Yona ke yona, Nadine Gordimer excels in this often detatched narrative that is a culmination of a lot of her writing on South Africa. Moving from a local to a global context, the book uses a family's crises (a serious illness of the son, affairs of the loves) to weave a story that seems more relevant now than it would have when published in 2005, highlighting the environmental crisis while keeping strong the undercurrent of recent apartheid politics. The writing flows like flooded valleys, and slows to stark, karst passages, usually distant when it seems it should be most intense. A beautifully constructed novel about modern times. ( )

I hadn't read any of Nadine Gordimer's books before and after this I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to read any more. Uninvolving plot and characters together with a difficult writing style don't make things easy. There is no doubt that Ms Gordimer is a clever and intelligent writer. The fault probably lies with me in that I didn't think the reward from trying harder with the book would be worth the effort. Or maybe this was a good writer just churning out another novel to keep the production line going and the brain ticking over. ( )

Get a Life is a relatively new book by the South African Nobel Prize winning author Nadine Gordimer. Gordimer is known for her spare, yet descriptive and lyrical prose. This novel is no exception. Get a Life tells the story of Paul Bannerman, a 35 year old father of a young son who is diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As part of his treatment regimen, Paul is left temporarily radioactive, and unable to be around his young son. So Paul decamps to his childhood home, to be cared for by his parents and Primrose, the faithful family servant.

This novel follows Paul and his family through his recovery, as well as his parents’ journey towards their upcoming retirement. As in real life, the family’s journey takes unexpected turns; some happy, others less so.

Like other novels by South African writers, the shadow of apartheid, now abolished, underlays much that the family experiences.The book is also peppered with typical South African phrases, based on native languages. Fortunately, there is also a brief glossary.

Gordimer’s writing style requires a bit of adjusting. She appears to skip through events but if read carefully, it is possible to follow the plot. If you’ve never read Gordimer before, keep plugging away. Get a Life is worth the difficulties involved. ( )

I found the reading difficult sometimes, but the plot and characters compelling. How does a man respond when he becomes off-limits, radioactive? How does it affect the rest of the people in his life? Wife, mother, son, father? Interesting to catch a glimpse of post-apartheid South Africa. ( )

Nadine Gordimer is a brilliant author. She starts off her books at a slow pace, then the story suddenly picks up a whirlwind speed and the equations alter significantly.
Get a Life is about a man's emotions on being quarantined after receiving radioactive treatment for cancer, and how he rebonds with his mother and takes a look at his life during this phase.
As is usual with Nadine's themes, she weaves in racial divisions and moral questions into the story.
A good read. And a great author. ( )