Philippe summed it up best by saying the book was more a testimony of a historical moment in time, rather than a book of character development. We all agreed that it evoked the mood of post-war Vienna very well. We also agreed that perhaps the last 20% of the book was not necessary. We could have done without the melodrama about Kanakis and Resi, and would have liked to read more about Adler, who for all of us was the most interesting and relevant character. His story seemed most symbolic of the returning exile, and having been Jewish it was easier to see the reason for his exile. It was also interesting to observe the interactions with him and his superior, Kreiger. We could not seem to agree whether he ever really fully acknowledged the atrocities of the Holocaust in which he participated, although indeed he was aware that the events were certainly perceived as having been atrocious. Adler’s wife was also interesting and it could have added to the story to have more about their former life together, or her life without him in the U.S.
The characters: Resi herself was a bit of a mystery. What really happened to her in the U.S. that caused her to be sent to Vienna? Was she a badly developed character or a simple, naive young woman whose life has not yet begun and whom the other more mature individuals can easily manipulate ? As for Kanakis, he was considered cold and calculating, but probably more fun and interesting than Bimbo, who was desperate to marry into money, as he was broke. We were not sure who was the more culpable of the two men.
Some of us thought that the entire Kanakis / Bimbo / Resi story was not necessary, but it could have been a way to show the faded glory of the Austrian royalty. The world of people with titles and no wealth was quite relevant at that moment in time in Vienna, and perhaps the author was interested in showing this aspect through the characters. Princess Nina, however, was nearly the opposite of her brother, Bimbo, being studious, hardworking, unobtrusive, etc. Bravo to her for not being talked out of her life with Adler by the family priest !
The novel must have taken a lot of courage to write. Subject matter such as homosexuality and abortion were not easily discussed in the early 1950’s, and we wondered whether this could be part of why the book was not published until now. It’s not clear if the success of her grandson’s book played a role in getting this novel published. We all agreed that even if the plot was not always interesting, the quality of the writing always was.
As a salute to Maren’s suggestion last month that we list the aspects we could have discussed but didn’t, we didn’t discuss the cocktail parties/salons held by Kanakis, nor did we discuss the famous episode of Bimbo brining the pornographic photos to the art critic. What purpose did that serve?
As always, please feel free to add to or modify anything I may have missed or misunderstood !
Cynthia
