A reader

Gut aber nicht exzellent

Reviewed: 08-30-24

Die "Fortsetzung" von Radetzkymarsch ist leider nicht so dicht gewoben und gut konstruiert wie dieser. Kapuzinergruft beschaeftigt sich vor allem mit der Dekadenz, dem Zerfall des Habsburgerreiches in der Zeitspanne von kurz vor dem I. Weltkrieg bis zu Schuschnigg. Die Personen bleiben blaser, die Geschichte ist loser und zugleich zum Teil ueberladen, denn alle Stroemungen der Zeit, finden sich im Leben des Hauptcharakters ohne umbedingt gut ausgeformt zu sein, z.B. die Gewerbekunst, freie Liebe, Film, Kriegsgewinnler.

Die Lesung war sehr gut, wodurch ich das Buch trotz dieser Schwaechen gerne gehoert habe.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Political Satire at its Best

Reviewed: 08-03-24

A complex, dense story with several narrative strands that interweave time and again. At times I felt I had lost the thread, but it all came together again, the story was simply following one strand for a time, before merging or switching to another. The characters are vivid and complex. I kept guessing who is connected to whom and what how, as if it was a crime novel. In a way it is, a political crime, family crime.

The story seems utterly absurd on several levels, is full of black humor, satire, which are used to highlight topics such as corruption, avarice, manipulation of the population, family by blood versus family of choice, and friendship. I kept laughing, except at the bottom of it, the story is actually sad, disturbing. The way it is told versus what is told creates tension used artistically.

I enjoyed Soyinka’s storytelling, his ability to use language for his ends. I had never read anything by him before, unfortunately nothing else is available on Audible. This is not a beach read, you wouldn’t expect one from a Noble Prize winner. I loved the challenge of the story, enjoyed Soyinka’s creativity. I felt I was looking through somebody else’s eyes, recognizing characters you can find in history, learning new things even if they are about a fictional Nigeria. How fictional? This week the population of Nigeria declared a 10-day strike because while they don’t have enough money to feed themselves, the government indulges itself in paying with tax money for perks like new SUVs for all members of parliament. Free bags of rice are handed out, which are aptly called ‘palliatives’ and rejected as not a solution. In the book the palliative isn’t rice, it is more powerful, full of black humor.

I think listening to the story rather than reading it is helpful and gives it additional colour. I found the narrator excellent, the story was full of life with each character having a distinctive voice. Another reviewer commented on the narrator not pronouncing Nigerian names right, I cannot judge that, for me listening to him was full of joy and he pulled me into the story beyond what the words did already.

The almost 22 hours passed in no time, and I might listen to it again, so I can pick up the little hints how characters, storylines will be connected later on and enjoy the wonderful language, characters of Soyinka again.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Zu stark gekürzt

Reviewed: 07-06-24

Der Roman wurde um circa 50% gekürzt. Ich habe nach dem Hören begonnen die vollständige Druckausgabe zu lesen, Diese hat sehr viel mehr Atmosphäre, die Personen haben Tiefe, Komplexität, Eigenheiten, ihre Handlungen machten plötzlich Sinn aus ihrem Charakter und den Umständen heraus, was beim Hörbuch nicht der Fall ist. Der Ton Feuchtwangers ist durch die Kürzung verloren gegangen.

Leider gibt es keine ungekürzte Version von ‚Exil‘ als Hörbuch. Ich würde empfehlen das Buch zu lesen, der Roman ist es für sich selbst und als zeithistorisches Dokument wert, anstelle sich diese amputierte Version anzuhören.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Geschichte als historische Novelle

Reviewed: 07-01-24

Ein hochinteressanter Teil Geschichte, dessen Erzählung leider durch des Autor’s Entscheidung als omnipotenter Erzähler aufzutreten, fiktionalisiert wird; und dadurch den Geschehnissen, Entscheidungen und Taten dieser historischen Personen nicht gerecht wird. Es gibt Tagebücher Lion Feuchtwanger‘s und anderer Intellektueller, so dass einiges sicher auf solchen Quellen beruht bzw. von ihnen inspiriert ist, aber dies ist sicher nicht der Fall bei den Gedanken und Gefühlen namenloser Polizisten und anderer, und auch nicht bei den imaginierten Konversationen der Protagonisten, die sich dadurch wie erfundene Gestalten in einem Roman anfühlen. Es sind nicht mehr sie, die durch ihre Taten oder auch Untätigkeit kommunizieren, sondern der Autor indem er ihnen Worte, Gedanken, Gefühle eingibt.

