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Pink's Reviews > Cry, the Beloved Country
Cry, the Beloved Country
by
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I wanted to like this book more than I did. If I'm awarding star ratings for the books message, then it's 5 stars. However, if I'm honest about how much I enjoyed the reading experience, or how eager I was to pick it up, then I have to admit that I didn't love it. In terms of the story, I cannot fault the book. There is nothing I would change about the plot, all the themes of heartbreak were perfectly placed. There was also inspiration to be found in the end message, which again, was faultless.
So what was wrong? Well, at times the grammar was confusing. It wasn't always clear who was talking or which characters were being spoken about, so I needed to re-read passages trying to make sense of what was happening, which removed me from the story. I also felt a disconnect with all of the characters, I really didn't care about any of them, which wasn't what I expected from such an emotional book. Perhaps this was due to the sentence structure, or perhaps I'm just cold and heartless, or maybe I've read too many other heartbreaking stories to be affected by this one. I'm not sure I can put my finger on what didn't work and in retrospect this is a much better book than I felt it was while reading. A complicated 3-4 stars for me.
So what was wrong? Well, at times the grammar was confusing. It wasn't always clear who was talking or which characters were being spoken about, so I needed to re-read passages trying to make sense of what was happening, which removed me from the story. I also felt a disconnect with all of the characters, I really didn't care about any of them, which wasn't what I expected from such an emotional book. Perhaps this was due to the sentence structure, or perhaps I'm just cold and heartless, or maybe I've read too many other heartbreaking stories to be affected by this one. I'm not sure I can put my finger on what didn't work and in retrospect this is a much better book than I felt it was while reading. A complicated 3-4 stars for me.
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Reading Progress
December 23, 2014
– Shelved
May 11, 2015
–
Started Reading
May 11, 2015
–
Started Reading
May 28, 2015
–
Finished Reading
May 28, 2015
–
Finished Reading
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Actually, listening probably would help. The way sentences were set out on the page made it confusing, with no quotation marks or punctuation. I think done my the right narrator this could be amazing.
Also, I wonder if this was just an issue with my edition. I was reading a very old Penguin classic, the cheap paperback with the orange cover (the one pictured above). Maybe later editions cleared this up.
Pink, I went back and read my review to see how the narration was. "I listened to an audio book, narrated by Michael York. The narration couldn't have been better. Perhaps if I had read it I would have appreciated the words less. Here, every word was spoken with depth and a calm measured strength. You are forced to think and ponder and savor. Would I have appreciated the cadence of the lines or the message imparted had I read the book with my eyes rather than my ears? I am not sure." I guess I was lucky in listening! I must say that the idea of an old classic edition doesn't sound that appealing. There are good things with audiobook listening. :0)OMG, of course you are not heartless!!!!!!!!!! Bad edition is what it was.
Maybe listening to it make the sentences structure simpler? I wonder.