Customer Reviews:
 Austen without the humour May 20, 2010
Constant Bookworm
I bought this because the reviews were so good, and I was rather disappointed. It is a long and very detailed story about useless, rather stupid people leading pointless lives. They go through the motions of duelling, affairs, gambling their fortunes away, but somehow their hearts aren't in it. Though it ended on a vague cliffhanger I will not be reading the others.
If you like Patrick Leigh Fermor's work then you will probably like this too. Translating from Hungarian is a heroic thing to do. But he could have livened up the style a little, and more commas would have made it an easier read.
 A fantastic read December 7, 2006
Lolita (London)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is a fascinating insight into the social and political history of Hungary in the early years of the 20th century. It ranges from the intricacies of political life in Budapest to the equally challenging task of running an estate in Translyvania. Although the deeper aspects of politics and parliamentary life might not interest some readers, there is much, much more to the book than that. It would love to be able to read it in the original Hungarian, as I'm sure the writing is more elegant than this rather clunky translation. Nonetheless it is thoroughly enjoyable and very good for a long holiday read.
History rather than a novel. January 21, 2004
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
This book is exceptional in that it portrays a complete vision of Hungary; social, political and historical at the end of the 19th century leading to the first world war. While claiming to be a novel, it includes a detailed explanation of the historical context of the run up to the first world war and the problems that still beset the balkans, written by somebody who was in a position to witness these momentous times. A must-read for anyone interested in European history or affairs. Volumes 2 and 3 are equally powerful, albeit shorter.
Shame about the typographical errors though, but it did not spoil the read.
Splendid grand historical novel;Transylvian setting. December 13, 1999
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
This is a major novel, the first of a trilogy, newly translated from Hungarian. The author's interests are Proustian but the style is lighter, and more straightforwardly romantic. However, the personal dramas are set against a detailed and vivid coverage of the lives and mores of the Hungarian aristocracy of Transylvania in 1906. The background meanwhile depicts the politics and strains of Austro-Hungary in what were to prove to be its final years. The author, a contemporary aristocrat, wrote the novel in the 1930s, and it has lain unnoticed during the communist era. The novel has had excellent reviews, for example in the Times Literary Supplement.
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