A Brilliant Coetzee Read
933596
"Waiting for the Barbarians" and "Life and Times of Michael K" might be Coetzee's best books, but this is surely up there as well.  "Disgrace" is a dark book about the state of man and the state of a country.  At times painful, it is never dull and always forces a reader to think.
2738883
My View:
Jenn J McLeods writing is just going from strength to strength.  Her latest book is complex with sensitively written contemporary issues regarding identity, family, truth and abuse of children in care gently woven into the multi layered narrative. Jenns gentle approach lets readers enjoy the narrative and mysteries absorbing the issues without schoolmarmish lessons being given.

The settings are exquisitely Australian, I love the area around Coffs Harbour/Sapphire beach with its majestic coastline, sub-tropical climate, banana plantations and forest.

Jenns characters are interesting and individual- some you will love, some you will need time to warm to.

The endingat first I was a little disappointed with one aspect of the ending but upon reflection realised it was because I was invested in this particular characters life and wanted a happy every after (which I was denied). At some point I realised the ending needed to be this way  or risk putting a saccharine spin on the overall narrative - which would have just spoilt this engaging contemporary story.

This is another great read from Jenn J McLeod!
1927941
He is a great deceiver and a great self-deceiver, who was caught with his pants down and admitted it, confesses in full for having had sex with his student, suffers the consequences like a stoic, leaves the University and goes to live with Lucy, his estranged lesbian daughter, where things get worse fast. People who aren't good enough to tie his shoelaces make jokes about him, but the dignity of being himself, of refusing to accept the values of others and pseudovalues of others, the dignity of living his life by self-determined goals lives on, shines on through calamity after calamity. Intelligent, fast paced, with excellent plot and story line, well developed characters, and lots of action, make this an excellent book and a wonderful experience. The noble language, the moral compass, the details of life in the weird and wonderful land of South Africa, the deep understanding of the human heart make this a classic. No wonder Coetzee won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Also recommended: The Life and Times of Michael K.
3403794
This is an amazing book, filed with an intriguing and complexly interwoven mixture of adventure, science, and romance, set in Africa and Amsterdam, vividly describing the deliberate unleashing of a scourge long-suffered in the tropics, but unknown in the temperate climates.  Mixing in scientific intrigue with the story of a pugnacious hero facing down a relentless and ruthless adversary to save his love, while at the same time telling the interrelated story of her previous life in Africa, the book cannot be put down as it races to its surprising conclusion.  The author does a marvelous job of making the characters and places he describes come to life in a very vivid way, and the story he weaves is truly compelling and convincing. Any reader who likes a good intrigue novel should read this book!
3808710
In "Age of Iron" J.M. Coetzee again produces a masterpiece of human feeling and emotion.  Using his native South Africa as the backdrop of his book, he relates the mental processes of a white women dying of cancer in 1980's South Africa.  While South Africa is in many ways a civilized country, it is in many ways very much third world, at least in the 1980's when apartheid was still the "law of the land."
As Coetzee's protaganist slowly expires, she uses an epistolary technique, the book is a long letter, to her daughter, who has escaped the daily horror of a gruesome war, by traveling to America.  The book illustrates graphically, the culmination of the abuse of a huge majority, simply because of the color of their skin.  While Coetzee's protaganist finds the concept of apartheid anathema, she has lived her life in the isolated world of the white of South Africa.  In these last days, she comes face to face with the reality of the rest of South Africa.  And, her reaction intensifies, as her emotion follows, through the final days of her life.
This book is highly recommended to those who wish to experience the true feelings and horror that affect those involved in day to day combat, 'on the streets where you live.'  Coetzee characterizes feelings and mental processes in a way that is truly outstanding.  It is a very worthwhile venture to read this book from Coetzee.  It is not time spent in vain.
3527240
My girlfriend gave me this book as a gift, and at first I was reluctant. But once I picked it up I could not put it down!
Very well written, and it flows very smoothly. I lived in Africa last year, and one of the most present threats I encountered was not only malaria, but the possibility of having one of my sisters kidnapped. And the characters are very true to what my experience living in Africa was. Eise does a perfectly good job in portraying the landscape not only physical, but also the political and social. The novel will keep you enthralled, and you will find yourself finishing quicker than you'd imagine. Embedded themes of positivism and crafting your way out of challenges, make the reading experience much more engaging, and ignites self-reflection.
4207421
The characters are alive and lovable. The mix of worlds is beautifully drawn: the observant Jewish and Arab worlds alongside the more secular Israel. Each character and their relationships with one another ring true. The relationship between Tamar and Isaac is evocative--will he finally! see? The friendship between Isaac and Mustafa is as rich as is each of the characters individually. The Rebbes wife is nuanced, as are the minor characters. Emotional and spiritual growth occur without being in the least pedantic. Tension is created with subtlety, which makes this book a true reading pleasure. And also a real page turner, filled with real worry and dread.  Very few writers can pull off depth and driving plot at the same time. That is mastery.
3154491
The Couriers New Bicycle is one of my stand out best reads of 2012, and thats why Ive delayed this review so long as I was trying to find useful words to review it with instead of flailing wildly with joy and splattering words all over the place not sure Ive moved on sufficiently, but well see.

