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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
This book is both thoroughly engrossing and intellectually stimulating. You can see why it’s considered a classic and generally well-received.
As fan of long books that could serve to brain someone I was surprised how much content and detail you can get into a thin small little novel that can be read in one sitting.
The author deftly sketches the portrait of a bygone era and not just any era, but one with momentous historic changes in the politics and societal fabrics of Europe which have consequences to this day. And he sketches it from the perspective of a not-quite insider, born on the outskirts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and looking in to the very center, Vienna. A perspective which Is very similar to mine, despite being separated from me by close to 100 years.
The focus closes in on the very center of Vienna itself, the high society of aristocrats and officers. This the author analyzes scathingly and wittily, but not completely devoid of empathy. And he chooses his protagonist among this class. Ah, and what a layabout he is.
But he is also a tragic figure because, as the aristocratic layabout living on the income his father accumulated, he is hopelessly dependent on the structure of society, on being allowed to live as a parasite at his leisure on the backs of the working people but especially the border areas of the empire form which wealth and human capital is continuously funneled inwards to the center.
And so when the entire shaky structure collapses like a heap of cards at the end of the war, he is left not only utterly unprepared but completely outside of the normal social order, a foreign intrusion so to speak as his entire world collapses with the structure. It’s a hard and sudden break and is the true suffering inflicted on him. The war is only a pale memory by comparison and is not dwelt upon here to my surprise. It passes quickly if awkwardly and without leaving many traces on the protagonist.
No, what really hurts him, kills him from inside like a cancer is the death of his beloved emperor, which stands in for the downfall of the imperial hierarchy to which he belonged, of the mores and morals he grew up with and especially the grandeur he was accustomed to.
And, even if they never belonged to this social stratum, most Austrians can commiserate with him. They also mourn the death of their empire, of the time when they were grand and important and influenced world politics (even if the ‘world’ only consisted of Europe). And they have struggled to hold on to a faint shimmer of their onetime glory, to stay relevant as it were, at least in their little corner of Central Europe. Personally, I think they’ve succeeded very well and certainly beyond what their size and actual economic and strategic importance would justify. And I’m very proud of them.
As fan of long books that could serve to brain someone I was surprised how much content and detail you can get into a thin small little novel that can be read in one sitting.
The author deftly sketches the portrait of a bygone era and not just any era, but one with momentous historic changes in the politics and societal fabrics of Europe which have consequences to this day. And he sketches it from the perspective of a not-quite insider, born on the outskirts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and looking in to the very center, Vienna. A perspective which Is very similar to mine, despite being separated from me by close to 100 years.
The focus closes in on the very center of Vienna itself, the high society of aristocrats and officers. This the author analyzes scathingly and wittily, but not completely devoid of empathy. And he chooses his protagonist among this class. Ah, and what a layabout he is.
But he is also a tragic figure because, as the aristocratic layabout living on the income his father accumulated, he is hopelessly dependent on the structure of society, on being allowed to live as a parasite at his leisure on the backs of the working people but especially the border areas of the empire form which wealth and human capital is continuously funneled inwards to the center.
And so when the entire shaky structure collapses like a heap of cards at the end of the war, he is left not only utterly unprepared but completely outside of the normal social order, a foreign intrusion so to speak as his entire world collapses with the structure. It’s a hard and sudden break and is the true suffering inflicted on him. The war is only a pale memory by comparison and is not dwelt upon here to my surprise. It passes quickly if awkwardly and without leaving many traces on the protagonist.
No, what really hurts him, kills him from inside like a cancer is the death of his beloved emperor, which stands in for the downfall of the imperial hierarchy to which he belonged, of the mores and morals he grew up with and especially the grandeur he was accustomed to.
And, even if they never belonged to this social stratum, most Austrians can commiserate with him. They also mourn the death of their empire, of the time when they were grand and important and influenced world politics (even if the ‘world’ only consisted of Europe). And they have struggled to hold on to a faint shimmer of their onetime glory, to stay relevant as it were, at least in their little corner of Central Europe. Personally, I think they’ve succeeded very well and certainly beyond what their size and actual economic and strategic importance would justify. And I’m very proud of them.
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wish I’d like this more. It’s incredibly well written, I really appreciated the first person voice of our main character. I also very much enjoyed how modern some moment described sounded, I’m always amused to find out humans haven’t changed all that much (especially back in times we associate with great modesty). The historical setting is such a great one, and the characters perfectly display the confusion with the big events happening around them, this lack of confidence in the future after having lost the past in such an unforgiving way, all of a sudden. The book really begs for further reflection upon its themes, which is great. Just wish the plot had perhaps a little more meat to it. But it’s mundane by design, and it works for that reason after all.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"Ogni mattina quando aprivamo gli occhi, ogni notte quando ci mettevamo a dormire imprecavamo alla morte, che invano ci aveva attirato alla sua festa grandiosa. E ognuno di noi invidiava i caduti. Riposavano sotto terra e la primavera ventura dalle loro ossa sarebbero nate le violette. Noi invece eravamo tornati a casa disperatamente sterili, coi lombi fiaccati, una generazione votata alla morte, che la morte aveva sdegnato. Il reperto della commissione di arruolamento era irrevocabile. Diceva: Giudicati inabili alla morte".
