Disgrace

A Good Commentary on the Complexity of the Human Condition

J.M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace' is a complex and moving tale about a middle-aged professor who realizes that his best days are behind him. Like many men who go through a mid-life crisis, he tries to convince himself that he is still full of desire and passion and that women still find him desirable. 'Disgrace,' however, is about much more than a man who simply fears growing old. It is also a commentary on social relations between people: between men and women, father and daughter, races, cultures, lifestyles, and of the social structures in post apartheid South Africa. The novel's protagonist, David Lurie, goes on a journey to rediscover who he is and to find meaning in his life. What he discovers and doesn't discover about life is for the reader to figure out. 'Disgrace' is a very compelling and well-written novel by an author at the top of his form. Coetzee's characterizations and witty dialogue are, in particular, to be commended.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A peep into South Africa politics

I enjoyed reading Disgrace and took it slow not wanting to miss a thing. Coetzee is a powerful writer who doesn't beat around the bush with long drawn out sentences. He writes with integrity and courage. The 220 pages were packed with grim truth and intelligent potency.

Not exciting, but beautifully crafted!

This is a quiet book, but it was a stark portrayal of two events in this middle-aged man's life that happened back to back and changed him forever, in some good ways and some bad.

I did enjoy it very much. The South African diction was hard to understand from time to time, but never in an imcomprehensible way. I found myself going back to my elementary school days and learning new words using context! :)

This isn't an exciting book, but it's a quick read and beautifully crafted.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Eye Opener--Makes One Ponder About Your Life & Ways

What a great read! Made this purchase for a college English class and just could not put it down.

Simple reading and easy to relate to all characters.

I only wish the ending would have had a better closure to all that happened throughout the book. The ending left me wonder about Lucy and the life ahead for her; David Lurie, what/if anything did he change/better about his life and ways.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing Writing

Reading this, I found the topic and content came second to the sheer skill of the author. The writer flowed so seamlessly that I was able to sit back and almost "watch" the plot play out. The words seem to come so easily to the characters and the writer described things so well. Often, I could really understand exactly how the character felt without it being described to me. In the writing, I could feel it.

A quick, but engaging read.

A living legend.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

I see why he won the Booker twice and now the NOBEL

I read this book about four years ago. It stays with me ¿above all for the intense alienation the main character feels towards everything. Yes, he has sex with a number of women but that doesn¿t satisfy him. The title might have come from the fact that his wife says he¿s a disgrace because he had sex with his young student. There¿s an allusion to a dog and its nature and a man¿s inclination to be sexually promiscuous. In fact, the earlier edition had a picture of a dog on the cover. And in the book, he puts stray dogs to sleep. BEST thing about this book is that we all see what we want to see. Mr. Coetzee is a true magician.

Beauteous Brevity

While Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children' may have won as Booker's best book of the first 25 years, I find it hard to believe that Coetzee's finest offering will not get the nod for the next twenty five years. In a fast moving, and absorbing novel, Coetzee wastes no words (a Coetzee hallmark) weaving an intricate web of complex human emotions. The underlying layers of social commentary further enhance the brilliance of this novel. With 2 Bookers and now a Nobel Prize to his name, Coetzee firmly entrenched himself in the pantheon of history's finest authors.

captivating

This is an incredibly insightful story. With its and deep exploration of the relationship between father and daughter, Coetzee successfully brought out a story that is difficult to forget. The characters are rich and portray deep, though extreme emotions, rationale and impulse. Though quite understated and subtle, the writing is nevertheless rich in so meaning. There is everything to learn from this book. Coetzee's writing style is superb, the setting is ingenious and the pace of the novel is fast and absorbing.

How many levels this book has

This was an incredible book. My son who is dyslexic read it and thought it was the most amazing book he ever read. The story can be read as is and is a fine but sad story. It can also be read as an allegory for the Whites in South Africa. There is a parallel allegory with the poets Wadsworth and Byron, that the professor is teaching. There is the dog/animal symbolism. And there is many religious symbols both Christian and Muslim. You could devote an entire course to just studying this book.

