Waiting for the Barbarians

Waiting for the Barbarians

By: J.M. Coetzee
Reviewed by: szoghi, 17

Rating: It was alright...



Here is another book by J.M. Coetzee that I will be critiquing. With a similar plot structure as Disgrace, I don't really think it was worth the read. However, there were some differences with the setting and character developments. Just like Disgrace, the main character is an older man with a lust for younger women. Although this man isn't a college professor, he is a powerful individual. When barbarian prisoners are brought into their camp, they are mistreated and abused. However, the magistrate, who is the main character, saves one of the girls from further abuse and shelter her and cares for her. His nurturing of her eventually leads to intimate contact with her, although not very passionate. Eventually, she is returned to her tribe and the magistrate is locked up for his defiance to comply with the empires orders. This book is interesting in the way it deals with the character development. The magistrate seems to progress throughout the novel, because when he sees the cruel treatment the empire employs, he begins to defy their laws and rebel against them.


Recommended to: Ages 17 and Up