You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Eine durchaus gut lesbare Erzählung von 1910. Spielt im zaristischen Russland der Jahrhundertwende. Ein gutes Beispiel für einen gelungenen Briefroman des 20. Jahrhunderts. (3,5/5)
First published in 1910, this German-language novella is a delightfully different — and completely compelling — twist on a psychological thriller.
The Last Summer was written by Ricarda Huch, a German intellectual who was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature seven times. It was translated into English by small press Peirene for the first time more than a century later.
Set in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, it tells the story of Yegor von Rasimkara, the governor of St Petersburg, who closes the state university to quell student unrest. Beset by threats (real and imagined), he retreats to his summer residence, taking his wife Lusinya and their three adult children — Katya, Velya and Jessika — with him.
To protect them from would-be assassins and intruders, Lusinya hires a secretary-cum-bodyguard, Lyu, for her husband, unaware that Lyu, a clever and handsome young man, sides with the student revolutionaries and has a devious plan of his own.
Composed entirely of letters between a handful of characters, the novella charts how Lyu's presence impacts the close-knit family and their existing household.
Admittedly, it takes some time to warm to the epistolary style, which feels disjointed and confusing to begin with, but once you understand who is who and work out their role in the narrative, it all comes together beautifully — and the final letter punches a particularly devastating blow.
I loved this wonderful multi-layered novella which explores family loyalty, betrayal, trust and ideology.
The Last Summer was written by Ricarda Huch, a German intellectual who was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature seven times. It was translated into English by small press Peirene for the first time more than a century later.
Set in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, it tells the story of Yegor von Rasimkara, the governor of St Petersburg, who closes the state university to quell student unrest. Beset by threats (real and imagined), he retreats to his summer residence, taking his wife Lusinya and their three adult children — Katya, Velya and Jessika — with him.
To protect them from would-be assassins and intruders, Lusinya hires a secretary-cum-bodyguard, Lyu, for her husband, unaware that Lyu, a clever and handsome young man, sides with the student revolutionaries and has a devious plan of his own.
Composed entirely of letters between a handful of characters, the novella charts how Lyu's presence impacts the close-knit family and their existing household.
Admittedly, it takes some time to warm to the epistolary style, which feels disjointed and confusing to begin with, but once you understand who is who and work out their role in the narrative, it all comes together beautifully — and the final letter punches a particularly devastating blow.
I loved this wonderful multi-layered novella which explores family loyalty, betrayal, trust and ideology.
Terjemahan sangat enak dibaca dan sangat sedikit salah tik.
Novel ini unik karena disusun dengan format surat sehingga isinya seolah-olah kumpulan surat yang berisi korespondensi antartokoh-tokohnya.
Novel ini unik karena disusun dengan format surat sehingga isinya seolah-olah kumpulan surat yang berisi korespondensi antartokoh-tokohnya.
Musim Panas Penghabisan diceritakan dalam bentuk surat-surat yang dikirim dari rumah peristirahatan seorang gubernur. Di antara pegawai gubernur, ada Lyu, sekretaris sekaligus pengawal baru yang dipekerjakan setelah Pak Gubernur mendapatkan ancaman pembunuhan.
Awalnya, kehadiran Lyu memberikan rasa aman, terutama bagi istri gubernur yang pencemas. Namun, lama-lama timbul masalah. Mulai dari dua anak gadis gubernur yang terpikat pada Lyu, hingga rahasia mematikan yang disembunyikan olehnya...
Novel ini membangun suspense dengan baik sekali sampai aku deg-degan menjelang halaman-halaman terakhir. Endingnya pas ☺️
4,5/5 ⭐
Awalnya, kehadiran Lyu memberikan rasa aman, terutama bagi istri gubernur yang pencemas. Namun, lama-lama timbul masalah. Mulai dari dua anak gadis gubernur yang terpikat pada Lyu, hingga rahasia mematikan yang disembunyikan olehnya...
Novel ini membangun suspense dengan baik sekali sampai aku deg-degan menjelang halaman-halaman terakhir. Endingnya pas ☺️
4,5/5 ⭐
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Last Summer by Ricarda Huch - the first novella, first book and first piece of reading that I started off my year with, is a short story that manages to pack an entertaining drama-thriller in 121 pages. Despite being published in 1910 and a piece of German literature, I found myself reminded by recent well-known plots, typically involving the middle class infiltrating or being an undercover saboteur amongst an eccentric, wealthy or powerful family, such as those in the films Parasite or Saltburn.
Though the family portrayed in this novella are not exactly what you would consider outré, nor was it explicitly mentioned that they were of an affluent level, the father of the household is the governor of St Petersburg. With the format of letters dating back to the last century, this novel was fairly easy to follow along despite the plot progressing at a slightly slow pacing at the start.
What’s thrilling and different about this novella is not that the saboteur’s identity is kept a secret, or what the main character’s secret intentions are throughout; they are almost plainly laid out in the premise of the story and stays true to it, yet there is a established tension that still manages to keep you flipping from one page to the next. Pacing is the charm of this book - you never know when the climax of the story will arrive and the writer keeps you on the edge of your seat up till the end. Predictability, usually seen as a flaw in writing, surprisingly works well in the context of this book. A recommended read if you are looking for something short yet compelling.
Among the many names this project has introduced me to for the first time, Ricarda Huch stands out prominently, and I can only conclude I hadn't heard of her before due to sexism. She was a peer of Thomas Mann, Gerhart Hauptmann, and Arthur Schnitzler, a scholar, historian, and novelist with a broad and penetrating understanding of the forces which shaped the modern world.
This epistolary novella, one of her lighter and more frivolous works -- on the surface a taut thriller told through the inconsequent chatter of a family on holiday -- still takes time to think deeply, if briefly, about the loyalty owed to unjust systems, about the demands which ideology carves out of a person, about the arrested development which the protection of class and power require. Although it's set in Russia for the convenience it lends the plot, the social dynamics, and Huch's gimlet eye for self-deception, are thoroughly German. English writers of the period would catalogue the individual idiosyncracies of character with softer tones, but because of their woolly sympathy would be unable to actually commit that last page, where Huch is ruthless, and deeply funny because of it.
This is the second time in a week I've been reminded of the method and manner of Alfred Hitchcock: although it's a novel of ideas from 1910, Huch is practically as hard-boiled as the 30s.
This epistolary novella, one of her lighter and more frivolous works -- on the surface a taut thriller told through the inconsequent chatter of a family on holiday -- still takes time to think deeply, if briefly, about the loyalty owed to unjust systems, about the demands which ideology carves out of a person, about the arrested development which the protection of class and power require. Although it's set in Russia for the convenience it lends the plot, the social dynamics, and Huch's gimlet eye for self-deception, are thoroughly German. English writers of the period would catalogue the individual idiosyncracies of character with softer tones, but because of their woolly sympathy would be unable to actually commit that last page, where Huch is ruthless, and deeply funny because of it.
This is the second time in a week I've been reminded of the method and manner of Alfred Hitchcock: although it's a novel of ideas from 1910, Huch is practically as hard-boiled as the 30s.
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Terjemahan sangat enak dibaca dan sangat sedikit salah tik.
Novel ini unik karena disusun dengan format surat sehingga isinya seolah-olah kumpulan surat yang berisi korespondensi antartokoh-tokohnya.
Novel ini unik karena disusun dengan format surat sehingga isinya seolah-olah kumpulan surat yang berisi korespondensi antartokoh-tokohnya.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes