While I recognize all sorts of wonderful things in this book, that it's well-crafted, that it has a wealth of beautiful imagery, poetry, oxymoron usages, what not, the overall reading experience wasn't particularly good. I found a number of parts hard to follow and as a result was often bored by it. I don't know if there's another, better, way to write this story, but it has turned off my interest of reading any more of Gordimer's work, frankly, and that's unfortunate.

It says on the back cover that this book "demands and rewards careful reading", which is accurate. The parts that I did pay attention to were as masterful as a great novel should be, and I was satisfied and glad that I read them. Then there were parts where I heard myself say things like "so they have sex..." and found myself skimming over them, because I thought that Gordimer ever-so-slightly crossed the line into being tricky.

Great to read if you have the time and patience. Not a light book despite its volume. ( )

The Conservationist quickly introduces Mehring as the wealthy businessman who has recently purchased his weekend getaway 400-acres of South African farm (complete with Afrikaner staff) bought largely for purpose of saying, "I have a little farm I get to on the weekends." This is still an Apartheid South Africa, so Mehring's staff has been working and living on the farm for an untold time, keeping his accessory fully functioning for that day when he can invite untold guests down for the weekend.

Gordimer's novel is sparse but thick. Mehring's got an undeniable talent for making money from his homeland - during our story, he'll talk about his pig-iron deposits and admit he has little understanding of the material outside of it being 'used somewhere in steel.' This is Mehring in a nutshell. At every turn, he's given the opportunity to understand more about those people and things around him that support him, but Gordimer gives us a character that only chooses to learn once he thinks that it may impress a faceless mistress (he learns to identify the flowers that bloom on his farm, picturing the walks he'll take where he can show of his new-found knowledge).

It is Mehring's ability to be in his environment, but not of his environment that cuts to the heart of this story. It's not just the farm where he holds this talent, he's done the same as a husband, a father, a lover and a friend. In this farm environment, however, Mehring will discover that his attempts to remain apart from the upheaval of the land and local politics will be impossible. ( )

The Conservationist is an in-depth character study of Mehring, a South African businessman-cum-farmer. His success in industry provided the means to buy a 400-acre farm, which serves primarily as a tax write-off. In his quest for material success, Mehring has lost his wife and a mistress. His teenage son attends school some distance away, and has become increasingly independent -- estranged, perhaps -- from his father. Mehring mistakenly views interaction with the black laborers on his farm as a meaningful relationship. In reality, the South African class structure ensures their relationship remains distant.

I found Mehring to be a fairly despicable and pathetic character, which I believe was Gordimer's intent. He is a philanderer, at one point fondling a young lady he'd never met for the better part of a long-haul flight. Yech. And while at times he seems to appreciate the natural beauty of his farm, he has no one to share it with him. His time spent at the farm is empty, a way to pass the weekend or to hide from social obligations.

This was a difficult book to read because the main character was so unlikeable, and it revolved much more around character than plot. However, Gordimer writes some pretty amazing, descriptive prose that brought the South African scenery to life. Despite my rather lukewarm reaction to this particular novel, I will definitely be reading more of her work. ( )