twincam59's review against another edition
Boring, didn't spark my interest at all.
d_sebek's review against another edition
4.0
The Teleportation Accident is a wonderful piece of historical fiction that drops the reader into 1931 Germany as set designer Egon Loeser prepares for the debut of his play about a 1679 invention that could instantaneously transport actors across the stage. Unfortunately the 1678 invention fails, killing 24 people. Loeser's incarnation of the device isn't as cruel, though it does maim an actor, shutting down the play right before the debut.
Loeser moves behind the scenes of German theater, wondering if he will ever have sex again after his last failed relationship. He meets Adele Hitler, no relation to the tiny little man quickly gaining power in the background of this tale. Loeser hesitates to move forward with a new relationship and quickly loses her. Obsessed with finding her, Loeser travels across Europe and eventually ends up in Los Angeles.
The story is comical, interesting and well told. Beauman does a wonderful job of creating characters who are flawed, puts them in conflict with one another and then ties them all together again at the end. If you enjoy reading about the thirties and fine writing, this book is worth the time.
Loeser moves behind the scenes of German theater, wondering if he will ever have sex again after his last failed relationship. He meets Adele Hitler, no relation to the tiny little man quickly gaining power in the background of this tale. Loeser hesitates to move forward with a new relationship and quickly loses her. Obsessed with finding her, Loeser travels across Europe and eventually ends up in Los Angeles.
The story is comical, interesting and well told. Beauman does a wonderful job of creating characters who are flawed, puts them in conflict with one another and then ties them all together again at the end. If you enjoy reading about the thirties and fine writing, this book is worth the time.
ginbott's review against another edition
4.0
funny, as in properly shaking your head, exclaiming 'what!?'- funny. A great idea for a story will peak your interest, but keeping the reader captive is the hard part. Beauman succeeds for the most part in keeping the momentum going, there are a couple of instances where the story starts to drag a bit, but these are minor complaints.
By and large this is a smart, fresh, creative and addictive read. Beauman uses language in a brilliant way, packed with wit, originality and often veering off in unexpected directions. To find a way to write about 1930/40s Germany and America and find an original angle is not easy, to make it this funny is seriously impressive.
I can't wait to see where Beauman takes us next.
By and large this is a smart, fresh, creative and addictive read. Beauman uses language in a brilliant way, packed with wit, originality and often veering off in unexpected directions. To find a way to write about 1930/40s Germany and America and find an original angle is not easy, to make it this funny is seriously impressive.
I can't wait to see where Beauman takes us next.
laviskrg's review against another edition
5.0
"The Teleportation Accident" is hands down one of the most entertaining books I have ever read in my life. It is so amazingly written that I am profoundly confused and shocked that I have not heard of this author before-hand. He is definitely on my to-read list and his previous novel is definitely one to be researched in the very near future.
The language is incredibly awesome. The phrases are loooong, complex, intellectually designed and yet, so entertaining and amusing. There were points where I could not even imagine the process used in writing this novel, but I highly appreciate its usage.
This novel is the definition of originality. It is historical fiction that does not care about history nor fiction. It is science fiction that makes little sense but is socially potent as science fiction should be. It is a drama about the meaningless yet dramatic events in people's lives. It has elements of mysteries and horror stories, but it belongs in neither genre. It contains most literary genres and, for adhesive it uses the point of view of one of the most messed up characters I have ever encountered: Egon Loeser.
Egon Loeser is a man of so many contradictions, and, as the hero of this story (more or less, actually), he is the complete opposite of what anyone might consider heroic, epic, honourable, or even valuable as a human being. He is the definition of plain and not because of his aspect or intelligence, but because of his interaction with facts, history, people and life in general. I find it is not very hard to make up a character who is attractive, noble, kind, wise, brave, all that. I don't mean to imply that there is no chance of failure in this (actually, if you look at a lot of the bull-crap YA books these days you will see uncountable examples of this failure), but it is much easier to create a cliche of "masculinity" as opposed to creating a douche bag who simply does not give a fuck, whose sole desire is to get laid, who hates his town, hates most of his friends, and yet is forever connected to said entities emotionally and physically, since his path never manages to separate, but who is also such an interesting, complex, entertaining and, in the end, recognizable and authentic character.
