0690 | Waiting for the Barbarians | J. M. Coetzee
A clear indictment of all nations built on colonial ambition but more broadly the propensity within all of us to characterise and brutalise The Other, Coetzee’s novel pulls no punches….
0625 | Islands | Dan Sleigh
Absolutely fantastic book. Just one of those that you come across and know immediately that you’re going to end up buying someone a copy because you just want to share…
0576 | The Golden Notebook | Doris Lessing
A tough read this one, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s long and you are going to wish you were nearer the end than the beginning on many occasions….
0550 | July’s People | Nadine Gordimer
I’ve read a fair few books from South Africa that deal (unsurprisingly) with the issue of relationships between the black and white communities. Nadine Gordimer’s novel is, sadly, not the…
0359 | Elizabeth Costello | J. M. Coetzee
Context: Finished this as Mrs Arukiyomi was hosting one of her popular cafes one Saturday. REVIEW This was a really strange novel. You can’t win the Nobel Prize without being…
0334 | In the Heart of the Country | J. M. Coetzee
Context: Spent over 2 hours burning unbelievable amounts of old paperwork from our office while I was reading this. Very satisfying! REVIEW Coetzee is turning into one of my favourite…
0295 | Too Late the Phalarope – Alan Paton
Context: started packing for our final move of these nearly three years (we hope) up to Ukarumpa in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. REVIEW Paton’s Cry, the…
0278 | A Dry White Season – Andre Brink
Context: Finished this the weekend we started cooking our own food in shelters we’d built ourselves called haus kuks. REVIEW Seems to be a season of South Africa! Following…
0276 | The Life & Times of Michael K – J. M. Coetzee
Context: Finished this book off and read most of it under the haus win shelter at Nobnob in Madang, PNG. REVIEW This is a curious little book about a man…
0043 | Cry, the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
If you enjoyed this book, you’re going to love the map. REVIEW This is a profoundly moving book made all the more poignant for the era in which it was…
0038 | The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
If you enjoyed this book, you’re going to love the map. REVIEW I’ve not read a book with a more apt title for a while. This is a book about…
0001 | Disgrace – J. M. Coetzee
Read this with Sheena while travelling around SE Asia. Never read a book about S. Africa so it was an insight simply from that point of view. A S. African…