This year I decided to set some specific reading prompts for myself instead more general goals like "read 10 classics".
1. Follow the Barnes and Noble 2022 Book Challenge (pasted below) and fulfill it with the books I already own
2. Re-read a childhood favorite
3. Re-read a book assigned in high school
4. Read an English classic
5. Read a Russian classic
6. Read a French classic
7. Read 100 books total
Every year around this time, I take a look at my reading stats for the year.
In 2021, I read 125 books - fewer than last year, but more than my goal of 100.
My most read genre was fantasy - 51 books.
I read 44 books from the library, 16 ARCs and 65 books from my own library.
In terms of medium: 45 were in paper, 36 e-books and 44 audiobooks.
I also did meet my goals of reading at least 5 classics (read 9), and 10 non-fiction books (read 11).
One area where I did not do well was finishing some series. I only finished off 3, one of which was a re-read.
Looking ahead, I do want to keep up reading of classics and work on finishing some series. Finally, I think I am going to make a real effort not to buy books outside of the subscription boxes and ongoing series. I have a great local library and an audiobook subscription service so should be able to easily get pretty much anything I'd want to read.
As any great piece of literature, it is multi-dimensional. On the surface, it is a fictional biography of Thomas Mann. We follow him from his childhood all the way to his 80th birthday. Tóibín masterfully gets into Mann's head and is able to show us his inner world with all its insecurities, idiosyncrasies, and brilliance. He does devote quite a bit of time to Mann's homosexuality. I think there is merit to that. Mann was a happily married man and a father of six. His entire life he was hiding his homosexuality, and its extent was truly revealed only in his diaries. One has to wonder: was he an unhappy man because he could never be truly himself. Or, perhaps he simply accepted who he was and the circumstances he lived in and found a way to be content. Happiness means different things to different people. Mann was a very private person, I would say, a true introvert of sorts. I also think his own homosexuality allowed him to be unconditionally accepting of sexual fluidity in his children. The frankness of some conversations he and his wife had with their adult kids was astonishing to me. Even though Mann was born in the conservative town of Lubeck, parts of his personality (and definitely his wife and kids) are truly Bohemian.
This novel is also about writing and creativity. Tóibín spends quite a bit of time on the thinking that goes into developing Mann's three great novels. As I was reading this book, I kept hoping that this novel gets people interested in Mann's work. I think his books get the bad rep of being overly long and having obtuse philosophical passages. I personally think there is always something deeply satisfying in getting through a great classic. So I for one do intend to pick up Mann's books in the coming year.
Finally, this novel provides (from a point of view of the most famous German novelist at the time) the political and historic landscape of Germany during the periods surrounding the two World Wars. I loved the portrayal of the US politics in this novel. It is very nuanced and in tune with how the American role in WWII is perceived in Europe, and Eastern Europe especially. Roosevelt was very hesitant to enter the war with Germany. He was focused on Japan. Americans love to overestimate their role in "freeing" Europe. But let's face it, they finally showed up in Normandy only when it was clear that the Soviet Army was winning and the Nazis were retreating all along the eastern front. Clearly, Americans finally opened the long-awaited second front in Europe not so much to ensure the capitulation of Germany as to keep the Soviets out of Western Europe. I was glad this came through in the novel.
I also appreciated Mann's thoughts on what caused Germans to become supporters of Hitler. We should never forget he was voted into office. Something he was selling was deeply appealing to the German masses. I think Mann was soul searching for what that was. It is interesting that during the war while living in America, he is writing the book on Goethe, the poet who as no other represents the German culture. This is also the poet whose most famous work deals with selling one's soul to the devil. I think Mann's choice of subject was far from arbitrary.
Finally. let's talk about East Germany for a minute. Tóibín in a few places seems to imply that East Germany somehow became the successor of Nazi Germany (or perhaps, this is the view that persisted in the West). At least he clearly says the Buchenwald that inspired Goethe became one of the biggest Nazi's concentration camps and then turned into a Soviet prison camp. This last bit is not entirely accurate. Yes, between 1945 and 1950, Buchenwald was a prison where former Nazis and anti-communist activists were held. However, in 1950 a year after Mann visits East Germany, the Buchenwald camp was completely razed and in its place a memorial was established.
I don't think you can categorically state that East Germany was the result of Soviet occupation. Clearly the Soviet army controlled the territory, but there were in Germany unquestionably those who supported this transformation into a socialist republic. Mann's own brother was one of them and would have moved to East Germany had he not died. To me, the more interesting and complex subject to ponder is what was happening to the "German psyche" - German people - internally, the deep divisions that existed in the collective outlook on life and values, and what we can learn from that. In this, I think Tóibín's book is very timely for the American readers. Our society is deeply divided as well, and the lessons of WWII and what happened in Germany are a cautionary tale as well as the tragic past.
5 out of 5 stars. A great novel to read, think about and discuss, and a great way to close out my reading year.
This review is also on Goodreads - follow my reading progress and thoughts on other novels.
I must say I liked this novel even better than The Wife Upstairs, primarily because I really liked the main character Lux. Most of the novel is written from her point of view, and her character is very relatable and down to earth. As in the first novel, the main theme here also appears to be getting revenge on the rich and powerful, and taking from them what don't deserve. I do think if Hawkins continues to write thrillers, she should probably venture into some other themes as well.
I received an audio ARC of this novel from Netgalley.com. The audiobook is excellent and I highly recommend this format. 4 out of 5 stars.
The novel follows a dual timeline. It begins with Oliver getting out of prison after serving a 10-year sentence and flashes back to the events on campus as he narrates what happened 10 years prior. The characters in this book might seem overly pretentious as they literally speak in Shakespearian quotes. But I believe it is quite possible for a group of people to be so absorbed in the thing they study and live that they naturally begin to speak in citations that they memorize. I was not bothered by the abundance of quotes. Another thing that fascinated me about the book was that I kept wondering if any of the characters were ever themselves or whether they just kept acting even off-stage.
This is the kind of book where you do not need to know much about the plot. Just expect a dark academic setting and a murder mystery. Everything else will be a bonus. I must say that the best part about this book is the ending. It is absolutely perfect. 5 out of 5 stars.
