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joankatzekatze's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zepedromaio's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Um grande sucessor da "Marcha de Radetzky", embora tenha sentido que o livro poderia ter sido triplicado de tamanho, ao estilo do antecessor, visto que muitas personagens e acontecimentos poderiam ter sido mais aprofundados, o que atesta como eram interessantes.
Enquanto que a "Marcha de Radetzky" aborda a grandiosidade do império Austro-Húngaro e o seu subsequente declínio, este livro retrata a desintegração do império e as consequências irreversíveis que daí advieram, tais como a inflação, o empobrecimento geral da população, a guerra civil austríaca que é mencionada muito brevemente e finalmente a anexação da Áustria em 1938 pelos nazis.
Ambos os livros retratam uma melancolia e nostalgia que caracterizaram a vida do autor, sempre desgostoso pela perda da sua Pátria, o que é difícil de imaginar nos dias de hoje, em que o conceito de nação é muito mais claro e óbvio para nós. Primeiro observando o império e a sua desintegração com a I Guerra, seguido da guerra civil e pelo surgimento de ideias hediondas, entre as quais o extermínio dos judeus, razão pela qual o autor se exilou em Paris, deve ter sido bastante difícil viver num ambiente em que se sentia que outra guerra era inevitável, como escreveu em 1933 ao seu amigo e escritor que também retratou esta época, Stefan Zweig. Foi sem dúvida um homem previdente.
Estes dois livros levaram a que me interessasse bastante por este período da história que é raramente abordado e agradeço ao autor por isso.
Enquanto que a "Marcha de Radetzky" aborda a grandiosidade do império Austro-Húngaro e o seu subsequente declínio, este livro retrata a desintegração do império e as consequências irreversíveis que daí advieram, tais como a inflação, o empobrecimento geral da população, a guerra civil austríaca que é mencionada muito brevemente e finalmente a anexação da Áustria em 1938 pelos nazis.
Ambos os livros retratam uma melancolia e nostalgia que caracterizaram a vida do autor, sempre desgostoso pela perda da sua Pátria, o que é difícil de imaginar nos dias de hoje, em que o conceito de nação é muito mais claro e óbvio para nós. Primeiro observando o império e a sua desintegração com a I Guerra, seguido da guerra civil e pelo surgimento de ideias hediondas, entre as quais o extermínio dos judeus, razão pela qual o autor se exilou em Paris, deve ter sido bastante difícil viver num ambiente em que se sentia que outra guerra era inevitável, como escreveu em 1933 ao seu amigo e escritor que também retratou esta época, Stefan Zweig. Foi sem dúvida um homem previdente.
Estes dois livros levaram a que me interessasse bastante por este período da história que é raramente abordado e agradeço ao autor por isso.
aristarcodisamo's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Chronic illness, Antisemitism, Sexual content, Murder, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and War
miri_dbr's review against another edition
4.0
4,5/5
Todas las mañanas al despertarnos, y todas las noches al dormirnos, maldecíamos a la muerte que vanamente nos habia invitado a su gran festin, y todos envidiábamos a los caidos. Ellos descansaban bajo tierra, y la próxima primavera de sus restos crecerían violetas. Nosotros, sin embargo, habíamos vuelto a casa, desesperados, estériles, tullidos. Una generación elegida por la muerte, y por ella repudiada. El veredicto del tribunal que dictaba la aptitud para el servicio militar, decia de forma irrevocable: «Incapaz para la muerte».
Todas las mañanas al despertarnos, y todas las noches al dormirnos, maldecíamos a la muerte que vanamente nos habia invitado a su gran festin, y todos envidiábamos a los caidos. Ellos descansaban bajo tierra, y la próxima primavera de sus restos crecerían violetas. Nosotros, sin embargo, habíamos vuelto a casa, desesperados, estériles, tullidos. Una generación elegida por la muerte, y por ella repudiada. El veredicto del tribunal que dictaba la aptitud para el servicio militar, decia de forma irrevocable: «Incapaz para la muerte».
lottepot's review against another edition
I want to reread this as there are some really interesting lines and references, so would be good to come back to it with a more analytical lens.
