Rating: 
Summary: A Clarification
Review: Just thought I'd clarify that the "dashes" that reviewers have been referring to are in fact the standard for marking dialogue in South Africa and, I might add, many other countries. Gordimer's novel is, I think, a great work of literature that deserves to be read as much for its style and attention to detail as for its touchy and still-applicable subject matter.
Rating:
Summary: A Clarification
Review: Just thought I'd clarify that the "dashes" that reviewers have been referring to are in fact the standard for marking dialogue in South Africa and, I might add, many other countries. Gordimer's novel is, I think, a great work of literature that deserves to be read as much for its style and attention to detail as for its touchy and still-applicable subject matter.
Rating: 
Summary: Intelligence required. Inquire within.
Review: Nadine Gordimer is responsible for some of the most important literature of this and recent decades. She belongs to an elite group of writers whose members count among them William Gaddis, Jose Saramago, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Robertson Davies, Toni Morrison and Naguib Mahfouz. Unfortunately, as is the case with said other writers, you also need a brain to read her. Hers is not an ouevre that can be leaped into blindly or sleepily, or that lends itself to bathroom or commercial breaks. Might I suggest a camping trip in a quiet location where you can let yourself fall into the book lightly and gently and without distractions other than those that you create yourself. As for July's People, I recommend it unreservedly. It is among her best, and that means it is among THE best.
Rating:
Summary: Both topical and timeless
Review: Nadine Gordimer's 1981 novel July's People is both extremely topical and timeless. Set in the South Africa at the time of a violent overturing of apartheid by black citizens, this novel tracks a family of liberal whites, the Smales, who are taken to his bush village by their black servant, July. Although the Smales are unquestionably "liberal" and hate the apartheid system, their world is nonetheless turned upside down when forced to live as outsiders (and the only whites) in a world without plumbing, utilities, or servants such as July. In the end the Smales do not meet the challenge, although Gordimer does not pass particular judgment upon them. They, like almost anyone, can only take so much upheaval and role reversal before losing their bearings.
Rating: 
Summary: Intelligence Lost by Nadine Gordimer
Review: Nadine Gordimer's July's People is so obsessed with symbolism it leaves out puncutation marks. The author's writing style is filled with murky allusions masquerading as deep thoughts. The lack of character development overshadows the plot, if there ever was one. Because there is no plot, there is barely any conflict which means no suspense. The tepid excuse for tension between Bam and July is coma-inducing. How is it possible that such a confused, pointless, and unedited(!) book could make it to print, much less be raved about by the New York Times to be "flawless" is beyond me. Her obsession with dashes in place of comas, quotation marks, colons, semicolons, etc. does give a clear picture of chaos in her character's most inner thoughts, but they do not give a clear picture of what is going on. Her attempt at shocking the reader with naughty sex words and the many aphrodisiacs of being exiled in a gurrillian South Africa, fail miserably. July's People is a cowardly book because it refuses to resolve a conflict, create a turning point event, or speed up its lethargic pace.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding book.
Review: re: Reviews by 2 individuals who shall remain nameless... It genuinely saddens me to see how wasted a novel such as this is in the hands (and minds) of the unappreciative, uncomprehending, and utterly unimaginative. Gordimer has created a true work of art, and it would be tragic indeed to pass up this book on the sole basis of a horribly skewed rating.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: The legendary Ms. Gordimer has - again - produced a superb novel - easily the equal of her other works - with the added feature of a completely unique - and utterly delightful - approach to the use of punctuation - which consists of using dashes - and plenty of them - in place of the usual punctuation marks - with this highly interesting approach - Ms. Gordimer indulges her sense of adventure - and challenges the reader - this is a stroke of pure genius - and firmly re-establishes her as one of the finest authors in the world -
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: The legendary Ms. Gordimer has again produced a superb novel - easily the equal of her other works - with the added feature of a completely unique - and utterly delightful - approach to the use of punctuation - which consists of using dashes - and plenty of them - in place of the usual punctuation marks - with this highly interesting approach - Ms. Gordimer indulges her sense of adventure - and challenges the reader - this is a stroke of pure genius - and firmly re-establishes Ms. Gordimer as one of the finest authors in the world -
Rating: 
Summary: ABSOLUTELY BORING
Review: The novel was overwhelming. I believe that the author tried to use a unique style of writing; however it was too confusing to catch up with. The novel was unclear. It was too discriptive and it should've been written in a captivating way instead of trying too hard to write articulately.
Rating:
Summary: Oh my goodness!!!!
Review: There is actually a book WORSE than the Grapes of Wrath!! I wouldn't have believed it possible, but here it is. It starts out pretty confusing. Eventually, I managed to piece out what was going on and realized that there are no quotation marks, just "--". That would be tolerable in a better book, but here it just added to the annoyance caused by the book's existing at all. Aside from that Nadine Gordimer doesn't seem to understand the concept of a complete sentence. This gets tedious. As for the story itself, it was disgusting! I mean...EEW!! And besides that, did anything ever happen? They hung around a lot and maybe some people did some stuff. Really, it lulled me into a kind of stupor. If I ever decide this is a good book, please shoot me. And in summary: EEEW!
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