Below are the 34 reviews by amazon.com readers for THIS EARTH OF MANKIND
great story, many points to discuss, April 10, 2007
By Naomi Brewster "prince rupert's drop" (Melbourne, Australia)
I enjoyed Minke's story. Pram is an excellent writer. His prose invokes visual representation as you read through the pages and the pages seem to turn themselves. The book is set in a time and place of which I know little yet I felt, while reading this book, that I could see it and imagine it. I haven't yet gone on to read the rest of the books in the series, so don't know how the characters develop later. Annelies' character gives me much grist for the mill with her passive inability to cope with life or meet events as an equal with her mother and husband and her obsession with what she is not - 'native'. The constant reference in the book to pure, native, half blood is worthy of further analysis. Being from a former English colony (New Zealand) I don't get the impression that this narrative was nearly as prominent there as it seems to have been in Indonesia. I wonder, is this a reflection on the Dutch colonialists or on Indonesia? In all, a good read with much to occupy the reader's attention upon completion. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
