country.

Before leaving school and going home for the summer, I told myself that I would fill my time with intellectually stimulating activities like learning Spanish and reading classic literature. Unfortunately, I did not accomplish as much as I had hoped, but I feel that my summer was successful, if for nothing else, because I read Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country. Paton's description of the country that he and his characters love is poetic, and the dialogue is wonderfully South African. His characters are realistic, but he maintains their dignity. His treatment of topics like apartheid, inner-city crime and faith is not overly condemnatory or simplistic. All of this plays out through the story of one man's journey to find and reclaim his lost son--an archetypal story that resonated with me. It is not a happy book, but it is full of hope. It deals with human failure, but it allows for redemption.

[Spoiler Alert!] The protagonist, Stephen Kumalo, leaves his native land in the South African wilderness and travels to Johannesburg in search of his prodigal son. Eventually, Kumalo finds his son, but he also discovers that his son is convicted of murder. The father of the murder victim also journeys to Johannesburg. There, both fathers must face the results of the things to which their generation has figuratively given birth. It is a journey from innocence to knowledge and from physical and emotional distance to involvement. Both men leave Johannesburg and return to their rural homes after Kumalo's son is condemned to death, but they go with changed eyes. Kumalo sees some of the flaws in the native tribal culture and the victim's father notices the negligence of the wealthy white land owners. By the end of the book, both of their sons are dead, but their daughters-in-law and grandchildren are alive. This can be viewed as a prediction that the generation following Paton's novel would consist of violence and racial estrangement, but successively, there would be rebirth and hope for a peaceful coexistence.

Paton proved prophetic on all counts. Indeed, Cry, the Beloved Country was published the same year that the apartheid system was established. It seems that Paton could foresee a darkness setting in on the country he loved, yet he concludes his novel with a sunrise. He writes, "For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing. But when that dawn will come, of our emancipation, from the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear, why, that is a secret." Perhaps today we are seeing the beams of that sunrise--the summer in which I read Paton's book is the same summer that South Africa hosted the World Cup and that Invictus was released on video. I do not think that the problems Paton deals with in Cry, the Beloved Country are entirely resolved, nor do I think that a major sporting event or motion picture are necessarily portents of South African peace, but I, like Paton, believe in the sun, even if I cannot tell when it will rise.

When I first was assigned this book for my English class, I was at first doubtful of the book, especially because I knew it was a book in Oprah's book club. My teacher, deciding to prolong the torture, made us take four weeks to read it at home and at class everyday. Needless to say, I payed absolutely no attention during class. Because we had an assignment due, and I could obtain a B if I did well on the rest of my year's projects, I decided to read the book.

I was at first skeptical, but soon found that the story itself is interesting. It is a story about the intertwining of the lives of a black and white man, whose sons met with conflict. But more than that, it is a story of hope for the African people. The message of this story is actually quite effective, with me, an 18 year old male, actually enjoying the book.

When I first started reading it, I felt that the language was chunky and ineffective. However, after getting used to Paton's style, it became easier to decipher his message. It is both races that are to blame for the current situation in Africa. The whites destroyed a culture and replaced it with nothing, while the blacks refused to take control over their lives. It is a story of the rebirth of Ndotsheni and the understanding between two men of different races. This cooperation provides a symbol of hope to Africa that things may be changed.

The reason I give it a four is purely personal, for it is not an entertaining book but should be read by any academic mind.

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.

This is one of the best books of fiction I've ever read in my life, in that it is almost biographical. It is a simple book written in a deceptively simple style that can spawn many imitators but no equals. It easily reminds me of Hemingway's "Old Man And The Sea", but only in its style of language. It is full of poetry, easy language, complex syntax, human emotion and vivid imagery. For me, reading it was really like rowing down a river in an African canoe.
It is set in racist, white-monopolised South Africa of the 1940's, at the dawn of Apartheid. It all revolves around Stephen Kumalo, an old Zulu parson living in the country, and his subsequent search for his son [and sister] somewhere at street corners in Johannesburg. He finally finds his son but it is too late, the latter being in police custody -- charged with the murder of a white man, and a "good" white man at that, who devoted a great deal of his time to arguing for blacks[!]
Finely entwined with old man Kumalo's seemingly endless search are the little and big occurrences of everyday life, only that they are this time set in racist South Africa, with its crude realities of that by-gone day. It all smells of chaos and derangement in the black townships of the city. For an old man from the country like Kumalo, life in urban Johannesburg is too fast and he is confronted with city experiences and everyday-struggles he never had before. He is mugged, deceived, sees sex and money at work and has further encounters with other strange, tricky and sinful city situations for the first time in his old country life!
Mr. Paton's epical story of an old black man's search for his young son gone astray in the city -- and also in search of answers to other societal questions that still persist -- remained an unsolved puzzle to me, after I read his wonderful book the first time. "Cry, the Beloved Country" is one of the few books of fiction I've read that so powerfully combine feeling and a deep understanding of conflicts that permeate across divided society. An excellent book!

"Cry The Beloved Country" is a moving story of the affect of racism on families under colonialism out of which apartheid developed, which system later legalised racism. S.A.faces major problems to-day, the Aids crisis and a poor economy both of which can be directly traced to apartheid which broke down black family life,referred to by Paton in the introduction in articles he wrote stating," the underlying causes of African crime ... the disintegration of tribal life and traditional family bonds under the impact of Western economy and culture." This break down seen in the way black workers were treated, described by Paton.Big corporations such as the mines, built houses for white workers for wives and families; black workers were housed in single accommodation in compounds, only visiting their wives once a year! Likewise with domestic workers who supplied cheap labour but not permitted to having spouses living with them in backyard rooms in the suburbs. Prostitution was rife and likely Aids began spreading in the early 1980's in S.A. The apartheid government spent 6 times more on a white child's education than a black child, the policy was to keep black people as a serving class. This has caused an uneducated and untrained workforce which contributes to the poor economy and poverty leading to crime. The cycle must be broken. Understanding the cause of these problems will encourage foreign investment to provide jobs to end the poverty. Perhaps someone reading "Cry The Beloved Country" will be encouraged to invest in South Africa.
I applaud Oprah Winfrey for choosing this story for her Book Club choice, bringing attention to the hardships black people suffered and yet they always expressed joy and hope, demonstrated by their great leader, Nelson Mandela, who set the example of reconciliation rather than retaliation. An example world leaders, particularly in the Middle East, would do well to follow. Paton writes beautifully, describing the people and the countryside.
Elaine Bunbury.
"What Hope Have You!" a story about the affects of colonialism and apartheid upon three families of different races in South Africa, over 100 years and 4 generations.

This is an excellent story of the problems an African priest has keeping his family together, the misshaps of a White family, and the results when they meet in the final chapter. Steven Kumalo goes on a hard adventure for his old body to recover his daughter, his legally troubled son, and his power ridden brother. This story is very cleverly weaved in with the story of a White family going through the loss of a son and troubles with their farm. Together they meet and have interesting results. The start of the story is bleek with racial troubles but the latter part of the book shows new hope in our younger generations to come. This is a good book recommended to everyone.