Best death scene ever, when Trotta’s mother dies and says “If you ever see (her daughter-in-law) again, tell her that I never could stand her”
Best death scene ever, when Trotta’s mother dies and says “If you ever see (her daughter-in-law) again, tell her that I never could stand her”
sylviaisme's review against another edition
2.0
La lettura più breve che ho intrapreso da quando è iniziato il 2015 ma anche la più faticosa. Romanzo, per me, estremamente tedioso in cui non sono riuscita neanche lontanamente a provare empatia per il protagonista, diversamente da quanto mi era capitato invece con Fuga senza fine. Credo che metterò quest'autore in stand-by per un po'.
tzurky's review against another edition
5.0
This book is both thoroughly engrossing and intellectually stimulating. You can see why it’s considered a classic and generally well-received.
As fan of long books that could serve to brain someone I was surprised how much content and detail you can get into a thin small little novel that can be read in one sitting.
The author deftly sketches the portrait of a bygone era and not just any era, but one with momentous historic changes in the politics and societal fabrics of Europe which have consequences to this day. And he sketches it from the perspective of a not-quite insider, born on the outskirts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and looking in to the very center, Vienna. A perspective which Is very similar to mine, despite being separated from me by close to 100 years.
The focus closes in on the very center of Vienna itself, the high society of aristocrats and officers. This the author analyzes scathingly and wittily, but not completely devoid of empathy. And he chooses his protagonist among this class. Ah, and what a layabout he is.
But he is also a tragic figure because, as the aristocratic layabout living on the income his father accumulated, he is hopelessly dependent on the structure of society, on being allowed to live as a parasite at his leisure on the backs of the working people but especially the border areas of the empire form which wealth and human capital is continuously funneled inwards to the center.
And so when the entire shaky structure collapses like a heap of cards at the end of the war, he is left not only utterly unprepared but completely outside of the normal social order, a foreign intrusion so to speak as his entire world collapses with the structure. It’s a hard and sudden break and is the true suffering inflicted on him. The war is only a pale memory by comparison and is not dwelt upon here to my surprise. It passes quickly if awkwardly and without leaving many traces on the protagonist.
No, what really hurts him, kills him from inside like a cancer is the death of his beloved emperor, which stands in for the downfall of the imperial hierarchy to which he belonged, of the mores and morals he grew up with and especially the grandeur he was accustomed to.
And, even if they never belonged to this social stratum, most Austrians can commiserate with him. They also mourn the death of their empire, of the time when they were grand and important and influenced world politics (even if the ‘world’ only consisted of Europe). And they have struggled to hold on to a faint shimmer of their onetime glory, to stay relevant as it were, at least in their little corner of Central Europe. Personally, I think they’ve succeeded very well and certainly beyond what their size and actual economic and strategic importance would justify. And I’m very proud of them.
As fan of long books that could serve to brain someone I was surprised how much content and detail you can get into a thin small little novel that can be read in one sitting.
The author deftly sketches the portrait of a bygone era and not just any era, but one with momentous historic changes in the politics and societal fabrics of Europe which have consequences to this day. And he sketches it from the perspective of a not-quite insider, born on the outskirts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and looking in to the very center, Vienna. A perspective which Is very similar to mine, despite being separated from me by close to 100 years.
The focus closes in on the very center of Vienna itself, the high society of aristocrats and officers. This the author analyzes scathingly and wittily, but not completely devoid of empathy. And he chooses his protagonist among this class. Ah, and what a layabout he is.
But he is also a tragic figure because, as the aristocratic layabout living on the income his father accumulated, he is hopelessly dependent on the structure of society, on being allowed to live as a parasite at his leisure on the backs of the working people but especially the border areas of the empire form which wealth and human capital is continuously funneled inwards to the center.
And so when the entire shaky structure collapses like a heap of cards at the end of the war, he is left not only utterly unprepared but completely outside of the normal social order, a foreign intrusion so to speak as his entire world collapses with the structure. It’s a hard and sudden break and is the true suffering inflicted on him. The war is only a pale memory by comparison and is not dwelt upon here to my surprise. It passes quickly if awkwardly and without leaving many traces on the protagonist.
No, what really hurts him, kills him from inside like a cancer is the death of his beloved emperor, which stands in for the downfall of the imperial hierarchy to which he belonged, of the mores and morals he grew up with and especially the grandeur he was accustomed to.
And, even if they never belonged to this social stratum, most Austrians can commiserate with him. They also mourn the death of their empire, of the time when they were grand and important and influenced world politics (even if the ‘world’ only consisted of Europe). And they have struggled to hold on to a faint shimmer of their onetime glory, to stay relevant as it were, at least in their little corner of Central Europe. Personally, I think they’ve succeeded very well and certainly beyond what their size and actual economic and strategic importance would justify. And I’m very proud of them.
francescachelucci's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0