Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

Cry, the Beloved Country (Oprah's Book Club) and over 300,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle � Amazon�s new wireless reading device. Learn more

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

55 used & new from $10.66

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Share with Friends

Share your own customer images

Search inside another edition of this book

Start reading Cry, the Beloved Country (Oprah's Book Club) on your Kindle in under a minute. Don�t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

Cry, the Beloved Country (Hardcover)

by Alan Paton (Author) "IT IS SOME eleven years since the first Author's Note was written..." (more)
Key Phrases: mission house, post office book, something bright will, Alan Paton, South Africa, Father Vincent (more...)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (253 customer reviews)

List Price:	$28.00
Price:	$18.48 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:	$9.52 (34%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Monday, July 20? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

32 new from $13.32 15 used from $10.66 8 collectible from $20.00

Also Available in:	List Price:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Kindle Edition (Kindle Book)		$9.99
Paperback (Bargain Price)			31 used & new from $2.88
Hardcover			33 used & new from $2.24
Paperback	$15.00	$10.20	511 used & new from $0.83
Audio Download (Audible.com)	$29.95	$15.73
Audio CD (Unabridged)	$80.00	$58.40	6 used & new from $50.40
School & Library Binding	$27.00	$20.52	6 used & new from $6.99
Hardcover (Large Print)			8 used & new from $3.06
Audio Cassette	$49.95	$49.95	14 used & new from $2.02
Turtleback			Order it used!
MP3 CD (Unabridged)	$29.95	$29.95	6 used & new from $7.99
Show more editions and formats
Show fewer editions and formats

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country (Cliffs Notes)

by Richard O. Peterson

2.7 out of 5 stars (12) $5.99

Cry, The Beloved Country

DVD ~ Richard Harris

4.9 out of 5 stars (22) $8.99

Night (Oprah's Book Club)

by Elie Wiesel

4.7 out of 5 stars (660) $9.95

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

by Nelson Mandela

4.6 out of 5 stars (138) $7.20

All Quiet on the Western Front

by Erich Maria Remarque

4.6 out of 5 stars (462) $6.99

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review
'A beautiful novel, rich firm and moving...compelling' New York Times 'Cry, The Beloved Country...was the great raiser of popular awareness of South Africa...the most influential South African novel ever written' Nadine Gordimer, Observer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"An anthology of essays by scholars representing various perspectives and interpretation of the novel. The book(s) provides criticism and discussions of meaning, structure, and the historical content...as well as biographical information. It is organized in such a way that will give students a plethora of information in a largely accessible format. Each chapter heading is annotated, giving readers a chance to sample the content of the essays. Furthermore, each selection is introduced with background biographical data on the essay's author alongwith a summary of the content and the particular point of view represented. A reader-friendly and comprehensive resouce for students and teachers of world literature."
-- School Library Journal ( November 2001) (School Library Journal 20011015)

"A valuable resource."
-- School Library Journal (May 2002) (School Library Journal )

"And for literary support, Greenhaven's series Literary Companions has become a standard in many schools and public libraries, thanks to its thoughtful questions and analysis."
-- Booklist (October 2001) (Booklist ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Scribner (December 2, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 074326195X
ISBN-13: 978-0743261951
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (253 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,380 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > African > Central & South African

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence:
IT IS SOME eleven years since the first Author's Note was written. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mission house, post office book, something bright will, native crime, young demonstrator, eighty shillings, broken tribe

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Alan Paton, South Africa, Father Vincent, John Kumalo, Absalom Kumalo, Shanty Town, John Harrison, Arthur Jarvis, High Place, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Kumalo, Johannes Pafuri, Reverend Msimangu, Baby Mkize, Twenty-third Avenue, New York, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Cape Province, Jan Hofmeyr, Mark's Church, James Jarvis, Afrikaner Nationalist Party, Plantation Road, Richard Mpiring, Beloved Country

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 9 books:

Too Late The Phalarope by Alan Paton on 5 pages
Tales from a Troubled Land by Alan Paton in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Alan Paton (Twayne's World Authors Series) by Edward Callan in Back Matter
Hope Abandoned by Nadezhda Mandelstam on page 30
Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun on page 23

