Cry, The Beloved Country

3.9 avg 81000 votes 5566 reviews 54502 want to read

About this book

This book is the most famous and important novel in South Africa's history, and an immediate worldwide bestseller when it was published in 1948. Alan Paton's impassioned novel about a black man's country under white man's law is a work of searing beauty. The eminent literary critic Lewis Gannett wrote, " We have had many novels from statesmen and reformers, almost all bad; many novels from poets, almost all thin. In Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country the statesman, the poet and the novelist meet in a unique harmony." Cry, the Beloved Country is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man. - Jacket flap.

3.9 ★★★★☆ average of 3 sources · 81000 votes
Open Library 3.9 13
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Goodreads 3.9 81000
1★2★3★4★5★

5,566 reviews · 54,502 want to read · 1,871 reading now

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Reader Profile

Enjoyment79Difficulty100Influence57Popularity68Classic86
Dark Warm

3.9/5 · 81000 readers · 258 pages · ≈ 4 h 47 m · Demanding

How long does it take to read Cry, The Beloved Country?

About ≈ 4 h 47 m — 258 pages, assuming roughly 250 words per page at 225 words per minute.Typical novel≈ 5 h 56 mCry, The Beloved Country~4 h 47 m

How many pages is Cry, The Beloved Country?

258 pages in its most-read edition.Typical novel320Cry, The Beloved Country258

What genre is Cry, The Beloved Country?

It sits on the Classics, History, Fiction shelves.

Is Cry, The Beloved Country in the public domain?

No — it is still under copyright.

Who are the main characters in Cry, The Beloved Country?

The main characters include Alan Paton.

Where does Cry, The Beloved Country take place?

It is set in South Africa during 1946.

Who wrote Cry, The Beloved Country?

Alan Paton (1903–1988).

Setting South Africa Time period 1946 Characters Alan Paton
Cry, The Beloved Country ★ 3.9 · 3 sources Check price →