So this is what passes for great literature?

I had to read this book for an English class at college. Frankly I fail to see why it won an award at all. Dull, emotionless prose, minimal characterisation, a main character who appears to be some sort of mindless automaton... The list goes on and on and probably won't remain civil for long. As a new author struggling to make a name for herself, I find it enormously frustrating that attention is given to rubbish like this.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Brilliant

I am quite surprised that I read so many poor customer reviews of this book. This was an incredible story and deeply explored the relationships formed by father and daughter. Coetzee's writing is quite understated and subtle, but contains so much meaning in each line. I cannot understand how one could not learn something from this book. In every Coetzee novel I have read, I am speechless at the conclusion. I would recommend this book for anyone who is willing to appreciate the genius of Coetzee's subtle writing style and his integration of the setting. Disgrace is an excellent read that really makes you think.

A book you truly have to think about and reexamine

The basic plot summary of this book has been amply given in other reviews. Without giving away what I believe to be the real point of the book, I urge readers to, go back, after reading, and to look at the initial descriptions of characters. If you do that, you will discover, as I did that the real subject of this book may be something that is never directly mentioned but that becomes glaringly obvious from the first pages. It is a truly amazing book, one which rewards real discussion with a good friend. In its subtlty and mastery of prose, I think it is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. Some of the other reviewers seem to have missed this aspect.

Recommended but ...

Not if you are looking for a laugh or feel-good story. I also read Dusklands, made up of two short stories whose main characters, like Lurie, I would not choose for friends. Still, Coetzee somehow drew empathy from me for these unlovable characters. That in itself made the book memorable for me.

Wait a Minute! You Mean They Don't Have Apartheid in South Africa Anymore?!

I think the book 'Disgrace' is pretty interesting. They'll probably make a movie based on it. Maybe Denzel Washington could play professor Lurie. As for the part of South Africa, that could be played by my aunt Rosario (it's a long, or should I say, a WIDE, story). But really, I was dumbfounded to learn that apartheid went away in South Africa! When the hell did THAT happen??!!!

Not a Great Work!

The book was an easy read, but enjoyable I would have to say not in the least. You finish this book and all you leave with is a horrible image of a dirty, selfish and confused man. Nothing changes from beginning to end, he is set in ways and turns this story into a sex crazed middle aged man in some sort of crisis who has failed to ever learn emotions. I cant understand how this won an award.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Coetzee's Disgrace is a significant literary work in that the characters, specifically Lurie and his daughter Lucy, exemplify the changing face of South Africa. Upheaval has cast out the old (Lurie, white, of the old school who is cast out of his teaching position) and replaced it with the new, if seemingly unholy alliance of Lucy, who is linked to the old by virtue of her birth yet understands the new South Africa, and Petrus, black, product of the new order in the land. Even the advent of the birth of Lucy's child, a product of that upheaval conceived in violence, portends the coming of a new regime. Bravo Coetzee. Well done.

Cast out in a strange land

An arrogant university teacher has a brief sexual fling with a student and realizes too late that the era of 'no fault' sexual liaisons between faculty and students is no more. Unrepentant, he faces his colleagues and is terminated. He finds his way to his daughter's small farm and tries to make himself useful in today's chaotic South Africa, where social as well as civic rules have changed. Coetzee draws a convincing portrait of a man who grew up with certain privileges and had them cut off--he realizes he is no longer entitled to such privileges but he is still a castaway. Good lean writing and a fascinating look at today's South Africa.

COETZEE'S INITIATION OF OPINIONS

This book is both powerful and challenging - requiring the reader to invest their own biases and subjective attitudes towards the events and characters that Coetzee portrays so deftly. It is impossible to be indifferent towards this novel.

One Of The Best Books I Have Ever Read

Poignant, beautiful, deeply profound, loving and full of grace and beauty in the face of brutal reality. Excellent read.