Embers by Sándor Márai Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Embers
Book Review: A Lost Masterpiece Rediscovered
Summary: 5 Stars
What a magnificent novel this is, and how ironic that it lingered in obscurity for two generations after it was published! "Embers" is an entire world in miniature, a slim volume in which the author boldly takes on some of the largest questions facing humanity: what are the true meanings of words such as loyalty and friendship? And revenge...41 years after their last fateful meeting, two old friends eat dinner together in a Hungarian castle that is a relic of another age, when Vienna was the centre of Europe and young men waltzed with their girls to the hot new tunes of Strauss the younger. A world war has ended that age forever, and a second and even more terrible conflict has just begun. But for these two men, the world around them means little. Far more important is the reality of what happened four decades earlier, and whether a terrible act of betrayal took place. The author uses the devices of swift scene paintings and extensive monologue to expertly conduct the reader through the story, and the result is a truly unforgettable work of fiction. The translation by Carol Brown Janeway is admirable.
Book Review: A Very Good Idea Gone Wrong
Summary: 2 Stars
I picked up this book (in Hungarian and English) with such high hopes and great expectations. It sounded magnificent: a secluded castle at the foot of the Carpathians, a beautiful woman long dead, a secret about to be revealed. I was sadly disappointed.Instead of taking us back to the past and dramatizing in scenes what could have been a wonderfully engrossing story, Sandor Marai (no relation!) keeps us firmly anchored in the present where one character delivers a book-length monologue to a second character, informing this second character of what he already knows for the benefit of the reader. Surely this method of storytelling was already dated in Marai's day. Why he chose to employ it is beyond me.
I'm not a fan of flashbacks, but, in my opinion at least, this story would have been greatly enriched through the use of a frame. In a frame, we begin in the present, then return to the past for the body of the story, and finally wind up in the present once again for the conclusion.
The use of a frame also would have allowed us to get to know all three main characters: Henrik, Konrad and Krisztina. As it is, the fascinating Krisztina is long dead when the story begins and Konrad barely gets to utter ten words. The bulk of the book is taken up with Henrik's rambling, and sometimes dull, monologue. Had we been allowed to know all three characters, to experience their needs and emotions, the book would have come to life, the story would have been transformed.
I do have to give credit where credit is due: there are some very lovely set-pieces and Konrad certainly has more patience than I. I would have said, Jó éjszakát! (Goodnight! in Hungarian) after an hour of Henrik's tirade; poor Konrad endured it the whole night long.
Marai has taken a magnificent idea and deprived it of all story tension, characterization and surprise. I just don't feel it was a very good choice.
Book Review: A masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Two betrayals lie at the heart of this wonderful novel: the appalling affair between an old soldier's wife and his closest friend, recounted 41 years after the rupture. Marai's turn-of-the-century atmosphere, his poetic language, philosophical musings as well as his pacing, dialogues and insights are those of a master, although the novel consists almost entirely of the old General's reminiscences and monologues.Book Review: A meaty read.....
Summary: 4 Stars
Our thirty-member book club had a very spirited discussion about this book--many aspects were covered. The book is one to be read slowly and savored....would make a stunning audio book, read in the "perfect" voice. The writing style does not allow the reader to be "spoon-fed" so to speak, so might appeal to more thoughtful readers rather than those that enjoy more superficial escapism.Book Review: A monologue of regrets
Summary: 5 Stars
Two old friends meet after 40 yers of not seeing each other to talk about the things that separated them. Set in an old castle in Hungary, the novel explores the feelings, doubts and desperation of Henrik, the owner of the castle as he finally encounters Konrad and asks him about the fateful night 41 years ago. That night changed their lives for ever and neither of them can move on and die in peace before they talk again (I can't be more specific without giving away spoilers).At the end of this night-long conversation, both realize that their cowardice, pride and hurt has ruined their lives. The embittered, vengeful soldiers do not find the resolution they were looking for, but it does not really matter, because they are old, tired and empty.
The prose is beautiful. Almost the entire novel is a monologue of Henrik. The plot itself is simple and straighforward (that is why I can't give more details without giving away the story), but the emotions the character goes through are examined with great detail and lyricism.