Book Review: Cry, the Beloved Country

Author: Alan Paton

Title: Cry, the Beloved Country

Description: An old priest from rural South Africa goes to Johannesburg to find his sister and his son, with whom he has lost touch. Transplanted from their rural lives, they have succumbed to bad company, temptation, and poverty. While the sister agrees to return to their small village to raise her son, the priest’s son, Absalom, has suffered a different and heartbreaking fate. Meanwhile, a rich white landowner finds that his son has been murdered in a burglary gone bad.

Review source: This was a book group selection.

Plot: I pretty well described the plot above, but the plot is barely important compared to the characters and the writing.

Characters: Stephen Kumalo and uJarvis, Absalom and Arthur, are white and black, young and old, poor and rich. They are both richly drawn characters and representations of South African people.

Writing style: This book is literally beautiful. It’s just poetry.

Audience: everyone.

Wrap-up: One good thing about the book group is that it gets me to read some classics that I should have read by now, but just haven’t, somehow. This book surpassed its reputation and all of my expectations; it was lovely, and it broke my heart. 5/5*

Book Review: The Descendants

Author: Kaui Hart Hemings

Title: The Descendants

Description: This is one of those books that became famous as a movie. I haven’t seen the movie yet (you know I always read the book first). This one was one of our book group selections. Matthew King’s wife Joanie is in a coma and has been for the past twenty-three days.  Not only does he have to make decisions about continuing her care, he has two daughters he hardly knows. Matthew and his girls have to redefine what it means to be a family.

Plot: This book is a really good blend of plot and character development. The plot is simple yet gripping; when Matthew discovers his wife has been having an affair, things become even more complicated.

Characters: Matthew, his girls Scottie and Alex, and Alex’s friend Sid all grow and change during the novel. Even the comatose Joanie is a vivid character. I’d say this aspect of the book is the author’s strong point.

Writing style: The book is not long and reads quickly, but it is nonetheless thought-provoking. It proves that a book doesn’t have to be long to be powerful.

Audience: It’s literary fiction, set in Hawaii. Anyone who reads literary fiction would probably like the book, though I can see it appealing more to women than to men.

Wrap-up: This book grabbed me once I started reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found much to consider at the same time. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie. 4/5*

Book Review: The Man Who Was Thursday

Author: G.K. Chesterton  

Title: The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare

Description: A poet has the chance to join a secret group of anarchists who are not all that they seem.

Review source: This book is free on kindle as it is in the public domain.

Plot: As the subtitle insinuates, the plot is dreamlike, moving rapidly from place to place and idea to idea.

Characters: None of the characters seems to be very well-developed; this short novel is almost allegorical in function.

Writing style: There are surprising elements of humor that I didn’t expect. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that was going on.

Audience: Chesterton was one of C. S. Lewis’ favorite authors. There is noticeable similarity. Inklings fans should give him a read.

Wrap-up: This was my choice for this month’s book club read. I chose it mainly because I’ve heard of Chesterton often, but never read him; he is one of the most famous Christian authors who I hadn’t yet tried. I was surprised to find him so funny; some of the book was dated, but it was still thought-provoking. 4/5*

Book Review: Quiet

Author: Susan Cain  

Title: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won’t Stop Talking

Description : The United States, according to Cain, is the most extroverted nation on the planet, yet one-third to one-half of people are born introverts. Is it a character flaw to be introverted? Can one succeed in spite of this in-born handicap?

Source: This is my book group’s selection for April.

Writing style: You can tell the book was written by an introvert. It’s not flashy, chatty, or fast-paced. It is thoughtful, in-depth, and reflective.

Audience: The primary audience would be introverts, but there is plenty here for those who identify as extroverts, and even for those who haven’t really thought about it (btw, I would say that means you are an extrovert).

Major ideas: Cain points out that in our extroverted American society, introversion can often be seen as a character flaw, but it is not; it is merely the opposite side of the extrovert/introvert coin. While giving tips on how to cope better in an extroverted world, Cain maintains that introverts have much to offer by staying true to their introverted predilections for deep thought and quieter, more reflective thinking habits.  

