Reviews

None to Accompany Me by Nadine Gordimer

lukedaloop's review

2.0

I'm not much into character studies, so this was a slog for me. I was also disconnected from the main metaphor since sex is such a huge part of Vera's identity. The setting was what drew me to the book, but I didn't feel like it was too consequential to the story. Gordimer definitely has a knack for storytelling (little beats and details prove it), but I just didn't like the book on personal preference.

artemisias_'s review

5.0

Nadine Gordimer, always fascinating. As is this book!
Finishing "None to accompany me" I didn't get the closure I was hoping for, though I can't say I expected anything less from Vera.

sarah_dietrich's review

4.0

Nadine Gordimer's None to Accompany Me shows us the inner struggle of South Africa during the lead up to their first democratic elections. Vera Stark is our protagonist, a lawyer working with black South Africans who are trying to reclaim their land. Vera is fascinatingly written - complex, strong, harsh, difficult to like. I found this to be a challenging read that was ultimately rewarding.

fgaon's review

I am not interested in finishing this book right now. It has sat by my bed for way too long. It is definitely well written but I am not enjoying it.

deea_bks's review

5.0

4.5*

dianaj333's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

metallicbranch's review

5.0

This book devastated me in way that no book has for a quite some time.

Gordimer expertly twines together narratives of lies and secrecy in both relational and political domains-- the double lives forced on the characters by their work in opposition to Apartheid bleeds into the duplicity of their intimate relationships. It's a brilliant exploration of the limits of intimacy, and while its themes are grandiose, its style is direct and engaging-- the best of both worlds, a truly readable but still truly great book.

kissingtinyflowers's review

3.0

This one was a quite okay book. I never would have picked it up if I hadn't have to read it for class, but I also didn't hate reading it. The only part I hated was these dumbass straights speculating about the one lesbian in the book and making it absolute clear that they were not happy with their daughter "turning gay". Fuck that.