I adored Egon. In many aspects, I identified myself with him. I also hate politics, hate discussing politics and, to be honest, it was refreshing to read about a character who does his best to keep himself as further away from historical moments and political changes as possible. He makes it his purpose to not find out anything about the dire situation in Berlin, the pressure of the second World War, the danger faced by an immense social group. He makes it his purpose to chase this certain girl to the other side of the world, considering himself an exile from the female body not from him homeland. In the end, getting laid isn't even the real reason, nor the motivating factor, but one must follow Egon's bizarre journey to understand what drives him and, in the end, what may drive most of us in life. Egon's inability to care and immense selfishness I found to be invigorating and, in the end, closer to my own person than highly advanced bullshitting about honour and love and the search for higher ideals. All those are more than okay and enjoyable in their own novels and stories. But sometimes, a bit of sheer realism is necessary. Egon Loeser is the common man with the common ideals and common albeit unmet needs. And although many a time I laughed out loud at his apparent disinterest, I could relate to him and some of his views and I could definitely see in him many people I have known in life even if, in their infinite arrogance, they fancy themselves as some great epic heroes of old. Egon Loeser is in each of us in a certain measure and I enjoyed this depiction of history seen through his eyes.
This book could be enjoyed by such a large array of readers because it contains all genres, but I think, mostly, it would be appreciated by people who love dark humour, who love complex and often perverted language and who seek deep meanings in simple truths. Also, it would be awesome to read this with a partner because this book is just full of jokes and apropos and discussing it is, by itself, a feast. Enjoy!
The language is incredibly awesome. The phrases are loooong, complex, intellectually designed and yet, so entertaining and amusing. There were points where I could not even imagine the process used in writing this novel, but I highly appreciate its usage.
This novel is the definition of originality. It is historical fiction that does not care about history nor fiction. It is science fiction that makes little sense but is socially potent as science fiction should be. It is a drama about the meaningless yet dramatic events in people's lives. It has elements of mysteries and horror stories, but it belongs in neither genre. It contains most literary genres and, for adhesive it uses the point of view of one of the most messed up characters I have ever encountered: Egon Loeser.
Egon Loeser is a man of so many contradictions, and, as the hero of this story (more or less, actually), he is the complete opposite of what anyone might consider heroic, epic, honourable, or even valuable as a human being. He is the definition of plain and not because of his aspect or intelligence, but because of his interaction with facts, history, people and life in general. I find it is not very hard to make up a character who is attractive, noble, kind, wise, brave, all that. I don't mean to imply that there is no chance of failure in this (actually, if you look at a lot of the bull-crap YA books these days you will see uncountable examples of this failure), but it is much easier to create a cliche of "masculinity" as opposed to creating a douche bag who simply does not give a fuck, whose sole desire is to get laid, who hates his town, hates most of his friends, and yet is forever connected to said entities emotionally and physically, since his path never manages to separate, but who is also such an interesting, complex, entertaining and, in the end, recognizable and authentic character.
I adored Egon. In many aspects, I identified myself with him. I also hate politics, hate discussing politics and, to be honest, it was refreshing to read about a character who does his best to keep himself as further away from historical moments and political changes as possible. He makes it his purpose to not find out anything about the dire situation in Berlin, the pressure of the second World War, the danger faced by an immense social group. He makes it his purpose to chase this certain girl to the other side of the world, considering himself an exile from the female body not from him homeland. In the end, getting laid isn't even the real reason, nor the motivating factor, but one must follow Egon's bizarre journey to understand what drives him and, in the end, what may drive most of us in life. Egon's inability to care and immense selfishness I found to be invigorating and, in the end, closer to my own person than highly advanced bullshitting about honour and love and the search for higher ideals. All those are more than okay and enjoyable in their own novels and stories. But sometimes, a bit of sheer realism is necessary. Egon Loeser is the common man with the common ideals and common albeit unmet needs. And although many a time I laughed out loud at his apparent disinterest, I could relate to him and some of his views and I could definitely see in him many people I have known in life even if, in their infinite arrogance, they fancy themselves as some great epic heroes of old. Egon Loeser is in each of us in a certain measure and I enjoyed this depiction of history seen through his eyes.
This book could be enjoyed by such a large array of readers because it contains all genres, but I think, mostly, it would be appreciated by people who love dark humour, who love complex and often perverted language and who seek deep meanings in simple truths. Also, it would be awesome to read this with a partner because this book is just full of jokes and apropos and discussing it is, by itself, a feast. Enjoy!
halibut's review against another edition
4.0
Much more sprawling than the authors previous (excellent) Boxer, Beetle. Only began to work for me once I realised I wasn't meant to like the main character (a self obsessed misogynist), and that the war background was going to be consistently ignored by the egotists we get for protagonists. Chock full of interesting idea, funny and farcical in the right places, the book struggle to hang together as a while though. The plotting is intricate enough to sustain interest, and some of the writing which mixes timelines is impressive. Worth reading for the variety contained.
leigh_reidelberger's review against another edition
3.0
Loved this book.
