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Forgive Me
From the acclaimed author of How to Be Lost comes a gorgeous new novel about love, memory, and motherhood.
Nadine Morgan travels the world as a journalist, covering important events, following dangerous leads, and running from anything that might tie her down. Since an assignment in Cape Town ended in tragedy and regret, Nadine has not returned to South Africa, or opened her heart–until she hears the story of Jason Irving.
Jason, an American student, was beaten to death by angry local youths at the height of the apartheid era. Years later, his mother is told that Jason’s killers have applied for amnesty. Jason’s parents pack their bags and fly from Nantucket to Cape Town. Filled with rage, Jason’s mother resolves to fight the murderers’ pleas for forgiveness.
As Nadine follows the Irvings to beautiful, ghost-filled South Africa, she is flooded with memories of a time when the pull toward adventure and intrigue left her with a broken heart. Haunted by guilt and a sense of remorse, and hoping to lose herself in her coverage of the murder trial, Nadine grows closer to Jason’s mother as well as to the mother of one of Jason’s killers–with profound consequences. In a country both foreign and familiar, Nadine is forced to face long-buried demons, come to terms with the missing pieces of her own family past, and learn what it means to truly love and to forgive.
With her dazzling prose and resonant themes, Amanda Eyre Ward has joined the ranks of such beloved American novelists as Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett. Gripping, darkly humorous, and luminous, Forgive Me is an unforgettable story of dreams and longing, betrayal and redemption.
Nadine Morgan travels the world as a journalist, covering important events, following dangerous leads, and running from anything that might tie her down. Since an assignment in Cape Town ended in tragedy and regret, Nadine has not returned to South Africa, or opened her heart–until she hears the story of Jason Irving.
Jason, an American student, was beaten to death by angry local youths at the height of the apartheid era. Years later, his mother is told that Jason’s killers have applied for amnesty. Jason’s parents pack their bags and fly from Nantucket to Cape Town. Filled with rage, Jason’s mother resolves to fight the murderers’ pleas for forgiveness.
As Nadine follows the Irvings to beautiful, ghost-filled South Africa, she is flooded with memories of a time when the pull toward adventure and intrigue left her with a broken heart. Haunted by guilt and a sense of remorse, and hoping to lose herself in her coverage of the murder trial, Nadine grows closer to Jason’s mother as well as to the mother of one of Jason’s killers–with profound consequences. In a country both foreign and familiar, Nadine is forced to face long-buried demons, come to terms with the missing pieces of her own family past, and learn what it means to truly love and to forgive.
With her dazzling prose and resonant themes, Amanda Eyre Ward has joined the ranks of such beloved American novelists as Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett. Gripping, darkly humorous, and luminous, Forgive Me is an unforgettable story of dreams and longing, betrayal and redemption.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
35 people are currently reading
1092 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Eyre Ward
16 books1,404 followersAmanda Eyre Ward’s new novel. LOVERS AND LIARS, will be published in May, 2024! It is the story of a librarian in love.
Here is a very long bio: Amanda was born in New York City in 1972. Her family mved to Rye, New York when she was four. Amanda attended Kent School in Kent, CT, where she wrote for the Kent News.
Amanda majored in English and American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied fiction writing with Jim Shepard and spent her junior fall in coastal Kenya. She worked part-time at the Williamstown Public Library. After graduation, Amanda taught at Athens College in Greece for a year, and then moved to Missoula, Montana.
Amanda studied fiction writing at the University of Montana with Bill Kittredge, Dierdre McNamer, Debra Earling, and Kevin Canty, receiving her MFA. After traveling to Egypt, she took a job at the University of Montana Mansfield Library, working in Inter Library Loan.
In 1998, Amanda moved to Austin, Texas where she began working on Sleep Toward Heaven. Amanda finished Sleep Toward Heaven, which was published in 2003. Sleep Toward Heaven won the Violet Crown Book Award and was optioned for film by Sandra Bullock and Fox Searchlight. To promote Sleep Toward Heaven, Amanda, her baby, and her mother Mary-Anne Westley traveled to London and Paris.
Amanda moved to Waterville, Maine, where she wrote in an attic filled with books. Amanda’s second novel, How to Be Lost, was published in 2004. How to Be Lost was selected as a Target Bookmarked pick, and has been published in fifteen countries.
After one year in Maine and two years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Amanda and her family returned to Austin, Texas.
To research her third novel, Forgive Me, Amanda traveled with her sister, Liza Ward Bennigson, to Cape Town, South Africa. Forgive Me was published in 2007.
Amanda's short story collection, Love Stories in This Town, was published in April, 2009.
Her fourth novel, Close Your Eyes, published in July, 2011, received a four-star reiew in People Magazine, won the Elle Lettres Readers' Prize for September, and inspired the Dallas Morning News to write, "With CLOSE YOUR EYES, Austin novelist Amanda Eyre Ward puts another jewel in her crown as the reigning doyenne of 'dark secrets' literary fiction."
Close Your Eyes was named in Kirkus' Best Books of 2011, and won the Elle Magazine Fiction Book of the Year. It was released in paperback in August, 2012.
Amanda's fifth novel, The Same Sky, was published on January 20, 2015. It was named one of the most anticipated books for 2015 by BookPeople and Book of the Week by People Magazine. Dallas Morning News writes, "Ward has written a novel that brilliantly attaches us to broader perspectives. It is a needed respite from the angry politics surrounding border issues that, instead of dividing us, connects us to our humanity."
The Same Sky was chosen as a Target Bookmarked pick.
Amanda's new novel, The Nearness of You, was published on Valentine's Day, 2017.
Amanda's new novel, THE JETSETTERS, was chosen by Reese's Book Club and Hello Sunshine and became a New York Times bestseller. Her novel THE LIFEGUARDS was published in 2022.
Ask me anything and stay tuned for news about LOVERS AND LIARS and TV and film projects based on Amanda's work!
Here is a very long bio: Amanda was born in New York City in 1972. Her family mved to Rye, New York when she was four. Amanda attended Kent School in Kent, CT, where she wrote for the Kent News.
Amanda majored in English and American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied fiction writing with Jim Shepard and spent her junior fall in coastal Kenya. She worked part-time at the Williamstown Public Library. After graduation, Amanda taught at Athens College in Greece for a year, and then moved to Missoula, Montana.
Amanda studied fiction writing at the University of Montana with Bill Kittredge, Dierdre McNamer, Debra Earling, and Kevin Canty, receiving her MFA. After traveling to Egypt, she took a job at the University of Montana Mansfield Library, working in Inter Library Loan.
