A major hit in Germany that spent 140 weeks on the best-seller list and went on to become one of Europe's biggest literary blockbusters in the last...
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Jul 26, 2011
Susanna-Cole
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When, on a whim, I threw everything away to wander thousands of miles from anything I've ever known, I first went to Lisbon because of this book. That was last September, and by November I had traipsed through neighboring Spain and south into Africa, though, I've since been back to the city of Lisbon, and furthermore to this book.
If you are not, at least in some part, a thinker, if philosophy ebbs away at your patience, if the sight of pages mostly barren of dialogue make you panic, More...
If you are not, at least in some part, a thinker, if philosophy ebbs away at your patience, if the sight of pages mostly barren of dialogue make you panic, More...
Mar 29, 2008
Christopher
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Apparently, Page des Libraires calls this 'One of the great European novels of the past few years'- compared to what? The SNCF Railway Timetable.
This book makes me incredibly angry. And after some thought I can honestly award it the 'worst book I have ever read' award. I could forgive it for being slow. I could forgive the missed opportunities of drawing what potentially could have been interesting characters in two dimensions. I could even forgive the shockingly bad translation ( More...
This book makes me incredibly angry. And after some thought I can honestly award it the 'worst book I have ever read' award. I could forgive it for being slow. I could forgive the missed opportunities of drawing what potentially could have been interesting characters in two dimensions. I could even forgive the shockingly bad translation ( More...
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Jun 23, 2008
Tricia
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This book took me a long, long time to read, but I am glad I stuck with it. A very philosophical book -- it asks the reader to imagine what would happen if you questioned everything about your life and started a new existence.
The main character in this book does exactly that, using a book written by a Portuguese doctor to as a tool for self-discovery.
If you want to be prompted to think more deeply about life, who you truly are, and about human nature in general, read this b
The main character in this book does exactly that, using a book written by a Portuguese doctor to as a tool for self-discovery.
If you want to be prompted to think more deeply about life, who you truly are, and about human nature in general, read this b
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Jan 11, 2012
José-contemplates-Saturn's Aurora
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(2 people liked it)
Jul 01, 2008
Isabel
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Wow, wow, wow. Ein Buch, das man alle paar Jahre lesen sollte, um nicht zu vergessen, was Freiheit ist. Die Story ist nix wahnsinnig besonderes, umso mehr aber die Gedanken über Liebe, Leben, Freiheit, Beziehungen, Verletzungen und und und. Go for it!
Jul 18, 2007
Berit
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I really like this book. It's slow and melancholy, but it has many wonderful ideas in it.
It's not yet out in English (I think it's to be published in December)and I hope its magic does not get lost in translation.
It's not yet out in English (I think it's to be published in December)and I hope its magic does not get lost in translation.
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Jun 02, 2009
J
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Why would you give me this book to read? Why? You didn’t like it. At the time I was too pleased to have a present to care. You could have put anything in my hands and I’d have been delighted. A pen, a purl, a plum… But this? Pah!
At the time, I thought it might still be a good story though. It looked to be a quiet, interior journey. Our man, Gregorius, has a thing for words. I can relate. But not in the way I relate at the beginning of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Gregorius is n More...
At the time, I thought it might still be a good story though. It looked to be a quiet, interior journey. Our man, Gregorius, has a thing for words. I can relate. But not in the way I relate at the beginning of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Gregorius is n More...
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Feb 08, 2009
Anne
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This book was recommended to me by a friend who likened it to Shadow of the Wind, one of the best books I've read in the past couple years. Needless to say, I was excited to check it out. Night Train to Lisbon focuses on Raimond Gregrorius (Mundus), a studious linguistiscs professor in Switzerland. Mundus appears to live a relatively mundane existence with a predictable schedule. One day, however, he encouters a mysterious Portuguese woman. The encounter unnerves him and leads him to discover a
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May 01, 2008
lonestar
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I picked this book up in the bookstore several times before finally buying it. The title seemed intriguing on one hand. On the other hand I had no idea what to expect, and if it would not be another one of those books that I would keep reading just because I cannot just stop in the middle without thinking that I missed something.
Well, I almost did stop after having read a 100 pages or so. Those citations of the fictionary novel woven into the main story "got on my nerves" a More...
