Scan barcode
asteroidbuckle's review against another edition
2.0
This is the strangest book, fiction or nonfiction, that I have read in a long time.
Never having read a Norman Mailer book before, I had no idea what to expect. The blurb on the dust jacket sounded promising: a story about Adolf Hitler as a child, with portraits of his parents and siblings, as told by a mysterious SS officer. As a huge fan of historical fiction with a special interest in Nazi/WWII fiction, I couldn't pass this up.
However, I'm ambivalent about it. It wasn't bad, but I can't bring myself to say it was good, either. The best thing I can say about it is that it was weird enough for me to see it through to the end.
This book is many things rolled into one: a novel, an essay on the shortcomings of organized religion, an exploration of the age-old question of Good vs. Evil, and an in-depth look at how sex is at once a great and terrible thing, driving people to push the limits of morality in pursuit of carnal pleasure.
The narrator, as it turns out, is not an SS man, but a demon, a minor devil who once possessed the SS man and who now is breaking his code of silence to tell the story of how he helped shape and influence Adolf Hitler well into adulthood.
The book is told from the viewpoint of an omniscient narrator, since the point-of-view of several characters are covered in the book, many times within the same section. The narrative focuses mainly on Adolf's immediate family: Alois, his father; Klara, his mother; and his siblings Alois Junior, Angela, and Edmund. Their thoughts and motivations as well as how they interacted with Adolf while he was growing up (at times influenced by the demon) play major role in shaping young Adi, as Adolf was called, into the ego-centric, blood-obsessed, ambitious man we're familiar with.
The creativity with which Mailer uses these events of Adi's childhood is impressive, though at times it feels as if the story lacks focus. The story flits from one character to the next, oftentimes rapidly, at times focusing too much on sex (Alois' womanizing, Alois Junior's cruel and selfish affair with an old beekeeper, Adolf's masturbation style), other times retreating into a sermon on the absurdities of religion (Mailer even goes so far as to have the demon refer to God as the Dummkopf, which roughly translated, apparently means "dumbass").
The twist happens right at the beginning: Adolf is a child of incest. His parents are father and daughter, though neither is quite willing to let themselves admit it. As circumstances have it, they marry, and much of the rest of the book sets out to describe how this knowledge and its consequences influences both Klara (who thinks her children keep dying because of it) and Alois (whose powerful ego must constantly find ways to smooth over the rough spots caused by guilt).
The book ends when Adolf is 18 or 19, and we begin to really see the beginnings of the monstrous man he is to become.
Like I said, a strange book. It feels like Mailer tried to make it too many things and as a result, none of them really worked. I must say I wasn't sorry to reach the end.
Never having read a Norman Mailer book before, I had no idea what to expect. The blurb on the dust jacket sounded promising: a story about Adolf Hitler as a child, with portraits of his parents and siblings, as told by a mysterious SS officer. As a huge fan of historical fiction with a special interest in Nazi/WWII fiction, I couldn't pass this up.
However, I'm ambivalent about it. It wasn't bad, but I can't bring myself to say it was good, either. The best thing I can say about it is that it was weird enough for me to see it through to the end.
This book is many things rolled into one: a novel, an essay on the shortcomings of organized religion, an exploration of the age-old question of Good vs. Evil, and an in-depth look at how sex is at once a great and terrible thing, driving people to push the limits of morality in pursuit of carnal pleasure.
The narrator, as it turns out, is not an SS man, but a demon, a minor devil who once possessed the SS man and who now is breaking his code of silence to tell the story of how he helped shape and influence Adolf Hitler well into adulthood.
The book is told from the viewpoint of an omniscient narrator, since the point-of-view of several characters are covered in the book, many times within the same section. The narrative focuses mainly on Adolf's immediate family: Alois, his father; Klara, his mother; and his siblings Alois Junior, Angela, and Edmund. Their thoughts and motivations as well as how they interacted with Adolf while he was growing up (at times influenced by the demon) play major role in shaping young Adi, as Adolf was called, into the ego-centric, blood-obsessed, ambitious man we're familiar with.
The creativity with which Mailer uses these events of Adi's childhood is impressive, though at times it feels as if the story lacks focus. The story flits from one character to the next, oftentimes rapidly, at times focusing too much on sex (Alois' womanizing, Alois Junior's cruel and selfish affair with an old beekeeper, Adolf's masturbation style), other times retreating into a sermon on the absurdities of religion (Mailer even goes so far as to have the demon refer to God as the Dummkopf, which roughly translated, apparently means "dumbass").
The twist happens right at the beginning: Adolf is a child of incest. His parents are father and daughter, though neither is quite willing to let themselves admit it. As circumstances have it, they marry, and much of the rest of the book sets out to describe how this knowledge and its consequences influences both Klara (who thinks her children keep dying because of it) and Alois (whose powerful ego must constantly find ways to smooth over the rough spots caused by guilt).
The book ends when Adolf is 18 or 19, and we begin to really see the beginnings of the monstrous man he is to become.
