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kay_ness's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
eiridium's review
4.0
Tòibín wades into fertile territory by attempting an expansive biographical novel of Thomas Mann and the broader circle of his family. The Magician reflects the extensive research by the author in crafting this engaging and informative novel. However, remembering that it is a novel, it reads more as a biography attempting to look to the more emotional and human aspects of the story than a chronological examination of the themes or motivations of the author-subject.
Thomas Mann was the progenitor of a clan of exceptional and individuals in their rights. As a Nobel laureate and an outspoken critic of the rise of fascism is ripe territory for exploration. Tòibín produces a novel that focuses on posthumously uncovered diaries that revealed Mann's private homosexual reflections and become a critical narrative arc for the story. One develops a sense that Mann floats along in his world with little control over his destiny.
The novel opens with a young Thomas living in the shadow of his older brother Heinrich. The machiavellian Thomas attempts to inveigle his way into becoming his father's favourite and the one chosen to inherit the family concern. However, on his father's passing and the resulting will largely disinheriting the mother and her children, Thomas seems to become a pawn of his times, forced but never seeking to speak out or to influence. This behaviour appears to fly in the face of an accepted appreciation of his life and paints a discordant view of Mann's subsequent life. Mann seems to be a hostage of homosexual stirrings that he can rarely act upon yet preoccupies (if not controls) his existence. Books, which earned him the Nobel prize in literature, are presented with little apparent effort or more profound reflection. I am not sure this is Tòibín's intent, but this seems an odd realisation.
The novel is quite readable, and Mann's eldest children are well characterised. The wider tale is colourful, engaging and leaves the reader satisfied for having read, although possibly unconvinced, based on the evidence presented that he lacked self-determination or a desire to speak out publicly against fascism. For example, his decision to speak in the nascent East German Republic on a speaking tour celebrating the Goethe centenary in opposition to shadowy advice from the US State Dept not to seems contradictory to the character developed over the bulk of the novel.
Ultimately, the novel is expansive, engaging, but the author's own editorial decisions may seem contradictory to some readers - myself included. Nonetheless, it does raise these questions, provokes reflection and thus serve as an effective vehicle to further understanding.
Thomas Mann was the progenitor of a clan of exceptional and individuals in their rights. As a Nobel laureate and an outspoken critic of the rise of fascism is ripe territory for exploration. Tòibín produces a novel that focuses on posthumously uncovered diaries that revealed Mann's private homosexual reflections and become a critical narrative arc for the story. One develops a sense that Mann floats along in his world with little control over his destiny.
The novel opens with a young Thomas living in the shadow of his older brother Heinrich. The machiavellian Thomas attempts to inveigle his way into becoming his father's favourite and the one chosen to inherit the family concern. However, on his father's passing and the resulting will largely disinheriting the mother and her children, Thomas seems to become a pawn of his times, forced but never seeking to speak out or to influence. This behaviour appears to fly in the face of an accepted appreciation of his life and paints a discordant view of Mann's subsequent life. Mann seems to be a hostage of homosexual stirrings that he can rarely act upon yet preoccupies (if not controls) his existence. Books, which earned him the Nobel prize in literature, are presented with little apparent effort or more profound reflection. I am not sure this is Tòibín's intent, but this seems an odd realisation.
The novel is quite readable, and Mann's eldest children are well characterised. The wider tale is colourful, engaging and leaves the reader satisfied for having read, although possibly unconvinced, based on the evidence presented that he lacked self-determination or a desire to speak out publicly against fascism. For example, his decision to speak in the nascent East German Republic on a speaking tour celebrating the Goethe centenary in opposition to shadowy advice from the US State Dept not to seems contradictory to the character developed over the bulk of the novel.
Ultimately, the novel is expansive, engaging, but the author's own editorial decisions may seem contradictory to some readers - myself included. Nonetheless, it does raise these questions, provokes reflection and thus serve as an effective vehicle to further understanding.
kitalla's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kennedien's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and I can’t really say why. It is character driven, not plot. You are just pulled along through this mans life. Introduced to his children and friends. And you just read as time changes them. It was very entertaining though sometimes long and a little dull. For being set in 1900-1940’s it is a very undramatic or high stakes book. All the same, I enjoyed it.
pepperjl's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mhverney's review
5.0
If this book had been sold to me as a biography of Thomas Mann, I would not have read it, because I had no great interest in this particular writer’s life. For whatever reason, I was under the impression that The Magician was more of a novel inspired by Mann’s repressed homosexuality, a kind of rewrite of Death in Venice (no idea what had given me the impression). In fact, the novel follows Mann’s life very closely, from childhood to death, so in many ways it is a biography, but written like a novel. The “character” of Thomas Mann really comes to life, and while he is not always pleasant he is deeply human. I also learnt a fair amount about German history in the first half of the twentieth century, in particular the incredibly cultured atmosphere before the Second World War. But really, the novel is about an extraordinary family, the Manns, starting from Thomas’ Senator father in a northern town that hankers back to the Hanseatic League and his flighty Brazilian mother; his larger than life siblings and his brood of children, all quite extraordinary, not to mention his wife Katya. The family lives life as one long big drama, Thomas watching sometimes in dismay, desperate to preserve his four hour of writing in the morning and to hide his homosexual crushes on young mean that cross his path. But he is also The Magician, entertaining his brood with magic tricks and one suspects observing them closely for inspiration for his next novel. Tragically, the family is also plagued by suicide, and of course the life of the Mann family is devastated by the outbreak of WWII.
I started this book thinking I would give it a try and not at all sure I would finish, but I was quickly hooked: I wanted to know what would happen next, for Thomas and each of the characters. I have now added Buddenbrooks, the Magic Mountain and Death in Venice to my TBR list!
I started this book thinking I would give it a try and not at all sure I would finish, but I was quickly hooked: I wanted to know what would happen next, for Thomas and each of the characters. I have now added Buddenbrooks, the Magic Mountain and Death in Venice to my TBR list!
smeyers98's review
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mollyss's review
4.0
Enjoyed this! Took me a while (a few weeks!) to read because it wasn’t super plot driven so I wasn’t gripped but I loved the writing and really felt like I knew the characters deeply by the end