The story of Kumalo, a Zulu minister who travels to Johanesburg to look for his son, is a highly charged tale of delinquency, race hatred, prostitution, murder and eventual reconciliation in the big city. Some passages resonate with a lyrical, almost magical quality and the prose is deft and extremely supple. However, the plot is bogged down towards the middle of the book by some ill-timed excursions into South African politics and the ending is telegraphed a hundred pages in advance. These sections, I felt, could have been better woven-in into the novel's dramatic fabric. Though it is highly recommended for being the book that whipped up a worldwide whirlwind of awareness of South Africa and the injustices of apartheid, it is a taxing and artistically disappointing work.

"Cry, the Beloved Country" is a sad story, a tale of brokenness, despair, fear, shame, and betrayal; but a tale holding surprising redemptions! The depth of the narrative as it chronicles a father's increasing loss of faith and heart-wrenching discoveries, along with genuine friendships and kindnesses coming out of unlooked for places, and given with no sense of entitlement or repayment, touches the heart and warms the soul. It is a steady story that winds downward and then rises up in dawning hope. "Cry, the Beloved Country" is worth the read, and will rouse reflection for many days. Grab a copy, and read it as soon as you can!

The 3 stars I am giving this book are the average of what I would give the content (5 stars all the way! great book!) and the formatting/delivery (0-1 stars), because unfortunately there is no way to give separate reviews for both.

It is a great and touching book. Get it now--from a used book store or a used book seller online.

I could not tell whether this was intended by the author or a defect in the formatting of the ebook, but there are no separators for dialog. Normally things that characters say are either enclosed in quotes, or set off by a long dash. In this book the dialog all runs together. It is for the most part possible to figure out who says what, but sometimes you have to read a passage over a few times to be sure. Since the book was written decades ago, it is possible that this was accepted form back then, e.g. similar to stream-of-consciousness writing. If this was the author's intention and it was preserved in the ebook, there should be a footnote or a short explanation for the reader to that effect.

Second--the ebook costs more than the paperback and that is unacceptable because it certainly cost a LOT less to produce and distribute. Unless an ebook costs half the cost of the paperback or less, I will stick to used bookstores in town or online.

Alan Paton's novel, 'Cry the Beloved Country,' remains one of the most popular and beloved books because of the themes it explores and its knowledgeable portrayel of life in South Africa. Even though it is a fairly old book, its themes have remained important in South Africa today. As this country struggles with a post-Apartheid past and current racial divides, this book remains important. It tells the story of a black priest and his involvement in the trial of a young black man and a powerful white landowner. Even though the trial has a sad outcome, the priest and the white man learn to forgive and accept differences so it isn't all in vain. A must-read for anyone interested in this great country and its current or past issues.

A member of my Book Group had taken a week-long course on Alan Paton's 1948 novel "Cry the Beloved Country" about South Africa and was able to instruct us in the parallels between it and the Biblical Book of Isaiah, in which can be found a redemptive pattern of destruction-repentance/penance-rebuilding/restoration.

The destruction of traditional South African culture and social cohesion, of the tribe, the family, and the individual is represented in the novel through the story of Stephen Kumalo, a Zulu Anglican pastor, whose narrative of loss intersects with that of James Jarvis, a white South African of English descent, whose son is killed by Kumalo's son in an attempted burglary.

Both fathers, as well as other characters, undergo their own repentance and penance before achieving a renewal of hope through the rebuilding of family and the restoration of the valley in which both the Kumalo and Jarvis families live.

This intertextual relationship between Cry the Beloved Country and Isaiah is convincing and entirely appropriate for the white author and Christian protagonist of the novel. However, it also illustrates how the novel itself, by framing the story in terms of Western religion and Biblical traditions, serves to perpetuate the colonial culture which has caused the destruction of native South Africa in the first place.

Another example of intertextuality can be found in the repeated references to Abraham Lincoln, a hero to the young Arthur Jarvis, who has devoted his life to undoing the injustice that his white ancestors have done to the native land and its people before, ironically, he is killed by one of those native people.

Lincoln also, especially in his Second Inaugural Address, invokes the Bible as he frames the American Civil War in redemptive terms. War is the penance that must be suffered before the destruction that slavery has done to African people in North America can be redeemed. Repentance and forgiveness are also necessary before the nation can be rebuilt and restored. Thus Lincoln refrains from attacking the South or the Confederacy ("With malice toward none, with Charity for all..."), but looks forward with renewed hope to "a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations."

This parallel of American slavery with South African apartheid similarly frames colonial injustice in Western terms from a white perspective, as does the Biblical parallel of Isaiah. Perhaps no more could be expected from a white author on this subject.

One wonders, though, if it is the repentant white perspective that contributes to a novel in which there are no villains except the generalized colonial history and social system of apartheid ("With malice toward none, with Charity for all..."). Would a black African author have been so generous? Would blame and even malice from such an author be misplaced?

As the young black pastor Msimangu states, "I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating." Would a hateful attack on white colonists or on white America be justified by the tragic history of black South Africans and African Americans?

Is the redemption narrative a luxury of wish-fulfillment for the guilty or is it a universal human story of forgiveness and renewal? Or both?

Patton paints of picture of South Africa in the late 40s that is balanced and I think more powerful because he lets the details and events speak for themselves. His writing style is clean, sparse. There are no unnecessary literary flourishes or intrusions. It’s a heartbreaking, honest story which has not lost its relevance.

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.

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton was such a deep, thought provoking novel. Paton really gives an incredible view of the events going on in South Africa and especially in Johannesburg. The main character is Reverend Stephen Kumalo who travels from Ndotsheni to Johannesburg to find his ailing sister. When he arrives he finds that his sister is not sick in the traditional sense of the word, but rather living in such a lifestyle that is not good for her physically, morally, or emotionally. She has resorted to prostitution to make a living for herself. Unfortunately, in Johannesburg this is typically the rule, not the exception. Johannesburg is a place where many devestating events occur and many people are changed for the worse. Through the eyes of Stephen Kumalo we see various parts of South Africa and most of them are scary and dark. Paton does a wonderful job showing this through the events that occur and people that are affected. He also shows the hope of a better South Africa through Kumalo's son Absalom. Absalom murders a white man and is prosecuted and later executed. He starts out feeling sorry for himself and being very dark and empty, but by the end he has repented within himself and sets up a future for his unborn son. Absalom represents the transformation it takes to create a better South Africa.

I had a hard time deciding between three and four stars for this book. It is a classic and deals with a very difficult subject, but the story-line seems scattered at times. Paton was trying to communicate the pain, fear, and anger that punctuated life in South Africa in the 1940s. This sociological topic is difficult for young people to grasp...well, it's difficult for not-so-young people to grasp if they have never experienced it. Thus, I found the book's topic interesting and learned a lot. The main character was complex and well-rounded. The raw emotion was captured. Because of this, I give the book four stars. However, a word of caution: when you read it, be prepared to accept the slow-moving, disconnected story line and just enjoy the characters and the sociological portrayal.

A wonderful work from a gifted author, this story explores race relations in South Africa. The references to local geography and the beautiful Afrikaans language sets a lyrical tone for a difficult narrative. I really believe that this work was prescient in that it not only predicts later changes in South African law but also the issues surrounding crime and desolation currently confronting the RSA.

