In this dizzyingly rich novel of ideas, Mann uses a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps--a community devoted exclusively to sickness--as a microcosm for Europe, which in the years before 1914 was already exhibiting the first symptoms of its own terminal irrationality. The Magic Mountain is a monumental work of erudition and irony, sexual tension and intellectual ferment, a book that pulses with life in the midst of death.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Great read in more ways than one:
You can see a summary of the plot of the book in mostly every other review about this book. What I did not found was the fantastic way of the author to tell several stories in several levels at the same time. For the straight thinker, the story might be closer to a Seinfeld episode than a literary masterpiece... a story about nothing. Even at this basic (first line level), the book is worth reading, with every chapter narrating a different short story worth reading in itself like separate Seinfeld chapters,... more info
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!:
At the risk of being labelled a Philistine, I declare that this book is one of the most insufferably boring tomes that has ever made it onto my bedside table. I admit that I only struggled my way through the first 170 pages, but that was enough to convince me that I should not waste any more minutes of my precious life wading through any more of this drivel. I know, I have also been chastised for criticising modern art in the same way. Tracey Emin's "Unmade Bed" and Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain"... more info
Death and Amusement in the Mountains:
The Magic Mountain is a renowned classic of twentieth century literature, especially German and European literature. As a book, it is moderate to easy to read, and I highly recommend the novel. It is easier to read than some of Mann's other works. I recently purchased and read this exact novel as shown. The novel is set near Davos, Switzerland, just before the outbreak of World War I. The story was inspired by Mann's own visit to a clinic in Davos when his wife was admitted to a similar clinic when she... more info
Unique in reading experiences:
Just to be clear, I've only read the Lowe-Porter translation, though I plan at some point to follow Mann's advice and give it a once-again with the new Woods version. For those not accustomed to fairly dense or philosophical works of fiction, the task here presented to the reader will likely prove new and exciting. I'm not going to say "difficult" or "intimidating" because, with a bit of patience and intelligence, the novel is accessible and even enjoyable in a certain idiosyncratic way. The... more info
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