Like I said, a strange book. It feels like Mailer tried to make it too many things and as a result, none of them really worked. I must say I wasn't sorry to reach the end.
danad96's review against another edition
1.0
Just couldn't finish this book. Not as much from the subject matter as because it was sooo slow in the middle. It was one of the weirdest books I'd ever read. A lot of it was kind of disturbing, but considering it is essentially a book about evil, it was probably to be expected. Glad to be moving on to another book.
hideousheart1's review against another edition
3.0
Difficult to recommend. And some of the subject matter leaves a rather bad taste in you mouth.
That said the writting is top notch and some of the metaphysical concepts are facinating (to me at least)
Worth your time and a very interesting read.
That said the writting is top notch and some of the metaphysical concepts are facinating (to me at least)
Worth your time and a very interesting read.
rmardel's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading this book, although it was admittedly a little difficult to get started and I can completely understand the some of the criticisms. Although the novel is supposedly about the youth of Hitler and he became the person whom history remembers, I really felt that the young Adolf was the least interesting part of the book. Knowing what we know about history, and given modern theories of psychological development, there was nothing particularly new or revelatory about that part of the story. The novel is, however, and excellent story about the strengths, weaknesses, failings, and squabbles of a late 19th/early 20th century german peasant family and this is fascinating reading.
I also enjoyed the narrators various digressions and comments although I thought Mailer was trying to channel CS Lewis here, and I think Lewis's devil was far more disconcerting. This devil shows very a very human tendencies in his need to justify and explain his activities, partly understandable because he was supposedly corporeal during part of the novel, but not completely so as the novel is supposedly dictated well after the fact.
Mailer writes well. He seems to pull off a rather difficult technique built around a difficult premise well. It is not perhaps the best choice for someone seeking a quick read, but it does pay off for anyone willing to put in the time.
I also enjoyed the narrators various digressions and comments although I thought Mailer was trying to channel CS Lewis here, and I think Lewis's devil was far more disconcerting. This devil shows very a very human tendencies in his need to justify and explain his activities, partly understandable because he was supposedly corporeal during part of the novel, but not completely so as the novel is supposedly dictated well after the fact.
Mailer writes well. He seems to pull off a rather difficult technique built around a difficult premise well. It is not perhaps the best choice for someone seeking a quick read, but it does pay off for anyone willing to put in the time.
pepper1133's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't really blown over by this. I do wonder if any of it is true, and if so, it really does give you a mind trip. I really was expecting quite a bit more though.
schwimfan's review against another edition
2.0
This was my first Noman Mailer novel. I appreciate his prose, but he is very preoccupied on the psychosexual. While I don't find anything inherently wrong with this, parts of the novel felt... forced? Maybe I missed some of the points he was attempting to make.
I found The Cast in the Forest hard to get into. It started strong, waivered, and finished strong for me. I think part of this was definitely me adjusting to Mailer. By the end, once I got acclimated to the characters, I really enjoyed them. For a book I struggled to stay interested with at times, the last third or so of the novel was a breeze and Alois, Sr. is one of the more memorable characters I've read lately.
I found The Cast in the Forest hard to get into. It started strong, waivered, and finished strong for me. I think part of this was definitely me adjusting to Mailer. By the end, once I got acclimated to the characters, I really enjoyed them. For a book I struggled to stay interested with at times, the last third or so of the novel was a breeze and Alois, Sr. is one of the more memorable characters I've read lately.
erine277's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this book...talk about strange and weird. NOT at all what I was expecting, but then again, who expects to read about Hitler's masturbatory style...
lenehall's review against another edition
1.0
This book is an endless list of the incestuous, adulterous, and misogynist sexual experiences, all hypothetical, of Hitler's father as told by a demon with several stories of male urinary incontinence thrown in for fun. It's not good.
This is the worst book I've read since I was subjected to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. When Mailer is bad, he is horrid.
This is the worst book I've read since I was subjected to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. When Mailer is bad, he is horrid.
2000ace's review against another edition
5.0
Creeeeeeepy!
Too bad Mailer didn't live long enough to finish the series. Adolph Hitler as a child... makes your skin crawl. Horrible family, childhood distinguished by its depressing associations and the part about the beekeeper....eeeuw.
Mailer went out with a bang.
Too bad Mailer didn't live long enough to finish the series. Adolph Hitler as a child... makes your skin crawl. Horrible family, childhood distinguished by its depressing associations and the part about the beekeeper....eeeuw.
Mailer went out with a bang.
agusto74's review against another edition
3.0
I've been intrigued by Mailer ever since reading parts of his fascinating essay collection The Spooky Art, but this is the first time I've read one of his novels to the end. I was sometimes during the reading of this novel indirectly reminded of Philip Roth's Plot against America. Apart from any outward similarities (the venerable age of the authors, both novels historical ones and both dealing with Hitler/Nazism to an extent) I also noted that Mailer's sentences, much like P. Roth's, are devoid of clichés and have an impressive rhythm and a sort of musical flow to them. This makes both of them very readable and their readers are carried forward effortlessly to the end.
I don't think it is unfair to say that there is a certain workmanlike aspect to the styles of both of these authors.
As for the story itself I found the whole concept of it to be both courageous and bold and I was amazed at how well NM managed to keep this monster of a novel together.
I don't think it is unfair to say that there is a certain workmanlike aspect to the styles of both of these authors.
As for the story itself I found the whole concept of it to be both courageous and bold and I was amazed at how well NM managed to keep this monster of a novel together.