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Concordance

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4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Masterly Work, Jul 6 2004

By	Oscar L. Vazquez "Oscar" (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Conservationist (Paperback)

This is the story of Mehring, a wealthy high class businessman and landowner from Transvaal who narrated his life throughout internal monologues, reflections and fragment of conversations with the distant son, lovers, adquaints and the workers of his farm, giving us and idea of how empty and lonely without love or ilusions his life is but at the same time full of wealth and privilegues.
Ms Gordimer - using Mehring character - gave us a portrait of a South Africa divided by the Apartheid where social status is linked with the color of the skin and at the same time gave us an idea of the idiosyncracy of all the characters mentioned in this story, the boers, indians and blacks who interact and live together but separated by the racial laws of South Africa.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Into the mind of an unsympathetic man, Aug 11 2002

By	Ronald Scheer "rockysquirrel" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Conservationist (Paperback)

It has been several years since I read this novel, and what sticks in my memory vividly is the portrait Gordimer creates of a self-satisfied, white property-owner in apartheid-era South Africa. We see the world through his eyes, and we see how well it serves him, keeping him wealthy and comfortable. While he may notice that some suffer and are oppressed, he is not moved to do anything that would make a difference for them. Instead, he justifies his indifference with a sense of racial and class superiority.

Gordimer captures the mental framework of someone who feels little or nothing for the misfortunes of others. What is interesting for the reader is that it requires an effort to step out of his mind and see his thoughts and behavior for what they are -- insensitive, self-serving, and at times brutal.

Gordimer finds him at a time in his life when he is middle-aged and living alone, no longer married, his grown son estranged from him, and his mistress not all that endeared to him. While money, property, and influence keep him at a safe distance from the political troubles slowly encroaching on his private world, Gordimer reveals his physical and emotional isolation. His defense is to cut his losses and retreat even farther into his solitary world. It's a fascinating, well-written character study.

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5.0 out of 5 stars masterpiece, Sep 27 2001

By	Martijn13Maart1970 (Husavik Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conservationist (Paperback)

I have never been in SA, but every one can watch the news these days. This book depicts this country from both sides, the blacks and the whites, in a very realistic way. It seems like both people don't really make it work, because of mistakes they both make out of their own culture. It is one of those books that you will not forget, and for a good reason it is one of her most famous ones.
higly recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An unparalled story of an African farm
Gordimer's Booker-prize winning novel is one of the least overtly political of her works--at least in the most traditional understanding of "political fiction" (fiction... Read more

Published on Mar 28 2000 by Jill Piggott

4.0 out of 5 stars Typical Gordimer intricacy
Gordimer, as always, provides the reader with stunning, vivid descriptions; living imagery. She describes life on the South African veld, the contrasts between city and country... Read more

Published on Nov 5 1999

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	76% buy the item featured on this page: The Conservationist 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
	21% buy The Siege of Krishnapur 4.9 out of 5 stars (16) CDN$ 13.83
	2% buy Midnight's Children 4.3 out of 5 stars (105) CDN$ 16.06
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