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A review by grogu_djarin
Traveler of the Century by Andrés Neuman
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Overall Thoughts:
This is a well-written book but I think it's probably not for most people. It's extremely literary and the majority of the book centers around two parallel debates. One debate is with the organ grinder and his impoverished friends on the nature of life, while the other debate contrasts it by taking place in an upper class salon centered around prominent literature, philosophy, and political movements of the time. While this sounds like an interesting premise on paper, with Hans having to navigate in two opposite worlds, it's not interesting for the hundreds of pages it takes up. There's also a somewhat graphic love affair mixed in that I found distracting due to the tonal whiplash of jumping from an intellectual discussion in one paragraph to crude descriptions of a character's genitals in the next.
I also didn't find any of the characters likable except Sophie in the beginning. She's a well-educated and independent woman but is bound by the social mores of the time. This made her extremely compelling because I was never quite sure which was the genuine Sophie and which was the facade. Her words and gestures were all layered with meaning. Unfortunately, all this build-up gets discarded and replaced with innuendo and the focus shifts from her personality and intellect to her body. While there are other characters that feature prominently in the story, few of them stood as characters on their own. They were mostly there to serve certain roles in the debates (eg the disagreeable one, the timid one, the old-fashioned one, etc).
This is a well-written book but I think it's probably not for most people. It's extremely literary and the majority of the book centers around two parallel debates. One debate is with the organ grinder and his impoverished friends on the nature of life, while the other debate contrasts it by taking place in an upper class salon centered around prominent literature, philosophy, and political movements of the time. While this sounds like an interesting premise on paper, with Hans having to navigate in two opposite worlds, it's not interesting for the hundreds of pages it takes up. There's also a somewhat graphic love affair mixed in that I found distracting due to the tonal whiplash of jumping from an intellectual discussion in one paragraph to crude descriptions of a character's genitals in the next.
I also didn't find any of the characters likable except Sophie in the beginning. She's a well-educated and independent woman but is bound by the social mores of the time. This made her extremely compelling because I was never quite sure which was the genuine Sophie and which was the facade. Her words and gestures were all layered with meaning. Unfortunately, all this build-up gets discarded and replaced with innuendo and the focus shifts from her personality and intellect to her body. While there are other characters that feature prominently in the story, few of them stood as characters on their own. They were mostly there to serve certain roles in the debates (eg the disagreeable one, the timid one, the old-fashioned one, etc).
Likes:
- There are a few mysteries that string you along throughout the book such as who the organ grinder is, why no one leaves Wandernburg, why the roads never seem the same, and the identity of a masked man. These held my interest when they'd come up, but most aren't satisfactorily addressed.
- I liked the contrast between the upper class society and the servant/worker class society, especially when that is a topic of debate in the book.
- The writing itself was well done and there were a few spots I paused reading for a few moments to reflect on a line or passage.
Dislikes:
- The love story in the book started strong exploring social mores of the time and had an intellectual foundation, but it quickly devolved into sex scene after sex scene with all the aspects that made it interesting suddenly missing.
- A lot of the characters felt tropey, in particular the organ grinder. I think he's supposed to be one of the main mysteries of the book, but throughout the story he basically ended up being the "wise old homeless man that seems to always know exactly what the protagonist needs to know" trope.
- The book is way too long. I think it easily could have been cut in half by removing many of the debates, which are monotonous and repetitive. While I was enjoying it at first, by the halfway point I was wanting some sort of conclusion but it kept going and going and going, long overstaying its welcome.
Other Notes:
- This book does not use quotations marks at all. Dialogue often runs together in a paragraph with speakers separated by text or (parentheses). I thought this would bother me more than it did, but you get used to it.
- The book features somewhat graphic sex and several scenes of rape so this may be off-putting to many people.
Would Recommend To:
- Someone who is interested in the political, social, literary, and philosophical landscape of Europe (and especially Germany) in the early 19th Century. It also helps if you already have some background in the history, literature, and philosophy of the times because it's easier to relate to the discussion in the salon.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Most people. I think you would need very specific tastes to enjoy this book.