Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
End of Days
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
33 posts | 18 read | 35 to read
The End of Days, a brilliant novel of contingency and fate, by the acclaimed German writer Jenny Erpenbeck, consists essentially of five books, each leading to a different death of the same unnamed woman protagonist. How could it all have gone differently? the narrator asks in the intermezzos. The first chapter begins with the death of a baby in the early twentieth-century Hapsburg Empire. In the next chapter, the same girl grows up in Vienna, but her strange relationship with a boy leads to death. In the next scenario, she survives adolescence and moves to Russia with her husband. Both are dedicated Communists, yet our heroine ends up in a labor camp. But her fate does not end there... A novel of incredible breadth yet amazing concision, The End of Days offers a unique overview of twentieth-century German and German-Jewish history by one of the finest, most exciting authors alive (Michael Faber)."
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Jeg
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Bailedbailed

Found this hard to follow so gave up. Might come back to it one day.

blurb
Buechersuechtling
Aller Tage Abend: Roman | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

I decided, I need to pause this. I just can‘t go back to it at the moment because I can feel a knot building up in my guts if I only just think about continuing it.

So I definitely need to lay some personal distance between the issues the book deals with and the experiences my own life recently presented to me.

blurb
Buechersuechtling
Aller Tage Abend: Roman | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

I didn‘t get far, p. 25 or so. An 8 months old baby that died made me put it away for now.

Some of you might recall that earlier this month a close friend of mine died, which came by surprise for me.

We are a close community here, so I was asked to write a kind of obituary about him. I am procrastinating this but forced me to do so today, and I realised quickly that I can‘t do both, fight with my words and feelings _and_ read this book.

AnneCecilie I‘m sorry I didn‘t think about when I talked about how great this book is. 4y
Buechersuechtling @AnneCecilie Oh please, Anne Cecilie, there‘s really nothing you need to be sorry about, believe me. 🤗 I mean, I read the summary myself and lent the book _because_of_it‼️ The point that surprises me is, that I so much have to fight and digest about my friend‘s passing-away. I didn‘t know that this would be so hard for me. I usually am quite talented with the words, you know. But not this time. (edited) 4y
14 likes2 comments
blurb
Buechersuechtling
Aller Tage Abend: Roman | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

📸 https://bit.ly/3eF2nEb

My parents‘ neighbours have exactly those tulips 💐 in their front garden. I _love_ them❣️Whenever I see them I smile from the bottom of my heart and think of #BloomingLitsy. Since I have no special talent with my mobile camera I “lent” photos from the Internet. 😊

I want to give a wave at @Come-read-with-me who I recall to always have such lovely flowers.

Come-read-with-me @Buechersuechtling Thanks for the shout out! 😘 The tulips are spectacular-they are just so beautiful! How lucky your family is to be able to see these every day! 4y
15 likes1 comment
blurb
Buechersuechtling
Aller Tage Abend: Roman | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Here, bookstores will re-open tomorrow, April, 20th, so I decided to support my local shop.

I browsed my virtual SUB here on Litsy and picked 4 potential candidates:

Jennifer Niven‘s „??Stell dir vor, dass ich dich liebe“ = „??Holding up the Universe“

Jana Seelig‘s „Minusgefühle“

Bill Clegg‘s „??Fast eine Familie“
= “??Did you ever have a Family”

Cecilia Vinesse „??Sieben Nächte in Tokio“ = “??Seven days of You”

Help me decide.

Come-read-with-me They all sound good! Whatever‘s you choose will be spectacular! 4y
AnneCecilie I loved Did You Ever Have a Family. I loved all the different POV and how they were all connected. I read this a few years ago when it was at the Booker Longlist and I still think about it. 4y
17 likes2 comments
blurb
Buechersuechtling
Aller Tage Abend: Roman | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Look, @AnneCecilie what I quickly snatched from my library after I was afraid that it wouldn‘t be wise to start “Oathbringer” today without having read the other related volumes. This Jenny Erpenbeck has been on my wish list since we have talked lately. It was available, so I quickly took it home.