Not as good as the superb "Too Late the Phalarope", but still a worthwhile read that packs a punch.

I can yet to fathom how some people gave this book 1, 2 and 3 stars out of five. Most of the people giving these low scores admitted that they were being forced to read the book at high school, and found it boring and dull. Please dont corrupt these reviews with those opinions.

The biggest problem is that most of the people rating the book low took it right out of the context for which it was intended. It was not written as a 'novel' in the conventional sense. It was a social commentry, a cry out to the hatred, the demise and the vehement degradation of the times. The book was to showcase the plight of the black South Africans on an international level. It had no intention of providing a source of entertainment for ignorant, naive, myopic minds of 15 year old some 55 years later.

Paton writing style has been criticized greatly in this forum. Remember, Paton was a poet- not a novelist. Most poetry is difficult to understand, and hard to read for long periods of time- but it is the imagery and flow that captures the imagination. Think of Cry, The Belovered Country as a poem- not a Michael Crichton or Tom Clancy thriller.

While probably NO-ONE will ever be able to understand Cry in the same way as those in the context and time it served, it will go down as one of the classic literature endevours of our time.

Reverend Stephen Kumalo is a minister in Natal whose sister, Gertrude, and his son, Absalom, have gone to the South African metropolis of Johannesburg to search for a better living. Receiving a letter saying that Gertrude is ill, he travels there to discover that her sickness is a spiritual one: she has become a prostitute. After meeting up with the pastor, Msimangu, he finds that Gertrude is willing to come back to the village with him, taking her son along. Sadly, he finds that Absalom and his brother's son have been accused of killing a man, a white layman of the church and a great activist for native freedom, in a break-in. The father of the accused, Jarvis, meets Kumalo and comes to reconcile. A priest hires a white lawyer for Absalom. He confesses, however, and is sentenced to be hanged, while Kumalo's nephew is declared innocent. All hope seems lost. Defeated, Kumalo decides to return to his village of Ndotsheni. He takes along his son's wife, wed to Absalom in prison, and nephew. Gertrude, however, is nowhere in sight. Returning to Ndotsheni, Kumalo finds a month-long drought is starving the people. Jarvis's grandson is the one who sets up a system, sends an agricultural demonstrator to teach the people farming, and builds a dam to bring water to the village. Jarvis helps reconstruct the church and restore the village, bringing peace and reconciling Kumalo with life.

"Cry, the Beloved Country" is a story of the quest for justice, the search for freedom in an impoverished and oppressive land. Love and forgiveness are themes prevalent to ending the human struggle. One must overcome whatever trials and injustices have been dealt to move on and live. It is in making peace that these two men join to support each other in grief and save a community.

It is beautifully written, in descriptive language, even with Zulu words and the pronunciations in their native tongue. One certainly feels a connection with the trials of Kumalo and his people, because they are about the basic human rights that are struggled for univerally. There is a well-established bond and a deep love for South Africa in Paton's writing that show just how strongly he feels about the reality of the injustice suffered there. It is a work that will outlast us all and continually remind people to strive for freedom. This is a book not simply to read, but truly to be experienced.

This book is outstanding. I first read it in high school and now teach it to high schoolers myself. Paton's writing is poetic and beautiful. There are strong Christian themes throughout and many passages read as if they are from the Scriptures. The language is simple, weighty, and moving. The symbols, motifs, and themes are profound. I can't say enough about this book. You have to read this book.

Tragic story set in South Africa during a now-ended era. Cry the Beloved Country is worth a careful read for its many-layered messages of loss and faith, of murder and penitence, of guilt and redemption - and through it all is Rev. Kumalo's love for his people (and not just his, but for the inherent goodness in ALL people), his family, his church - and most of all, his country.
It's a classic that has already withstood the test of time - and will doubtless continue to do so.
Don't miss it, and share it with someone else.

Paton's acclaimed tale about a pastor in Johannesburg looking for his son is South Africa's finest literature. Kumalo's struggle with faith in man, in god, and in himself is a compelling look at what happens when fear and hate dictate what happen in any government or group. In addition to describing the evil apartheidist regime, it lays bare the fundamental spirit of man. Paton apparently fashioned his novel from The Grapes of Wrath, and while it is tedious at times, it is a valuable historical document and a wonderful story, and important too.

The lyrical beauty of the prose plucked a giant string in my chest, I can close my eyes and see the red earth. This quiet, unassuming tale of two fathers and the two sons whom they don’t understand covers so much socio-political history and turmoil, but the land of South Africa is really the main character. One of those stories that stays with you forever.

Excellent book about a black man accused of killing a white man in South Africa, during the time of apartheid.
Paton's writing works on many levels, and the plot is not a simple one, but the portrait he paints of the time period in South Africa is a powerful one, and I believe that the book deserves the recognition it is finally getting as a result of Oprah's Book Club. I normally shy away from her selections, but as soon as she switched to the classics, I've been impressed with her choices of material.
This is a book not to be missed--and I am glad that I discovered it after all of these years.

I read this book for an English class and was hesitant about reading it. Right from the start Paton hooks the reader in by using descriptive language and imagery. Paton really makes you feel for Umfundisi, his family, and especially his son. Umfundisi is a pastor at a church in, small town, Ixopo. His brothers' family, his own son, and his sister have gone to Johannesburg, a big city falling into the despair from crime and hatred. Umfundisi gets word that his sister is ill and must travel there to get her. Both his trip there and his experiences and hardships once in the city strengthen him and his faith in people and God. Although he is there in Johannesburg to retrieve his sister, he ends up contacting his brother whose son has gotten into trouble with Umfundisis' son. Once he has found his sister, he travels all around Johannesburg and surrounding towns to find his son. Even though only a small amount of time passes in Johannesburg, Umfundisi ages immensely form the trials he encounters. Once home he has a new person to raise and realizes that his small town is there for him no matter what happened in Johannesburg. The members of his church rejoiced when he got home telling him that no other pastor is quite like there own. I recommend this book to people who need to strengthen their faith in others and in themselves. If you want a book that will make you cry at one point but at the end makes your heart fell good this is the book for you.

