A Sport of Nature

By Nadine Gordimer

Book Overview

"A moving, powerful book that, in a career rich with distinguished works, could well be considered her masterpiece."--Publishers Weekly

Hillela is Nadine Gordimer's "sport of nature" a spontaneous mutation, a new type of untainted person, she is seductive and intuitively gifted for life. A Sport of Nature is the bold, sweeping story of her rise from obscurity to an unpredictable kind of political power.

Abandoned by her mother, Hillela is left to be raised by her two aunts in South Africa. At Olga's she might have acquired a taste for antiques and a style of dress to please a suitable husband. At Pauline's she might have developed a social conscience. But Hillela's betrayal of her position as a surrogate daughter so shocks both families that at seventeen she is cast adrift.

Swiftly and perilously, her life opens out. She lives as a footloose girl among political exiles on a beach in East Africa, drifting between jobs and lovers, and finally becomes the wife of a black revolutionary. Personal tragedy is ultimately the catalyst for her political development, leading her into a heroic role in the overthrow of apartheid.

This is the largest, most reverberant work of fiction we have had yet from one of the world's master novelists.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140084703
• ISBN13: 9780140084702
• Release Date: March 1988
• Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 2.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

what happened to Carole?

I have nothing negative to say about this work of Nadine Gordimer whom I continue to regard as one of the top lliving writers. I've read every novel she's written and will get on to her short stories soon. I'm a little late getting to "A Sport of Nature" and just finished it. BRAVO. Except, we don't find out what happens to Carole. Big no-no. She can certainly be considered a main character. She had her own personality and confusion. I would like to have had Gordimer at least offer a small glimpse of Carole in her adult life.

haunting

This is a richly written book. Gordimer handles the character in an interesting way--one of the reviewers said that she couldn't relate to the character, and I think that is because Gordimer is presenting her as someone who is puzzling to other people, a "sport" or new species. You don't get into the heroine's head so much as you try to figure out her mysteries. Of course, that means Gordimer is giving the reader the role of someone from the ordinary world who isn't quite as evolved sexually or politically as her heroine. I found the heroine haunting because of her self possession, her practically unselfconscious drive to grow that freed her of much of the guilt and fear of isolation that keep most of us from doing the right things.

Look beyond normal reading

I do not agree with the substandard reviews of this book. If you are interested in South Africa don't be afraid of a more difficult read and pick up this book. It is a little difficult to get into but once you get used to Gordimer's writing style, anyone will enjoy it. Hillela is a very interesting character who one can not underestimate. I like her spirit, and I truely think she has a complete change of character by the end of the story.

My favorite book of my favorite author!

Check out the copyright date -- she must have been prescient