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Concludo la saga dei Trotta, iniziata con [b:La marcia di Radetzky|9694195|La marcia di Radetzky |Joseph Roth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1313065044s/9694195.jpg|1624715].
Se nel primo volume della saga accompagniamo tre generazioni di soldati che si ritrovano nobili perché il nonno ha salvato la vita dell'imperatore, qui incontriamo il ramo borghese della famiglia. Temporalmente non siamo poi così lontani dalla morte dell'ultimo von Trotta, ma la vicenda sembra svolgersi in un altro mondo. Qui siamo a Vienna, poco prima della guerra. Il nostro Trotta, senza il von, deve partire per il fronte. Poco prima ha incontrato un cugino, un venditore di caldarroste, ed ha aiutato il figlio di un ebreo ad entrare in conservatorio. Affascinato dalla vita rustica di questi due elementi decide di lasciare quei "ballerini di valzer" che sono i suoi amici viennesi e di andare in guerra nel reggimento del cugino.
I tre sopravviveranno e Trotta tornerà a casa, da una madre che lo ama e una moglie dalle vedute assai moderne: mai mi sarei aspettata di trovare una relazione saffica in un racconto di Roth.
Il tema che accomuna i due racconti è l'incapacità che i protagonisti hanno nell'adattarsi ai cambiamenti Per un momento mi è sembrato che questo Trotta, privo della particella nobiliare von, reagisse meglio. Dopo l'iniziale smarrimento nel trovare la moglie, la sua amica ed il suocero impegnati nella realizzazione di artigianato artistico riesce infatti ad andare avanti, ricostruendo una parvenza di famiglia e piegandosi persino alle nuove regole di mercato: da borghese che vive di rendita diventa albergatore per necessità, dato che la rendita è stata mangiata dalla guerra. Ma anche questa volta la Storia fagocita la storia e Roth ci lascia con la visione di un uomo stanco, travolto dalla fine della monarchia. Il popolo, se non vuole cessare di essere popolo, non può governare se stesso. E Trotta in questo popolo ci stava bene: cosa farà adesso, se non camminare per le strade buie e deserte di una città che non conosce più, accompagnato solo da un vecchio cane?
Se nel primo volume della saga accompagniamo tre generazioni di soldati che si ritrovano nobili perché il nonno ha salvato la vita dell'imperatore, qui incontriamo il ramo borghese della famiglia. Temporalmente non siamo poi così lontani dalla morte dell'ultimo von Trotta, ma la vicenda sembra svolgersi in un altro mondo. Qui siamo a Vienna, poco prima della guerra. Il nostro Trotta, senza il von, deve partire per il fronte. Poco prima ha incontrato un cugino, un venditore di caldarroste, ed ha aiutato il figlio di un ebreo ad entrare in conservatorio. Affascinato dalla vita rustica di questi due elementi decide di lasciare quei "ballerini di valzer" che sono i suoi amici viennesi e di andare in guerra nel reggimento del cugino.
I tre sopravviveranno e Trotta tornerà a casa, da una madre che lo ama e una moglie dalle vedute assai moderne: mai mi sarei aspettata di trovare una relazione saffica in un racconto di Roth.
Il tema che accomuna i due racconti è l'incapacità che i protagonisti hanno nell'adattarsi ai cambiamenti Per un momento mi è sembrato che questo Trotta, privo della particella nobiliare von, reagisse meglio. Dopo l'iniziale smarrimento nel trovare la moglie, la sua amica ed il suocero impegnati nella realizzazione di artigianato artistico riesce infatti ad andare avanti, ricostruendo una parvenza di famiglia e piegandosi persino alle nuove regole di mercato: da borghese che vive di rendita diventa albergatore per necessità, dato che la rendita è stata mangiata dalla guerra. Ma anche questa volta la Storia fagocita la storia e Roth ci lascia con la visione di un uomo stanco, travolto dalla fine della monarchia. Il popolo, se non vuole cessare di essere popolo, non può governare se stesso. E Trotta in questo popolo ci stava bene: cosa farà adesso, se non camminare per le strade buie e deserte di una città che non conosce più, accompagnato solo da un vecchio cane?
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Certainly a step down in quality from The Radetzky March but also a different flavor. A book about the relationship of mothers and child rather than fathers. It also misses the formal, stately, bureaucratic prose of the prior novel that was really unique. It bounces around aimlessly more (though one can argue this fits the time period well). Less punch overall but the ending is extremely strong. Do certainly recommend.
If the first set of Trotta book's is about the downfall this book feels simultaneously of the aftermath and continuation of that downfall.
If the first set of Trotta book's is about the downfall this book feels simultaneously of the aftermath and continuation of that downfall.