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mochavonbee's review against another edition
2.0
Even though I often find William Boyd irritating and his characters not entirely engaging, I still enjoy reading him. This is my 3rd Boyd novel, but while it was quite a compelling read, the ending left me with lots of questions, most of them starting with Why?
Boyd's subject matter and time period in this novel (as in others) is similar to Evelyn Waugh, Somerset Maugham and Nancy Mitford, but as a contemporary writer his approach is a little different. I can never make up my mind whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. In this case, while the atmosphere and descriptions of turn of the century Vienna were excellent, there were too many loose ends and odd deviations that ended up going nowhere, so that overall, it was not a memorable work.
Boyd's subject matter and time period in this novel (as in others) is similar to Evelyn Waugh, Somerset Maugham and Nancy Mitford, but as a contemporary writer his approach is a little different. I can never make up my mind whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. In this case, while the atmosphere and descriptions of turn of the century Vienna were excellent, there were too many loose ends and odd deviations that ended up going nowhere, so that overall, it was not a memorable work.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of those books that didn't feel as though it knew what it wanted to be: psychological exploration? mystery? espionage thriller? all of the above? The style and the perspective also changed, sometimes to reflect the journal the main character (Lysander Reif) keeps, sometimes for reasons not quite as apparent.
Lysander is in Vienna undergoing a cure (not The Cure, because he's not seeing Freud, although Freud does make an appearance) for a sexual problem. His doctor, an Englishman, has developed the theory of "Parallellism", which appears to be creating memories that are parallel to the truth, in order to get over the original traumatic ones. And it seems to work - Lysander's problem is resolved, with the help of a gamine woman named Hettie Bull (the theory is that she's somehow representing John Bull, I had another though for the derivation). Hettie is one of the many people he meets in Vienna who later reappear in London, none of whom seem to be completely honest about who they are and why they're doing what they do.
The Great War breaks out and Lysander is essentially blackmailed into working as a spy and rooting out a traitor within the war office. There are several incidents when you wonder why an otherwise intelligent man is so naive, yet another example of the book's uncertainty about its motives.
All in all, this was an easy, vaguely pleasant read that won't really leave a lasting impression.
ARC provided by publisher.
Lysander is in Vienna undergoing a cure (not The Cure, because he's not seeing Freud, although Freud does make an appearance) for a sexual problem. His doctor, an Englishman, has developed the theory of "Parallellism", which appears to be creating memories that are parallel to the truth, in order to get over the original traumatic ones. And it seems to work - Lysander's problem is resolved, with the help of a gamine woman named Hettie Bull (the theory is that she's somehow representing John Bull, I had another though for the derivation). Hettie is one of the many people he meets in Vienna who later reappear in London, none of whom seem to be completely honest about who they are and why they're doing what they do.
The Great War breaks out and Lysander is essentially blackmailed into working as a spy and rooting out a traitor within the war office. There are several incidents when you wonder why an otherwise intelligent man is so naive, yet another example of the book's uncertainty about its motives.
All in all, this was an easy, vaguely pleasant read that won't really leave a lasting impression.
ARC provided by publisher.
mazza57's review against another edition
4.0
this is an excellent book covering the life and work of Lysander fief through the years of the first work war. With smooth lines Lysander moves from an actor seeking help with emotional / sexual problems to a secret weapon in cracking leaks in the first world war.
lgiegerich's review against another edition
4.0
Decent spy novel, entertainingly told, good characters, though it did get a bit fuzzy toward the end.
kchessrice's review against another edition
5.0
The novel starts off in Vienna in 1913. Lysander is an actor taking some time out to seek treatment for a minor psychological disorder from Dr Bensimon when he meets Hettie, also a patient. They embark on a passionate affair but Lysander is forced to leave Austria in a hurry with some help from the British Embassy, who let him know that he owes them a favour... The story resumes in 1914, with Britain on the cusp of war. Soon enough, Lysander finds himself at the frontline in France, however the favour is called in and he is in no position to refuse going undercover in enemy territory to discover the mole in the Ministry of Defence.
I had no idea what to expect from this novel when I picked it up and was really enjoying the scenes in Vienna and Lysander's cunning escape until we cut to 1914 - hmmm, I thought, we're going to get another WW1 battlefields novel... BUT IT WASN'T AT ALL! I really enjoyed the espionage twist on a WW1 novel: don't get me wrong, Birdsong and Regeneration etc are all excellent at describing the psychological horror of war but sometimes you want to discover something new as a reader with a book using WW1 as a backdrop. As a spy, Lysander's talents as an actor were clearly put to good use with his disguises and his intelligence often helped him out of some tight spots!
I have only read Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd previously, and whilst this didn't quite have the same thriller-esque pace, it was still a brilliant story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The wider cast of characters were all interesting, particularly the female leads in Lysander's life (his mother, Hettie and Blanche) and his Uncle Hamo, who is openly homosexual (albeit perhaps only to his closest friends and family).
