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Cry, the Beloved Country

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Cry, the Beloved Country

By: Alan Paton
Narrated by: Michael York
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About this listen

This is the most distinguished novel that has come out of South Africa in the 20th century, and it is one of the most important novels that has appeared anywhere in modern times. Cry, the Beloved Country is in some ways a sad book; it is an indictment of a social system that drives native races into resentment and crime; it is a story of Fate, as inevitable, as relentless, as anything of Thomas Hardy's. Beautifully wrought with high poetic compassion, Cry, the Beloved Country is more than just a story, it is a profound experience of the human spirit. And beyond the intense and insoluble personal tragedy, it is the story of the beautiful and tragic land of South Africa, its landscape, its people, and its bitter racial ferment and unrest.

©1948, 1976 Alan Paton (P)1993 Blackstone Audiobooks Christian Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Classics Africa
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This story resonates in our current era for it has such compassion and humanity. Wonderfully narrated as well.

Stands the test of time

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This book could have been written for South Africa today. It seems that little has changed since the end of the apartheid era except that the people in charge now are black whereas in 1947 they were white.
Anyone who has an interest in South Africa should read this book or better still listen to it being read. The reading of it really bring the characters to life and tells the story of the lives and relationships of ordinary people in settings that are still applicable today.

Cry the Beloved Country, has anything changed?

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The story line is one telling of the struggle of one family, the son of whom was forced to leave the barren country of his home to seek work in the city. Unfortunately the city is not kind to the country boy. It is told from the point of view of the father who is a priest.

Underpinning the story is a typical theme of colonisation and assimilation and forced urban drift, and the subsequent hardships of the natives of the land.

It is beautifully and sensitively narrated, and the style of writing is enhanced by the poetic and poignant delivery.

Magnificent

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Loved it - a great south African story of a beautiful country. Fantastic narration - very clear and articulate.

Great story

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The story is pretty interesting, but the alliterations got on my nerves. "He nodded, as if saying 'I agree', and said 'I agree'." It got me rolling my eyes several times.
Acting was not too good, some interpretations felt like mocking, and at times the voices of characters were mixed.

R e p e t i t i o n s !

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.