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A review by jdintr
Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque
5.0
This book captured then captivated me.
The three titular comrades are old Army buddies, ten years after their service in the First World War, who are struggling to keep a auto mechanic business afloat in the years between the Germany's great inflation and the Great Depression. Their evenings are spent among prostitutes a a local bar where Robert plays the piano for tips. One comrade, Gottfried, bills himself as "the last Romantic." The other, Otto, is an aspiring race car driver, immensely proud of a souped-up car that he has named "Karl."
Then She walks in. Pat. A blue-eyed, raven-haired beauty. Robert is smitten. His world shifts, and his comrades rally to his support.
Heck, I was smitten by Pat. It has been years since I read Remarque's masterpiece, All Quiet on the Western Front. I had nearly forgotten his gift for character. I found myself rooting for these characters, delighting at their hard-earned lessons on living and loving. There is so much wisdom in this book, so much its characters are willing to reveal about their vivid inner lives.
One thing that the characters keep hidden is their past--whether it is the three comrades' experiences in the War, or Pat's struggles with her health. In the last third of the book, the three comrades face death once again, which puts their friendship to the ultimate test and breaks the reader's heart, along with theirs.
This is an amazing, wonderful book. I didn't expect to like it. Instead I loved it. Highly recommended.
The three titular comrades are old Army buddies, ten years after their service in the First World War, who are struggling to keep a auto mechanic business afloat in the years between the Germany's great inflation and the Great Depression. Their evenings are spent among prostitutes a a local bar where Robert plays the piano for tips. One comrade, Gottfried, bills himself as "the last Romantic." The other, Otto, is an aspiring race car driver, immensely proud of a souped-up car that he has named "Karl."
Then She walks in. Pat. A blue-eyed, raven-haired beauty. Robert is smitten. His world shifts, and his comrades rally to his support.
Heck, I was smitten by Pat. It has been years since I read Remarque's masterpiece, All Quiet on the Western Front. I had nearly forgotten his gift for character. I found myself rooting for these characters, delighting at their hard-earned lessons on living and loving. There is so much wisdom in this book, so much its characters are willing to reveal about their vivid inner lives.
One thing that the characters keep hidden is their past--whether it is the three comrades' experiences in the War, or Pat's struggles with her health. In the last third of the book, the three comrades face death once again, which puts their friendship to the ultimate test and breaks the reader's heart, along with theirs.
This is an amazing, wonderful book. I didn't expect to like it. Instead I loved it. Highly recommended.