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myn's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
levoira's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.25
sehaley's review against another edition
1.0
I simply cannot fathom why this book could even possibly be considered the "the greatest novel of the Holocaust". I have certainly read better satire and allegorical novels than this. The entire thing was severely disconnected and quite literally put me to sleep.
gonza_basta's review against another edition
3.0
A book that could be considered satire, except that we all know later how it turned out. An almost dreamlike tale of almost unconnected sentences and characters, which at times, instead of simplifying the reading, broke it up and fragmented it, but it was probably also the author's wish that we not "get comfortable reading it." I cannot say that I would recommend it lightly.
Un libro che potrebbe essere considerato di satira, se non fosse che tutti sappiamo poi com'é andata a finire. Un racconto quasi onirico, fatto di frasi e personaggi quasi mai connessi tra di loro, che a volte, invece di semplificare la lettura, la spezzava e la frammentava, ma probabilmente era anche il desiderio dell'autore che non ci si "mettesse comodi a leggerlo". Non posso dire che lo consiglierei a cuor leggero.
I received a complimentary digital advanced review copy, in exchange for a honest review.
Un libro che potrebbe essere considerato di satira, se non fosse che tutti sappiamo poi com'é andata a finire. Un racconto quasi onirico, fatto di frasi e personaggi quasi mai connessi tra di loro, che a volte, invece di semplificare la lettura, la spezzava e la frammentava, ma probabilmente era anche il desiderio dell'autore che non ci si "mettesse comodi a leggerlo". Non posso dire che lo consiglierei a cuor leggero.
I received a complimentary digital advanced review copy, in exchange for a honest review.
kris_mccracken's review against another edition
4.0
an odd, dreamlike novel set in an imagined Austrian resort town at the beginning of the Second World War as groups of middle-class Jews arrive to spend another idyllic summer vacation at an annual arts festival.
There is a fair whiff of Kafka in Appelfeld's restrained prose, and the incongruity of the characters’ struggle to maintain (simulate?) normality against the intimations of the approaching catastrophe. Although the reader has no choice but factor in the impending Holocaust as both the historical backdrop as well as its imaginative focus, the author deftly does so from surreptitiously and achieves a subtlety that you would think impossible.
The awkward ignorance of what is to come for the vacationers dominates this book. Spring is in the air and summer is about to blossom as the vast range of characters spend their days strolling among gardens, lounging in cafés, courting, swimming, gossiping and bickering as much as any other vacationer. The mounting tension (indeed horror), that any reader of this sensitive and elegant book will realise, is magnified by the fact that it is a reality that the characters simply cannot, or simply refuse to, see.
Despite the subject matter, this is a picturesque and ‘calm’ tale, and one told with delicate imagery and understatement. The narrative alters in much the same way the seasons do, in minimal and moving increments. Similarly, subtly and with seeming resigned acceptance, the townsfolk’s rights and choices are reduced and constrained: shops are closed, town gates are sealed, the postal service ceases operation. The fact that WE know where this is going to end up really does make you want to stamp your feet and shout out aloud, quite an achievement for such a quiet novel.
This really is a fantastic piece of work, and something that I can heartily recommend to anyone.
There is a fair whiff of Kafka in Appelfeld's restrained prose, and the incongruity of the characters’ struggle to maintain (simulate?) normality against the intimations of the approaching catastrophe. Although the reader has no choice but factor in the impending Holocaust as both the historical backdrop as well as its imaginative focus, the author deftly does so from surreptitiously and achieves a subtlety that you would think impossible.
The awkward ignorance of what is to come for the vacationers dominates this book. Spring is in the air and summer is about to blossom as the vast range of characters spend their days strolling among gardens, lounging in cafés, courting, swimming, gossiping and bickering as much as any other vacationer. The mounting tension (indeed horror), that any reader of this sensitive and elegant book will realise, is magnified by the fact that it is a reality that the characters simply cannot, or simply refuse to, see.
Despite the subject matter, this is a picturesque and ‘calm’ tale, and one told with delicate imagery and understatement. The narrative alters in much the same way the seasons do, in minimal and moving increments. Similarly, subtly and with seeming resigned acceptance, the townsfolk’s rights and choices are reduced and constrained: shops are closed, town gates are sealed, the postal service ceases operation. The fact that WE know where this is going to end up really does make you want to stamp your feet and shout out aloud, quite an achievement for such a quiet novel.
This really is a fantastic piece of work, and something that I can heartily recommend to anyone.
franklekens's review against another edition
2.0
This is not for me. I'm sure it's great, it certainly has quite a reputation. But this dreamlike kind of narrative doesn't do it for me. That endless sequence of short declarative statements, a certain dreamlike lack of narrative cohesion, plus the lack of focus on one character or a narrow set of characters, the lack of insight in any inner lives...
Let's say this is a genre that just isn't to my taste, however well Appelfeld probably succeeds in what he's trying to do in that genre.
Pity.
Let's say this is a genre that just isn't to my taste, however well Appelfeld probably succeeds in what he's trying to do in that genre.
Pity.
sandracohen's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully written short novel of life for the Jews in Badenheim on the cusp of the end of the world as they know it. We know how it will end and right to the last line they ignore it.
robhood's review against another edition
1.0
This book disgusts me! It's a satire about Jews about to be sent to a concentration camp. It is very distasteful!