In 1998, Amanda moved to Austin, Texas where she began working on Sleep Toward Heaven. Amanda finished Sleep Toward Heaven, which was published in 2003. Sleep Toward Heaven won the Violet Crown Book Award and was optioned for film by Sandra Bullock and Fox Searchlight. To promote Sleep Toward Heaven, Amanda, her baby, and her mother Mary-Anne Westley traveled to London and Paris.
Amanda moved to Waterville, Maine, where she wrote in an attic filled with books. Amanda’s second novel, How to Be Lost, was published in 2004. How to Be Lost was selected as a Target Bookmarked pick, and has been published in fifteen countries.
After one year in Maine and two years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Amanda and her family returned to Austin, Texas.
To research her third novel, Forgive Me, Amanda traveled with her sister, Liza Ward Bennigson, to Cape Town, South Africa. Forgive Me was published in 2007.
Amanda's short story collection, Love Stories in This Town, was published in April, 2009.
Her fourth novel, Close Your Eyes, published in July, 2011, received a four-star reiew in People Magazine, won the Elle Lettres Readers' Prize for September, and inspired the Dallas Morning News to write, "With CLOSE YOUR EYES, Austin novelist Amanda Eyre Ward puts another jewel in her crown as the reigning doyenne of 'dark secrets' literary fiction."
Close Your Eyes was named in Kirkus' Best Books of 2011, and won the Elle Magazine Fiction Book of the Year. It was released in paperback in August, 2012.
Amanda's fifth novel, The Same Sky, was published on January 20, 2015. It was named one of the most anticipated books for 2015 by BookPeople and Book of the Week by People Magazine. Dallas Morning News writes, "Ward has written a novel that brilliantly attaches us to broader perspectives. It is a needed respite from the angry politics surrounding border issues that, instead of dividing us, connects us to our humanity."
The Same Sky was chosen as a Target Bookmarked pick.
Amanda's new novel, The Nearness of You, was published on Valentine's Day, 2017.
Amanda's new novel, THE JETSETTERS, was chosen by Reese's Book Club and Hello Sunshine and became a New York Times bestseller. Her novel THE LIFEGUARDS was published in 2022.
Ask me anything and stay tuned for news about LOVERS AND LIARS and TV and film projects based on Amanda's work!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
July 8, 2008
I thought the book was a let-down. There was so much to be explored in the subject matter. I picked up the book because I was interested in reading more about South Africa, the story of the two mothers, and the heroine's own coming to terms with her past -- the complicated and painful process of reconciliation not only with someone who should be your enemy, but also with yourself. With such a rich theme, I feel like Amanda Eyre Ward threw away what could have been a great novel so that she could follow a trite and unconvincing romantic plot line. Just when the book should have been coming to an emotional head, Eyre Ward took a Harlequin novelist's way out by making her heroine simply shut down to the story and retreat into the status quo.
Apart from feeling like the author took a great story and then melted it down to the lowest common denominator, I felt like most of the characters were flat and one-dimensional. Just as they would start to develop and become interesting, Eyre Ward would either change the subject or do something that relegated them to being little more than cliches. The sad thing is, even as stock characters, none of them did they job they should have done in creating a satisfying formulaic story.
An incredibly poorly written novel. It's like the author got a brilliant idea, and then rather than spending some time researching it and developing her characters, just plopped a boring, done-a-thousand-times-before story onto a fascinating backdrop that she, and her characters, largely ignored.
Apart from feeling like the author took a great story and then melted it down to the lowest common denominator, I felt like most of the characters were flat and one-dimensional. Just as they would start to develop and become interesting, Eyre Ward would either change the subject or do something that relegated them to being little more than cliches. The sad thing is, even as stock characters, none of them did they job they should have done in creating a satisfying formulaic story.
An incredibly poorly written novel. It's like the author got a brilliant idea, and then rather than spending some time researching it and developing her characters, just plopped a boring, done-a-thousand-times-before story onto a fascinating backdrop that she, and her characters, largely ignored.
October 3, 2017
This is one of my favorite author's and have read most of her books. First of all I love the short read, under 300 pages. Second she always has a strong willed female character. And 3rd she deals with difficult situations. This story was all about forgiveness and what would you do. It took place in South Africa which always fascinates me and a time that wasn't so pretty, apartheid.
I loved all the characters and especially the tie in to the forgiveness theme.
I look forward to another book by this author with relish.
I loved all the characters and especially the tie in to the forgiveness theme.
I look forward to another book by this author with relish.
February 21, 2017
This is the story of a woman reporter who rushes to any country where there is a calamity. In apartheid-era South Africa, she learned to write about the story behind the immediate problem.
Reporter Nadine Morgan (yes, her mother named her after Nadine Gordimer, so it seems as if South Africa was her destiny) grows up in the gentle small town of Woods Hole, Cape Cod. A friend of mine moved there because it seemed to be an ideal place to raise children. But to Nadine, it feels stifling, and she can't wait to get out.
The international reporters and photographers in the book live for an adrenalin rush and a front-page story or photo. I've recently seen so many stories and plays knocking them for that that I want to say how vital their work is. Nadine's methods of getting news are not always entirely ethical, and I wonder whether that is typical or an exaggeration. One time when she deserts a person she loves because she wants a big story, I found her desertion unbelievable.
It's also a little hard to believe that she doesn't take seriously being beaten almost to death by a Mexican drug gang.
But the story about South Africa is interesting, and so is the story in Woods Hole.
There's a subplot about a boy in Woods Hole that I didn't cotton to. In the question-and-answer at end of my version of the book, the author says the plot about the boy is the heart of the book. It wasn't that for me.
I was a little taken aback that the author spent only a few days in South Africa, but she seems to have depicted it correctly, as far as I, who have never been there, can see.
The book is readable, and hard for a news junkie like me to pass up.
Reporter Nadine Morgan (yes, her mother named her after Nadine Gordimer, so it seems as if South Africa was her destiny) grows up in the gentle small town of Woods Hole, Cape Cod. A friend of mine moved there because it seemed to be an ideal place to raise children. But to Nadine, it feels stifling, and she can't wait to get out.
The international reporters and photographers in the book live for an adrenalin rush and a front-page story or photo. I've recently seen so many stories and plays knocking them for that that I want to say how vital their work is. Nadine's methods of getting news are not always entirely ethical, and I wonder whether that is typical or an exaggeration. One time when she deserts a person she loves because she wants a big story, I found her desertion unbelievable.
It's also a little hard to believe that she doesn't take seriously being beaten almost to death by a Mexican drug gang.
But the story about South Africa is interesting, and so is the story in Woods Hole.
There's a subplot about a boy in Woods Hole that I didn't cotton to. In the question-and-answer at end of my version of the book, the author says the plot about the boy is the heart of the book. It wasn't that for me.
