I loved this book and couldn't wait to recommend it to all my friends. Now it was translated! Go, read it.
Uwe Tellkamp describes life in East Germany in the 1980s. I grew up in the Western part of the country and - as most of us - didn't have any contacts to the East. Which means I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the lives depicted. But I do have a feeling that it's pretty close, yet, not for everyone, only those who lived a more privileged life because of their jobs.
The length of the book enabled the author to go into so many details of so many different characters. Without that, he would have had to restrict himself to fewer characters or a more superficial description.
Of course, Christian Hoffmann was the protagonist, and I loved his portrayal. But my favourite character was Meno Rohde because he seemed the most "alive".
I certainly want to read more of this author and more of other GDR authors.
I read the original German edition of this novel.
See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.
From the back cover:
"In derelict Dresden a cultivated, middle-class family does all it can to cope amid the Communist downfall. This striking tapestry of the East German experience is told through the tangled lives of a soldier, surgeon, nurse and publisher. With evocative detail, Uwe Tellkamp masterfully reveals the myriad perspectives of the time as people battled for individuality, retreated to nostalgia, chose to conform, or toed the perilous line between East and West. Poetic, heartfelt and dramatic, The Tower vividly resurrects the sights, scents and sensations of life in the GDR as it hurtled towards 9 November 1989."
1008 pages!!!!! I know from past experience that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to read a book of that size via Kindle, so, even if my library had it on Kindle, which they do NOT, I wouldn't borrow it from them. So, that means I need to fork over some money to Amazon.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a hardcover but that is $64, used!!! And what if I didn't like it???
A used "very good" paperback is $16 or I can get a new one for...HOLD THE PHONE! For one dollar more I can get a used hardcover, with dust jacket, from Abe Books. Sold!
You grew up in Germany? Are you still there now? My BFFs live in Velbert.
Anyway, thanks for reviewing and recommending this chunkster! Can't wait to get my hands on it.
I know, it's sometimes hard to get foreign books abroad. I just checked. Amazon Germany asks €7.42 for a hardback. Incredible.
DeleteWell, I prefer paperbacks myself but will buy a hardback if it's so much cheaper.
Yes, I live in Germany again. I was abroad for about forty years and when hubby retired, we moved to my family's town in Northern Germany, Lower Saxony. Velbert is about two hours from here.
Enjoy The Tower. I loved it. And let me know what you think, please.