Cry, The Beloved Country, by Alan Paton is truly a compelling novel. It is brilliantly written and had me intrigued throughout the entire novel. The rich text captures the moments and allows me to feel and be a part of all the chaotic activity.
It made me think about how fortunate we are today to have diversity in our neighborhoods and in schools. We really don't think about it until we are forced to; whether it is by coincidence or by intention. It made me sad to think about how we concentrate on little bothers and miss out on the huge issues like the ones in the novel, including racial discrimination and the struggles between justice and the law.
The way Paton has formatted his text gives a stronger feel to it. It's excellent how he puts a great deal of emotion and detail throughout the entire novel. Some examples of this are when he writes about the great valley of the Umkomaas. He describes it by saying, "the soil is sick, almost beyond healing." It gives you a clearer picture of how the soil really was. Another example is when John Kumalo speaks about raising the wages in the mines. Paton wrote, "The crowd stirs as though a great wind were blowing through it. Here is the moment, John Kumalo, for the great voice to reach even to the gates of Heaven." He states the point but adds a little kick to it and makes the statement more understandable. By putting emotions and details into his novel it drew me more into it.
The intensity in the events was so great that it took me to places I've never been before. Like whenever Paton raised the intensity, it felt like I was right there with his characters. Almost like I was Mr. Kumalo going through all of those troubles. It was very powerful to me. My mind has opened up to new ideas that I would've never thought of before. Such as maybe white people weren't always racist against blacks. That blacks and whites sat in the same churches. Also that by one man's doing, a whole world can change. Like when Jarvis helped out Kumalo's land, by giving those supplies that were desperately needed.
I would definitely recommend this book to whoever likes intensity and purity in a novel.

this is my favourite book of all time! it is poetic, haunting, tragic, hopeful, beautiful--every range of human experience is covered. i can understand one reviwer's complaint that it is slow, i read it in high school and hated it, but iread it again years later and it blew my mind. it's rare that you see a truly original style among all the novels you'll read, i mean REALLY fresh language; case in point: "Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of oure fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the waters run through his fingers nor satnd too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much."
i memorised the first chapter and recite it sometimes, amust read i think, it desrves to be read with patience and care, for its plot AND style. It rewards you every time you pick it up and you find something new to admire with each read.

For some strange reason, I didn't read up on the history of this book until after I'd finished reading it. What was so surprising to me is that the book itself felt timeless - applicable to any episode in recent world history. Only later did I discover that it was written and published prior to the advent of formal apartheid rule in South Africa. The themes are still very relevant, the writing is wonderful, and the people are fascinating. Well worth the time to read.

Cry, the Beloved Country is an authentic expression of hope in a bleak climate of despair. The characters are human. Their experiences are sheer misery, and their responses are not particularly heroic. Through it all, the reader is sustained by the vision of a redemptive truth at work in one of the deepest hells of the present century.
Alan Paton unquestionably attributes this truth to a personal God. At the same time, Paton believes that his God expressed Himself in the lives of weak and selfish creatures like ourselves. Thus, even if the reader prefers to maintain a humanist stance, Cry, the Beloved Country will resonate as its characters grapple with the primal struggles of all humanity.
Cry, the beloved century. I did.

Patton struck gold with this heartfelt description of oppression and hope, "Cry, The Beloved Country." Inspired by the writing style presented in "The Grapes of Wrath," "Cry" follows a South African priest that leaves his beloved country home to go to Johannesburg to search for his missing son. Along the way, he meets people from all walks of life, and Patton does a masterful job in displaying their mixed emotions: fear, hope etc... The ending would bring any soft-hearted "Joe" to tears. Wonderful.

Cry, the Beloved Country is an enthralling story of a priest who's efforts are endless in the struggle of his own family, and the struggle outside. The way Paton details the scenes is to me, what made the book what it was. I felt as though I was looking at pictures while reading. He is so thorough in describing the lack of life in the valleys, that you can understand the significance in the title. What struck me most about this book, was Stephen Kumalo's efforts in forgiveness and the reconstruction of his family. His own family life struggle subtly reflected the outer stuggle, the black man's struggle. The last line of the story is most powerful when summarizing... "But when that dawn will come, of our emancipation, from the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear, why, that is a secret." That line points out a major theme in this book, and really gives the reader a sense of history, and a sense of what still remains, not as severe, today. I positively enjoyed reading this book. I found it to flow through the three books smoothly and coherently. It wasn't a burden to pick it up and read sixty or seventy pages at a time. My fascination with South Africa may have had an impact on choosing this book, but with that in mind, I knew I could enjoy what Paton hopes every citizen should be aware of. His powerful message would touch anyone who reads it, aware of apartheid or not. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some relaxed pleasure reading that won't boggle your mind or frustrate you in a confused sense.

This book takes you into the heart of South Africa. You see the different perspectives of all those living through some of the same situations. You see the main characters vision of South Africa through the church. You see how poverty can change ones outlook on life in general. Poverty will make one make decisions that they wouldn't normally make. You see how a tragedy can bring neighbors together during a tough time. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to see South Africa through the eyes of South Africa.

Yes, the writing style was a bit CHALLENGING but made it all the more authentic. (I was truly surprised to learn that Mr. Paton is a WHITE South African!) The message was so amazing. The story was so well crafted.
I would recommend this book to anyone. If you take the time to absorb it - and not "just read" it - then you will be the lucky one. This is not a quick read to check off your list, but a masterpiece to savor. (Nelson Mandela's biography is also fabulous reading!!)

I am somewhat baffled by the reviews of this book. I guess because he is an African living in South Africa and the book is about the cultural issues in South Africa, change, injustice, bla bla bla, that makes it a great literary work? Not really. My daughter was assigned this book, so I downloaded a version to read so I would know what she was reading. Many of us have complained about things we were told to read in school, so I like to know what my children are reading so I can guide them through it and to maybe a better understanding. Many of those books became my favorite books. Not so this one.

Some of the reviews described it as "prose" but I can't fathom that. The language is repetitive, unimaginative, and the underlying story is not that engaging. I had difficulty getting through it, even though I have read textbooks, manuals, and research articles. I find it baffling that anyone would enjoy this book just based on the limited merits of the book. The story is not engaging, and if anything is just a perspective of a story of people who make bad decisions and suffer the consequences, which could be played out in any language, and any culture. Certainly not unique to South Africa.

Maybe is is because is was written at a time when literary works out of South Africa were unusual? Maybe it is due to the political correctness that forces everyone to respond in kind? I cannot say what drove the reviews, but I can say I do not understand the motivation for them, but cannot feel that is from anything that I read in this book. It's not not even enough content to actually dislike it. It's just.... blah. Kind of repetative word vomit. I feel for you if you are forced to read this. There are so many better books, even ones written from the perspective of the Great Contient by her native peoples.

This is one of my all time favorite books. I cried and I smiled at the same time. The story is very well written and tells a story about a wonderfully gentle man who does his best to help everyone he meets. Without telling too much of the story, he goes from a small village in the midst of incredible change and goes to the large city in search of two members of his family. Several situations arise, not always with a happy ending, but he faces them with sincerity, compassion, and a commitment that is inspiring. I took from this story the lesson that the worst situation that a person might ever have to deal with in their life that love can shine through and prove that there is a powerful goodness in man that is only waiting to be discovered and revealed.

When first published in 1948 in apartheid South Africa, Cry, the Beloved Country raised more than eyebrows as a powerful book about the power of unity and an author's unflinching hope of a future where segregation no longer exists. The book summoned feelings of pride, optimism, and anticipation of a long-desired goal. But Paton's lyrical, poetic prose is not your typical run-of-the-mill anger evoking story about discrimination. The story is a humanizing experience that evokes feelings of sympathy and understanding, not hatred for a system so blatantly wrong.
In Cry, the Beloved Country, readers feel an uncanny connection to three things: the land, an old black rural priest searching in a corrupt city for his son, and an old white rural man confronting the loss of his son. All three aspects of the book are connected by a common thread. And a great thing about the book is that Paton doesn't feel the need to build up to the emotional climax by setting the readers against a well defined antagonist, or even an antagonist at all; on a micro-scale, the story is a moving tribute to man's inherent dignity; on a macro-scale, the themes and plethora of symbols are applied to man's all-too mortal nature.
This book is also a can't-miss for any fans of poetry who want to read a good work of prose. As the New Republic puts it, Cry, the Beloved Country is "the greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time." I would be inclined to agree.