Well, I almost did stop after having read a 100 pages or so. Those citations of the fictionary novel woven into the main story "got on my nerves" a More...
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Jul 05, 2008
Bryant
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The hype for this book (over two million copies sold) is inexplicable. Although the central character Gregorius is a classical linguist with a supposedly impregnable gift for recognizing and treasuring beautiful poetry, the entire story here hinges on his suddenly fleeing his life in pursuit of an elusive and patently insipid author named Amadeu Prado. Prado's bathetic meditations fill the pages of this novel: a source of continual inspiration for Gregorius, these sections were a source of alm
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 14, 2008
Michael
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The book suffers from significant problems. The English translation from the German is wooden; the book is too long; the editing is bad (e.g., a Greek word from Homer that is significant to the plot is misread [I hope] from the author's or translator's manuscript and mangled in print); and the endgame is botched (to borrow from the omnipresent chess references that weigh the book down almost as much as the endless poor imitations of Pessoa). The premise had promise, and some of the characters we
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Mar 26, 2011
Heidi
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At first I thought this book would take me al long time to finish. Not because of the language, but this one is a slow story.
The tale gently continues and 'Mundus' (Raimond Gregorius) meets a lot of interesting characters. The book in the book and the search for the author of this book make it special. I
I especially like the idea that a swiss teacher - a rather dull character - leaves everything behind and leaves his beloved Bern to go in search of this author, whose book More...
The tale gently continues and 'Mundus' (Raimond Gregorius) meets a lot of interesting characters. The book in the book and the search for the author of this book make it special. I
I especially like the idea that a swiss teacher - a rather dull character - leaves everything behind and leaves his beloved Bern to go in search of this author, whose book More...
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Sep 12, 2008
Hannah
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I wanted to like this book, I really did. I wanted to be enthralled with its philosophical bent and writing style, allowing me to take my place with the cultured Europeans. But I didn't particularly enjoy it; I have to admit I'm solidly with American opinion on this one. It was well written, took a unique approach to creating a biography of a writer, and offered up a healthy dose of philosophy which I did find refreshing. It did not, however, grip me at all. I found myself wishing I had som
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(4 people liked it)
Aug 01, 2008
Timothy
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In the existential novel tradition - the world changes suddenly for a sound, basic character, and the character has to find answers to the questions he's haunted by. In this case, the character is a 50-ish teacher of of ancient languages in Switzerland, who drops everything to travel to Portugal after he stops a woman with a phone number written on her forehead from jumping off a bridge. Maybe there's a postmodern slant to this one since there's no resolution at the end. Very, very good. Great
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Feb 13, 2009
Diana
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What an interesting surprise of a book. Easy to tell it's written by a philosopher. There were many pages that I marked to read again and again. I kept forgetting that it's set in essentially a contemporary time since so much is set in the past. Made me miss my year in Lisbon.
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Jun 07, 2008
I loved this book. It is an intellectual exploration of one man's reevaluation of his life through the discovery of a relatively unknown but very popular Portuguese doctor, later become member of the resistance to the Salizar government. His impetuous travel from his home in Bern to Lisbon, unravel the mystery of what the doctor was all about through his writings, his friends and family, as it builds for the main character an understanding of his own existence and the nature of human relations
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Dec 20, 2008
Stephanie
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The plot of Night Train To Lisbon begins with a well-worn premise: a character stuck in the routine of life suddenly receives an epiphany, and goes of on a horizon-expanding quest to find himself.
But few novels or movies plumb the philosophical depths of this novel, the third by Swiss philosophy professor Peter Bieri, whose nom de plume is Pascal Mercier. A bestseller in Europe when it was first published in 2004, it is translated for the first time from German to English by Barbara Harsha More...
But few novels or movies plumb the philosophical depths of this novel, the third by Swiss philosophy professor Peter Bieri, whose nom de plume is Pascal Mercier. A bestseller in Europe when it was first published in 2004, it is translated for the first time from German to English by Barbara Harsha More...
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Dec 11, 2008
Reinhold
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Raimund Gregorius ist Lehrer an einem Berner Gymnasium. In seinem Leben hat er es vor allem zu einem gebracht, zu dem Ruf die toten Sprachen zu beherrschen wie kein anderer - dies hat ihm den liebevollen Beinamen "Mundus" eingetragen. Sonst ist sein Leben bisher sehr unspektakulär verlaufen, spießig könnte man sagen. Und da - plötzlich wie aus heiterem Himmel - wird er durch scheinbare Nichtigkeiten vollkommen aus der Bahn geworfen. Ein Entwicklungsroman der Sonderklasse beginnt.
