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What Members Thought
Great story and great writing!!!
Oof, well this novel is a very slow burn, about two men in their 70s meeting again after 40 years apart. The meeting is in 1942 but they were soldiers together for the Austro-Hungarian empire until something happens, something which the author takes the entire book to excruciatingly reveal.
The author was born in what is now Slovakia so I'll either count the book for there or Hungary for my Europe 2021 reading project. And this has been on my TBR since 2012!
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The author was born in what is now Slovakia so I'll either count the book for there or Hungary for my Europe 2021 reading project. And this has been on my TBR since 2012!
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It seems that the three star rating is generous. The words are beautiful but about halfway they just dragged.
This is a book of extremes. There is love, there is friendship, betrayal and foolish pride.
It may be that I am not familiar enough with the area during the time period to fully appreciate the nuances conveyed. So this is a tale that I will consider revisiting again one day.
This is a book of extremes. There is love, there is friendship, betrayal and foolish pride.
It may be that I am not familiar enough with the area during the time period to fully appreciate the nuances conveyed. So this is a tale that I will consider revisiting again one day.
A very masculine story. I learned that facts and the truth are not the same thing.
It starts slowly but picks up steam.
"Vienna," he says. "To me it was the tuning fork for the entire world. Saying the word Vienna was like striking a tuning fork and then listening to find out what tone it called forth in the person I was talking to. It was how I tested people. If there was no response, this was not the kind of person I liked." p. 86-87
"Please continue," says the guest. "Words are not the issue her ...more
It starts slowly but picks up steam.
"Vienna," he says. "To me it was the tuning fork for the entire world. Saying the word Vienna was like striking a tuning fork and then listening to find out what tone it called forth in the person I was talking to. It was how I tested people. If there was no response, this was not the kind of person I liked." p. 86-87
"Please continue," says the guest. "Words are not the issue her ...more
The unique flourish prose that distinct's a few eastern European writers, is at its best in this beautiful but heavy, sweetly-bitter nostalgic Novel.
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It took me awhile to get excited about this book. The main character is nursing a grudge from something that happened 41 years ago. It was hard to be sympathetic; I kept thinking "geez, get over it!" As the story unfolded though, I could begin to understand why he hadn't yet moved on and needed answers about events that happened so long ago. A suspenseful and surprising read from a Hungarian author writing about life during the very rigid and inflexible Austrian-Hungarian empire and longing for
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Hungary.
May 11, 2011
Heather (DeathByBook)
marked it as to-read
Jul 09, 2016
Agustina
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
hungarian-literature