For me, this book had a slow start as I tried to get into the rhythm of the writing and grasp where the story was going. I was reading it for my book club, and for the first 50 pages or so, wasn't too happy about it. BUT THEN, something shifted and I was completely immersed in it. I must admit (sadly) to not knowing a lot about the history of South Africa, so I'm sure I didn't appreciate that aspect of the story as much as I could have. I will now learn more and reread the book so that I can experience that side of it fully. But, the story of what the father, Stephen Kumalo, experienced moved me to tears on several occasions. Reading from a parent's perspective, I could emotionally and physically feel what that man must have been experiencing- Paton's writing is amazing. This book is so sad and sweet and touching. There is much to say about all of the other aspects and story lines of this novel- all good. I was so tempted to stop reading at the beginning, and if I hadn't been reading it for the book club discussion, I believe I would have. I am so thankful that I didn't quit- I would have missed out on one of the most beautiful, rich, heart-rending, inspiring, and wonderful books I have ever read. I recommend it completely.

Being South African, this book touched me like few others. Some may say it is slow, but I found the prose lovely, with Paton's descriptions coming near to capturing the beauty and sadness of the country. Paton also avoids falling into the trap of portraying all Black people as noble, and all White people as evil settler types, making the story much more subtle and realistic than many others dealing with South Africa.
[...]

This book is one of the most incredible I have ever read. Many people rave about its depiction of apartheid and racism in South Africa, but it's so much more than that. This novel is a beautifully told story of one man's struggle against fate and a system set against him, of human compassion, and of renewal on a multitude of levels- the renewal of the physical earth, the lives of the people of Ndotsheni, and Kumalo's soul. The frailty and confusion felt by Kumalo, the anger at society of the young white social worker, the fear of young Kumalo, and the passion of Msimangu are all set beautifully against a vivid depiction of a racially divided South Africa in which the Africans themselves have no hope. Paton's style is perfect. His characters on occasion are a bit simple, but they are so vividly described that it seems that if there is a problem, it lies with you the reader! The settings are beautiful, and Paton's love of South Africa and thirst for equality run throughout the novel. Everyone should read this book.

This book has many beautiful themes tangled into its plot if you can dig through the many lengthy descriptions of the setting. While these descriptions are very wordy, the book would not be the same without them. They are tedious and repetitive, but Paton conveys the beauty of South Africa with the hardships and despair that the natives are facing.Paton does a wonderful job of showing exactly how Kumalo, the main character feels. From his characterizations, the reader understands his motives, thoughts and actions.
The setup of the book was confusing because the first section starts in chronological order, then the second section starts in the middle of the plot. Also, there are no quotations which makes the book hard to follow.
Overall, the novel celebrated two cultures reaching out to one another, and the bond between families especially father and son. For people who do not mind lavished detailed settings, I recommend this book highly because the themes taken out of it are unforgettable.

Cry the beloved Country, By Alan Paton, is a beautifullly written story of the conflict in South Africa in the 20th century. Its the story of a Zulu priest named Stephen Kumalo, who leaves his village to go and return his sister from the city. Yet, when he gets there, nothing is the way that he imagined it. The story is completely descriptive, and told so that you completely emphathize with Kumalo, and the problems that he is going through. You see his anguish at the fates of his son and his sister, the sadness and growing awareness that his country is being torn apart, and the knowledge that he is almost powerless against it. You see it from the other side as well, the side of James Jarvis, the father of the man that Kumalo's son murdered. You see him comes to terms with his sons death, and his changing views on the plight of his country. YOu watch his help Kumalo. In all, although slightly saddening, the story is moving and beautiful, and totally worth reading. If not for the value of the story alone, but for everything that it pertains to. Cry the Beloved country is wonderful.

Although this book is about 60 years old I just read it for the 1st time. It is a keeper and a treasure. It is a book that you will want to revisit often at least for awhile. I find the book to be filled with spiritual messages. You will see the making of aparthaid long before it was abolished. The story itself is quite suspenseful and Paton's writing style is unique. I like it.

I just finished reading this for my AP Language class, and I ADORED it. The characterization is phenomenal, and the story line is heart wrenching as well as captivating. The writing style, for lack of a better description, is simple yet profound- which makes it suitable for a variety of reading levels. This is one book that will change the way I live. Read it! :)

I listened to this story on CD, as read by Maggie Soboil. Her South African dialect made the story come alive! It was engaging and deep and the story so meaningful and thoughtful that I didn't want it to end. I wish that it was a series. I grew to love the characters and wanted to get to know them more.

I have been trying to read this book for the last two months. Although the story itself is quite interesting, I am finding it very hard to follow Paton's writing style and that is discouraging. People keep telling me it is SUCH a good book (and I keep hearing people rave about it on "Oprah") so I'm forcing myself to finish it, but I feel like the ground-breaking steps that Paton took with this book have been set back by the difficult-to-read style of writing. He doesn't use quotation marks. Instead, he delineates a quote with a dash at the beginning and no ending mark... which makes it very hard to tell when someone stops speaking and the narration resumes. In addition, the South African dialect is difficult to follow (it reminded me of reading "The Color Purple" at times) although the appendix does help a little with some of the words. Those two things added together have equaled a disappointing experience for me with this book.
I feel like it's such a shame because I can imagine many people get a few chapters into the book and put it down forever, missing out on a wonderful story and the first "real" look at South Africa for its time. My advice: get this one at your local library so if you have the same experience I have you won't have wasted your money.

Cry, The Beloved Country is my favorite novel, and Maggie Soboil is an incredible narrator! I love the honest humanity of this novel. It deals with hard issues in an unflinching way. Moreover, Ms. Soboil's voice strengthens the novel, with accurate pronounciation and accent -- you feel that she has transported you to South Africa.

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. So starts this book, a portrayel of one South African man's struggle to reunite his family. Kumalo is a black man who lives in South Africa in the 1940's admist Aparthied. His goal is to bring back his sister and son back to him. Alan Paton does an excellent job showing the obvious difference between a life of a black and white. Skin color was everything at that time. He displays the awful townships that blacks must live in because they have no other place to go. He also shows how mistreatment of blacks was a daily routine. As only a seventh grade student, I have to admit that at times I was sometimes confused while reading. However, the true meaning of this book was obvious. South Africa has gone through a tragic life. This book gives such an in depth gripping example of a black man's life that it is hard not to believe that it isn't an autobiography. This book displays the racial injustice of the law, by showing the sentence against Absalom. It's a true-eyeopener of the cruel history of our world, and what we have done to it. This wonderful book is one that should be read.

"Spark Notes Cry, The Beloved Country" summed of "Cry, the Beloved Country" very nicely, and was very insightful. The explanations were very educational and helpful and is a good companion for the novel. As always, you should read the Spark Notes AFTER you have the "Cry, the Beloved Country." I recommend.

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.