See all 9 books this book cites

100 books cite this book:

World Literature: Encouraging Thoughtful Christians To Be World Changers; Senior High Level (Broadman & Holman Literature Series) by James P. Stobaugh on 5 pages
White Mercy: A Study of the Death Penalty in South Africa by Robert Turrell on 5 pages
Stranger Shores: Literary Essays by J. M. Coetzee on 4 pages
Discourse: Essays on English and American Literature (Costerus: New Series, No. 14) (Costerus) by John W. Crawford on 4 pages
In the Web of Ideas: The Education of a Publisher by Charles Scribner on 4 pages

See all 100 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country by Richard O. Peterson

Discusses:

Cry, the Beloved Country by Rose Sallberg Kam

Discusses:

Kurt Weill on Stage by Foster Hirsch

Discusses:

Towards a Transcultural Future by Geoffrey V. Davis; Peter H. Marsden; B�n�dicte Ledent; Marc Delrez

Discusses:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	95% buy the item featured on this page: Cry, the Beloved Country 4.2 out of 5 stars (253) $18.48
	2% buy Whistling In the Dark 4.5 out of 5 stars (94) $5.58
	1% buy How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else 4.3 out of 5 stars (10) $5.20
	1% buy Cry, the Beloved Country (Scribner Library Books)

Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

africa(4)

apartheid(2)

black history(2)

my books(2)

2007(1)

african diaspora(1)

literary(1)

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Customer Reviews

253 Reviews

5 star:		(149)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(16)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (253 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

138 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paton's creative and writing genius comes to a fore in Cry.., January 10, 2003

By	"antfarmks5" (Overland Park, KS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cry, The Beloved Country (Paperback)

When first published in 1948 in apartheid South Africa, Cry, the Beloved Country raised more than eyebrows as a powerful book about the power of unity and an author's unflinching hope of a future where segregation no longer exists. The book summoned feelings of pride, optimism, and anticipation of a long-desired goal. But Paton's lyrical, poetic prose is not your typical run-of-the-mill anger evoking story about discrimination. The story is a humanizing experience that evokes feelings of sympathy and understanding, not hatred for a system so blatantly wrong.

In Cry, the Beloved Country, readers feel an uncanny connection to three things: the land, an old black rural priest searching in a corrupt city for his son, and an old white rural man confronting the loss of his son. All three aspects of the book are connected by a common thread. And a great thing about the book is that Paton doesn't feel the need to build up to the emotional climax by setting the readers against a well defined antagonist, or even an antagonist at all; on a micro-scale, the story is a moving tribute to man's inherent dignity; on a macro-scale, the themes and plethora of symbols are applied to man's all-too mortal nature.

This book is also a can't-miss for any fans of poetry who want to read a good work of prose. As the New Republic puts it, Cry, the Beloved Country is "the greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time." I would be inclined to agree.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

68 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It impressed me years ago, yet again when I re-read it, October 15, 2002

By	M. D. Smith "Scientist and Bibliophile Extrao... (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cry, The Beloved Country (Paperback)

I first read the book when I was in high school for our novel section of AP English. As a writer now, it is strangely thrilling to see how Paton's ideas and poetry influenced my own prose. "The Grapes of Wrath" by Steinbeck was good, but I felt that it lacked the words of the heart that Paton writes with. Never have I read a more simple and profound book, so lovingly crafted, so authentic and natural, that some fifty years later after Paton wrote the novel, it still has not been superceded. Kumalo's plight is everyman's plight; his burden our burden; his son our son. Dear students, don't read this book because your teacher tells you to, you will learn nothing that way. Read it, because you earnestly desire it, because it is well worth it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My all-time favorite, January 25, 2001

By	Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cry, The Beloved Country (Paperback)

