Talk about a book being "pregnant"! Well, Disgrace is that and more. J.M. Coetzee manages to spin a tale that churns from interesting to absorbing to gut-wrenching at the same time he digs sub-strata after sub-strata of thought-provoking depth. There is the concept of disgrace itself, a sharp right-hand turn out of nowhere that can leave a person on the wrong side of a double yellow line facing oncoming traffic. A middle aged professor with a nineteenth century libido sees his world collapse only a short time before his daughter's experiment with country living is turned upside down with her as the subject of everyone else's design. There are the scapegoats, real ones, an abandoned mutt to be euthanized, a brace of sheep to be eaten, a father and daughter to be branded and shunned by a society in turmoil. There are questions of race and colonialism that war between head and heart. There are the sticky, uncomfortable differences that push people apart, that they call "culture" and tiptoe around or strive to ignore. This is a book that makes me wish I'd been living close to a book club back in 1999; it's a book I think we could be chewing on still, and well worth the effort. If for no other reason than the sad fact true tragedies are rare in literature, this short book is worth not one read but several. There are characters with enough hubris to believe they could hang on to simple truths. There are communities in need of healing. There are actions that are as inhumane and inhuman as they seem to be necessary for life to go forward. There is hope.

It's the first book I have read from Coetzee and what a cracker it is. Poised, understated and beautifully crafted. The main character David is far from likeable man but his reactions and musings are completely believable and utterly engrossing. At no point does it try to be neat in its response to the very real South African social dilemmas presented. The only point that I found difficult to swallow was David's later affair but that said, it didn't detract from the sense of menace that builds throughout the novel.

First book I've read by the JM Coetzee. I was expecting big things based on all the awards. This novel is average at best. There are far better writers out there. It's not a bad book, but the story line isn't believable and the writing just isn't that good. Shameful that books like "Three Day Road" by Boyden don't make the list for the Booker and this actually wins it...go figure!

I've never read any books by J.M. Coetzee, but I'm really glad I read this one. Winner of the 1999 Booker prize and winner of the Nobel prize for literature, 2003, it's just a fabulous read. A very different sort of narration, and its so well written that you become totally engrossed in the characters and their lives. Even the main character, David Lurie, although he's a real cad, having been kicked out of his university teaching job for fraternizing with a student, is someone you dislike, but enjoy reading about.