I was a little taken aback that the author spent only a few days in South Africa, but she seems to have depicted it correctly, as far as I, who have never been there, can see.
The book is readable, and hard for a news junkie like me to pass up.
February 29, 2012
The story was ambitious, but unfortunately it never really came together.
Like the protagonist, I am a former newspaper journalist who spent time in South Africa -- and ultimately, that's the only thing that kept me reading. Otherwise, the plots were too scattered, many of the characters were flat, and some of the techniques felt a little hokey and trite.
This story would have benefitted from a lot more focus and a brutally honest editor.
Like the protagonist, I am a former newspaper journalist who spent time in South Africa -- and ultimately, that's the only thing that kept me reading. Otherwise, the plots were too scattered, many of the characters were flat, and some of the techniques felt a little hokey and trite.
This story would have benefitted from a lot more focus and a brutally honest editor.
June 14, 2012
"Gripping, darkly humorous, and luminous, Forgive Me is an unforgettable story of dreams and longing, betrayal and redemption."
* * * * * * * *
I just started this and it's completely involving, and it's also a quick read. AEW continues to impress me as a writer with a great sense of character and place.
FINAL UPDATE
After staying up way too late a couple of nights to finish this, I am quite disappointed (as are many reviewers on this site, who I had not read prior to reading the book). The first half of this book is just marvelous, and then it sort of runs off the rails. I don't know what the author was going for, but she didn't pull it off. It's a total shame, because the book oozes authenticity regarding South Africa, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (I was very much put in mind of the 2004 movie "In My Country," based on the memoir by Antjie Krog, "Country of my Skull" - some of the scenes are virtually identical), but overall the book is deeply unsatisfying.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The biggest problem is The Journal. It's quite distracting and trite, juxtaposed with the searing portrait of brutal torture, broken dreams, and very affecting death in South Africa. And much much worse, is that it turns out the pathetic woman in the journal, who "reads books on the couch all day" and is prone to "histrionics," while alternately smothering and ignoring her only child, is not Sophia, as we have been lead to believe, but is NADINE, who traded her kick ass job as a globe trotting war correspondent for "love" and security, and this is how she ended up. Is this some weird morality tale about the price of abandoning your true calling? Is AEW saying that Nadine should have married George instead? I don't have any idea what the point of this schizophrenic subplot is, but it ruined a really superior story about the value of forgiveness. (AEW should have saved the soap opera crap for a separate book.) At the time of the Big Reveal, I almost threw the book across the room, and I should have, because the last couple of chapters were crap. I have other complaints, especially about how Nadine "helps" Fikile in a truly bizarre fashion, but it's not even worth writing down. My final comment: WTF?
* * * * * * * *
I just started this and it's completely involving, and it's also a quick read. AEW continues to impress me as a writer with a great sense of character and place.
FINAL UPDATE
After staying up way too late a couple of nights to finish this, I am quite disappointed (as are many reviewers on this site, who I had not read prior to reading the book). The first half of this book is just marvelous, and then it sort of runs off the rails. I don't know what the author was going for, but she didn't pull it off. It's a total shame, because the book oozes authenticity regarding South Africa, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (I was very much put in mind of the 2004 movie "In My Country," based on the memoir by Antjie Krog, "Country of my Skull" - some of the scenes are virtually identical), but overall the book is deeply unsatisfying.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The biggest problem is The Journal. It's quite distracting and trite, juxtaposed with the searing portrait of brutal torture, broken dreams, and very affecting death in South Africa. And much much worse, is that it turns out the pathetic woman in the journal, who "reads books on the couch all day" and is prone to "histrionics," while alternately smothering and ignoring her only child, is not Sophia, as we have been lead to believe, but is NADINE, who traded her kick ass job as a globe trotting war correspondent for "love" and security, and this is how she ended up. Is this some weird morality tale about the price of abandoning your true calling? Is AEW saying that Nadine should have married George instead? I don't have any idea what the point of this schizophrenic subplot is, but it ruined a really superior story about the value of forgiveness. (AEW should have saved the soap opera crap for a separate book.) At the time of the Big Reveal, I almost threw the book across the room, and I should have, because the last couple of chapters were crap. I have other complaints, especially about how Nadine "helps" Fikile in a truly bizarre fashion, but it's not even worth writing down. My final comment: WTF?
September 7, 2007
I was struggling between 3 & 4 stars. I may end up changing my rating after some thought.
I was very much into the book--but have to agree with some goodreaders' reviews--most of the characters are just sketches, rather than juicy, sink you teeth into, 'flesh & blood' people.
The book loses something in this way--you never really get to know Hank, Jim, Maxim, Lily, George...and so on.
Nadine is fascinating. She is morally drawn to examine injustice all over the globe--but can't see past the carnage to actually do something about it. Much like her own life.
A couple of the plot points were not only confusing, but silly. I won't go into them here, as to avoid spoilers.
The book, however, is highly readable. And if half of the information about South Africa is true (which I must assume is the case, based on her lengthy acknowledgments), it's hard to take. I would definitely recommend this book to women who have an interest in an American's take on a world very different from our own.
Later...
Yea i went for 4 stars after some thought...
I was very much into the book--but have to agree with some goodreaders' reviews--most of the characters are just sketches, rather than juicy, sink you teeth into, 'flesh & blood' people.
The book loses something in this way--you never really get to know Hank, Jim, Maxim, Lily, George...and so on.
Nadine is fascinating. She is morally drawn to examine injustice all over the globe--but can't see past the carnage to actually do something about it. Much like her own life.
A couple of the plot points were not only confusing, but silly. I won't go into them here, as to avoid spoilers.
The book, however, is highly readable. And if half of the information about South Africa is true (which I must assume is the case, based on her lengthy acknowledgments), it's hard to take. I would definitely recommend this book to women who have an interest in an American's take on a world very different from our own.
Later...
Yea i went for 4 stars after some thought...
August 25, 2007
So this book was about a 4 or 5 for me until the very end. I don't know if I had a brain lapse or what, but I am so very confused. It seems as if there was a bit of a mystery going on with Sophia Irving, but I missed how that all tied up. If anyone can clear it up for me, I would be forever indebted!
June 19, 2015
Novel set in SOUTH AFRICA ("A gripping excursion into South Africa's past)
The main character, Nadine, loves the thrill of chasing a good story to further her reporting career. She thrives on the adrenaline hit of the next story and is not afraid of entering the scary worlds of drugs, wars and unimaginable happenings that many of her colleagues shy away from. Or is she just kidding herself that this manic dangerous lifestyle is what she really wants from life?
Whilst recovering from being attacked in Mexico, Nadine spots an irresistible story unfolding in her old haunts of Cape Town. Dropping everything, and everyone, she rushes off – thus leading the reader into an often disturbing tale of lives and relationships during the ending of the apartheid years.