Of the (literally) thousands of books I have read in my life, this is still my favorite. I first read it as a freshman in high school (in 1960, when apartheid was still the law of South Africa), and the sheer beauty of the language took away my breath. The words were so powerful that I memorized many portions of the text, just so I would be able to repeat the words aloud whenever I wished. When JFK was assassinated in 1963, I gave a presentation to my senior English class, and began it with the section of this book that starts: "There is not much talking now, a silence falls on them all...." The class was mesmerized at Mr. Paton's eerily appropriate words, and tears were shed. I've always encouraged my own children to read and they are almost as voracious with books as their dad. Needless to say, this is one of the books I highly recommend to them, because of the excellent writing, and I highly recommend it to you for the same reason.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 253 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Why can there be comfort in this desolation?
A sad social drama in the migrant workers milieu of Johannesburg, South Africa, during the post- war and pre- apartheid years of the 1940s. Read more

Published 5 days ago by H. Schneider

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazes me this was written pre-apartheid
For some strange reason, I didn't read up on the history of this book until after I'd finished reading it. Read more

Published 11 days ago by Jason Buberel

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the kind of literature I love
Note that this review is for the audio book narrated by Michael York. As for the book itself, this is the type of literature that I feel helps expand me as a human being. Read more

Published 27 days ago by Jeffrey Van Wagoner

1.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't get into it.
This book was slow and it was difficult to get myself to finish reading it.

Published 2 months ago by Joan M. Cotsifas

5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Book came super fast, And it was in great condition. Had a sticker on the cover that i can't get off but i don't mind it.

Published 3 months ago by Thomas C. Bonner

5.0 out of 5 stars informative
I enjoyed the book. It was beautifully written and well understood. It really touched emotionally. It showed many angles and points of view.

Published 6 months ago by P. Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceedingly Beautiful
Had to read it for AP English high school, very glad I did. Extraordinarily well-written book set in apartheid South Africa.

Published 6 months ago by A. Barber

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical perspective on how South Africa got to be the way it is
Very logically, it was a trip to South Africa that reminded me of this important book, and I'm very glad I have finally read it. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Karen Chung

5.0 out of 5 stars Cry the Beloved Country
This is an excellent book. We are travelling to South Africa next year and this book gives an excellent view of the times.

Published 9 months ago by Jane Lenher

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart wrenching, sad, uplifting, moving, inspiring ......
I can't believe I'd never heard of this book before I received the list of books my church ladies book group was going to cover this year. I could not put this book down. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Linda

› See all 253 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
literary fiction Have You Written Literary Fiction - Come Tell Us About It.	597	4 hours ago
literary fiction Favorite first line opening in a book....	49	15 hours ago
literary fiction Three or more living authors you view as great	162	1 day ago
literary fiction '2009 Bronze Book Award - Best Regional Fiction'	2	8 days ago
literary fiction wallace stegner	4	9 days ago
literary fiction What is literary fiction?	143	12 days ago
literary fiction Children of alcholics	6	18 days ago

The Africa community

Latest activity 8 hours ago

3,640 customers have contributed 4,011 products, 267 lists & guides and more...

› Explore the community

The Black History community

Latest activity 8 hours ago

919 customers have contributed 1,126 products, 85 lists & guides and more...

› Explore the community

The Literary community

Latest activity 1 hour ago

2,351 customers have contributed 2,820 products, 135 lists & guides and more...

› Explore the community

Explore more

› See all Customer Communities

› Your communities

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.

› See featured Amapedia.com articles

Listmania!

My favorites from Oprah: A list by Theresa W
Great Books: A list by Nick Meadows
Just Finished III: A list by beth parker

Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...

read Oprah's favorite books: A guide by Joseph Dewey
Be surrounded by great books on a desert island: A guide by Becky
PICK STIMULATING BOOKS FOR YOUR BOOK CLUB!: A guide by buffalochelle

Create a guide

Look for Similar Items by Category

Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > African > Central & South African

NARS: Free Shipping

Get free shipping on all NARS Cosmetics orders of $60 or more. Shop NARS' blush, eyeshadows, lips, palletes and more NARS favorites now.

›Shop NARS now

Best Books of 2008

Find our top 100 editors' picks as well as customers' favorites in dozens of categories in our Best Books of 2008 Store.

Summer Reading for Kids & Teens

Discover everything from beach reads and board books to teen romance and action-adventure series in Summer Reading for Kids & Teens. And, check off the kids' required reading lists in our Summer School Reading Store.