While the plot has a good basis, it is very slow and dull. Basically, the philosophy of the Afrikaners could have been established in less than a page, instead of constantly "quoting" passages written by civil rights leaders. The main character's struggle, while both real and symbolic, is one that is established, but not resolved. Inspires some thought, but not great.

Overall, I thought that Cry, The Beloved Country was a good story. I really enjoyed reading about the kindness and unity of the people in the book, however, I felt I just could not relate to any of these characters so it was really hard for me to get into the story. I also thought that the writing was a bit choppy and was sometimes hard to follow along. Overall, this book did not impact me as much as I had hoped.

I first read the book when I was in high school for our novel section of AP English. As a writer now, it is strangely thrilling to see how Paton's ideas and poetry influenced my own prose. "The Grapes of Wrath" by Steinbeck was good, but I felt that it lacked the words of the heart that Paton writes with. Never have I read a more simple and profound book, so lovingly crafted, so authentic and natural, that some fifty years later after Paton wrote the novel, it still has not been superceded. Kumalo's plight is everyman's plight; his burden our burden; his son our son. Dear students, don't read this book because your teacher tells you to, you will learn nothing that way. Read it, because you earnestly desire it, because it is well worth it.

Paton's novel relies heavily on his descriptions of South Africa and the characters of the story to get the reader involved in the simple, yet elegantly crafted story line. This novel is an excellent choice for Oprah's Book Club, for the depth of the characters is immense and much of the underlying meaning of the novel may require discussion to rise to the surface for many readers.

I didn't think I would like this book. I have never seen a writing style like this, so it was a little strange to start. However, I quickly changed my mind. It was a wonderful book that is uplifting and thought-provoking. I cried at the end of it because the story was so beautiful. This is a must read.

Alan Paton has made a great historical contribution to the people of South Africa. In this gripping novel, Paton exposes the cruelty and injustice taking place in post-war South Africa. He does a superb job of describing the wretched townships of Johannesburg, in which thousands of blacks were confined and forced to live. Also illustrated in the book are a corrupt court system, completely dominated by whites. This book gave me a real understanding of the brutal racism and hatred that was so present at the time of this books first publication, and exists even today. Yet amidst all of the bigotry, the reader is left with the impression that the people of South Africa will inevitably come to accept and respect one another regardless of the color of their skin.

It is true that Cry, the Beloved Country tells us of suffering, of injustice, of conflict, of South Africa. What sets this book apart, however, is its beauty: the beauty of the language, the beauty of faith in the forge, the beauty of the people, some struggling with their oppression, othes struggling with their privilege . You cannot fully appreciate this book if you only see it as a statement. It is not merely a statement, but a . . . well, a cry, not of pain only, but also of hope. It is profoundly touching.
It astonishes me that I did not discover this work until I was twenty years out of college. Beautiful, touching, unique in style, and very relevant. It should be on every English department's short list.

Alan Paton's "Cry, The Beloved Country" is a fabulous book. Admittedly, it starts out a little slow and the style takes a bit of getting used to, but the characters are amazingly real and the story saddens and uplifts simultaneously. I've been recommending it to all of my friends only to find that most have already read it. If you haven't, you should. If you have, read it again.

I thought this book did a good job of presenting characters that were very multidimensional. The characters displayed traits both positive and negative. As the reader, I felt sometimes encouraged, oftentimes sympathetic, and every once and a while disbelief at the actions of the main character Stephen Kumalo. However, I would have enjoyed knowing a bit more Kumalo's son journey while in Johannesburg.

I had to read this book for a summer reading assignment, and it bored me to tears. The title along foreshadows what will come once you get through the first quarter of the book. If you're anything like me, a high school student that enjoys reading, look for something else. There's plenty of classic literature out there that is more suitable and enjoyable for people like you and me. Granted, if read later on in life, this book may be half decent, but I personally will probably never read it again to find out.

For those looking for leisure reading, you're not going to find it here. ABORT MISSION.

For those who are here because they have to be (like I was), I'm so sorry. Go ahead a slap the person who is making you read this, just to get it out of your system. But there is hope. If I could get through it, so can you. Good luck my friend.

It is too simple to simply report this as a book about apartheid. The novel depicts human nature beautifully--the fact that the story line is about South Africa is just a prop to describe how and why people acts as they do. So much of this story applies today and in so many settings=--and in our own backyards.

This is a remarkable novel and while I don't see it on too many lists of the greatest 100 novels--it belongs there.

Unconditionally recommended for the thoughtful reader.

I love literature and I hate to be politically incorrect. And perhaps I'm being unfair - I did read this a while ago and only because it was required reading in high school. But many classics and important novels are actually good! I'm being sarcastic, but the point is, that I remember this book as being unbearably slow and boring. Yes, boring! It was well writeen, and the dynamics of it were interesting and it did stick in mind for being a great view and exposure into another's life and culture and time. But it was slow and boring and uninvolving. The characters and the "lyrical" writing resulted in my feeling removed from it. Boring!

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").

I am an 18 year old student who just graduted from high school. I hardly sit down and finish a book because I wasn't interested. However, from the page one of the book, I was hooked on. I can't stop reading. This book is very beautifully written. I feel that Part I on the book is from Stephen Kumalo's point of view of Johnnesburg. Part II is James Jarvis's point of view of Jhnnesbur. Part III, Alan Payton combined their two different point of views and make a conclusion. There are a lot of great quotes in this book that we can use in our daily life. I really encourage all of you to read this book

I had to read this book for school, and we just finished it a couple days ago. Now, I'm not saying that it was a horrible book because it wasn't. I can honestly say it was one of the better books I've read for school. (I really, really hate it when we have to read those old, English classics.) But it wasn't what I expected it to be at all. I was expecting a brilliant piece of work about racial and prejudice problems of South Africa, but I found those things to be a sidenote of this novel. It was mostly about a quiet, humble pastor looking for his family. While it was touching that he did eventually find all of his family, I thought there should have been more to the story. More about the friction between the different races that inhabited South Africa. Then it turned into a To Kill a Mockingbird type thing, with the trial and everything. While I found the writing to be good, I thought it was kind of boring. And there must have been some translation problems because somethings just didn't make sense. But all in all, it was a good book. I don't plan on re-reading it ever, but it was still okay. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I just liked it.

It is great to see a classic like this back in print. Although South Africa is now a free country, it does us no harm to be reminded of what it used to be like and this book does that famously. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

What a book!!! I read this book when I was a senior in High School and that was almost 7 years ago! It was summer reading, and I can still remember thinking oh what a drag! But I am so glad that my instructor added this novel to the list! The views on apartheid especially as seen through the eyes of the black and white men both help make us think about what goes on in the world outside of this country and give us a clue as to how we can stop this from happening here. If you need a good book to read, make this one of your top choices!

Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country is an eye opening look into 1940's South Africa. The main character pastor Stephen Kumalo tries to save his family from the trap that is the city of Johannesburg. Once in Johannesburg Kumalo quickly realizes hard life is in the white dominated society and how easy it is to fall into the trap. The book does start off a bit slow but by the middle it will have you sucked in. Paton vividly shows how crupt people can be but also shows how good hearted people can be. If you are looking for a book with emotion and life lessons this is a must read.