The story line moves between the now and the past of Nadine’s life, gradually discovering what occurred when she was in South Africa previously, and exploring her childhood, and her need to always run to her next reporting adventure. Gradually her life history unfolds, and with it the reasons for her never stopping in one place for long.
There is a gripping side story unfolding along the main storyline, and I found it was hard not to skip ahead with the chapters covering this side story to find out what happens (but I am glad I resisted!) .
Given the setting of Cape Town and the subject of apartheid, there is violence depicted in the novel, but it is well written with just enough detail to let your imagination do the work, and no gratuitous detail. The novel’s main characters are graphically drawn, as you are pulled into the contrasting lifestyles in Cape Town at that time.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu is clearly explained. It allowed victims, or their families, of political crimes to hear the truth about what happened, and the perpetrators of these crimes to be given amnesty in certain circumstances. This TRC is a theme that runs throughout the book, offering no rights or wrongs, just a fascinating look into a different form of justice to that which most readers will be used to.
For the tourist there is little information about Cape Town, however for anyone with an interest in South Africa, or just a good story, this is an unforgettably good read.
I love books that I can get immersed in, and also learn from, and this is one of those books - with an easy going writing style that drew me in, and held my attention throughout. This is a book that explores a difficult, and terrible, part of history, but in a sympathetic manner. The book is one of hope, love and trust, and about finding out what is important in life.
The main character, Nadine, loves the thrill of chasing a good story to further her reporting career. She thrives on the adrenaline hit of the next story and is not afraid of entering the scary worlds of drugs, wars and unimaginable happenings that many of her colleagues shy away from. Or is she just kidding herself that this manic dangerous lifestyle is what she really wants from life?
Whilst recovering from being attacked in Mexico, Nadine spots an irresistible story unfolding in her old haunts of Cape Town. Dropping everything, and everyone, she rushes off – thus leading the reader into an often disturbing tale of lives and relationships during the ending of the apartheid years.
The story line moves between the now and the past of Nadine’s life, gradually discovering what occurred when she was in South Africa previously, and exploring her childhood, and her need to always run to her next reporting adventure. Gradually her life history unfolds, and with it the reasons for her never stopping in one place for long.
There is a gripping side story unfolding along the main storyline, and I found it was hard not to skip ahead with the chapters covering this side story to find out what happens (but I am glad I resisted!) .
Given the setting of Cape Town and the subject of apartheid, there is violence depicted in the novel, but it is well written with just enough detail to let your imagination do the work, and no gratuitous detail. The novel’s main characters are graphically drawn, as you are pulled into the contrasting lifestyles in Cape Town at that time.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu is clearly explained. It allowed victims, or their families, of political crimes to hear the truth about what happened, and the perpetrators of these crimes to be given amnesty in certain circumstances. This TRC is a theme that runs throughout the book, offering no rights or wrongs, just a fascinating look into a different form of justice to that which most readers will be used to.
For the tourist there is little information about Cape Town, however for anyone with an interest in South Africa, or just a good story, this is an unforgettably good read.
I love books that I can get immersed in, and also learn from, and this is one of those books - with an easy going writing style that drew me in, and held my attention throughout. This is a book that explores a difficult, and terrible, part of history, but in a sympathetic manner. The book is one of hope, love and trust, and about finding out what is important in life.
January 23, 2009
I liked this one a lot... and yet...
I teetered between 3 & 4 stars finally landing on 3. I was disappointed in the story's characters. Nadine is interesting, but not very sympathetic a person. I had no idea why she was so awful to her dad and her stepmother who were RIDICULOUS caricatures instead of well developed characters. Her behaviour later with her doctor/boyfriend was also odd... I agree with other reviewers, it was hard to know who these people were. I could not figure out how or why her best friend was sticking with her after she was not very compassionate to her. I guess that relationship was the most irritating to me, because as a stay at home mom I'm rather sick of the idea that we just sit around the dirty house getting spit up on while our single friends are out saving the world when really our experience is a little less one-dimentional than that.
But the story! That's the juicy and good part. I still think about the woman who had a mango ice cream and was walking down the street only to be punched in the gut by a white man for no reason. The story is haunting, one of those "I-can't-believe-humans-have-the-capacity-for-awfulness-like-that" types of stories. That's what kept me going, but it definitely needed more room for character development.
I teetered between 3 & 4 stars finally landing on 3. I was disappointed in the story's characters. Nadine is interesting, but not very sympathetic a person. I had no idea why she was so awful to her dad and her stepmother who were RIDICULOUS caricatures instead of well developed characters. Her behaviour later with her doctor/boyfriend was also odd... I agree with other reviewers, it was hard to know who these people were. I could not figure out how or why her best friend was sticking with her after she was not very compassionate to her. I guess that relationship was the most irritating to me, because as a stay at home mom I'm rather sick of the idea that we just sit around the dirty house getting spit up on while our single friends are out saving the world when really our experience is a little less one-dimentional than that.
But the story! That's the juicy and good part. I still think about the woman who had a mango ice cream and was walking down the street only to be punched in the gut by a white man for no reason. The story is haunting, one of those "I-can't-believe-humans-have-the-capacity-for-awfulness-like-that" types of stories. That's what kept me going, but it definitely needed more room for character development.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2020
Felt transported out of the country and even across the ocean, which is something I didn’t realize I needed so I was able to finish this in two sittings. Loved how Nadine was such a strong woman on the outside but the author gave her some vulnerability throughout as well. Picked up a bit of history and my journalistic past felt a kinship with Nadine’s character too. And was even thrown for a loop at the way it all tied together. Definitely a comfort read. This little gem had been hiding on my shelf for years. So happy to have found it.
August 20, 2011
Amanda Eyre Ward, author of How to Be Lost, a book of which I was very fond, is a solid writer. Her prose is neat, her characters developed and the relationships almost (though not fully) of interest. There is something a little rushed about her books, something that makes them solid but not compelling.
Forgive Me also has that quality. The story of a native of Woods Hole Nantucket, Nadine lost her mother at 6 and has felt unrooted in the world since. Through (of course) a lover, she decides to go to journalism and become a journalist. She roams the world looking for the hot story and avoiding her emotional issues.
After being badly beaten by a members of a drug cartel in Mexico, Nadine returns home to an uneasy relationship with her father and step-mother and discovers a new love in the local doctor. This time she flees to South Africa, site of an earlier, soul-shaking love affair, where the abolition of apartheid, struggles over forgiveness and the death of innocents serves as a backdrop for Nadine's personal struggles over commitment and choices between the rootedness of family and the excitement of career.
