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Embers
Embers | Sandor Marai
Originally published in 1942 and now rediscovered to international acclaim, this taut and exquisitely structured novel by the Hungarian master Sandor Marai conjures the melancholy glamour of a decaying empire and the disillusioned wisdom of its last heirs. In a secluded woodland castle an old General prepares to receive a rare visitor, a man who was once his closest friend but who he has not seen in forty-one years. Over the ensuing hours host and guest will fight a duel of words and silences, accusations and evasions. They will exhume the memory of their friendship and that of the General s beautiful, long-dead wife. And they will return to the time the three of them last sat together following a hunt in the nearby forest--a hunt in which no game was taken but during which something was lost forever. Embers is a classic of modern European literature, a work whose poignant evocation of the past also seems like a prophetic glimpse into the moral abyss of the present"
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review
Clagarbec
El ltimo encuentro | Sandor Marai
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Panpan

No me gustó. Caduco en valores y perspectiva. Tremendamente machista y pesado. Contempla a las mujeres como objetos de colección. Dice que la amistad entre hombres no es como la relación entre hombre y mujeres pues estas siempre pretenden algo a cambio. Todo el libro el general se la paso hablando con arrogancia.

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Clagarbec
El ltimo encuentro | Sandor Marai

El monólogo interminable de un anciano general rencoroso y arrogante hacia quien fuera su mejor amigo y quien lo traicionara con su mujer a quien el general llamaba “el objeto más preciado de su colección “. Leí esta novela con ojos modernos de mujer feminista y me desagradó mucho. Es una novela que no ha envejecido bien. Su perspectiva, sus conceptos, sus valores ya se sienten caducos. Exasperante.

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Blaire
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Pickpick

I found the central tension in this novel to build throughout and I was continually surprised by where it went. There was an intensity to the friendship of Konrad and the General and the discussion of how their relationship formed and matured bore fruit later in the book. A lot packed into a short book. In a lot of ways it also reminded me of classic mysteries. Liked this much more than I expected. I think this is one you either love or hate.

Libby1 I loved it, too! 2y
Blaire @Libby1 were discussing it with my family at book club this afternoon and I think we‘re split on it‘ll be an interesting discussion. I liked the slow burn nature of it. 2y
Libby1 I felt there was a creeping sense of dread. Maybe dread is the wrong word, but something was definitely creeping! 2y
Blaire @Libby1 exactly. 2y
54 likes1 stack add4 comments
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ReadingEnvy
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Panpan

Oof, well this novel is a very slow burn, about two men in their 70s meeting again after 40 years apart. The meeting is in 1942 but they were soldiers together for the Austro-Hungarian empire until something happens, something which the author takes the entire book to excruciatingly reveal.

The author was born in what is now Slovakia so I'll either count the book for there or Hungary for my Europe 2021 reading project.

Prairiegirl_reading I know a lot of people are hesitant to post negative reviews but I honestly really appreciate this. Thanks for sharing! 2y
ReadingEnvy @Prairiegirl_reading oh sure. Plus the authors been dead for a while! 2y
Prairiegirl_reading @ReadingEnvy lol! I didn‘t know that but also I think some people don‘t want to insult other readers either. 2y
47 likes3 comments
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K.Wielechowski
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Panpan

I honestly don‘t know what this books was about. It‘s 200 pages of an old man soliloquizing at his estranged best friend, looking for answers about their falling out and then never actually getting them.
Literally nothing happens but talking and flashbacks. The words themselves were beautifully written “all the music in the world was laying silently in wait in that room” but the story was lacking.

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suvata
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Pickpick

Translated from Hungarian, this is the story of two best friends that have not seen each other for 41 years. When they finally meet again we learn the story of what ended their close friendship many years ago. Although there are some elements of mystery, the story is more of a morality study. I thought it was great.

Tamra This sounds wonderful! 4y
suvata @Tamra To me, it was the kind of book that you don‘t appreciate until you‘re done reading it and it all kind of sinks in. 4y
Tamra @suvata even better! 4y
61 likes3 comments
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suvata
Embers | Sandor Marai
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I always almost read e-books on my Kindle but right now I have a stack of physical books that I need to get through.

