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ntrodebe 's review for:
The Magic Mountain
by Thomas Mann
One of the slower paced books I've ever read. I think much of the allegory was lost on me (I will probably require a significant amount of outside reading to pull out Mann's major intended themes for this novel), though some of the dialogue passages were great reads. The last ~50-60 pages were relatively fast paced and compelling, but after the slog of the preceding ~800 pages it kind of felt like Mann simply got Carpal Tunnel and needed to wrap things up, rather than the end being a grand/logical conclusion to the novel. This novel could have benefitted from a more rigorous editor. Many of the passages dragged on without continually building the narrative, but rather reiterating similar concepts.
This book is often described as a "novel of ideas". However, I often found that the slower/philosophical passages of the book lacked the resonance that would have made this book more pleasurable to read. It could also be described as a "novel of characters". There are many significant characters in the novel that vary greatly in ideology, development, and resolution (or lack thereof) of their plot lines.
This book is often described as a "novel of ideas". However, I often found that the slower/philosophical passages of the book lacked the resonance that would have made this book more pleasurable to read. It could also be described as a "novel of characters". There are many significant characters in the novel that vary greatly in ideology, development, and resolution (or lack thereof) of their plot lines.