A review by mskidelsky
Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

My first Remarque! It was alright. An interesting look at Germany in the inter-war period, but I felt as though there wasn’t enough focus on the actual comrades. The love story was a little plain because the Camus-style writing (perhaps just the English translation) was very detached. I did cry when Köster sold Karl, and if I think about it there probably were some interesting moments but a lot of it was just “woke up…worked until dark…had rum…walked home” in a very “mother died today” way so those standout moments (like unemployed people in the museum, Hasse’s suicide) get a little lost in the mud. I didn’t feel as though I had to force myself to read it at all; it was interesting, just not as life-changing as I expected following my mom’s descriptions. Not at all a typical book for me but I was still very compelled to finish it, which I think was a good sign, though I found it to be somewhat predictable.