Crazeedi I was on a major kindle kick, but then I looked at my stack too! So I've been trying to read from that never ending stack!🙄🙂❤ 5y
cathysaid Embers ❤ 5y
Reviewsbylola I really enjoyed Miracle Creek. 5y
See All 7 Comments
suvata @Reviewsbylola I will probably be reading that next because I have to finish it by the end of this month. Glad to hear it was good. 5y
suvata @cathysaid I can‘t even remember where I heard about this book but I‘m happy to hear that you liked it. 5y
suvata @Crazeedi My goal is to only have Kindle books but I know that will never happen. For some reason it just bothers me to see a stack of books that I need to read. It doesn‘t look so daunting when they‘re on the Kindle. LOL 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I just read Embers and loved it 5y
68 likes7 comments
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
Embers | Sandor Marai
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I love this book so far. The language is captivating. But this is the weirdest font for page numbers I‘ve ever seen. (This is page 47)

marleed Oh that‘s interesting! 5y
monalyisha They kind-of look like a flickering flame. Maybe that was the intention? (edited) 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @monalyisha Oh! Smart idea! I didn‘t think of that! 5y
monalyisha @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I just want everything to mean something. 🙈😅 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @monalyisha I like your theory! And it makes me feel better about wondering “am I on page 72? 34? 98?” 5y
58 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Sapphire
Embers | Sandor Marai
Mehso-so

I found the ending very unsatisfying. we

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Sapphire
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Reading on the train from Barcelona to Seville

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Libby1
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Pickpick

* No books were harmed in the creation of this photo! 🔥

A simple story, dark and deep, told mostly through the form of a one sided conversation between two old men. Set in a castle deep in the forests of #Hungary , this book is like a winding trail through Medieval woodlands: trails twist and turn, the smell of the earth rising about you in the morning fog, sunlight piercing through the trees in unexpected places.

A quiet book. I loved it.

starlight97 Yay Hungary! 😊 5y
Libby1 @starlight97 - yay Hungary! I visited Budapest a little over a year ago and was completely charmed. ❤️ 5y
Mdargusch Beautiful review! 5y
See All 9 Comments
starlight97 @Libby1 it really is a lovely city 😊 5y
Tamra That sounds good! 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Was JUST reading the blurb on Goodreads. Sounds really good! (I think hearing about this book twice in 5 minutes from two different people means I need to buy it, right?) 5y
Libby1 @Tamra - it was a slow burner (pardon the pun), but beautifully written. 5y
Libby1 Amazing, @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled ! Did you get it?!? 🤤 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I put it on my Amazon wishlist 🤞 5y
81 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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Libby1
Embers | Sandor Marai
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My coffee matches its saucer. ❤️

I feel almost as if I‘m in Vienna in the late 19th century ad I read this book. The translation is beautiful. I can only imagine how stunning this would be in the original Hungarian.

BethM Beautiful! 5y
Oryx Let me know how it ends 😋 5y
RadicalReader Love the pretty artwork on the coffee cup 5y
See All 8 Comments
Cathythoughts Sounds really interesting! Stacked 5y
Crazeedi I've never heard of this before, and it sounds intriguing, putting on my list 5y
mabell The coffee is perfection 😍 5y
Libby1 @BethM , @Oryx , @RadicalReader , @Cathythoughts , @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks , @Crazeedi , @mabell - the coffee - and book - were perfection! ❤️📚❤️☕️❤️ 5y
100 likes5 stack adds8 comments
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Caty1
Embers | Sandor Marai
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"We all must come to terms with what and who we are, and recognize that this wisdom is not going to earn us any praise, that life is not going to pin a medal on us for recognizing and enduring our own vanity or egoism" "We have to learn that our desires do not find any real echo in the world."

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eeclayton
Embers | Sandor Marai
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#dealalert An exquisite novel from my home country. Heartily recoommended! #HungarianClassic

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Moray_Reads
Embers | Sandor Marai
This post contains spoilers
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Oof. There's a lot of pain here.

cathysaid But such a good book! 7y
13 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
Embers | Sandor Marai
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The quiet desolation in the tone of this book is quite beautiful but it's very much a product of its time and place and sentences like this are jarring

Eyelit Dang 7y
saresmoore That's a great insight on your part. 7y
zsuzsanna_reads What page is this on? I have the Hungarian original, I'd be interested to see how far how it is worded there. 7y
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Moray_Reads @zsuzsanna_reads oh that would be interesting! It's page 64 in my edition. The last page of chapter seven 7y
zsuzsanna_reads It's the same in the original 😮 7y
Moray_Reads @zsuzsanna_reads I suppose it's not a surprising sentiment for the time but it's a shame when things like this detract from what is really beautiful writing 7y
zsuzsanna_reads Agreed. 7y
38 likes1 stack add7 comments
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rayna
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Damn, say what you really feel.

Tikabelle Whoa. That is heavy. 7y
rayna Yeah, the book is basically 100 pages of setup and then 40 pages of a really intense bromance convo. So far, anyway. 7y
16 likes2 comments
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HopelessWanderer
Embers | Sandor Marai
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'But like every kiss, this one is an answer, a clumsy but tender answer to a question that eludes the power of language'

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rayna
Embers | Sandor Marai
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New book! #sundayreads

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Saknicole
Embers | Sandor Marai
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"Is that why you went" asked the General almost as an aside, giving no particular emphasis on the words. "To kill something in yourself?"

