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astiflo's review against another edition
5.0
"tocado por la gracia" seems indeed accurate, at least for me. I am pretty sad I've finished it, and it will be very difficult to find a similar read.
terrypaulpearce's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful and strange book. It reminds me of GK Chesterton, and of Italo Calvino, and maybe a little of Jorge Luis Borges... it never seems entirely real, but at the same time it manages to be a fable that is about what real life is all about. By the end I didn't want to end, which says something with a 600+ pager.
grogu_djarin's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Overall Thoughts:
This is a well-written book but I think it's probably not for most people. It's extremely literary and the majority of the book centers around two parallel debates. One debate is with the organ grinder and his impoverished friends on the nature of life, while the other debate contrasts it by taking place in an upper class salon centered around prominent literature, philosophy, and political movements of the time. While this sounds like an interesting premise on paper, with Hans having to navigate in two opposite worlds, it's not interesting for the hundreds of pages it takes up. There's also a somewhat graphic love affair mixed in that I found distracting due to the tonal whiplash of jumping from an intellectual discussion in one paragraph to crude descriptions of a character's genitals in the next.
I also didn't find any of the characters likable except Sophie in the beginning. She's a well-educated and independent woman but is bound by the social mores of the time. This made her extremely compelling because I was never quite sure which was the genuine Sophie and which was the facade. Her words and gestures were all layered with meaning. Unfortunately, all this build-up gets discarded and replaced with innuendo and the focus shifts from her personality and intellect to her body. While there are other characters that feature prominently in the story, few of them stood as characters on their own. They were mostly there to serve certain roles in the debates (eg the disagreeable one, the timid one, the old-fashioned one, etc).
This is a well-written book but I think it's probably not for most people. It's extremely literary and the majority of the book centers around two parallel debates. One debate is with the organ grinder and his impoverished friends on the nature of life, while the other debate contrasts it by taking place in an upper class salon centered around prominent literature, philosophy, and political movements of the time. While this sounds like an interesting premise on paper, with Hans having to navigate in two opposite worlds, it's not interesting for the hundreds of pages it takes up. There's also a somewhat graphic love affair mixed in that I found distracting due to the tonal whiplash of jumping from an intellectual discussion in one paragraph to crude descriptions of a character's genitals in the next.
I also didn't find any of the characters likable except Sophie in the beginning. She's a well-educated and independent woman but is bound by the social mores of the time. This made her extremely compelling because I was never quite sure which was the genuine Sophie and which was the facade. Her words and gestures were all layered with meaning. Unfortunately, all this build-up gets discarded and replaced with innuendo and the focus shifts from her personality and intellect to her body. While there are other characters that feature prominently in the story, few of them stood as characters on their own. They were mostly there to serve certain roles in the debates (eg the disagreeable one, the timid one, the old-fashioned one, etc).
Likes:
- There are a few mysteries that string you along throughout the book such as who the organ grinder is, why no one leaves Wandernburg, why the roads never seem the same, and the identity of a masked man. These held my interest when they'd come up, but most aren't satisfactorily addressed.
- I liked the contrast between the upper class society and the servant/worker class society, especially when that is a topic of debate in the book.
- The writing itself was well done and there were a few spots I paused reading for a few moments to reflect on a line or passage.
Dislikes:
- The love story in the book started strong exploring social mores of the time and had an intellectual foundation, but it quickly devolved into sex scene after sex scene with all the aspects that made it interesting suddenly missing.
- A lot of the characters felt tropey, in particular the organ grinder. I think he's supposed to be one of the main mysteries of the book, but throughout the story he basically ended up being the "wise old homeless man that seems to always know exactly what the protagonist needs to know" trope.
- The book is way too long. I think it easily could have been cut in half by removing many of the debates, which are monotonous and repetitive. While I was enjoying it at first, by the halfway point I was wanting some sort of conclusion but it kept going and going and going, long overstaying its welcome.
Other Notes:
- This book does not use quotations marks at all. Dialogue often runs together in a paragraph with speakers separated by text or (parentheses). I thought this would bother me more than it did, but you get used to it.
- The book features somewhat graphic sex and several scenes of rape so this may be off-putting to many people.
Would Recommend To:
- Someone who is interested in the political, social, literary, and philosophical landscape of Europe (and especially Germany) in the early 19th Century. It also helps if you already have some background in the history, literature, and philosophy of the times because it's easier to relate to the discussion in the salon.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Most people. I think you would need very specific tastes to enjoy this book.
theciz's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
A torturously long book that at various points I just wanted something, anything interesting to happen or for it to just end. The first half sets up the premise, and then we get interminable salon discussions, filled with meaningless philosophical guff and bizarre sexual tension. I put down the book about half way through and just had no urge to return to it for a long time.
The rest is made up of thin archetype characters, a boring love story, an almost offensively inconsequential mystery, a magical old man and his dog (the only good characters) and some of the least erotic sex scenes I’ve ever had the misfortune to read. I get what it’s trying to be - the allegories aren’t subtle - but it’s too long, slow burn and boring to get away with having zero payoff.
