Cry, the Beloved CountryCry, the Beloved Country
Score Classic
What it's about
Alan Paton's impassioned novel about a Black man's country under white man's law, the most famous and important novel in South Africa's history.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It was an immediate worldwide bestseller in 1948.
You'll love it if you liked
Things Fall Apart
The Grass Is Singing
To Kill a MockingbirdGood to know
It's a classic set in South Africa.
By the numbers
- Readers9 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller14 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #243 of the 260 young adult books we rank
- #904 of the 924 classics we rank
- #2953 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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All 47 best-of lists →
Young adult booksTop 25 · 260 ranked
Classic booksTop 25 · 924 ranked
Books of the 1940sTop 25 · 57 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedQuick answers
Is Cry, the Beloved Country worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,953 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 54.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Cry, the Beloved Country about?
Alan Paton's impassioned novel about a Black man's country under white man's law, the most famous and important novel in South Africa's history.
How long does it take to read Cry, the Beloved Country?
About 5 hours (192 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Cry, the Beloved Country?
If you liked it, try Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.