Im head over teakettle in love with Melbourne, and Westwood has evoked the essence of Melbourne beautifully in this book, including taking it into a darker place where conservatism rules. The politics of this book resonate with me strongly and I appreciate Sal as protagonist being someone with a non-binary gender presentation, and also a non heteronormative sexuality. And, it isn't as though these are immediately central to the plot, except they are in an oblique way because they are central to Sal, who is fielding this new future society that distrusts and despises zer. In a future weighed down by fertility crises, it is no surprise that the politics of gender, sexuality are central themes.

The characters in the story have a realness to them that I really enjoyed, they're ordinary people living in a society that they struggle with, who acts against them. And yet they still seek to act for the greater good,  trying to make a difference whether to battery farmed animals, or to each other. The importance of chosen family is emphasised in this book, and this pleases me as someone who appreciates both blood and chosen family in vastly different ways.

Sals integrity is one of the things I like best about the character, forthright and honest, there is struggling with keeping secrets, even if for good reason. Reluctant detective or not, Sal is believable throughout the story and the gentle threads of romance and friendship that underpin the story are brilliantly woven.

Shortlisted for  the Tiptree Award, its easy to see why, the exploration of gender and sexuality politics is deft and insightful. There are easily recognisable echoes of existing fears and politics in these areas for those of us who are queer in our gender, sexuality, or lifestyle. Its not to hard to imagine this kind of future, but knowing others are able to imagine it makes me feel a little less alone in this fearful imagining. Also, this book has a story so well told that I have to hope it will reach people and open eyes previously closed to the lived reality of people who are othered. Some have described the books as dystopic, however Im not among them as I find the future described in the book all to plausible.

Highly recommended, I just cant say enough good things about this book.
3785266
This book is a careful and clear description of the period in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the end of apartheid began. The history lesson is wrapped in a very compelling murder mystery. I found it a long but rewarding book, one I will not soon forget.
4098574
Up until close to the end of the book, it's very hard to pin down what Amanda Coe's novel is about. You can look for a structure, for themes and threads that work throughout the book, but it's hard to see any kind of conventional plot storyline or theme tying them together. What is clear however, by the fact that you are held completely within its grasp throughout, is that the book is exceptionally well-written, evoking a sense of period of the 70s from the perspective of two young Yorkshire girls. What is almost impossible to describe however is the shock ending which seems to come out of the blue, but it's only then that the careful orchestrating of events that has led up to it becomes clear.

The book lulls you into a false sense of security, seeming to be a straightforward nostalgic account of life in Yorkshire in 1975, seen from the perspective of two ten year-old girls from very different social backgrounds. Gemma is from a well-off family goes on foreign holidays with her parents and buys all the sweets and comics she likes. Pauline however, who is from a rough part of town, her mother a prostitute and mostly absent, is the smelly girl in the class, wild, dangerous and shunned by the others. Even though it becomes clear that Gemma's life isn't as perfect as it seems, the novel is about more than a comparative look at social differences in pre-Thatcherite Britain. We get other perspectives on women's lives from a variety of ages, classes and temperaments - from Lollie Paluza, a 10 year-old TV-star prodigy adored by Gemma, from Vera, a middle-aged actress working on a film with Lollie, and from Quentin, an American producer also involved in the film.