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shawnmooney
Embers | Sandor Marai
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This was one of the very first books I found out about on Litsy, from a post eight months ago by @SGJ - so I was delighted to happen upon this used copy in a bookstore in Saskatoon!

Moray_Reads This has been on my tbr for so long! 7y
ReadingEnvy Do you have room in your luggage for all these books!!? 7y
SharonGoforth Another good one! 😊 7y
shawnmooney @ReadingEnvy Yeah really, hey? Actually, I was over in terms of weight – my suitcase, that is - so I had to leave a couple books with mom for next time! 7y
40 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Oblomov26
Embers | Sandor Marai
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#setineasterneurope #photoadaynov16 Embers is a story set in a castle somewhere in Eastern Europe in the 1940's. An old general is visited by the best friend of his youth who he has not spoken to in 40 years. The story takes the form of the General expounding on the events leading to their break including both men's relationship with the Generals wife after which his friend Konrad is offered a chance to respond. A tale of truths unspoken.

LauraBrook Sounds interesting! And what a beautiful photo! Reminds me of Austria. 7y
Varske Great book! 6y
71 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
DreesReads
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Mehso-so

For 41 years the general has been thinking and moping and thinking some more about an event involving his best friend and long deceased wife. Now he can ask his friend two questions about the event. I am not a fan of books that involve long-winded single-sided "discussion" and no ultimate resolution. #1001books read number 164.

brendanmleonard I've been thinking of doing the 1001 books thing, too! What list do you use? 7y
DreesReads @brendanmleonard I have the latest edition of the book, but I also use the app. The app lets you see all the editions, so I actually use the full set (1300+ titles) on there. I do think the last edition is the best--more diverse and includes books from more countries. 7y
brendanmleonard @AudreyMorris I didn't know there was an app! 7y
DreesReads @brendanmleonard yes! And the developer is in the goodreads 1001 books group! 7y
21 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Saknicole
Embers | Sandor Marai
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There was something insurmountable between them. But they loved each other.

4 likes1 stack add
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DreesReads
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Did someone say National Coffee Day? I haven't finished mine so I'm not sure.

RealLifeReading 😂😂☕️☕️☕️ 7y
20 likes1 comment
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teebe
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Catching up with the #septphotochallenge again! I only found this one very recently. The description is intriguing but I haven't heard much about this, have any of you read it? #translatedbooks #somethingforsept

Marchpane I just added this to my wishlist last night! Also keen to hear if anyone else has read it. 8y
13 likes1 comment
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DreesReads
Embers | Sandor Marai
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I am letting my queue run down on purpose, so these are just some things I grabbed off the shelves #libraryhaul

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Saknicole
Embers | Sandor Marai
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The new wing, in which he had lived with his wife, brilliantly colored salons with their French silk wall-coverings already fraying, the great reception room with its fireplace and its books, the staircase with its antlers, stuffed grouse, and mounted chamois heads, the large dining room with its view from the window down the valley and over the little town to the distant silver-blue shapes of the mountains, his wife's room and his own bedroom ...

Kimberlone How is this book? Never heard of it 7y
Saknicole It's from a famous Hungarian novelist 7y
6 likes2 comments
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Saknicole
Embers | Sandor Marai
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"July 2, 1899, was the day of the hunt"

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Reading_E
Embers | Sandor Marai
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#underhyped I think this book has not gotten as much recognition as it should. It is beautifully written and flows so well, I copied whole passages out because the language was so amazing #augustphotochallenge

LizKay This looks amazing! 8y
Reading_E @LizKay it is! It's not the most conventional style of novel but it's really good! 8y
19 likes6 stack adds2 comments
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Reading_E
Embers | Sandor Marai

Time is a purgatory that has cleansed all fury from my memories

2 likes1 stack add
review
Rrkaras1
Embers | Sandor Marai
Pickpick

One of my favorite books of all time. Story about a relationship of two friends over time---divided by the love for the same woman.

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SGJ
Embers | Sandor Marai
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Pickpick

I love getting ambushed by a book. Picked this up years ago, because someone told me that, yeah, nothing really happens in it, but you can't stop reading either. Five reads later, I'm still trying to figure where its page-turniness comes from. Because I want to steal it. But also, I like to savor it

Gezemice I liked it, too. I am Hungarian and this book is like a deep-dive into Hungarian doom-and-gloom thinking, coupled with an obsessive sense of honor and searing tragic passions. It is like Central European blues. 8y
SGJ That'd be a great subtitle for it. 8y
bbbbecky Immediately added to my to-read list. Your review is intriguing! 8y
Gezemice @SGJ You are welcome to steal it 😉 8y
51 likes54 stack adds4 comments