A review by andrew61
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Böll
4.0
I have had this novella marked as to read for some time however two recent references prompted me to dig the book out. Firstly I heard Mark Lawson in an interview discussing his new book prompted by his forced resignation from the BBC and the consequent press intrusion and he referenced this story, and then I watched The lost honour of Christopher Jeffries on Netflix and I had a light bulb moment with the title.
What perhaps is most interesting is how relevant a book written in 1972 remains in a society where the press and media is so intrusive in individuals lives and whilst I can't imagine any of the celebrities who appeared before Leveson actually going as far as Katharina does it would certainly be interesting.
The story is about Katharina, a housekeeper to wealthy socialites the Blornas, is an innocent caught up in a police investigation around a suspect in a bank robbery ,Gotten. Gotten has been to a party where he and Katharina dance and then go off for the night. Under surveillance Gotten escapes and Katharina is arrested but her life is then under constant scrutiny by the tabloid press. Her employers lawyer Blorna and his wife 'Red' Sonia also come under scrutiny and the for several days they are all front page news with dramatic consequences.
I enjoyed this book although at times the narrative felt a little disjointed and I didn't entirely connect with Katharina or the characters , however what I liked particularly was the issues that it raised and I was intrigued by the lack of change in the worst excesses of the Press and the manipulation of the press by police. Thus it is worth reading as classic novel of an aspect of society which would go hand in hand for a reading group with a book like Scoop .
What perhaps is most interesting is how relevant a book written in 1972 remains in a society where the press and media is so intrusive in individuals lives and whilst I can't imagine any of the celebrities who appeared before Leveson actually going as far as Katharina does it would certainly be interesting.
The story is about Katharina, a housekeeper to wealthy socialites the Blornas, is an innocent caught up in a police investigation around a suspect in a bank robbery ,Gotten. Gotten has been to a party where he and Katharina dance and then go off for the night. Under surveillance Gotten escapes and Katharina is arrested but her life is then under constant scrutiny by the tabloid press. Her employers lawyer Blorna and his wife 'Red' Sonia also come under scrutiny and the for several days they are all front page news with dramatic consequences.
I enjoyed this book although at times the narrative felt a little disjointed and I didn't entirely connect with Katharina or the characters , however what I liked particularly was the issues that it raised and I was intrigued by the lack of change in the worst excesses of the Press and the manipulation of the press by police. Thus it is worth reading as classic novel of an aspect of society which would go hand in hand for a reading group with a book like Scoop .