Nevertheless, I will start with the other one because I imagine it‘s the lighter read. 😊

AnneCecilie Which Erpenbeck is this? Unfortunately I don‘t speak any German so doesn‘t understand the title. Looking forward to your thoughts 4y
Buechersuechtling @AnneCecilie I‘m sorry. I was afraid you might not know which book this is But because she is a German author it‘s a little bit tricky with the translations, you know. I did a research and I think the Norwegian title could be “Alle dagers ende”. 4y
AnneCecilie That‘s a great book. Reminded me a little of Life after Life by Kate Atkinson, if you have read that one. 4y
Buechersuechtling @AnneCecilie No, I haven‘t. I found it in my feed several times but since I am mostly a library kid I am left out in the cold when they, like in this case, don‘t have my wish in stock. 4y
13 likes4 comments
review
TheBookstorePodcast
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Pickpick

⭐️ New Episode! ⭐️ Alternate title: We Are Not Historians. But Jenny Erpenbeck‘s THE END OF DAYS did blow us away with it‘s masterful ability to tie everything together. We might have had an existential crisis, but we recommend this history of the 20th century as told though what might have been in one woman‘s life. Check out our discussion wherever you get your podcasts!

Chrissyreadit @Librarybelle @BethM @megnews have any of you read this? It sounds interesting! 4y
BethM @Chrissyreadit I have not but I agree it sounds interesting! 4y
megnews @Chrissyreadit never heard of it but sounds good. Stacked. Thanks for the tag! 4y
Librarybelle @Chrissyreadit Oh! I‘m not familiar with this. Thanks for tagging me...I‘m stacking this! 4y
35 likes4 stack adds4 comments
blurb
AnneCecilie
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
OriginalCyn620 👌🏻📚🧡 4y
49 likes1 comment
blurb
8little_paws
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Hey littens. Been going through a lot lately. Just wanted to say I love the mental escape of this platform. Going to try to read a bit more of this book. To be honest I'm not loving it, but will give it a bit more.

Chrissyreadit ❤️ 5y
cobwebmoth *hugs* 5y
Tanisha_A Hope things get better sooner than soon! 5y
See All 7 Comments
RohitSawant 💜💜 5y
MicheleinPhilly ❤️❤️ 5y
Mimi28 Sorry to hear this 😞 I hope things get better extremely soon ❤️❤️ 5y
58 likes7 comments
review
BestDogDad
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Pickpick

The End of Days is similar in style to Kate Atkinson's excellent book Life After Life, although I would rank Kate's book higher.

The novel is broken out in to five "books", each one ending with the death of the main character. In between each book there is an "intermezzo" which addresses the circumstances of her death and then asks "what if an event or two changed and the main character survived?” This is a dark, poignant, and unusual novel.

14 likes2 stack adds
quote
shawnmooney
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
39 likes1 stack add
quote
shawnmooney
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
LeahBergen Eww, that bruise painting! 😆 6y
40 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
shawnmooney
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
LeahBergen How are you enjoying this? Is it comparing favourably with 6y
39 likes2 stack adds1 comment
quote
shawnmooney
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Centique Oh wow 😰 6y
37 likes2 comments
review
Kathrin
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Pickpick

Erpenbeck's book explores alternative life scenarios based on the survival and death of the main character. Four times she lets her die and three times the author retraces her steps and has her survive for a little while longer.

The author's use of language was hypnotic to me. She uses some phrases and metaphors over and over again and they connect the present with the past and sometimes connect one scenario with the other.

BarbaraBB How is this book? I recently read and loved 6y
Kathrin @BarbaraBB I really enjoyed the book a lot! I have read " Go, Went, Gone" and like it too. The books are very very different both in material and writing style. 6y
BarbaraBB Thanks! I‘ve got this one on my wishlist! 6y
19 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
AnneCecilie
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Pickpick

What a book! Following a woman as an infant in 1902, then later as a teen and during different stages as a grown-up. It really asks the important question: What if? What if this happened instead of that, what would the result be?