I had no idea what to expect from this novel when I picked it up and was really enjoying the scenes in Vienna and Lysander's cunning escape until we cut to 1914 - hmmm, I thought, we're going to get another WW1 battlefields novel... BUT IT WASN'T AT ALL! I really enjoyed the espionage twist on a WW1 novel: don't get me wrong, Birdsong and Regeneration etc are all excellent at describing the psychological horror of war but sometimes you want to discover something new as a reader with a book using WW1 as a backdrop. As a spy, Lysander's talents as an actor were clearly put to good use with his disguises and his intelligence often helped him out of some tight spots!
I have only read Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd previously, and whilst this didn't quite have the same thriller-esque pace, it was still a brilliant story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The wider cast of characters were all interesting, particularly the female leads in Lysander's life (his mother, Hettie and Blanche) and his Uncle Hamo, who is openly homosexual (albeit perhaps only to his closest friends and family).
cheryl1213's review against another edition
2.0
There's a lot going on in this novel (provided to me by the folks at Harper), which opens with Lysander Rief's time in Vienna in 1913. Rief is a British actor who has come to Vienna to tackle a sexual problem with the help of a Freudian analyst. During his stay, he meets and has an intense affair with Hettie Bull. It is Hettie's false claim of rape that leaves Rief in debt to the English government and sets up his subsequent involvement investigating a case of wartime espionage, the plot that forms the basis of much of the story. Family, love affairs, and the psychological concept of "parallelism" cross frequently into the tale.
I feel like I missed something here. I simply did not enjoy Boyd's writing style. It felt very cold and detached and I never developed any involvement into the story. Boyd seems to have many devoted fans but I just can't count myself as one of them. It felt like he threw too much into the book and that detracted from my experience. I was most interested in the psychoanalysis plot line but that compromised a fairly small portion of the story. I found the plot convoluted and I had trouble keeping all the players straight. I seem to be in the minority among early readers, although it may be that other advance copies went to Boyd devotees. For me, two stars.
I feel like I missed something here. I simply did not enjoy Boyd's writing style. It felt very cold and detached and I never developed any involvement into the story. Boyd seems to have many devoted fans but I just can't count myself as one of them. It felt like he threw too much into the book and that detracted from my experience. I was most interested in the psychoanalysis plot line but that compromised a fairly small portion of the story. I found the plot convoluted and I had trouble keeping all the players straight. I seem to be in the minority among early readers, although it may be that other advance copies went to Boyd devotees. For me, two stars.
beledit's review against another edition
4.0
This is a well-written story that kept my interest throughout. But overall it's a muesli book. Too many different themes and storylines in parallel that don't quite work together.
I was disappointed because I bought the book on the understanding that it would be more about the psychotherapy (I'm interested in Freud and Jung), as the blurb focused on the visit to the psychiatrist in Vienna. In fact, the psychiatrist is specialised in an obscure form of therapy and Rief is "cured" quite easily. This whole aspect of the plot feels like bait to get readers, and/or a way to suggest that the woman he meets early on is nuts, but it is dispensed with quickly.
The story encompasses a hint of a bohemian life in Vienna, a bit of psychology, a touch of the first world war, a love story, a betrayal story, a spy story, a mystery... it's all over the place.
I give it 3.5-4 stars nonetheless because it is well told, keeps a steady pace and is a pleasure to listen to (Audible version).
I was disappointed because I bought the book on the understanding that it would be more about the psychotherapy (I'm interested in Freud and Jung), as the blurb focused on the visit to the psychiatrist in Vienna. In fact, the psychiatrist is specialised in an obscure form of therapy and Rief is "cured" quite easily. This whole aspect of the plot feels like bait to get readers, and/or a way to suggest that the woman he meets early on is nuts, but it is dispensed with quickly.
The story encompasses a hint of a bohemian life in Vienna, a bit of psychology, a touch of the first world war, a love story, a betrayal story, a spy story, a mystery... it's all over the place.
I give it 3.5-4 stars nonetheless because it is well told, keeps a steady pace and is a pleasure to listen to (Audible version).
sawyerbell's review against another edition
3.0
This felt like two separate books thrown together. The first part, in which the protagonist finds himself in Vienna undergoing a talking cure, was engaging. However, the story became increasingly mushy and convoluted as it went on, with several chapters reading like unedited first draft material.
branwynnemay's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read in terms of wanting to hear others' opinions about it- for me, the suspense was halted constantly by what felt like random plot changes. I didn't feel sympathetic toward anyone in particular, and the characters were shallow. It was a different kind of genre for me to read, though, so it was fun to see where the book took me. My favorite scenes were on the boat and during the bombing- more of these would have helped pique my interest.