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Nov 24, 2008
Powells.com
rated it:
From its first memorable passages to the complex tale that emerges, Night Train to Lisbon never relents in its existential telling of what life can be. A soulful look into the heart of what nourishes you; a compelling and beautiful book to savor.
Recommended by Danielle, Powells.com
The story of a dependable, rather boring classic-languages professor at a Swiss lycée. Mundus, as he is called, seems to thrive on predictability. One rainy morning on his way to the schoo More...
Recommended by Danielle, Powells.com
The story of a dependable, rather boring classic-languages professor at a Swiss lycée. Mundus, as he is called, seems to thrive on predictability. One rainy morning on his way to the schoo More...
Nov 17, 2011
Duesterwald-Online
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Inhalt:
Gregorius ist Lehrer für Griechisch an einem Gymnasium in Bern und ein sehr korrekter Mensch. Auf dem Weg zur Schule begegnet er eines morgens auf einer Brücke einer Frau. Sie liest etwas, zerknüllt es und scheint aufgebracht zu sein, so dass Gregorius denkt sie springt von der Brücke. Er verliert vor Aufregung seinen Regenschirm und seine Hefte. Die Frau kommt zu ihm, schreibt ihm eine Nummer auf die Stirn und entschuldigt sich gleich wieder dafür. Sie reden ein wenig und er nimmt s More...
Gregorius ist Lehrer für Griechisch an einem Gymnasium in Bern und ein sehr korrekter Mensch. Auf dem Weg zur Schule begegnet er eines morgens auf einer Brücke einer Frau. Sie liest etwas, zerknüllt es und scheint aufgebracht zu sein, so dass Gregorius denkt sie springt von der Brücke. Er verliert vor Aufregung seinen Regenschirm und seine Hefte. Die Frau kommt zu ihm, schreibt ihm eine Nummer auf die Stirn und entschuldigt sich gleich wieder dafür. Sie reden ein wenig und er nimmt s More...
Aug 02, 2011
Tanja
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One afternoon the most reliable of the professors at a Bern university walks out on his class. This is the result of a chance encounter the same morning. The same Raimund Gregorious - Mundus - also bought a book by an uknown Portuguese aristocrat, in a language he didn't know. He travels to Lisbon to try to find out more about the strange author and falls into the past, into a web of old family expectations.
The book is an exploration on how to live life to the fullest, of language, of the weigh More...
The book is an exploration on how to live life to the fullest, of language, of the weigh More...
Apr 11, 2011
Bookmaniac70
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Изглежда имам слабост към сюжети за странствания в търсене на себе си и/ или някаква загадка (най-добре- книга :-)). Историята, разказана в "Нощен влак за Лисабон", не блести с оригиналност с построяването си и основните пунктове, но пък историите от този тип имат потенциал за богато развитие. Тази се опитва да обхване широк спектър от взаимоотношения, разсъждения, морални конфликти чрез сложната личност на лекаря Амедеу Прадо и близкия му кръг. В един момент леко ми писна от този Амед
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Feb 04, 2011
Elsje
rated it:
Een roman waar ik na het lezen met gemengde gevoelens op terugkijk.
Het verhaal
Door een onverwachte ontmoeting met een hem onbekende Portugese vrouw krijgt de Zwitserse Bernse leraar klassieke talen Raimund Gregorius het onbedwingbare verlangen om zijn zeer geregelde leven te verlaten. Hij loopt zo maar weg uit de klas, middenin een les. Hij komt bij een antiquariaat een boek tegen waarin een Portugese arts, Amadeu de Prado, zijn gedachten heeft opgeschreven. Die gedachten zijn een More...
Het verhaal
Door een onverwachte ontmoeting met een hem onbekende Portugese vrouw krijgt de Zwitserse Bernse leraar klassieke talen Raimund Gregorius het onbedwingbare verlangen om zijn zeer geregelde leven te verlaten. Hij loopt zo maar weg uit de klas, middenin een les. Hij komt bij een antiquariaat een boek tegen waarin een Portugese arts, Amadeu de Prado, zijn gedachten heeft opgeschreven. Die gedachten zijn een More...