If you loved "Life after Life" by Kate Atkinson, this is definitely the book for you

blurb
AnneCecilie
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Next up. Based on the synopsis, this book is giving me all the "Life after Life" feelings. So my expectations are high, very high. "Life after Life" is one of my favorite books ?

blurb
TEArificbooks
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

This is becoming a new routine. Put the kids to bed, start some laundry, and while I wait for it to finish, finish my day with a book, a drink, and sleeping dogs by the fire. #dogsoflitsy

quote
charl08
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Or perhaps that all of them together are dreaming a nightmare from which there will never be an awakening, and in this nightmare Stalin, the good father, creeps into the rooms where his children are sleeping with a knife in his hands.

ohyeahthatgirl Jenny Erpenbeck is such an amazing writer! It always feels so fresh and sharp. 6y
charl08 @ohyeahthatgirl I'm looking forward to reading more by her. 6y
31 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
AnneCecilie
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Visited the bookstore today and came home with beauties.

One of my goals in January was to not buy any books and I actually made it *pat on the shoulder*
So naturally I had to visit the store the first day in a new month 😍

Kalalalatja Well, of course 😄😄 6y
AnneCecilie @Kalalalatja that is what I love about this community, probably one of the few places who understand how difficult that is 6y
29 likes2 comments
blurb
bookishunicorn
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

So, there's a slight possibility that I may die before I actually get to read all of the books on my TBR pile.................... that's what I'm thinking about today at work.....while I'm supposed to be working 😊😁😋
#fridaymusings #happyfriday #books #tbrpile

Fernoppy My view is my TBR is a list of endless possibilities and hope, so the more possibilities the better 😊 6y
RadicalReader @bookishunicorn you have the best quote I have ever seen here on Litsy. You are now a Legend!! 6y
bookishunicorn @Fernoppy That's a great way to look at it 😊 6y
bookishunicorn @RadicalReader Well, I've certainly never been that before 😁 Thanks! 6y
18 likes4 comments
review
Canadian.Reads
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Pickpick

Quite a book! Loved the writing/translation of this talented author and translator. I got a little confused about 2/3 of the way through but the end tied it together in a beautiful way. Some of the passages were exquisite enough to re read three times.

18 likes1 stack add
review
Abailliekaras
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
Pickpick

Jeepers! Bleak, beautifully written story of a family in Germany, then onto hungry years in Vienna and revolutionary Russia (comrades denouncing each other) & to Berlin. There are multiple outcomes, circling around the idea that the day one's life ends is not the end of days. So the family moves through phases of history but death is ever-present. Exquisitely written, it is lyrical & uses intimate scenes to illuminate history. Too sad for me.

Abailliekaras I'm changing this to a pick because it's so beautiful and accomplished, I don't want to put people off reading it. But be warned, it starts sad and stays that way! 😥 7y
25 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Abailliekaras
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

This is stunning but sad so far. I'm going to need wine... 😬🍷

25 likes1 stack add
blurb
Abailliekaras
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Some old-fashioned #shoesoncovers #jubilantjuly

Cinfhen ❤️👢👞 7y
23 likes1 comment
blurb
Abailliekaras
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

My daughter and I went to Waterstones today and ... #bookhaul part 1. 🙈 Some Spanish picks for our upcoming trip to Barcelona ... End of Days is for #LondonBookClub

blurb
vivjm
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

Current reading-in-the-bath book. You all have those, right?

blurb
EliseBlackwell
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

blurb
8little_paws
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

I don't own any books that aren't in English, as English is my only language. But this book is originally published not in English! Haven't read it yet. #seasonsreadings2016 @RealLifeReading

Lacythebookworm I have this one, too! Sounds great, just need to read it!😊 7y
Libby1 Beautiful photo. 7y
41 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
JenP
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck

I am so ashamed of my country today. Words can't even begin to describe how devastated I feel. May our children and the world forgive us

Eyelit Same. 💜 7y
britt_brooke 💔😞 7y
LiteraryinLawrence I know. I'm going around work like a zombie. I don't understand how we got here. 7y
7 likes4 comments
blurb
Eyelit
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image
BekahB I have the same version of Beowulf. I love it's cover! 😀 8y
Hobbinol Great choices! 8y
77 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
Expandingbookshelf
End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

"Many mornings...he will weep bitterly as he never has before, and still, as his nose runs and he swallows his own tears, he will ask himself whether these strange sounds and spasms are really all that humankind has been given to mourn with."

3 likes2 stack adds
quote
lis_s
The End of Days | Jenny Erpenbeck
post image

"A day on which a life comes to an end is still far from being the end of days."