Wrap-up: So I’m one of the most introverted people I know, which isn’t saying much, since I don’t know that many people (remember, I’m an introvert). The best thing about the book, and well worth the purchase price (yes, I actually bought this book, a rarity for me!) is that it reaffirmed my introverted qualities. Expect to see much less of me in the future. 4/5*

Book Review: State of Wonder

Author: Ann Patchett

Title: State of Wonder

Description: Dr. Marina Singh gave up her promising surgical career for a career in pharmacology. When her office-mate dies on a fact-finding trip to the Amazon, Marina is asked to trace his footsteps to determine what really happened. The trip means that Marina must confront her medical school nemesis, Dr. Swenson, who is the head of the research team in Brazil. She also confronts her fears and her feelings about her life thus far.

Review source: This book was chosen by our book group (although it was already on my to-read list).

Plot: There’s a lot going on here (much of which I didn’t mention in order to avoid ruining any surprises).  What is the source of the Brazilian tribe’s abundant fertility? What happened to Anders Eckman, Marina’s colleague? Who is Easter, the deaf and mute boy who helps the research team? What is Dr. Swenson hiding? What does Marina want to do with the rest of her life?

Characters: The characters are well-drawn, though at times unknowable. I found myself getting frustrated with Marina, though in her passivity, she was being true to who she was. Dr. Swenson is at once heroic and supremely aggravating. Even the minor characters are lively and fleshed-out.

Writing style: I think State of Wonder is actually the description of anyone reading this book. Can’t figure out why else she would title it that. In other words, Patchett’s prose style always blows me away.

Audience: This is literary fiction, but the type that would turn anyone who hates literary fiction into a convert.

Wrap-up: Sorry, writing reviews of books that blow me out of the water makes me feel so helpless to grab the words. Ann Patchett is one of the gifts in my life. Reading her books makes me supremely happy. Finishing them bums me out. 5/5*

Book Review: Seabiscuit

Author: Laura Hillenbrand

Title: Seabiscuit

Description: By now, many folks have already read this book, which was a bestseller a few years ago, or at least seen the movie. I had done neither, so when this was a pick for my book group, I came to it with only a vague impression of what the book was about. (race horse). Basically, I was right. The book is about a race horse, Seabiscuit, and those around him, chiefly his owner, his trainer, and his jockey. As a journalist, Hillenbrand weaves in many other threads—the beginning of the automobile business, the state of horse racing in the 1930’s, what it means physically to be a jockey, minutiae about handicapping horse races, and so on. The narrative arc of the book covers Seabiscuit’s discovery through his early success, his setbacks, and his final races.

Writing style: This book is documentary journalism; according to the background material on the author, Hillenbrand had written about thoroughbred racing for many years before she tackled this novel-length book. As such, it got too detailed for me about race after race and race-track after race-track.

Audience: To be fair, this is not a book I ever would have picked up on my own. I was very aware of it when it came out and when it was made into a movie and I hadn’t read it. For a reason. But, I’m a compliant book group member, so I dutifully made myself read it. I know it was a bestseller and I can’t quite figure out why. So I could take a guess as to the audience for the book, but I already know that the real answer to this question is “everyone but me.” Stumped.

Major ideas: Hillenbrand makes much of the idea of Seabiscuit as the unlikely underdog who came to be a symbol of the resurgence of the American spirit during the Depression. There is also some interesting social history, though very focused: the miserable living conditions of jockeys, East vs. West coasts within the horse-racing scene, and a lot more information about gambling than I will ever need to know.

Wrap-up: The popularity of this book is a mystery to me. There were 2-3 chapters that I found interesting; otherwise I had to force myself through it by refusing to read anything else until I had dutifully taken on Seabiscuit for a half-hour or so. I probably won’t be picking up any more Hillenbrand. 2/5*