The book is actually better than the synopsis but writing this plot outline clarified for me some of the problems I had with the book. I almost-but not quite-cared about Nadine. Placing her personal battles on such a large stage made them feel insignificant and pushed the writing stakes very high. Ward would have had to make Nadine epic to compete with Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. If Nadine's personal story had in some way reflected or shed light on the larger story, this might have worked. As it was, I found the book competent, I was interested in the information about South Africa but ultimately, when I finished felt this was a book I would quickly forget.
Forgive Me also has that quality. The story of a native of Woods Hole Nantucket, Nadine lost her mother at 6 and has felt unrooted in the world since. Through (of course) a lover, she decides to go to journalism and become a journalist. She roams the world looking for the hot story and avoiding her emotional issues.
After being badly beaten by a members of a drug cartel in Mexico, Nadine returns home to an uneasy relationship with her father and step-mother and discovers a new love in the local doctor. This time she flees to South Africa, site of an earlier, soul-shaking love affair, where the abolition of apartheid, struggles over forgiveness and the death of innocents serves as a backdrop for Nadine's personal struggles over commitment and choices between the rootedness of family and the excitement of career.
The book is actually better than the synopsis but writing this plot outline clarified for me some of the problems I had with the book. I almost-but not quite-cared about Nadine. Placing her personal battles on such a large stage made them feel insignificant and pushed the writing stakes very high. Ward would have had to make Nadine epic to compete with Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. If Nadine's personal story had in some way reflected or shed light on the larger story, this might have worked. As it was, I found the book competent, I was interested in the information about South Africa but ultimately, when I finished felt this was a book I would quickly forget.
August 2, 2012
The characters are amazingly flat during the whole book, some of them are close to be ridiculous parodies (Gwen, Jon) and I can't help to feel disappointed with Nadine. She, rather than a committed, confident journalist, at times feels amazingly unsympathetic, harsh and her "good" values are so exaggerated that all I could do was to imagine an Angelina-Jolie-esque character; no facial expressions, confidence expressed as a cold heart and well... if your main character can only evoke Angelina Jolie in The Tourist that means you need to put a little work on it.
One of the many things that bothered me is how come Duarte is depicted as a liberal-ish, smart and centered guy, and then he's supposed to be the same that suggests to his gay son "he might like soccer" and buys baseball tickets for him? for a minute I doubted I had understood we were talking about the same person. During the diary parts he looks a lot more like Nadine's father, dumb, disconnected and even gray.
This book left me one valuable lesson though: Never trust the praise of any book. I didn't find any of the things other authors and journalists praise from the book, I'm not an avid novel reader but the flatness of the characters was evident to me since page 20, that's not right...
I generally don't like books that make me hate the main character, and I guess that only happens when I can't understand the character. The two stars mean "it was ok" because the three stars say "I liked it", and that was not the case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2013
Spoiler here. I almost never bother giving a book a bad review. I figure if someone spent the time writing it they deserve credit for at least that. However, this writer played a trick on the reader that at least made no sense and at most was unneccesary and intentionally misleading...I am referring to the Journal of the boy...we are led to believe she is interspersing the chapters with the Journal of Jason who has been killed. She does this by having Jasons father hand her the Journal on a plane. However, the Journal is NOT Jasons and we do not know that until the last entry. It is kind of like going through a story and then the reader says sorry that was a dream. Also, Gwen and other modern mothers in the book are totally stereotyped and flat. AND the dialogue of the children is clearly written by someone who has not listened to the diction of children...
I think I am angry because the idea of the story was great and there are some interesting references to the Truth and Reconciliation that took place in South Africa...still, I have to say this book disrespects the readers intelligence unneccesarily.
I think I am angry because the idea of the story was great and there are some interesting references to the Truth and Reconciliation that took place in South Africa...still, I have to say this book disrespects the readers intelligence unneccesarily.
August 27, 2008
This book was ok, but not as good as the author's other book, "How to be Lost." I liked it until the last 1/4 of the book, at which point things became sort of disjointed. I kept expecting that it would all come together and make sense, but the author didn't do a great job of tying things together. There were a lot of things that the author kept hinting at, and several situations that she was foreshadowing throughout the book. However, she never came through with any real answers or conclusions. This book definitely left me feeling unsatisfied and a little confused.
**Spoiler follows**
One thing that especially bugged me was the random pedophile (Malcon) who convinced Nadine's son that he was a talent agent. He was really super creepy, but I kept thinking that it would make sense in the end, or there was some reason for Malcon's character. Nope, not so much. At least the kid never got molested or anything, but I still can't figure out what that whole situation had to do with the rest of the book.
**End spoiler**
**Spoiler follows**
One thing that especially bugged me was the random pedophile (Malcon) who convinced Nadine's son that he was a talent agent. He was really super creepy, but I kept thinking that it would make sense in the end, or there was some reason for Malcon's character. Nope, not so much. At least the kid never got molested or anything, but I still can't figure out what that whole situation had to do with the rest of the book.
**End spoiler**
October 4, 2010
Nadine Morgan is a journalist that has traveled around the world. She is beaten up in Mexico and finds herself back home on Cape Cod to recoup. She escapes her father's house and stays with her doctor on Nantucket. Quickly they become more than doctor and patient. A story about Jason Irving, a young man who was killed in South Africa, has Nadine running from her home back to South Africa. Here she begins to relive what happened to her when she lived in South Africa and the present, trying to get a story. The story goes between the present, the past and a journal. At times this confused me and I didn't know what was going on. It was a sad story. The parents of Jason Irving are going to South Africa to here one of his killers testify and the person may even be given amnesty. The book somewhat dealt with the parents feelings, but I felt there was part of the story unexplained and it bothered me. I also didn't really like the main character Nadine. I thought she was insensitive to her family and childhood friend. Overall I liked the book, but was frustrated with it at times.
March 8, 2011
I wanted more of each of the characters. Seemed like we visited them for such a short time, except for the main character Nadine, and even Nadine did not feel fully realized. Even at the end of the novel, I felt as though her character was a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing. Like several other readers, I was totally confused when Jason's journal morphed into Harry's journal. It felt like an author's trick.
That said, I found the story itself very clear and satisfying. The author took me into a world most of us Americans know practically nothing about, and didn't sugarcoat it. I really appreciate that level of respect for the reader in a novel that's also a romance and a young woman's journey.
That said, I found the story itself very clear and satisfying. The author took me into a world most of us Americans know practically nothing about, and didn't sugarcoat it. I really appreciate that level of respect for the reader in a novel that's also a romance and a young woman's journey.
February 4, 2009
A story about a journalist unable to deal with her past who uses the pull of the 'next big story' to justify her life and her decisions. Most of the book revolved around a story she was following in South Africa, and I have to say that particular part of the book was so enlightening. (Personally I only know bits and pieces of the history of South Africa and really learned a lot from this part of the story.) Up until the last 50 pages I was set on giving this book 5 stars, but I just didn't think the author pulled the story and the characters together as well as I would have liked. But still a good read!
