fanni_b22 's review for:

Baumgartner by Paul Auster

5.0

emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

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Baumgartner is a quiet, contemplative novel about grief, memory, and the struggle to go on living after loss. It follows an ageing professor trying to navigate life without his beloved wife, weaving together present routines with moments from the past in a deeply introspective way.

What stayed with me most was the way the novel explores the will to live — how grief can close you in, and how finding meaning again takes effort and emotional honesty. I especially loved the quote about how pain is inevitable, and trying to avoid it means refusing to live. The theme of fate versus will was also beautifully handled.

The book made me feel emotional, contemplative, and sometimes amused — but I also felt anxious and a little confused toward the end, which I think was intentional. I enjoyed how the narrative moved fluidly between memory and present, and how it lingered on the small details of daily life.

I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy emotionally rich, reflective novels that aren’t plot-driven. It’s slow in the best possible way — gentle, thoughtful, and full of feeling.