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suerte_encantada's review against another edition
4.0
"Tauben im Gras" is a not an easy novel to read: The fragmented structure, the scarce punctuation and the shifting point-of-view as well as the many characters do not allow a light reading.
If you overcome this hurdle, you will be granted an unlikly experience of an ordinary story. Taking place shortly after World War II in a town in southern Germany, the novel follows several characters struggeling, exploring or simply living this one day. At the beginning there doesn't seem to be a connection between these characters, but the different stories interweave more and more over the course of the novel.
The language, the rhythm and the structure of the sentences often reminded me of modern poetry. I quite liked the fragmented style of this novel as it clearly enabled to capture a snapshot-esque atmosphere of the first years of post-World War II Germany.
While the topic itself might not be my first choice in reading, the characters and the way they were presented kept me interested.
I can clearly understand why many people might not like the style chosen by the author and I did need some time to finish this relatively short novel, but it was worth the time it took.
If you are looking for something completely different to read and like a small challenge, this book might be perfect for you.
If you overcome this hurdle, you will be granted an unlikly experience of an ordinary story. Taking place shortly after World War II in a town in southern Germany, the novel follows several characters struggeling, exploring or simply living this one day. At the beginning there doesn't seem to be a connection between these characters, but the different stories interweave more and more over the course of the novel.
The language, the rhythm and the structure of the sentences often reminded me of modern poetry. I quite liked the fragmented style of this novel as it clearly enabled to capture a snapshot-esque atmosphere of the first years of post-World War II Germany.
While the topic itself might not be my first choice in reading, the characters and the way they were presented kept me interested.
I can clearly understand why many people might not like the style chosen by the author and I did need some time to finish this relatively short novel, but it was worth the time it took.
If you are looking for something completely different to read and like a small challenge, this book might be perfect for you.
_aurelia_'s review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.75
Ich bin einfach nur verwirrt. Die Aussagen der Charaktere wiederholen sich sehr oft, gerade bei emilia und ich verstehe nicht worauf die alle raus wollen
Vom literarischen sinne ist es nicht so schlecht geschrieben, es sind schöne sätze dabei. Das Konzept ist auch interessant.
ABER mir kommt das n-wort einfach zu oft vor. Und so wie der autor über schwarze Menschen redet, lässt einen unwohl fühlen.
Generell wie die Charaktere beschrieben werden ist komisch.
Mit Anmerkungen zu den rassistischen ausdrücken könnte man da mehr aufarbeiten
Vom literarischen sinne ist es nicht so schlecht geschrieben, es sind schöne sätze dabei. Das Konzept ist auch interessant.
ABER mir kommt das n-wort einfach zu oft vor. Und so wie der autor über schwarze Menschen redet, lässt einen unwohl fühlen.
Generell wie die Charaktere beschrieben werden ist komisch.
Mit Anmerkungen zu den rassistischen ausdrücken könnte man da mehr aufarbeiten
mitreslupo's review against another edition
4.0
Der anstrengende Einstieg mündete in einem ähnlich anstrengendem Schluss, aber es war durchaus eine gute Leseerfahrung, wenn auch eine, die Zeit und Ruhe erfordert und eine gewisse Bereitschaft, sich auf die Sätze einzulassen statt Unterhaltung zu erwarten.
trimtim's review against another edition
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? Yes
2.75
lolz23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
sloatsj's review against another edition
4.0
I greatly enjoyed this, a relief after a string of disappointing books. The setting is a western German city occupied by U.S. soldiers in the immediate post-war period. The style is a flowing stream-of-consciousness that is lively and peppered with marvelous sentences.
Such as: “He drank a little wine, Franconian wine, he had read and heard about it and had been curious to try it, but then the brightly sparkling beverage from the potbellied bottle struck him as all too tart for this midday hour on an overcast day. It was a sunny wine, and Edwin saw no sun, the wine tasted of graves, it tasted the way old cemeteries smell in wet weather, it was an accommodating wine, it made the cheerful laugh and the unhappy cry.” (p/ 91)
There are more than 20 characters and given the author’s approach we never get too intimate with any of them. I found that while I enjoyed the story and the prose, I wasn’t much engaged with the characters. I didn’t find this a shortcoming, really; it results from the author’s collage-like style. Closest I came to caring was Washington and Carla, a black U.S. soldier and his German girlfriend, who gets pregnant. The characters are for the most part sad and downtrodden. They rue what they’ve lost, including Hitler in some cases. They maneuver to improve their lots, and fail.
(Shame about the ugly cover with its dull off-putting colors and uninspiring design. If it were a longer book I would have re-wrapped it. I'm sure the cover is the reason few people have read this book!)
Such as: “He drank a little wine, Franconian wine, he had read and heard about it and had been curious to try it, but then the brightly sparkling beverage from the potbellied bottle struck him as all too tart for this midday hour on an overcast day. It was a sunny wine, and Edwin saw no sun, the wine tasted of graves, it tasted the way old cemeteries smell in wet weather, it was an accommodating wine, it made the cheerful laugh and the unhappy cry.” (p/ 91)
There are more than 20 characters and given the author’s approach we never get too intimate with any of them. I found that while I enjoyed the story and the prose, I wasn’t much engaged with the characters. I didn’t find this a shortcoming, really; it results from the author’s collage-like style. Closest I came to caring was Washington and Carla, a black U.S. soldier and his German girlfriend, who gets pregnant. The characters are for the most part sad and downtrodden. They rue what they’ve lost, including Hitler in some cases. They maneuver to improve their lots, and fail.
(Shame about the ugly cover with its dull off-putting colors and uninspiring design. If it were a longer book I would have re-wrapped it. I'm sure the cover is the reason few people have read this book!)
yarnmaus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
peter_fischer's review against another edition
2.0
The story is set in 1951 in Germany and deals with change in many different forms: the changing world order, the prospect of peace and the chance to rebuild, but also the humiliation of occupation and loss of old ‘values’ for the German people. The narrative takes the form of a stream of consciousness, with free association between successive ideas, concepts, and emotions. This is well executed and lends the narrative an onward drive; clearly the author possesses powerful story-telling capabilities and language skills to bring this off.
However, I have issues with several aspects of the contents of this book. First of all the black American protagonists, who play a dominant role in the story. Their description is borderline racist, even by 1950s standards. And what are their narrative functions: to underline the humiliation of ‘Aryans’ now being formally inferior to ‘Untermenschen’? I may be exaggerating, but that’s the symbolism I get. The other issue is much more general and extends to most German literature that deals with WW2 and its aftermath by writers of Koeppen’s generation (that takes in many famous writers!): why is it that just about every issue and notion of that era is being dealt with but never that of collective responsibilities? WW2 and all its horrors are invariably portrayed as if the whole thing was a misfortune that just somehow happened. Was it too early for Nachkriegsbewältigung?
However, I have issues with several aspects of the contents of this book. First of all the black American protagonists, who play a dominant role in the story. Their description is borderline racist, even by 1950s standards. And what are their narrative functions: to underline the humiliation of ‘Aryans’ now being formally inferior to ‘Untermenschen’? I may be exaggerating, but that’s the symbolism I get. The other issue is much more general and extends to most German literature that deals with WW2 and its aftermath by writers of Koeppen’s generation (that takes in many famous writers!): why is it that just about every issue and notion of that era is being dealt with but never that of collective responsibilities? WW2 and all its horrors are invariably portrayed as if the whole thing was a misfortune that just somehow happened. Was it too early for Nachkriegsbewältigung?
crazynora's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25