Coe's writing is simply brilliant, setting the tone perfectly, getting into the mindset of a number of very different women, and expressing their outlook in a realistic and sometimes frank and disturbing manner. The precision with which she gets into the minds of the characters is matched by the accuracy of observation of their reactions to one another. This is taken to a length that is really quite surprising and utterly shocking, the theme gradually arising that there is a seed of bitterness (or even goodness) within one that can be turned towards evil with surprising ease, particularly in application towards women (and the emergence of Margaret Thatcher around this time may indeed also have relevance in this respect). It's a testament to the power of the writing then that this draws you in, even when it isn't clear where the novel is going, only for it to have even more of an impact when the conclusion arrives. It's a conclusion that is indescribably painful to read - be warned - and it is likely to remain with you for a long time.
616676
The Lieutenant by Australian author Kate Grenville is the story of a gifted and socially awkward young British man name Daniel Rooke, who, in the late 1780's travels to New South Wales in Australia.  As a Lieutenant in the Royal Marines and an astronomer, he is to help his countrymen and a shipload of convicts create a foothold and a colony of the strange new world they've landed one.

A stranger in a land not his own, Rooke  works to learn the skies of the southern hemisphere under his mission from the Royal Astronomer, and grows to know the aboriginal people of the area amidst the desperate efforts of his countrymen of the colony.  Caught between the two worlds of his duty to the colony and the people native to the land, he is eventually forced to make a moral choice that will define his future.

Review:

I'd never heard of Kate Grenville before this novel. From what I gather, she is quite popular in Australia as one of their premier literature authors.

I must admit that after reading the Lieutenant, I can fully understand why.  She is a beautiful writer, her characters more real than many of those one finds in most literature and she has a great deal of skill in describing landscapes and people without sounding trite or overwrought.

With that is her attention to detail and historical background.  She paints a picture of early Australia, the trials of her natives and the invaders from across the sea, that is quite compelling, from the struggles of the military with the convict colonists to the early interactions of the British with Australia's aboriginal people.

While the story moves slowly, the main character in Daniel Rooke is such a brilliantly portrayed person in her telling that one deeply cares about his fate and empathizes with the moral decisions and impact it makes on his life.  Likewise, such is true with many of the supporting characters he interacts with. There's a great deal of empathy in her writing.

Building her story in part on the real life experiences and research by an 18th century man named William Dawes, she paints a picture of a history that many of her readers will not be familiar with, without being condescending or preachy about the ultimate conclusion of the tale. In a way, she revives a piece of history that is little described and mostly unknown to most audiences.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While others have probably said it more eloquently than I, I'll chime in and throw my unreserved recommendation.  For those who enjoy historical fiction or general literature, the Lieutenant is a compelling and enjoyable read and worth the time.
3445738
Wow! What a great read!!!

Celia Mphephu is a black servant working for a family in the white suburbs in 1960's Johannesburg. She is supporting her family who lives far away and raising her youngest child, Miriam. As racial tensions explode in South Africa, Celia agrees to allow her employers to adopt her daughter and take her to England with them. In alternating chapters, we follow Miriam as she struggles with racism in England and missing her mother, "Mme." We also follow Celia in her continued struggles surviving through the awful violence during apartheid and longing to see her daughter again.

I instantly loved Celia and felt her pain as a mother trying to find a way to remember every detail of her beautiful little girl before she had to say goodbye to her. Understanding it was the best chance her daughter would have at a decent life. My heart ached for Miriam as she yearned to see her mother again, trying to understand why she wasn't with her anymore. I found myself turning pages and wiping tears as I followed their struggles. This book is about love, betrayal, forgiveness, pain-both physical and emotional and hope. This book had it all and is one of the best books I have read this year. I will be recommending this one to all my friends.