Reading some of the reviews for this book has been interesting to say the least. In CBC Paton writes in verse, not prose. This is something that not many pick up on, but it is shown through his use of repetition and imagery. This book is somewhat tragic in that it paints a hopeful picture for South Africa's future only a few years before apartheid was established. CBC is not a book for those who don't have the patience for Paton's wonderful use of verse.

"Cry, the Beloved Country" had a very intriguing and educational plot, but Paton's writing style is what ruined it for me. The dialogue format was confusing at times, and the switching of narration also put a damper on the story. Symbolism was strong, but easily spotted. If only the writing style wasn't so bad. I do not recommend.

This is a really good book. Anyone will like it. It is a tragic story of a black man who tries to reunite his faimly in South Africa. When I finished it I was crying, it was so sad. This is a great book, and you need to read it.

I read this book about 2 years ago for Academic Decathlon and it is a wonderful book. It introduces you to entirely different era, atmosphere, culture and belief system. It really makes you think about what it would be like to be oppressed and hated and what it means to fight for something that you believe in.

After reading Cry, the Beloved Country I realized how terrible the situation is in South Africa. I knew it was in bad condition now but to actually feel like I was there really made me realize that the grass is not always greener on the other side. This book had its emotional moments; for instance when Stephen Kumalo finds out all the situation his son Absalom is put in. I recommend this book to anyone who has an opened mind, and wants to learn more about cultural differences.

The writing is trully amazing. I have never read such a lyrical book. There are sections of it which feel like they could to be sung. There is wonderful poetic rhythm to the language.

And then of course there is the actual story ... which is also beautiful and tragic. The drama is very intense. Don't let the difficult to pronounce names put you off. This is worth reading numerous times.

I find this book very interesting. At first Ithought it would be very boring, but I had it wrong. The book is so good because the characters are described very vividly. it was also funny to read, because the author used the african language. That was very funny, because there are a lot words the same in Dutch. the story was not at all boring, because you don't know where the story ends. it was also nice to read because there were two perspectives, so you could read the book from two different angles. i think it's a very nice book to read, so if you want to read someting special, READ THIS.

This book is an inspirational glance at the inherent goodness in man and it's abuse by fellow man. While dealing with touchy subjects, namely apartheid, the ideas presented by Paton are as powerful as anything Orwell could have written. The bright, fresh, and positive future suggested by Paton reaches deeper into the soul than the dystopia presented by many 20th century authors. With conviction in God and country Paton illustrates the power of forgiveness and love in changing a corrupt society.

A very moving story of two neighboring families set amidst the racially/politically turbulent atmosphere of Mid-20th Century South Africa. Beautifully written, with exquisite description of South Africa's landscape. Universal, timeless message of human hope & fear, oppression & equality, and understanding & reconciliation. A must read.

I have heard that this book was incredible in how it told the story of the conflict in South Africa, and the destruction the Apartheid brought into South Africa. The book turned out to be a symbolic piece of trash. The plot was so tedious it almost made me want to vomit. I thought character development was decent. You were able to see James Jarvis transform from an indoctrinated white man into an understanding one (much like his son). Overall, if you are really interested about the Apartheid, read an autobiography on Nelson Mandela rather than waste away 4 or 5 hours reading this tedium.

I'm a sophmore in high school and I voluntarily read this book. I finished about 1 week ago and I cannot stop thinking about it. If you are interested in South Africa, Africa in general, or a wonderful novel then this book is for you. This book is written so beautifully I went out and bought 2 other books by Paton- "Ah, But Your Land is Beautiful," and "Too Late the Phalarope." READ THIS BOOK!

I had to read "Cry the Beloved Country" for my ninth grade english class. The African names made it hard to follow, and also the slow plot, but overall it was alright. I strongly agree that people need to see past the color of your skin and judge you by who you are. None of our wordly problems can be dealt with untill we all accept eachother as equals our planet will just keep deteriorating. The end was a little drastic but alright.

I own this book on audio and it by far one of the best I have ever read. I must read it again as I don't know if Absaloms Child repeated his acts of murder or if it was written in flashbacks, but I was totally rivited to the story every minute.
The story definitely left an impression on me though it was fiction I felt as if it had actually taken place.

This is a really great book....I started reading it knowing nothing abt how popular it was etc.....I was really moved by the lyrical prose......It is a book that doesnt judge, doesnt take a high stand, doesnt provide a solution to the problem....just talks about it in humane way.....really beautiful.... a must read for everyone....and trust me, it is a serious book....without all the pretensions of one.....

This book is amazing. It is by far the best book I have ever read. The story is heart-warming. I could not put it down. The characters come alive on the pages. Alan Paton handles a sensitive situation with compassion. I would highly recommend this to anyone. I hope you too find as much enjoyment as I did.

CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY EMBRACES ALL THAT IS BEAUTIFUL IN SOUTH AFRICA AND AT THE SAME TIME REVEALS HARDSHIPS ENDURED DURING THE APARTHEID. THIS NOVEL IS A VERY HISTORICALLY ENHANCING READ SURROUNDED BY A STORY OF LOVE, FAMILY AND ENDURANCE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS NOVEL AS A QUICK BUT GREAT READ CAPTURING THE READER'S HEART EARLY IN THE STORY.

This book was one of the most fantastic pieces of literature i have ever read. The language of Paton in and of itself will keep you glued to the book, and when you mix the themes and general plot into it, it is simply fantastic. This book is outstanding for pleasure, education, and any other reason you could possibly want to read a book.

A concise viewpoint, honored to have been given the opportunity to read thsi timelss work of art. I can not think of any book I have read recently, which has made me put my head out the window and scream I love my life! like this masterpiece has done and will carry on doing so for generations to come! Allan Paton you are a great and honorable man!

What an amazing book. I read this book in 2 days, not because I had the time, but because I couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend it anyone and everyone. Not only is it a well written book, but a great social commentary on African politics during that time. 5 stars is not enough.

I'm not sure I really understood this book but Oprah said its good so I do to. It was equal parts hartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. The main part of the story is how Kumalu is apart (no pun intended) from his son and his search for him. Besides the larger philosophical and social issues it was also even more interesting on the personal level of the characters involved. Oprah you done it again girl. I would have gave it a extra star if it had lowfat southafrican recipes.

Cry,The Beloved Country is a very descriptive book about Steven Kumalos family being torn apart.Steven Kumalos sister gets sick due to a life of prostitution. He had to use all his money to go and visit her while she was sick. I thought that the book was not very entertaining. Nothing exciting happens. Some parts of the book are descriptive and give good details. The story line is good, Steven is a priest who does not have very much money, but is willing to sacrifice what he has for his sister. Even though his sister has become a prostitute and ruined her life, he still loves her. Before receiving the letter that told him about his sister being sick, he did not even know where his sister was, he had not heard from her for years. It turns out that she was only a few towns away. The story takes place in South Africa during the years while apharteid was present. It shows some of the ways blacks were suppresed during those years. Steven and his family were very effected by apharteid. They stugled through many things. Even though they went through so much they got through it all because they were a very strong family. Even though i thought the book was boring, it did have some good points in it. Like how much you need your family in hard times and how you should stick together with your family no matter what. I personally would not read this book again, but its up to you to decide if you want to.