February 1, 2009
A dreadful book, gave up after five chapters. Banal, clichéd, utterly predictable. Is this really the same woman who wrote the excellent'How to be Lost'? (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43...).
My theory is this is a very early work by Ms Ward and she let it get published just to earn a bit of cash.
I really can't believe it is by the same author.
My theory is this is a very early work by Ms Ward and she let it get published just to earn a bit of cash.
I really can't believe it is by the same author.
July 27, 2014
Nadine Morgan is a journalist. She travels the world looking for dangerous assignments, living in exotic locales and covering wars, genocide, and crime rings. When an assignment to report on the drug gangs in Mexico goes sideways, Nadine ends up back in her hometown on Cape Cod. Desperate to escape, but still healing from wounds both physical and emotional, she passes up a chance for love with a local doctor to pursue a story in a part of the world she thought she would never see again, South Africa. She goes back to report on a story about a young man from her own small town who was beaten to death while teaching in the black townships. His killers were being brought before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, whose job it was to determine whether people convicted of political violence during the years leading up to Nelson
Mandela's release from prison should continue to serve their sentences. She is forced to confront her own personal demons from her time in Cape Town, and the reasons that she will do anything, including putting herself in harm's way, to avoid making the kind of connections that would tie her to one person or place.
I really enjoyed the other book by Amanda Eyre Ward that I read, Sleep Toward Heaven. Like that book, Forgive Me deals with forgiveness and redemption. The book is told alternately from Nadine's perspective and the diary of a young boy who, like Nadine herself, is desperate to leave his small town life behind for fame and fortune in the wider world. Nadine's story is told through a series of flashbacks to her first time in South Africa, and how it affected her in the present. At times it was really hard to like Nadine. She used her journalistic liberalness as a shield for her own selfishness. After all, how angry can you be when you have offered a person your house on Nantucket Island as a refuge when they leave with no notice to pursue the story of bringing a young man's murderer to justice. Being a journalist allowed Nadine a certain distance from being personally connected to the things that were happening to the people around her, including the people that she considered friends.
Some of the characters were pretty one dimensional, especially Nadine's stepmother, and both of her love interests. To be honest, I'm not sure if this was lazy storytelling or purposeful. After all, Nadine didn't really see other people except as they related to herself. The boy whose journal we are privy to was much more real than any of the other characters in the book, but I spent most of the book wondering what connection his story had to the rest of the narrative, other than his intense desire to get out of his small Cape Cod town. Once I realized who he was, it made a little more sense, but I feel like Ward never really connected the dots between Nadine and the other mothers.
The strange thing is that despite all of the flaws I found in the writing, I still really enjoyed the book. It was an easy read, and the story of what happened to the people during the struggle to end apartheid and the aftermath of Nelson Madela's election as president were engaging enough to keep me reading. The story was billed as one about motherhood, which I didn't really get. To me, it was more about gaining forgiveness, both from the people that you have wronged and yourself. After years of running away, Nadine needed to stay somewhere long enough to see the ramifications of her own choices, and to fulfill commitments she made to people in order to help them find justice in an unjust world.
Mandela's release from prison should continue to serve their sentences. She is forced to confront her own personal demons from her time in Cape Town, and the reasons that she will do anything, including putting herself in harm's way, to avoid making the kind of connections that would tie her to one person or place.
I really enjoyed the other book by Amanda Eyre Ward that I read, Sleep Toward Heaven. Like that book, Forgive Me deals with forgiveness and redemption. The book is told alternately from Nadine's perspective and the diary of a young boy who, like Nadine herself, is desperate to leave his small town life behind for fame and fortune in the wider world. Nadine's story is told through a series of flashbacks to her first time in South Africa, and how it affected her in the present. At times it was really hard to like Nadine. She used her journalistic liberalness as a shield for her own selfishness. After all, how angry can you be when you have offered a person your house on Nantucket Island as a refuge when they leave with no notice to pursue the story of bringing a young man's murderer to justice. Being a journalist allowed Nadine a certain distance from being personally connected to the things that were happening to the people around her, including the people that she considered friends.
Some of the characters were pretty one dimensional, especially Nadine's stepmother, and both of her love interests. To be honest, I'm not sure if this was lazy storytelling or purposeful. After all, Nadine didn't really see other people except as they related to herself. The boy whose journal we are privy to was much more real than any of the other characters in the book, but I spent most of the book wondering what connection his story had to the rest of the narrative, other than his intense desire to get out of his small Cape Cod town. Once I realized who he was, it made a little more sense, but I feel like Ward never really connected the dots between Nadine and the other mothers.
The strange thing is that despite all of the flaws I found in the writing, I still really enjoyed the book. It was an easy read, and the story of what happened to the people during the struggle to end apartheid and the aftermath of Nelson Madela's election as president were engaging enough to keep me reading. The story was billed as one about motherhood, which I didn't really get. To me, it was more about gaining forgiveness, both from the people that you have wronged and yourself. After years of running away, Nadine needed to stay somewhere long enough to see the ramifications of her own choices, and to fulfill commitments she made to people in order to help them find justice in an unjust world.
September 12, 2011
Nadine, the protagonist, a 35 years old free lance journalist, lives her life without setting her roots anywhere since something happened in South Africa 10 years ago. Now she's beaten up in Mexico, is forced to rest, and after fooling around a bit, she escapes to South Africa to discover herself. That would be essentially the storyline here. (Note: not my usual type of read).
Now more into depth about the story (***skip below if you intend to read the book, as it may contain partial spoilers****):
So, something happened to Nadine in SA 10 years ago, and since she is "leaving each place before her ties grow too deep", as the back cover has it. But the only place really listed for where she's lived is Mexico City. Umm, what? Anyway, after running to one more trail that might be just the big story to get her articles to the front page of the newspapers, she's beaten up in Mexico, and is forced to rest a bit. That's where the story begins... she's idle, restless, fooling around with a doctor, all while waiting before she actually goes back to South Africa, and to discover what exactly happened there.
While she decides to leave to South Africa on last minute to cover a story (that once again might get her to the front page), she meets the parents of an American kid who died in South Africa 10 years ago, and who are now going to see what happens to the murderer of their son. They hand Nadine the diary (and all sorts of other material, including the copies of his birth certificates - really?) he had kept, and from then on it's alternating in what Nadine does, what happened 10 years ago, and some journal entries of a childish, effeminate boy who wants to be the next singer talent. The diary parts are dull, and while the story now and in the past progresses, Nadine shows to be more and more a liar. Even her "elegant" solution to tying other people's issues and to get the forgiveness includes a bunch of just lies.