Immerhin wird die Geschichte des Emergency Rescue Committee, Varian Fry‘s und der anderen Orginasotaren und Helfer hierdurch einer deutschen Leserschaft zugänglich. Diese zeigt erneut, was eine kleine Gruppe an Menschen bewirken kann, wenn sie den Willen haben. Was über die Schriftsteller, Politiker und andere Intellektuelle, die vor dem NS Regime nach Marseille geflohen waren, in dem Buch steht, fand ich zu meist uninteressant bis deprimierend, da trotz der Gefahr der Verfolgung einige weiterhin auf ihrem Status bestanden, z.B. Alma Mahler-Werfel, ihren persönlichen Animositäten z.B. André Breton oder ihre eigene Bekanntheit und Bedeutung ausserhalb Deutschlands so überschätzten, dass dies ihnen zum Verhängnis wurde, z.B. Rudolf Breitscheid .

Für jemanden, den die Fiktionalisierung von Geschichte nicht stört, sicher ein unterhaltendes Buch, ansonsten würde ich die Autobiographie von Varian Fry empfehlen und andere historische Quellen. Für mich ist das Buch, so wie es ist, eine vertane Chance Geschichte und ihren Protagonisten gerecht zu werden.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Grossartig

Reviewed: 12-20-23

Grossartiges Stueck und Praesentation, habe es mittlerweile mehrfach angehoert. Sehr zu empfehlen, vor allem wenn man griechische Dramen mag.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Zwei Groschenroman mit Leichen

Reviewed: 12-19-23

Der Krimi ist schauerlich schlecht. Ein Versatzstück nach dem anderen, die Handlung jenseits von unrealistisch und die Charaktere ebenso. Das Buch ist blutlos, wenn man von den Leichen absieht.

Die Vorleserin ist exzellent, haucht der Geschichte etwas Leben ein, aber auch sie kann es nicht retten.

Ich war neugierig, weil ich immerwieder von den Ostfriesen Krimis gehört hatte, mir ist ihr Erfolg schleierhaft.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Testimony

Reviewed: 12-08-23

Filip Mueller set out to bear witness and this is his testimony. It is amazing that he was able to do so as writing about what he went through and witnessed cannot have been easy.

The narration is unfortunately at times simply awful. The narrator seems to have totally missed the point that this is a historical document and not a novel as again and again he over-dramatises voices - and is no good at.

Unfortunately the translation also leaves to be desired. Again, the subject matter seems to have been little understood by the translator as he misses a feeling for appropriate word choices. For example when the members of the Sonderkommando were forced to live in the crematoria, the word used several times is "billeted", which means "lodge (soldiers) in a particular place, especially a civilian's house or other nonmilitary facility." , thereby totally missing the mark.

Overall, I recommend the book, because it is a unique testimony, except I would choose to read it to avoid the narrator.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Excellent Narration

Reviewed: 12-01-23

I loved the narration, the way each character had a distinct and fitting voice pulled the story along. I will be looking for other books read by Peter Wickham.

As for the story itself - it is long! I obviously knew before how many hours it was, the long I mean is that it feels long because of an abundant writing style. If you like a lot of descriptions of everything and everybody, historic, dramatic novels, this is for you. Just keep in mind, it is a novel and thereby fiction not fact.

I was interested in the book because of when it was written: during the occupation of Poland by Russia and therefore can also be read as a suppressed people - in the novel the Christians/at the time of publication: the Poles - ultimately overcoming the forces of oppression - the Romans or in the real life of the readers: the Russian Tzar. Furthermore, Sienkiewicz novels were apparently reread during the German occupation of Poland in World War II, again with the mindset of a suppressed people overcoming the terror of their Nazi oppressors. In this sense I found the book really interesting, I could see how this story would be inspirational. It is very black and white: the Christians are beyond good, while Nero and Romans are overwhelmingly vile or at least bad with the exception of the character of Petronious. In the context of the moral black-white picture painted by the book and when the book was written, it isn't surprising that the book has strong antisemitic stereotypes, which were common in Poland and many other European countries at the time.

Admittedly without the excellent narration and my interest of how the novel was interpreted in later times, I don't think I would have finished it. It reads the way I remember the 1950s movie: a heavy costume drama.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Tragedy, destiny and love

Reviewed: 10-01-22

Very well read from a great translation. - A story of heroism of humans, not just the fighters but also those traveling, living with them like the women. And a story of their helpers and foes: the various gods, who in their feelings are only too human to. Destiny over all of it, as much as some gods and humans try to circumvent it, ultimately it will have effect, just reached by a different path.

Definitely recommended.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Lebendig gelesen & Geschichte relevant

Reviewed: 12-01-21

The text comes alive in this reading. The story is timeless and the biting, critical humor of Heinrich Mann is at its best. You can also see how much of what became policy during the 3rd Reich was already there, the nationalism, the antisemitism, the anti-feminism. Written in 1914, published only in full in 1918, it is an analysis of the time in form of a novel. The protagonist and its type still exist, so it is worthwhile reading/listening to even after almost 110 years.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful