Scan barcode
bluestarfish's review against another edition
5.0
I tried to read this about two years ago and never got much further than the first chapter. However, I decided to pick this up recently and really enjoyed this book. It's funny and savage, a Rabelaisian black comedy. The use of language is interesting and quirky (in a good way) and there are many memorable descriptions, characters and metaphors in Under the Frog which not all are for the faint-hearted. I know next to nothing about Hungary or its history and the book is set in the time of the second world war and Hungary being firmly behind the Iron Curtain.
bjlinard's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marilynsaul's review against another edition
3.0
I liked Fischer's style of writing, but I found, half way through the book, that I was bored. I suspect I'm not into young-men-coming-of-age stories. Anyway, I decided I was done with it and moved on.
graco's review against another edition
2.5
I really wasn't feeling it at the beginning. The end section at the start of the Hungarian Uprising was the most engaging and things really started to pick up for me, but unfortunately it was too little too late. Also, learning that the author is an Orban appologist really soured the whole thing for me.
richvar's review against another edition
4.0
Jó kis 56-os könyv ez. Bár lassan indul be, de a végére nagyon jó lesz. Igaziból inkább az 50-es évek világát mutatja be egy kosárcsapat mindennapjain keresztül. 93-ban amikor megjelent valószínűleg nagyobbat ütöttek a ma már szélesebb körben ismert sztorik, de azért most is érdemes elolvasni. Nagyon jó a szerző stílusa.
millen13's review against another edition
4.0
Set in communist Hungary in the years following the end of WW2 leading up to the Hungarian Revolution. (A conflict in which nearly 20,000 Hungarians were killed by the Russians, while 21,600 were imprisoned afterwards for political reasons.) Under the Frog follows two friends during those years of 1944 to 1956 managing to sketch the political landscape and communist oppression while staying light-hearted under pressure. This is a marvellous read and an open-hearted insight into an era we hear little to nothing about here in Western Europe.
lobo1tomia's review against another edition
5.0
A legjobb könyv 56-ról. Magyar valóság, angol humor.
missvillo's review against another edition
5.0
I only read it in Hungarian, because I didn't know that the original was the English version. However, I still enjoyed it immensely, I think it gives back the Hungarian humour so well. It's also easy to read, because even though its topic is a very serious one, Fischer uses lots of humour to present it, so it's kinda difficult to realize how serious it actually is. It's a great read, especially if you want to know a bit more about Hungarian literature.