Jan 23, 2011
Hilary
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Inexplicably bad. Translator's fault, in part? Who knows. I wanted to like - nay, love - this, because an old man at a bar recommended it to me as a book that had changed his life. Instead, I found myself desperate to be done with it. The main character, Gregorius, an uptight teacher of classical languages at a Swiss school, inexplicably quits his job and drops everything after a chance encounter with a mysterious Portuguese woman. Portuguese, you see, is the one language he doesn't know,
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Sep 30, 2010
Xirxe
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Dieses Buch ist mal wieder ein gelungenes Beispiel für einen völlig mißlungenen Klappen- und Umschlagtext und was daraus wird: Mehr als die Hälfte der Bewertungen bei amazon sind gut bis sehr gut, ca. ein Drittel schlecht bis sehr schlecht und lediglich 10% finden es 'so ok'. Kein Wunder: Wer sich ein Buch kauft aufgrund der vollmundigen Ankündigung als Krimi ('Bewußtseinskrimi!'), in dem der Protagonist Raimund Gregorius um sein Leben fürchten muss, wird schwer enttäuscht sein von dieser Lektür
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Aug 27, 2010
gwen
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Peter Bieri, who goes under the pen name Pascal Mercier is a professor of Philosophy that lives in Berlin. A Night Train to Lisbon started with Raimund Gregorius, a teacher of ancient languages in Bern who met a Portuguese woman by a train. The encounter acted as a catalyst for him to leave his life and discover the life of the godless priest,, Amadeu Prado. Through the journal written by him, compiled and published by his sister, Adriana, The Goldsmith of Words, maps out the life of the doctor
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Jun 10, 2010
Kristina
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Nach langer Zeit wieder ein etwas "dickeres" Buch, wofür ich dementsprechend auch länger gebraucht habe, weil es kein Buch ist, was man verschlingen kann. Sehr philosophisch und poetisch geschrieben, vieles zum Nachdenken anregend.
Vielleicht muss ich es in 30 Jahren noch mal lesen, dann wirkt es sicherlich ganz anders auf mich und wird mir noch besser gefallen.
Besonders hat mir der Abschnitt über das Ärgern gefallen. Ärgern ist so sinnlos, weil man ihn nicht rauslässt More...
Vielleicht muss ich es in 30 Jahren noch mal lesen, dann wirkt es sicherlich ganz anders auf mich und wird mir noch besser gefallen.
Besonders hat mir der Abschnitt über das Ärgern gefallen. Ärgern ist so sinnlos, weil man ihn nicht rauslässt More...
Apr 27, 2010
Barb
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struggled between and 3 and a 4 star rating. although this novel was difficult to finish, i am glad learned about the wonderful portuguese natives who were involved in the resistance against salazar and the secret police. language was, at times so beautiful, other times so tedious, esp in prado's journals. here is a review from library literary journal: In Swiss novelist Mercier's U.S. debut, Raimund Gregorius is a gifted but dull 57-year-old high school classical languages teacher in Switzerla
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Jan 01, 2010
Gerald
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Even those reviewers who could empathise with boring Gregorius, the novel's 'hero,' have had to concede that a lumpen translation and countless errors that passed the spellchecker (but wouldn't have escaped a mildly conscientious proof reader) make this a challenging read.
One has to take the publishers' word for it that two million copies have been sold world-wide. It would have been more honest - but probably dangerous - to reveal how many actually read it to the end. Since I reach More...
One has to take the publishers' word for it that two million copies have been sold world-wide. It would have been more honest - but probably dangerous - to reveal how many actually read it to the end. Since I reach More...
Nov 19, 2009
Tim
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I LOVED this book. I've been running around quoting "Given that we can live only a small part of what there is in us - what happens to the rest?"
Part of me wants to say that that line, and the subject of this book, the exploration of alternate lives than the one you've chosen, resonated with me because I'm at that age when one recognizes how much will go undone, how many experiences will never be felt, how many lives could still be lived, given world enough and time.
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Part of me wants to say that that line, and the subject of this book, the exploration of alternate lives than the one you've chosen, resonated with me because I'm at that age when one recognizes how much will go undone, how many experiences will never be felt, how many lives could still be lived, given world enough and time.
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