I received this book free through Goodreads first reads in exchange for my honest review. This is my honest review of Another Woman's Daughter
3134859
In the fifth outing of Anthony Bidulka's Russell Quant series, there is more action, more bullets, and more wild animals than I would have ever imagined. With that said, I imagine the globe-trotting Bidulka informed his writing of Russell's adventures through his own travels in Africa -- but upped the adventure with a giant jolt of steroids. Bidulka's descriptions of the sights, smells, and scenes are gorgeous. I felt that I was there. And, this book is good. Bidulka is a gifted storyteller. My problem, and this problem is not the author's fault, was that I couldn't connect with the Matthew Ridge/Moxley character. It was not until near the very end that I came to care about Matthew at all. What Bidulka did in this story that was stunningly brilliant, was tell a cautionary tale about the horrors of bullying, homophobia, and self-hatred.  Kudos, Mr. Bidulka. Kudos.  And thank you, sincerely, for introducing me to the beautiful notion of ubuntu. My country, the U.S., really, seriously needs a big dose of ubuntu at present.
1606481
This is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel of a teacher, his daughter, and a family seeking justice for a terrible crime.  Having read _Cry, the Beloved Country_, I was prepared for this novel to be good but average.  South Africa's history lends itself well to deep, haunting fiction, but Mr. Coetzee's writing style is unique.  I have not been privileged to read much Toni Morrison, but when I read _Beloved_, each sentence required my intense concentration.  One way to describe Mr. Coetzee's style is that it is like an easier, quicker Toni Morrison, without any loss of beauty.  For example, the language used here is stunning, such as inamorata; hypnagogic; jonquil; and verbena.  These are not typical words one sees in any novel, but they are placed in a way that makes the entire book seem onomatopoetic, if that is possible.  In addition, the characters' thoughts are delightful to see: at one point, the main character analyzes the word, "friend."  It comes from freond, and then from freon, meaning love.  In other words, a friend is literally a lover.  Without divulging too much, _Disgrace_ absorbs the reader in its exciting plot while serving a cold dish of racial karma--it's the literary equivalent of being injected with botulin while happily dining at a Parisian restaurant.  When you finish this story of a family in South Africa that has to deal with the changing demographics around it, if you understand the author's subtle point, your perspective on humanity will be changed.
1716439
Some books dissolve in memory as soon as they are put down. Not a Joan Leegant book. Like An Hour in Paradise, her glowing collection of short stories, the novel Wherever You Go seems bound to leave something of itself with the reader. Through Leegant's deft structuring of the very different yet interlocking life transitions of three very different individuals, contemporary Israel itself becomes the primary character of this believably plotted and richly textured work. The result is not only a good read but a vividly real sense of the multi-layered complexity, contradictions, failure, and promise that describe not only her people and their relationships but the all-too-humanly dynamic organism that is the nation of Israel. Leegant's perceptiveness is sometimes breathtaking, which is largely why her people--and Israel itself--come to live and breathe on the page. Yes, the novel gets off to a leisurely beginning (perhaps just short of downright slow), but it builds deliberately, and by the halfway point becomes "couldn't put it down" material.  Book clubs are sure to find this a natural, with substance enough for rewarding discussion on any number of topics and levels. It strikes me as coming close to creating as tangibly real a sense of Israel as Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone does of post-war Ethiopia. Definitely a winner.
1467751
First of all, I am the author's wife so I am obviously biased BUT I read a whole lot of books in my line of work ( I run a book events company) and this book is an exciting read.
A strong sense of place whether it's the open cast pit in Emhlaleni , the forested suburb of Saxonwold or the luxury offices in Sandton makes the book inimitably South African and the characters are great- you can feel the huge handshake of  the rough mine security officer Jonny van Straten , the humanity of the priest Ronald Ncube and the nastiness of the CEO Thuli .
653017
Enthralling from start to finish. One feels transported to South Africa in the dying days of the appalling apartheid regime