scottyb's review against another edition
3.0
Pacing is a bit off - takes a while to get going, then kind of slows to a crawl, and then the last 20 pages are gangbusters insane.
Definitely would not recommend reading this without having read the Quiet Twin first.
Definitely would not recommend reading this without having read the Quiet Twin first.
sawyerbell's review against another edition
4.0
Intricately plotted and richly atmospheric mystery set in post-WWII Vienna. Very enjoyable.
exurbanis's review against another edition
4.0
From Amazon: ” Mid-summer, 1948. The war is over, and as the initial phase of de-Nazification winds down, the citizens of Vienna struggle to rebuild their lives amidst the rubble. . . .
Two strangers, Anna Beer and young Robert Seidel, meet on a train as they return to Vienna . . . Determined to rebuild their lives, Anna and Robert each begin a dogged search for answers in a world where repression is the order of the day.
Before long, they are reunited as spectators at a criminal trial set to deliver judgment on Austria’s Nazi crimes.”
This was a Giller Prize finalist in 2013. It seems that I liked this well enough at the time, but don’t remember a lot – maybe I should have rated it only 4 stars?
4½ stars
Two strangers, Anna Beer and young Robert Seidel, meet on a train as they return to Vienna . . . Determined to rebuild their lives, Anna and Robert each begin a dogged search for answers in a world where repression is the order of the day.
Before long, they are reunited as spectators at a criminal trial set to deliver judgment on Austria’s Nazi crimes.”
This was a Giller Prize finalist in 2013. It seems that I liked this well enough at the time, but don’t remember a lot – maybe I should have rated it only 4 stars?
4½ stars
kimb2's review against another edition
4.0
I discovered after I started reading it that the book was a sequel, but I don't think the took anything away from the story. Overall, a decent read, depicting post war life in Austria. The ending left me a bit unsatisfied and so I can't give it 5 stars.
ladypelletier's review against another edition
3.0
A murder mystery that take place in post-WWII in Vienna. This book has a gothic, dark atmosphere. I enjoyed the historical setting.
kate327's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is set in post-WWII Vienna, a city in ruins, where prisoners of war are making their way back home and families are being reunited. I didn't realize that this book is loose sequel to [b:The Quiet Twin|9639095|The Quiet Twin|Dan Vyleta|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394214078s/9639095.jpg|14526501], which I have not yet read. However, this book certainly stands easily on its own.
Although described as a murder mystery (there is murder, and there is mystery), I found it to be as much a description of some of the many after-effects of the war: POWs returning home, people trying to bury their past actions, families, poverty, fortunes made and lost, and rebuilding of the city itself.
The book is filled with murder, missing persons, intrigue, coincidence, and buried secrets, all wound into a complex plot. It kept me reading, wondering how everything was connected and how all of the pieces would fit together. The plot is unpredictable and suspenseful.
The book is very well written, with much detail used to develop its mood. For example, there are many vivid references to various smells and to filth throughout, both of the city and its inhabitants. Both made me cringe. I enjoyed the strong character development. While none of the characters were particularly likeable (except Eva, who I very much liked for some inexplicable reason), they were all definitely interesting.
I don't often read mysteries, but I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent novel.
Although described as a murder mystery (there is murder, and there is mystery), I found it to be as much a description of some of the many after-effects of the war: POWs returning home, people trying to bury their past actions, families, poverty, fortunes made and lost, and rebuilding of the city itself.
The book is filled with murder, missing persons, intrigue, coincidence, and buried secrets, all wound into a complex plot. It kept me reading, wondering how everything was connected and how all of the pieces would fit together. The plot is unpredictable and suspenseful.
The book is very well written, with much detail used to develop its mood. For example, there are many vivid references to various smells and to filth throughout, both of the city and its inhabitants. Both made me cringe. I enjoyed the strong character development. While none of the characters were particularly likeable (except Eva, who I very much liked for some inexplicable reason), they were all definitely interesting.
I don't often read mysteries, but I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent novel.
angielisle's review
3.0
The story revolves around a couple of murders in post-war Vienna, when many POWs are making their ways home from prison camps.
I started this book with the idea that it was a murder-mystery - it is, but the story doesn't adhere to the traditional format of a murder-mystery. The book revolves around human nature, murder just being a by-product of community. In the acknowledgements, the author admits to paying homage to Dostoevsky and Dickens; I'm inclined to agree.
The book never lets readers escape the effects of WWII - the war shades every word, description, and habit. The characters are as scarred as their city. That being said, a lot of the prose slips into past tense, which makes for some very dry reading.
The plot is slow to start, with a lot of time taken to describe the setting and introduce characters - this won't bother history buffs but may turn off some readers.
