Customer Reviews:
 A fantastic read December 7, 2006
2 out of 2 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 22, 2004
8 out of 8 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
16 out of 16 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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