Insight to a nation in transition

I first read this masterfully written novel in preparation for my AP English Lit class in high school. I decided to pick it up again as my first novel of the summer, and I just loved it. Paton's crisp style evokes the landscape, people, and rich cultures of South Africa in the middle of the 20th century. Watching the recent World Cup games on ESPN, seeing the beautiful images of the country, and listening to the news stories about the political situation of South Africa in this post-apartheid era made me appreciate the background to the present day struggles facing the nation as told by Paton in his novel. I give it an A+. It's the type of novel I'd take with me to a deserted island, and it's one I'll return to in future years. It's simply exquisite.

Passage from the novel:

"Who indeed knows the secret of the earthly pilgrimage? Who knows for what we live, and struggle, and die? Who knows what keeps us living and struggling, while all things break about us? Who knows why the warm flesh of a child is such comfort, when one's own child is lost and cannot be recovered? Wise men write many books, in words to hard to understand. But this, the purpose of our lives, the end of all our struggle, is beyond all human wisdom. Oh God, my God, do not Thou forsake me. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, of Thou art with me..."