At least there's some career development in the story. In the beginning Nadine is trying hard to convince herself that the happiness if owning only a backpackful of earthly possessions, and that the only lifestyle that suits her is that of a mobile, freelancing journalist. Her lifestyle conflicts a number of times with that of her ex best fresh Lily, who only seems interested in what happens around her three small children. I'm not going to tell what happens and what individual or collective things cause the change to happen (however technically the initial event is not possible in the timeframe the story moves. It would take weeks, not 2 days), but especially then on, the diary parts are redundant. Nadine changes, even if she seems to be a journalist fantasy. Most other characters are loosely defined, and don't have much (other than the obvious) change or interaction. I think this is enough of trying to expand my literary horizons for this month, so I'll be back to my comfort reads, or probably something way more adrenalin and testosterone marinated than that.
Now more into depth about the story (***skip below if you intend to read the book, as it may contain partial spoilers****):
So, something happened to Nadine in SA 10 years ago, and since she is "leaving each place before her ties grow too deep", as the back cover has it. But the only place really listed for where she's lived is Mexico City. Umm, what? Anyway, after running to one more trail that might be just the big story to get her articles to the front page of the newspapers, she's beaten up in Mexico, and is forced to rest a bit. That's where the story begins... she's idle, restless, fooling around with a doctor, all while waiting before she actually goes back to South Africa, and to discover what exactly happened there.
While she decides to leave to South Africa on last minute to cover a story (that once again might get her to the front page), she meets the parents of an American kid who died in South Africa 10 years ago, and who are now going to see what happens to the murderer of their son. They hand Nadine the diary (and all sorts of other material, including the copies of his birth certificates - really?) he had kept, and from then on it's alternating in what Nadine does, what happened 10 years ago, and some journal entries of a childish, effeminate boy who wants to be the next singer talent. The diary parts are dull, and while the story now and in the past progresses, Nadine shows to be more and more a liar. Even her "elegant" solution to tying other people's issues and to get the forgiveness includes a bunch of just lies.
At least there's some career development in the story. In the beginning Nadine is trying hard to convince herself that the happiness if owning only a backpackful of earthly possessions, and that the only lifestyle that suits her is that of a mobile, freelancing journalist. Her lifestyle conflicts a number of times with that of her ex best fresh Lily, who only seems interested in what happens around her three small children. I'm not going to tell what happens and what individual or collective things cause the change to happen (however technically the initial event is not possible in the timeframe the story moves. It would take weeks, not 2 days), but especially then on, the diary parts are redundant. Nadine changes, even if she seems to be a journalist fantasy. Most other characters are loosely defined, and don't have much (other than the obvious) change or interaction. I think this is enough of trying to expand my literary horizons for this month, so I'll be back to my comfort reads, or probably something way more adrenalin and testosterone marinated than that.
October 23, 2012
Overall, I enjoyed this story by Amanda Eyre Ward and thought that the reader, Ann Marie Lee, did a fine job telling this story. The main character, Nadine Morgan, is one of those driven journalists that seems to like to live life on the edge or really enjoys that adrenaline high. It causes the ones that love her to question her lifestyle after she is beaten severely on an assignment in Mexico. But her trip to South Africa, to cover the story of the death of an American student at the hands of angry young youths, becomes life changing for Nadine. As she gets to know the families of the victim and accused murderer, she finds she is also examining her self. Not only is Forgive Me a story of the atrocities of apartheid and the violence that has boiled up but also a soul seeking journey. I found this worth the listen. My only complaint was that the timeline jumping from Nadine's past and present world threw me sometimes. But don't let that stop you from experiencing this story.
Note: This was a book that I received from a member at
Bookcrossing.com
Note: This was a book that I received from a member at
Bookcrossing.com
June 26, 2009
This book really made me cry because its about this global trotting journalist who basically confronts her past while she's covering a trial of an American man beaten to death in apartheid South Africa. A decade ago while on assignment the journalist becomes friend's with a girl's family members and learns the young girl actively participated in killing this man. When she's back in South Africa, she learns of the fate of all her friends, including the girl's family members, who tried to survive the violence.
Spoiler Alert (skip over this if you want to read this book):
A decade ago, she leaves South Africa after her boyfriend dies and you can see throughout her present life that she's afraid of relationships because of what happened. Anyway, towards the middle of this book, you start reading the journal of a boy who talks about his parents and goals to achieve stardom. The author gives you the impression that the journal belongs to the man who was killed because he was pretty young, but really, it's the journal entries of the journalist's son (gasp).
Basically, the the present and future stories come together at the end and it becomes clear that even though the journalist has seen cold-blooded murders of friends and walked out on the people/land she loved, there's redemption and peace of mind for her and a family who really loves her. This book focuses a lot on forgiveness as the parents of the murdered man and the murderer's mother come face-to-face at the trial.
Spoiler Alert (skip over this if you want to read this book):
A decade ago, she leaves South Africa after her boyfriend dies and you can see throughout her present life that she's afraid of relationships because of what happened. Anyway, towards the middle of this book, you start reading the journal of a boy who talks about his parents and goals to achieve stardom. The author gives you the impression that the journal belongs to the man who was killed because he was pretty young, but really, it's the journal entries of the journalist's son (gasp).
Basically, the the present and future stories come together at the end and it becomes clear that even though the journalist has seen cold-blooded murders of friends and walked out on the people/land she loved, there's redemption and peace of mind for her and a family who really loves her. This book focuses a lot on forgiveness as the parents of the murdered man and the murderer's mother come face-to-face at the trial.
March 10, 2008
Forgive Me is Amanda Eyre Ward's third novel. It's a powerful piece about forgiveness and love in the aftermath of apartheid and the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Protagonist Nadine Morgan is a journalist who specializes in covering dangerous events. After she is mugged and beaten in Mexico City the TRC's hearing on the death of Jason Irving draws her back to South Africa after a decade's absence.
Overall I enjoyed the story but it has its weak points. The attack in Mexico City and Nadine's sudden appearance in Cape Cod to recuperate was too abrupt and unexplained. Even Nadine seems pulled out the story by the plot needing her to be Cape Cod to recover and to meet important characters.
Later, the journal entries of Jason Irving which are there to tell his part of the story broke the narrative flow for me. Nadine's descriptions of this wonderful journal doesn't mesh with Jason's mediocre writing nor does Jason's ramblings add much to the already poignant story.
My favorite of the book is Dr. Hank Duarte. He was a believable and charming love interest for Nadine although for the first half of the book I though he could do better than Nadine. She may be a good journalist but she is lousy at empathy and has to learn it through her return visit to Cape Town.
