Reviews

Irgendwie konnte ich mich kaum mit diesem Buch anfreunden; das ständige Geschwätz um seine Gemütsänderung wurde mir langsam zu langweilig und ich konnte das Ende kaum abwarten. Ich respektiere Hesse, aber von diesem Buch kann ich kaum etwas mitnehmen als das ständige Leiden jedes Künstlers.

martydah's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I confess, I was little disappointed by this novel. I guess I shouldn't have read Steppenwolf first. It's hard to follow that lead. A conventional love story, which this is, fades in the shadow of Hesse's later, greater work.

The story is narrated by Kuhn, a musical composer, looking back on his youth and development as a musician. Wounded for life by a sledding accident (he will always walk slowly and with a definite limp), he almost despairs of having a life, much less a career. Then he meets the famous opera singer Heinrich Muoth, who eventually is revealed as a strange mix of strong supporter, steadfast friend, tortured genius and abuser of women. He helps Kuhn to advance his career, and pushes him to persevere in the face of the initially unsympathetic musical world.

Just when everything is rolling along nicely for Kuhn, he meets and falls in love with Gertrude Imthor, a kind, lovely and intelligent young woman who sings beautifully. Kuhn declares his love, but his gently rejected. Gertrude meets Muoth and falls in love with him instead, despite her father's somewhat weak opposition to the match. The marriage proves to be the undoing of them both.

Kuhn, on the other hand, triumphs. Not only is his music receiving raves from the public, he is learning to live for others as well as himself. On the advice of an old friend, after an aborted suicide attempt, he begins by trying to support his mother after the death of his father. Gradually, he comes to see that his efforts, while not bearing fruit in the beginning, lead him to a greater understanding between the two of them.

Sadly, he can do nothing for his two best friends. Gertrude leaves her husband's house in Munich to try to revive her health. Without her, Muoth falls into alcoholism and eventually destroys himself. This is the ending any reading can see coming from the time that Kuhn falls for Gertrude: we know this isn't going to turn out well for anyone concerned. All in all, this is a poignant little novel, if not a very satisfying one. Still, it is Hesse, and that makes it worth reading.

forka's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

katrinky's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

i loved this book. i found it to be sometimes soothingly and sometimes terribly accurate in describing a creative person's lifestyle, from the horror of unrealized potential to the quiet realization that a life is, in fact, being made in the arts, having arrived with no fanfare. i was going to leave this at a hostel while i traveled, but it´s a small book, and worth the extra weight so that i can reference it often in my own artsy endeavors.

jonnes's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

More...