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thomasgoddard's review against another edition
3.0
Any book that name-drops Tycho Brahe is good by me.
I think that No Way Back was a better title for this one.
The novel is a typical one for its time. Similar in tone to Dostoyevsky. The heroine is believed to be based roughly on a real person whose demise Fontane heard about, and it deals delicately with topics that, at the time it was written, were close to being taboo, including adultery and suicide.
With a novel like this it is really important that you take it slowly and I've read this one over the course of about three weeks.
I picked it up at the library. I took it out. Read it a bit. Didn't like it. Took it back. Thought about it. Booked it out again. Then spent two weeks on it.
I can't say it was a pleasure to read. It really is slow. And dense. But it lingers with you.
whogivesabook's review against another edition
3.0
Any book that name-drops Tycho Brahe is good by me.
I think that No Way Back was a better title for this one.
The novel is a typical one for its time. Similar in tone to Dostoyevsky. The heroine is believed to be based roughly on a real person whose demise Fontane heard about, and it deals delicately with topics that, at the time it was written, were close to being taboo, including adultery and suicide.
With a novel like this it is really important that you take it slowly and I've read this one over the course of about three weeks.
I picked it up at the library. I took it out. Read it a bit. Didn't like it. Took it back. Thought about it. Booked it out again. Then spent two weeks on it.
I can't say it was a pleasure to read. It really is slow. And dense. But it lingers with you.
david_rhee's review against another edition
3.0
Irretrievable by Theodor Fontane tells the story of the fading bond between husband and wife, Helmut and Christine Holk. The narrative starts at a point where the damage is already beyond repair which makes the reader wonder if the Holks' family life was ever any good. At times, the personalities of the Holks wearied me and suspected translation difficulties sapped my willingness to appreciate this novel properly, but as I stuck with it, albeit with much struggle, I grew to like Fontane's smooth handling of a marriage's melancholy decline. His transition, very delicately maneuvered and subtle, from psychological strain and tension to a resignation to the inevitable is artful.
Most readers don't usually like being overtaken by the bleak pall which soaks this novel especially in its later half, but it oddly stimulates because it is all so realistic. As depressing as it is, Irretrievable likely will not be what readers are looking for but there is plenty in it which is worthy of praise and examination.
Most readers don't usually like being overtaken by the bleak pall which soaks this novel especially in its later half, but it oddly stimulates because it is all so realistic. As depressing as it is, Irretrievable likely will not be what readers are looking for but there is plenty in it which is worthy of praise and examination.
charliehaha's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
2.5
selenajournal's review against another edition
4.0
though not the most uplifting read, it was filled with grace.
fearandtrembling's review against another edition
3.0
Reading about dreamy aristocrats in 2020 made me want to roll out the guillotine at the start of this book, but despite my own resistance, I persisted. In between checking the news for updates on plague and the return of right-wing reactionary forces in my country I found the prose in this novel clean, clear, and strangely restful. I was suspended in a strange dream-state. Beats me what any of this is about, but I slowly grew to appreciate the carefully-observed psychological landscape of these characters. It's written with a light yet probing sensitivity. If I was a different frame of mind I might have been more absorbed, I think, and perhaps it wouldn't have seemed like such tedious work to get into the headspace of the book.
mklong's review against another edition
DNF 25%...I fall asleep every time I open this book, so clearly I am not in the mood for it. Time to move on.
mklong's review
DNF 25%...I fall asleep every time I open this book, so clearly I am not in the mood for it. Time to move on.
idyalz's review
4.0
This book is absolutely, hands-down fantastic. Fontane is a brilliant writer, and it is clear that he knows how to craft this kind of tale. Everything of monumental proportions happens at the end of the book, but he was still able to get me invested in the characters right from the beginning. The characters are frustrating and human and beautiful in all the right ways. It was such a pleasure to read.
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