Age of Iron
by J. M. Coetzee
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Book Summary Information
Author: J. M. CoetzeeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-09-01
ISBN: 0140275657
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Age of Iron
Book Review: A Cry for Leadership
Summary: 4 Stars
I have enjoyed most of the J.M. Coetzee books that I have read. I found "Age of Iron" to be one of his better books. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it but, as I delved into it more, I realized that this was a very impressive analogy of South Afica and its' issues at that point in time. The book was copyrighted in 1990 at a time that change was ongoing in racially troubled South Africa. The main character is a somewhat elderly White woman who has just discovered that she has cancer. The book is written as a first-person account to her daughter who, years before, left South Africa and its' Apartheid behind and moved to America. In describing her troubles to her daughter, she is essentially describing the troubles of her native land. The analogies kept popping up; her cancer as an analogy of the dying regiem, her pain medication that dopes the pain and the brain as an analogy failing to treat and/or acknowledge the issues present, her "house guest" as an analogy of the strange partnerships that arise when the enemy is fear and prejudice. What I didn't jot down, as I read along, were all the many minor illustrations of this elaborate analogy. I admit that I got similar reactions to Coetzee's "Waiting for the Barbarians" but it was more impressive with "Age of Iron". The title was referred to a couple of times and, as I recall, it was a cry for leadership. Indeed, "Age of Iron" is all about the need for leadership in South Africa.
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