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A review by llochner
Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn as Told by a Friend by Thomas Mann
2.0
Had to put this down for good at 140ish pages.
Just too dense for me. I had particular reservations about putting this one down, because I do think I was intriguied at where the story was going, how Adrian and Germany at the time and its various characters were being constructed, all very beautifully...but it all just took so tediously long to play out, with such frustrating and mundane (for myself, at least) digressions that I just couldn't wait this one out patiently.
I wanted to want to read this, but just found myself dreading trying to get through it every day. Caught myself skimming often, although whenever going back realized it would have been to my benefit not to suffer pointlessly through some of these passages. The digressions on music theory or airy theological musings and such were more than just mere digressions, they took up entire chapters by themselves. And while I understand they do serve a purpose in building very meticulously a sort of a portrait of Adrian and of Germany at the time, I just couldn’t bear through these digressions and appreciate whatever value they were intended to contribute. This is very dense reading and the pages move quite slowly.
This book from my understanding will reward those who give it patience. I may pick it back up someday later in life, but for now, I just don’t think it’s worth my time to feel like im pulling teeth. I may enjoy it by its end but that seemed a very long way off and don’t know that it’s worth the tedium to get there.
Just too dense for me. I had particular reservations about putting this one down, because I do think I was intriguied at where the story was going, how Adrian and Germany at the time and its various characters were being constructed, all very beautifully...but it all just took so tediously long to play out, with such frustrating and mundane (for myself, at least) digressions that I just couldn't wait this one out patiently.
I wanted to want to read this, but just found myself dreading trying to get through it every day. Caught myself skimming often, although whenever going back realized it would have been to my benefit not to suffer pointlessly through some of these passages. The digressions on music theory or airy theological musings and such were more than just mere digressions, they took up entire chapters by themselves. And while I understand they do serve a purpose in building very meticulously a sort of a portrait of Adrian and of Germany at the time, I just couldn’t bear through these digressions and appreciate whatever value they were intended to contribute. This is very dense reading and the pages move quite slowly.
This book from my understanding will reward those who give it patience. I may pick it back up someday later in life, but for now, I just don’t think it’s worth my time to feel like im pulling teeth. I may enjoy it by its end but that seemed a very long way off and don’t know that it’s worth the tedium to get there.