The strange twists in the narrative-format kept me in the dark until Vyleta was ready to tell me what I needed to know for the story to progress. I gave up trying to guess the end about half-way through the book; I admit, the end wasn't what I expected.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I started this book with the idea that it was a murder-mystery - it is, but the story doesn't adhere to the traditional format of a murder-mystery. The book revolves around human nature, murder just being a by-product of community. In the acknowledgements, the author admits to paying homage to Dostoevsky and Dickens; I'm inclined to agree.
The book never lets readers escape the effects of WWII - the war shades every word, description, and habit. The characters are as scarred as their city. That being said, a lot of the prose slips into past tense, which makes for some very dry reading.
The plot is slow to start, with a lot of time taken to describe the setting and introduce characters - this won't bother history buffs but may turn off some readers.
The strange twists in the narrative-format kept me in the dark until Vyleta was ready to tell me what I needed to know for the story to progress. I gave up trying to guess the end about half-way through the book; I admit, the end wasn't what I expected.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.
jooniperd's review
5.0
this was my first time reading dan vyleta and i thought this book very strong. i do wish, now, that i had read his previous novel, [b:The Quiet Twin: A Novel|12159289|The Quiet Twin A Novel|Dan Vyleta|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1316132719s/12159289.jpg|14526501], first. while each book can stand alone, characters recur. given the nature of my personality, i feel like i just did it wrong. heh!!
so, the crooked maid is many things - historical fiction, mystery, literary fiction, homage. vyleta's ticking a lot of boxes with this book. is it always awesome? no. but it's very good and vyleta can really write. his ability with description is pretty stellar.
in vyleta's acknowledgments, he says:
When I set out to write The Crooked Maid, I had contracted the Balzacian bug: I wanted to write a world, not a book. All the same, the world must be assembled piece by piece. The train ride came to me early, as did the theme of patricide, both in conscious homage to Dostoevsky, whose books I love. Other, less conscious, Dostoevskianisms have crept in, further proof that books are dangerous things: you read them and they impose on you not just their words but a whole sensibility; not incidents but a mode of seeing reality.
vyleta also notes dickens as another influence, because of dickens' “...daring in stacking incident upon incident (and coincidence upon coincidence); his ability to connect characters high and low through crime, family scandal, and the brittle threads of chance…”
vyleta is certainly not comparing himself (or his novel) to balzac, dostoevsky or dickens. he is only giving recognition to some heavy-weight writers with distinct styles who have impacted his writing. within 'the crooked maid' chekhov's gun makes an appearance, so that was cool too!
so, given all of these mentions, it's not surprising that, in 'the crooked maid', we have a story about parricide, making use of coincidence, with a side of social commentary. it's all a bit meta, but i enjoy that. (and usually i am not a fan of coincidence…at all. here, vyleta just makes it work in a way that didn't have me rolling my eyes while mumbling 'cop-out!'.)
i am not being terribly coherent here, so apologies for that. there's a lot going on in this novel - but it's not overwhelming or confusing. i really enjoyed unravelling it all and felt as thought i was in very good hands.
so, the crooked maid is many things - historical fiction, mystery, literary fiction, homage. vyleta's ticking a lot of boxes with this book. is it always awesome? no. but it's very good and vyleta can really write. his ability with description is pretty stellar.
in vyleta's acknowledgments, he says:
When I set out to write The Crooked Maid, I had contracted the Balzacian bug: I wanted to write a world, not a book. All the same, the world must be assembled piece by piece. The train ride came to me early, as did the theme of patricide, both in conscious homage to Dostoevsky, whose books I love. Other, less conscious, Dostoevskianisms have crept in, further proof that books are dangerous things: you read them and they impose on you not just their words but a whole sensibility; not incidents but a mode of seeing reality.
vyleta also notes dickens as another influence, because of dickens' “...daring in stacking incident upon incident (and coincidence upon coincidence); his ability to connect characters high and low through crime, family scandal, and the brittle threads of chance…”
vyleta is certainly not comparing himself (or his novel) to balzac, dostoevsky or dickens. he is only giving recognition to some heavy-weight writers with distinct styles who have impacted his writing. within 'the crooked maid' chekhov's gun makes an appearance, so that was cool too!
so, given all of these mentions, it's not surprising that, in 'the crooked maid', we have a story about parricide, making use of coincidence, with a side of social commentary. it's all a bit meta, but i enjoy that. (and usually i am not a fan of coincidence…at all. here, vyleta just makes it work in a way that didn't have me rolling my eyes while mumbling 'cop-out!'.)
i am not being terribly coherent here, so apologies for that. there's a lot going on in this novel - but it's not overwhelming or confusing. i really enjoyed unravelling it all and felt as thought i was in very good hands.
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