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swmortecai's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
troyrought's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mafiabadgers's review
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First read 08/2024
There's someting about the doomed, reckless extravagance of Weimar-era Germany that I find oh so intriguing. Perhaps it's the roiling political conflict, the rampant cocaine usage, the shifting social norms (leading to increased emancipation of women and sexual minorities), the experimental spirit of contemporary art, the constantly unfurling economic disaster, or the inescapable knowledge that it's all about to go completely and utterly to shit.
Isherwood's The Berlin Stories have come to be seen as emblematic of Berlin in those days. I have to confess Mr Norris Changes Trains wasn't quite as saucy as I'd been hoping, but it was well-received by critics, so I suppose it couldn't be too lurid. There's something oddly, delicately charming about Norris, and it's easy to see why the narrator is so attached to him, but he's so obviously sketchy that the narrator's surprise and hurt later on seem rather startling. Nonetheless, it's easy to sympathise with him. Isherwood later described the book as 'heartless', and perhaps that's why it didn't entirely click with me; it feels a little divorced from its surroundings, or perhaps the narrator never experiences consequences of any sort. Still, it has its own remarkable appeal, somehow vapid and poignant. Four stars.
This appeal is only increased in Goodbye to Berlin. The narrator's insistence on his own objectivity is an intriguing sham which, I think, does the absolutely necessary work of undercutting what would otherwise tend toward an infuriating, detached superiority. It's the rise of fascism, Christopher. This is not the time for the faux neutrality practiced by English newspapers. I'm not convinced Isherwood should get any credit for critique it implies, but it's in the book and I think it's great. The character portraits are all fascinating. Sally Bowles puts me in mind of the narrator of The (Golden) Ass—they have such high opinions of themselves, and so little sense. I don't think there will ever be peace on earth, but such people will be with us always. This seems quite fair, and in some way I am almost glad of it. The world would be a sorrier place without human idiocy. A useful reminder to keep one's hand in. Five stars.
There's someting about the doomed, reckless extravagance of Weimar-era Germany that I find oh so intriguing. Perhaps it's the roiling political conflict, the rampant cocaine usage, the shifting social norms (leading to increased emancipation of women and sexual minorities), the experimental spirit of contemporary art, the constantly unfurling economic disaster, or the inescapable knowledge that it's all about to go completely and utterly to shit.
Isherwood's The Berlin Stories have come to be seen as emblematic of Berlin in those days. I have to confess Mr Norris Changes Trains wasn't quite as saucy as I'd been hoping, but it was well-received by critics, so I suppose it couldn't be too lurid. There's something oddly, delicately charming about Norris, and it's easy to see why the narrator is so attached to him, but he's so obviously sketchy that the narrator's surprise and hurt later on seem rather startling. Nonetheless, it's easy to sympathise with him. Isherwood later described the book as 'heartless', and perhaps that's why it didn't entirely click with me; it feels a little divorced from its surroundings, or perhaps the narrator never experiences consequences of any sort. Still, it has its own remarkable appeal, somehow vapid and poignant. Four stars.
This appeal is only increased in Goodbye to Berlin. The narrator's insistence on his own objectivity is an intriguing sham which, I think, does the absolutely necessary work of undercutting what would otherwise tend toward an infuriating, detached superiority. It's the rise of fascism, Christopher. This is not the time for the faux neutrality practiced by English newspapers. I'm not convinced Isherwood should get any credit for critique it implies, but it's in the book and I think it's great. The character portraits are all fascinating. Sally Bowles puts me in mind of the narrator of The (Golden) Ass—they have such high opinions of themselves, and so little sense. I don't think there will ever be peace on earth, but such people will be with us always. This seems quite fair, and in some way I am almost glad of it. The world would be a sorrier place without human idiocy. A useful reminder to keep one's hand in. Five stars.
lori85's review against another edition
3.0
This was . . . underwhelming. I read all 400 pages in two days, not because the book was especially riveting but because it was so simply written.
bkanipe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
carlybailey's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tomleetang's review against another edition
3.0
One could compare this to Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises: it's set in a similar period and is predominantly focused around anchorless expats - except in Berlin instead of Paris and Spain. Isherwood is a lot funnier than Hemingway, but also less vital, less weighty, even though it's set during a much more fascinating milieu: Germany during the rise of Hitler.
The first of the two parts to this book, Mr. Norris Changes trains, is more flippant and fun, while Goodbye to Berlin is more precise and rueful - though still amusingly observed.
So why just three stars? At one point, the character Sally Bowles indirectly describes a fictionalised version of Christopher Isherwood as a 'dilettante' - and that is exactly how one could describe the author's writings. Witty, acutely observed, and yet also somewhat throwaway, loose, lacking in precision and vision.
The first of the two parts to this book, Mr. Norris Changes trains, is more flippant and fun, while Goodbye to Berlin is more precise and rueful - though still amusingly observed.
So why just three stars? At one point, the character Sally Bowles indirectly describes a fictionalised version of Christopher Isherwood as a 'dilettante' - and that is exactly how one could describe the author's writings. Witty, acutely observed, and yet also somewhat throwaway, loose, lacking in precision and vision.
cooslooksatletterssometimes's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0