Once you allow yourself to accept the absurdity of the story, it's so easy to fall into step with the characters. There are moments when it verges on being ridiculous, but Beauman manages to maintain the balance, and to not cross that line.
Without giving too much away, The Teleportation Accident follows a man (Loeser) infatuated with a 17th Century set designer while also spending a LOT of time trying to get laid. It's a bizare comedy of errors?
It took a minute to get into his style of writing and to the book. The openining chapter was a bit confused and overall not very interesting. I had read several reviews where people said they couldn't get past the first few pages- I'm so very glad I stuck with it. It's a book that feels....rewarding? Like making it past the first chapter is the true test and if you pass that challenge, you're allowed to bask in a really amazing story. By all rights, the main characters should not be likable. Loeser, for example- he is completely shallow and self-absorbed, mind-bogglingly ignorant of what is taking place in the world yet you find yourself enthralled with him. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. What will he do? What will he say?
Beauman deserves an enthusiastic nod for his ability to weave history and fiction together so seamlessly. There were moments I had gotten so lost in the story that well-known names passed me by the first time. Like Brecht. It sounded familiar at the time,then only later did I realize he is an actual person! After that, I started looking up various names and ailments (Like Gorge's agnostia) to see if they were real or not.
I'm looking forward to reading more by Beauman. What an introduction to his writing!
Once you allow yourself to accept the absurdity of the story, it's so easy to fall into step with the characters. There are moments when it verges on being ridiculous, but Beauman manages to maintain the balance, and to not cross that line.
Without giving too much away, The Teleportation Accident follows a man (Loeser) infatuated with a 17th Century set designer while also spending a LOT of time trying to get laid. It's a bizare comedy of errors?
It took a minute to get into his style of writing and to the book. The openining chapter was a bit confused and overall not very interesting. I had read several reviews where people said they couldn't get past the first few pages- I'm so very glad I stuck with it. It's a book that feels....rewarding? Like making it past the first chapter is the true test and if you pass that challenge, you're allowed to bask in a really amazing story. By all rights, the main characters should not be likable. Loeser, for example- he is completely shallow and self-absorbed, mind-bogglingly ignorant of what is taking place in the world yet you find yourself enthralled with him. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. What will he do? What will he say?
Beauman deserves an enthusiastic nod for his ability to weave history and fiction together so seamlessly. There were moments I had gotten so lost in the story that well-known names passed me by the first time. Like Brecht. It sounded familiar at the time,then only later did I realize he is an actual person! After that, I started looking up various names and ailments (Like Gorge's agnostia) to see if they were real or not.
I'm looking forward to reading more by Beauman. What an introduction to his writing!
kellylkennedy's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Not terrible, not great, kind of boring.
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
2.0
Some good sentences but overall the writing was too much of an effort. The third and last part is what finally brought the rating down. Too complicated and too much plot; the characters were hard to keep track of because they were not written in-depth. The only character that was written in-depth was the protagonist, Egon; and I enjoyed his character/POV for the first two parts. I enjoyed his sexual frustration. This is why I was disappointed when the story lost the chasing-after-the-girl thread and became a who-dun-it (a convoluted who-dun-it), and Egon didn't even want Adele anymore. The cover art made it seem like Adele would be in it way more than she was.
snowflaked23's review against another edition
3.0
This book happened.
It was dense and flowery to read. The main character had few, if any, redeeming features and it was unclear for most of it what the plot was.
I don't like not finishing a book, so I slogged through the 50page chapters and I think I'm glad I did. About half way though I became interested in what was actually happening and began to see the purpose of it. Not sure I'd recommend, but if you've got time to waste it's not a horrid way of doing it.
It was dense and flowery to read. The main character had few, if any, redeeming features and it was unclear for most of it what the plot was.
I don't like not finishing a book, so I slogged through the 50page chapters and I think I'm glad I did. About half way though I became interested in what was actually happening and began to see the purpose of it. Not sure I'd recommend, but if you've got time to waste it's not a horrid way of doing it.
deborahgilbert5's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reminded me of Douglas Adams