The rest is made up of thin archetype characters, a boring love story, an almost offensively inconsequential mystery, a magical old man and his dog (the only good characters) and some of the least erotic sex scenes I’ve ever had the misfortune to read. I get what it’s trying to be - the allegories aren’t subtle - but it’s too long, slow burn and boring to get away with having zero payoff.
yasimine's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
singularidadesdoslivros's review against another edition
4.0
Esta história é muito invulgar: Hanz é um tradutor e viajante nómada que não costuma ficar muito tempo nas cidades que visita. No entanto, quando chega a Wandernburgo, apercebe-se que o local é diferente. São raras as pessoas que chegam a esta cidade alemã que muda todos os dias e que conseguem partir e Hanz não é excepção. Para isso, contribui a amizade que enceta com um velho tocador de realejo, que o faz ver o mundo de forma diferente e está empenhado em lhe mostrar os simbolismos e mistérios da vida.
Também a amizade com Álvaro e Sophia (por quem se apaixona, apesar de estar noiva) retardam a sua partida e vamos acompanhar Hanz em vários serões intelectuais, onde, na companhia destas e outras personagens peculiares, se declama poesia, encenam trechos de peças de teatro e discute literatura, filosofia, política, democracia, religião, ... Apesar de alguns destes episódios poderem ser cansativos, de outros, guardei momentos e passagens muito marcantes.
O ritmo do livro é lento e pausado, custa a entrar na história e demorei várias semanas a ler o livro. Reconheço que não agradará a toda a gente, nem é para todos os estados de espírito, mas...
- adorei a escrita,
- enterneci-me com algumas personagens secundárias,
- inquietei-me com as histórias paralelas: um violador que assombra as ruas da pequena cidade alemã, a investigação a cargo de dois polícias (pai e filho), o modo de vida dos jornaleiros e dos pobres da cidade,
- e, sobretudo, encantei-me com as várias referências culturais.
Sem dúvida que foi uma surpresa deliciosa, especialmente, dado que desconhecia o livro e parti para a leitura sem saber nada sobre ele.
Também a amizade com Álvaro e Sophia (por quem se apaixona, apesar de estar noiva) retardam a sua partida e vamos acompanhar Hanz em vários serões intelectuais, onde, na companhia destas e outras personagens peculiares, se declama poesia, encenam trechos de peças de teatro e discute literatura, filosofia, política, democracia, religião, ... Apesar de alguns destes episódios poderem ser cansativos, de outros, guardei momentos e passagens muito marcantes.
O ritmo do livro é lento e pausado, custa a entrar na história e demorei várias semanas a ler o livro. Reconheço que não agradará a toda a gente, nem é para todos os estados de espírito, mas...
- adorei a escrita,
- enterneci-me com algumas personagens secundárias,
- inquietei-me com as histórias paralelas: um violador que assombra as ruas da pequena cidade alemã, a investigação a cargo de dois polícias (pai e filho), o modo de vida dos jornaleiros e dos pobres da cidade,
- e, sobretudo, encantei-me com as várias referências culturais.
Sem dúvida que foi uma surpresa deliciosa, especialmente, dado que desconhecia o livro e parti para a leitura sem saber nada sobre ele.
emily1602's review against another edition
I loved most of this. It dragged somewhat in the middle and a mystery culminated in a revelation that no one seemed to care about. But the descriptions of Wandernburg, the clever almost cinematic scene transitions, and the long debates about politics and art in the 1800s which are interesting in themselves, in the characterization they give the characters having them, and in their implicit commentary on the present day. Especially liked one scene where all the characters read a play aloud, discussing what role each of them should have in it. Wish every book did this lol, such a fun way to deepen characters and reveal the surprising ways they see themselves and others. This is the kind of book that leaves a lot for you to think about in a second or third reading.
em_writing's review against another edition
3.0
I have a complicated relationship with this book. When my friends ask me about it I explain that it's a book I've greatly enjoyed, but would never recommend to anyone. In my heart, I want to give this 4 stars, but I know that will only encourage people to read it. Basically, if it's possible to get Stockholm syndrome from a novel, this is the perfect example.
On the one hand, it's probably the closest thing to good modernism published since the 1930s. It contains some interesting ideas, the occasional bit of interesting drama and the odd spot of a kind of...linguistic slapstick humour (for want of a better description).
However, my main enjoyment of this book probably came from the least erotic sex scenes I've ever read, translation issues (including a moment where a room FILLED WITH LEMONS), and the wonderful disparity between scenes (one moment you're trapped in 20 pages of old men arguing politics at a salon, the next sex, then two Lieutenant Gluck's talk about the local rapist, and then we're in a cave talking philosophy with an organ grinder - the best character in the whole book, by the way). Oh, and after you've got through 574 pages, there's a nice James Joyce style 4 page sentence to finish on.
This book is an ill-advised journey it took me over a year to complete. Personally, I'm glad I got there in the end. As I say, I did enjoy it, but I'm fairly certain that makes me a masochist. And I'm not enough of a sadist to make anyone else read it.
On the one hand, it's probably the closest thing to good modernism published since the 1930s. It contains some interesting ideas, the occasional bit of interesting drama and the odd spot of a kind of...linguistic slapstick humour (for want of a better description).
However, my main enjoyment of this book probably came from the least erotic sex scenes I've ever read, translation issues (including a moment where a room FILLED WITH LEMONS), and the wonderful disparity between scenes (one moment you're trapped in 20 pages of old men arguing politics at a salon, the next sex, then two Lieutenant Gluck's talk about the local rapist, and then we're in a cave talking philosophy with an organ grinder - the best character in the whole book, by the way). Oh, and after you've got through 574 pages, there's a nice James Joyce style 4 page sentence to finish on.
This book is an ill-advised journey it took me over a year to complete. Personally, I'm glad I got there in the end. As I say, I did enjoy it, but I'm fairly certain that makes me a masochist. And I'm not enough of a sadist to make anyone else read it.