Nadine Gordimer observes South Africa's decay largely through the internal monologues of a wealthy businessman disconnected from life. He cultivates empty affairs and the land he owns with an eye toward profit and loss. Perhaps Nadia May's straightforward narration reflects the flat, detached quality of this existence too well; her voice scarcely changes pace or emotional intensity. While this reading style suits the story's mood, it drags. Fortunately, May provides relief by skillfully adapting her mild British accent to the dialects of the various social classes. While not exciting, this presentation certainly seems true to Gordimer's vision. D.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
Product Description
A wealthy industrialist, attractive to women and not yet 50, Mehring wants nothing that white privilege in a black country can bring him. But the presence of a dead man on his 400-acre farm, asserts that Africa, in the end, is something a white man can't buy. Winner of the 1974 Booker Prize.