"Cry, the Beloved Country" had a very intriguing and educational plot, but Paton's writing style is what ruined it for me. The dialogue format was confusing at times and the switching of narration also put a damper on the story. Symbolism was strong, but easily spotted. If only the writing style wasn't so bad. I do not recommend.

yes, the storyline is great, its churns your emotions, you feel for kumalo and everything and everyone around him. But hey, this is not the first time i have read a book that is as moving. But definitely the book gives you a peek into the aparthied situation in Southafrica. Just a peek, there are more worser things happening there.

I honestly struggled to read the book and understand it because of the language. I like simple language, which is understadable in todays world. And i think if this book was re - written in not so poetic style, i would have loved it.

Its a tough read. You need to clear your mind of distractions to understand the book.

But seriously whats the hue and cry all about!!!! Not fascinated.

I thought this was a great book. I read it along with Chris Okoli's "Africans Cry For Help" as a primer, and that book really helped out my understanding of issues in Africa. Check that one out here... [...]

I read this book four years ago and it still comes up in my conversation on a regular basis. I have read few other books so moving. You can feel what the characters are feeling--as individuals and as members of their larger culture. Nothing but thumbs up.

After reading "Professor Smith's" review, I have to wonder if we read the same book. The tragedy that the characters experienced is horrific, but the beautiful events that that arose from that tragedy are inspiring! "Cry, the Beloved Country" is amazing, poetic, moving, affecting, and an important book to read.

Whether you've read this book before or not, listening to this reading is well worth your time. I had read it, but didn't really feel the novel or understand its depth until I listened to this reading by the excellent Maggie Soboil. Believe me, you won't regret it.

This book is filled with poetry and symbolism. The writing style of Alan Paton is truly amazing and each line is rich in metaphor and understanding. Obviously inspired by the country he is writing about you can feel the love he has for Africa in each and every line of this text.
As for the story it's a very interesting look at the coming of age in a society that probably doesn't want to come of age yet. It probes deep questions about what right societies have to interfere with each other and what steps can and can't be taken after interference has already occurred. One of the most powerful messages for me was that you can't go back. The natives in the book can not return to the culture that they once had, instead they must look for a way to combine their old culture with the new culture that has been forced upon them. The book seems to give hope that this is possible and makes us realize that culture is stronger than the conditions it lives in and can stand strong against even the heaviest adversity.

south africa now has the highest crime rate in the world and a governing body which does not respect whites human rights any more than was the opposite situation in the 40's...is it any more fair to kill and hack one group to death, isn't that a hate crime when one group targets one other group because of skin color.
we often neglect (is it on purpose) to tell the other side of the story when it includes black and white people...

I read this book in my sophomore year of high school, and wasn't very fond of it. My classmates agreed.
The book had an interesting plot, I can give it that at least. Kumalo, a South African priest, travels to Johanessburg, a huge city, to find that his entire family has basically forgotten him. His brother doesn't recognize him, his sister lives in the slums, and his son... well, I won't go there as I don't want to give away the plot.
My major complaint about the book is the writing style. It's confusing, lengthy, and one of my friends said they could have cut an entire page of what Paton said into about 3 words. Another complaint I have was that when reading it, it was hard for me to understand who was talking, because the dialogue same as Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. There aren't any quotation marks in the entire book.
All in all, the writing style is just plain tedious for those who don't enjoy it. Who knows, maybe my 15 year old mind can't quite fully appreciate the "genius" of Paton's writing. But that's just me. As you can tell from other reviews listed here, other people obviously love the writing style. Although I found it confusing and unnecessary.
To wrap things up, I would give this book a 2.5 if it were possible... I enjoyed the story, but I disliked the way it was written.

This is an extraordinary novel. Paton's fiction explores the nature of human feeling, spirit and behaviour. Well written prose not wasting words or pages in non sense. The characters, the plot, the technique all are great.

I felt that this book was poorly written and an imposition on the reader. I understand that Paton was trying to introduce the speech patterns to the reader, and he did so successfully, but it took away from the book's rythm.

the style of the writing was really confusing, I had to read this book this summer for my sophomore honors english class. I agree with Dave, The author just wasted my time describing things on...and on...which completely bored me. I only had 5 days to read this book...so i skipped some pages that some people stated "poetic". I may be harsh...like Dave...it could be because i cant fully apreciate his writing.

This book is based on an interesting concept, but the book itself is grueling to read. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone.
I actually can't believe that this one is on Oprah's book club. Even more distressing is the fact that such a marginal book would spike in sales like it did when it hit Oprah's list.
Get a mind of your own and spend your time reading a better book that you actually pick for yourself.

I was initially intrigued to read a South African historical fiction novel. However, I was extremely disappointed with this book. I frequently cringed when I read through functional dialogue, poorly written detail of scenarios, and rudimentary story structure. I couldn't believe that someone who held high ranking in a country actually published a book that was so bland. The dialogue, I must emphasize, is so bad that it's hilarious.
I read about halfway through the novel and HAD to put it down. There was no way I could possibly waste my time reading something that made me think that anyone could get published. And an Oprah book? Did she even open it to read or did she just read the back cover?

this book really was boring. the style paton decided to use in this book is one of a psychopathic moron. his - before what the person said and you having to guess who says what and when is too overwhelming for anyone. Not only did i get lost, but i was confused when i wasn't lost. i don't recommend this book to any sane person.

I'm more than mid-way in this novel.. I'm struggling to finish it.

the core of the story is fine. I mean a man looking for his son.

but the temptation of the writer to make this book into a history book of south africa is killingly borring.

and what's whith the repeated parts ! no one needs to read the same paragraph twice!

I've heard soooo much about this book that got me interested into it. now I wish I just continued being interested without reading it.

seriously, know the main part. which u can know from the back of the book.

Wonderful. Heartbreaking. Tearjerking. Powerful. Breathtaking. Inspiring.

These are all words that do not come to mind when thinking about Cry, the Beloved Country. Words that more appropriately describe the book would be sickening, suicicide-inducing, boring to the point of jumping off a bridge. With the literary finesse of a hipoppotomus giving birth, Peton has finally managed to create a work so frighteningly dull it has been compared to watching grass grow.

OMG! I read this book in high school and thought it was the most boring, torturous book ever. Now my daughter is reading it and was not just my immaturity that led me to that conclusion. Kumalo's trek to Johannesburg takes FOREVER. I was like oh just get there already. Tedious details and see it coming from a mile away plot developments will have you snoring away in no time. But for anyone who suffers from insomnia, this book should do the trick!

This is the worst book ever written. im serious. It does not make sense, it is really boring. Nothing happens, there is so much unneccesary writting. The author could have written the same information on just 100 pages. Do not buy this book. you will regret it . I repeat, you will regret it. Do not waste your money this book. Please look at other books instead. The author has written the book in a really stupid way. like right at the beggining, the protagonist recieves a grave letter from johhannesburg. Then his wike asks him what they should do about it. Then the protagonist responds DO ABOUT WHAT? then his wife says the letter of course.

When I read this, I thought, Damn this book sucks!

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!