Customer Reviews

A Sport of Nature

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a richly written book. Gordimer handles the character in an interesting way--one of the reviewers said that she couldn't relate to the character, and I think that is because Gordimer is presenting her as someone who is puzzling to other people, a "sport" or new species. You don't get into the heroine's head so much as you try to figure out her mysteries. Of course, that means Gordimer is giving the reader the role of someone from the ordinary world who isn't quite as evolved sexually or politically as her heroine. I found the heroine haunting because of her self possession, her practically unselfconscious drive to grow that freed her of much of the guilt and fear of isolation that keep most of us from doing the right things.

I do not agree with the substandard reviews of this book. If you are interested in South Africa don't be afraid of a more difficult read and pick up this book. It is a little difficult to get into but once you get used to Gordimer's writing style, anyone will enjoy it. Hillela is a very interesting character who one can not underestimate. I like her spirit, and I truely think she has a complete change of character by the end of the story.

I have never read Nadine Gordimer before, but when I saw 2 collections of her works at 2 of my friends' houses (and rave reviews) I got curious. This book is a thickly textured look at 3 sisters and their divurgent lives and the daughter of 1 who is exposed to all 3 and then further divurges into the racial movements of 70's South Africa. Gordimer's use of setting is really good. I found particularly interesting the family of the most politically oriented sister, Pauline and her husband Joe and children where the domestic lives interleave with the sometimes violent politial terrain. The main character, Hillela, however, I found to be less than heroic -- she simply seemed to be a sensual being who floated in and out of various beds and even the tragedy which befalls her later in the story doesn't REALLY seem to have changed her - she seems like the same person on page 1 as on page 300, although the narrative implies otherwise. For a book released in the 70's I'm sure that this was a revelation, although here in the new millenium it seems dated.Despite all this, I think the author is terrifically talented in her ability to convey sensuality, to provoke thought, and to establish setting and mood. There were some passages of the book that are among the best I've read anywhere.

This book, to me, captures what a life in exile must feel like: complete disassociation. Not only does the main character experience physical exile throughout many parts of this work, she also experiences emotional exile almost from the very beginning of her life. A main reason for the disassociation -- and why the exile continues over a long time -- is because the protagonist allows events to happen to her rather than take any concrete action. The character's experiences then make for a strange work for a reader. Thus, I'm not surprised that this book has so many varied responses. It is a challenging read with parts of pure beauty, almost a reflection on life itself.

I have nothing negative to say about this work of Nadine Gordimer whom I continue to regard as one of the top lliving writers. I've read every novel she's written and will get on to her short stories soon. I'm a little late getting to "A Sport of Nature" and just finished it. BRAVO. Except, we don't find out what happens to Carole. Big no-no. She can certainly be considered a main character. She had her own personality and confusion. I would like to have had Gordimer at least offer a small glimpse of Carole in her adult life.

This was a book that i was required to read for my english lit class. Although i didn't personally like the book, many people that i know did. I found the subject matter very boring, partly because of my inability to relate to it. I would only recommend this book to someone with a strong interest in South African politics.

This is said to be one of Nadine Gordimer's finest works, and she is a Nobel prize winner, so I hoped for great things when I picked this one out at the bookstore, unfortunately assuming that the Nobel prize would be a guarantee that I would love it. Well, I didn't love it. While indeed a competent storytelling, I don't really regard this as literature. There is not the fire, imagination or creativity one expects, nor the sophistication that should elevate such a work above its peers. I managed to get to the end, but I can't say that I felt or learned anything at all. It makes me wonder if there were political, rather than literary reasons that caused the Nobel comittee to honor this author.

Check out the copyright date -- she must have been prescient