Despite the minor flaws with the book, I did enjoy it and found myself sucked in.
Protagonist Nadine Morgan is a journalist who specializes in covering dangerous events. After she is mugged and beaten in Mexico City the TRC's hearing on the death of Jason Irving draws her back to South Africa after a decade's absence.
Overall I enjoyed the story but it has its weak points. The attack in Mexico City and Nadine's sudden appearance in Cape Cod to recuperate was too abrupt and unexplained. Even Nadine seems pulled out the story by the plot needing her to be Cape Cod to recover and to meet important characters.
Later, the journal entries of Jason Irving which are there to tell his part of the story broke the narrative flow for me. Nadine's descriptions of this wonderful journal doesn't mesh with Jason's mediocre writing nor does Jason's ramblings add much to the already poignant story.
My favorite of the book is Dr. Hank Duarte. He was a believable and charming love interest for Nadine although for the first half of the book I though he could do better than Nadine. She may be a good journalist but she is lousy at empathy and has to learn it through her return visit to Cape Town.
Despite the minor flaws with the book, I did enjoy it and found myself sucked in.
May 30, 2009
This story follows a few months in the life of a young reporter, Nadine, as she sorts through her own hurt and anger against the backdrop of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. The book is well written and is layered in a number of ways. One subplot is Nadine's struggle with her past in Woods Hole, MA where her mother died and her father could never fill the void. Another subplot is Nadine's investigation of a young white American, Jason Irving, who was killed by a group of angry blacks while teaching in South Africa. There is also Jason's story narrated through a journal given to Nadine by her grieving parents. Then there is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its effort to bringing healing to the racially torn nation of South Africa.
While I found the story engaging and the writing masterful, I was disappointed by the ending. Nadine lives in the tension between on the one hand seeking to make a difference in the world by crossing all sorts of social and political lines, and coming to grips with her own need for love and acceptance on the other hand. Instead of coming to a new synthesis, she gives up her work for soical justice and truth. While Nadine had many faults my attraction to her character was her passion and willingness to live in the tension between a personal and political life, until she walked out of it in the end.
While I found the story engaging and the writing masterful, I was disappointed by the ending. Nadine lives in the tension between on the one hand seeking to make a difference in the world by crossing all sorts of social and political lines, and coming to grips with her own need for love and acceptance on the other hand. Instead of coming to a new synthesis, she gives up her work for soical justice and truth. While Nadine had many faults my attraction to her character was her passion and willingness to live in the tension between a personal and political life, until she walked out of it in the end.
April 12, 2013
I closed this book feeling very confused as to who was who in this story. Maybe it was just bad timing, or maybe I missed an important clue somewhere, but the switching back and forth between the past, the present and the journal entries made for murky reading. And once I realized that the diary entries were those of Nadine's own son, I couldn't reconcile Harry's mother with the career obsessed, running from herself journalist in the other parts of the book. Still, even though I can't say I liked any of the characters very much, I'm glad I read it. There is nothing wrong with Ward's writing. It's vivid, interesting and it takes courage to put the brutalities of apartheid on paper in a novel, that turns out to be far from a feel good book. We are all part of this human race. We are complicit in each others tragedies, whether we like it or not, and Ward certainly brings home that truth.
February 16, 2016
Though the storyline and characters are deeply compelling, when the book ended I felt as though something was missing. The story focuses on Nadine, a journalist who follows her stories with fanatical determination. She is particularly fascinated with the story of Jason Irving, an American who was killed in Africa by children who thought the murder would help their country to find justice and equality between the races. Nadine rushes to be at the trial, along the way meeting up with the parents of the murdered man and seeing an old friend: the mother of one of the murderers, whom she knew back when she lived in Africa and had fallen in love with the land, the people, and one man in particular. A fascinating premise, yet for me it somehow didn't have a fully satisfying ending. It's hard to say why. I am glad I read it, though not sure if it's worth rereading in the future.
July 17, 2007
I have mixed emotions about this book even though Texas Monthly gave this one good reviews. In the beginning, the author's overuse of the character's name is a bit annoying. But, I stuck with it and enjoyed the storyline. The main character, a journalist, returns to South Africa after working and traveling for 20 years. In the process, the reader gets a very brief glimpse into apartheid. The story tells both the white and black sides of the story, which is pretty interesting. The writer jumped back and forth, and at times it was hard to follow, but I got sucked into the plot. I was pretty disappointed in the ending, which felt very vanilla. I'd give this book an OK, but not a lot more.
March 8, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I like the author's writing style. I've never read any of Amanda Ward's books, but will after this. I didn't know much about S. Africa, the apartheid or the TRC. However, you don't have to be interested in those topics to enjoy this book. About half way through the book, Ward introduces another story line and she tricks you into thinking it's flashbacks from another person. You don't find out until close to the end, that the other story line is actually from someone different. It was pretty interesting. Makes you want to go back and read it again to see if you somehow missed some of the clues. It was pretty cool. This was a quick read and I finished it fast...even brought it to a birthday party because I wanted to know what was going to happen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2008
As one reporter tries to find herself through her work, one mother struggles with forgiveness. The novel takes place in the present and 10 years prior, when a young man is murder by children in South Africa. Nadine, a reporter from Nantucket, immerses herself in the story and returns with the man's family to South Africa 10 years later to attend TRC hearings. If the family decides to forgive the now adults for their heinous crimes, the "children" will receive amnesty and be provided the chance to atone their sins. This is a remarkable story about the act of forgiveness and the strength and will power it takes to forgive someone for taking your loved on away and discovering one's self along the way.
October 18, 2008
Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward
This is the story of a rootless journalist, Nadine, who begins her career in South Africa during violent times, losing friends and her lover, Maxim. She leaves South Africa to continue her intrepid brand of journalism in Mexico City, eventually getting seriously injured. Her emotional and physical recoveries take her back to her home near Nantucket, into the arms of a new lover Dr. Harry Duarte, and back to South Africa.
The story is an interesting enough one. Most of the characters lacked enough depth to evoke any deep feelings towards them and for me, the prose lacked an interesting style. Overall, I thought the story was a responsible treatment of a monumentally important period of time.
Grade: B-
This is the story of a rootless journalist, Nadine, who begins her career in South Africa during violent times, losing friends and her lover, Maxim. She leaves South Africa to continue her intrepid brand of journalism in Mexico City, eventually getting seriously injured. Her emotional and physical recoveries take her back to her home near Nantucket, into the arms of a new lover Dr. Harry Duarte, and back to South Africa.
The story is an interesting enough one. Most of the characters lacked enough depth to evoke any deep feelings towards them and for me, the prose lacked an interesting style. Overall, I thought the story was a responsible treatment of a monumentally important period of time.
Grade: B-
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