"In this short book there is enough for many books."
|
|
This quotation from the introduction by Michael Hofmann, poet and translator of four Roth novels, highlights both the delights and limitations of this book. While it has all the ingredients for a greatly exciting read and touches on all aspects of society in the Austro-Hungarian empire--worlds of the court, the army, journalism, night life, the law, popular entertainment, and even prostitution--it really doesn't draw you in or involve you. There's a curious disconnect between the characters and the reader, akin in many ways to the disconnect between most of the characters and each other, perhaps because there are many of them in this short novel. The visit of the Shah of Persia and his one-night-stand with a young Viennese woman provide fertile ground for wonderful dialogue and lyrical descriptions, but the characters are like exhibits in the wax museum which plays a part in the conclusion of the novel. In short, this novel is intriguing primarily for its detailed and exacting recreation of an historical context, but its large scope and small size act as barriers to reader involvement. Mary Whipple
|
|
Declining Austria
|
|
There is a tremendous sense of the decline of an empire here. An arogant army officer, so out of touch with the real world that he doesn't realise he has become bankrupt - both financially and morally - fathers an illegitimate child, arranges a sordid encounter for the 'Shah of Shahs' and, through a failure to act, not only spirals to his own distruction but takes several other people with him. The personal tale clearly reflects the state the 'state' is in. The characters are finely drawn with an economy of words which makes this a very sharp edged tale.
|
|
Each Pearl a Story
|
|
The title fits the structure of the book. Each character involved with the necklace was like a pearl on that necklace. Each character a story of tragedy that came in contact with that string of pearls.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada