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The End of Loneliness

Benedict Wells (Goodreads Author),

Charlotte Collins (Translator)

4.26 · Rating details · 4,187 ratings · 533 reviews

Jules Moreau’s childhood is shattered after the sudden death of his parents. Enrolled in boarding school where he and his siblings, Marty and Liz, are forced to live apart, the once vivacious and fearless Jules retreats inward, preferring to live within his memories--until he meets Alva, a kindred soul caught in her own grief. Fifteen years pass and the siblings remain str ...more

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Paperback, 272 pages

Published January 29th 2019 by Penguin Books (first published February 24th 2016)

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· 4,187 ratings · 533 reviews

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Jan 25, 2019 Angela M rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss-reviews

A well written story affords us the opportunity to feel what the characters are feeling even if their experience is not one that is totally familiar. I know what grief feels like over losing loved ones, but I don’t know what it’s like as a child to lose both parents and carry that grief throughout your life. This is a such a well written story that I found myself totally immersed in the grief of Jules, Marty and Liz Moreau, so much so that I cried at times with them and for them. This is such a
A well written story affords us the opportunity to feel what the characters are feeling even if their experience is not one that is totally familiar. I know what grief feels like over losing loved ones, but I don’t know what it’s like as a child to lose both parents and carry that grief throughout your life. This is a such a well written story that I found myself totally immersed in the grief of Jules, Marty and Liz Moreau, so much so that I cried at times with them and for them. This is such a profound story about loss and loneliness and the effect of losing their parents and the life they knew, but it’s at the same time about how life goes on, about love, about memories. Even with the pervasive grief that makes this heavy and dark at times, there is hope and there are moments of joy.

Jules is the narrator, so you might say it’s his story but it’s also Marty’s and Liz’s and Alva’s story, the woman who has been in Jules’ heart from when he was a child at the boarding school the siblings were sent to. I don’t want to say much about the plot, except that it depicts how they lose themselves and each other and this is the story of their journeys to move forward. Bottom line is that I loved it, the introspective nature of it, the characters’ self awareness as they try to cope. It’s very philosophical as well, raising big questions such as how much does an individual control control his or her feelings and shape their life moving forward. These are some of the most affecting characters I’ve encountered in a while.

I always feel as if I’m taking a risk when I read a translation of a book, because I think I might not fully get what the author is trying to convey in his or her native language. The beautiful translation of this book felt true to me and it felt like English was the language it was written in, so kudos to Charlotte Collins who translated this book. This will definitely be on my list of favorites for the year.

I read this with the Traveling Sisters and I received an advanced copy of this book from Penguin Books through Edelweiss. ...more

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Jan 31, 2019 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My gosh.... the purity of this novel is beautiful. The storytelling MAGNIFICENT!

It’s a book you want to own - let some time pass - then read it again. A few novels are high on my ‘gift’ lists....
“Molokai” by Alan Brennert, “To The End of Your Life Book Club”, by Will Schwalbe, and “The History of Love”, by Nicole Krause are a few books. - just to name a few- I’ve given away to people many times. I like to bring a book - rather than a bottle of wine to dinner invitations.
I ‘already’ have a frien ...more

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Jan 26, 2019 Diane S ☔ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lor-2019

My first five star read of 2019. Five stars because it gave me a very good story, some great and memorable characters, as well as delivering all the feels. A complimentary side of marshmallow thrown in for good measure.

When the story opens we are introduced to Jules. He is lying in a hospital bed recovering from a motorcycle accident. The reason for the accident is in doubt. He then flashes back to his past, and the reader follows he and his siblings as they are delivered to a just barely servic ...more

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Dec 08, 2017 İntellecta rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

At first i was curious about an unusual story by Benedict Wells, so i was excited to read. Benedict Wells has a great writing style. He usualy knows how to handle with words, but did not touch me with his style of writing. The destiny of the main character is directed by the arbitrariness of the autor without surprising moments and changes of tacks.

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Feb 17, 2018 Andrew Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The book opens with the line: I’ve known Death a long time, but now Death knows me.

Jules wakes in a hospital bed - he’s been in an accident and he’s pretty beaten up. He tries to piece it together: a motorcycle accident, but there’s something before that, something his mind doesn’t want to recall. We’ll find out what that is… but not yet, not for quite some time.

We flashback to his childhood and learn that he lost his parents early in life, the result of a car crash. He, his brother Marty and The book opens with the line: I’ve known Death a long time, but now Death knows me.

Jules wakes in a hospital bed - he’s been in an accident and he’s pretty beaten up. He tries to piece it together: a motorcycle accident, but there’s something before that, something his mind doesn’t want to recall. We’ll find out what that is… but not yet, not for quite some time.

We flashback to his childhood and learn that he lost his parents early in life, the result of a car crash. He, his brother Marty and sister Liz were dispatched to a grim boarding school. The idyllic life they’d led to this point is gone, replaced by something else. At the school, Jules meets the red haired Alva, a similarly introverted being; they strike up a friendship. Marty also finds a friend in Toni, who will eventually become a friend to all three siblings. Liz, on the other hand is a bit of a loner, but wild too: she wants to live life to the full and to experiment. As the book unfolds we see will how the lives of all five of them play out.

The focus, though, is on Jules and it’s through him that we see what happens to each of them. It’s a truly multi-layered tale this: it’s predominantly melancholy in tone, as the siblings follow a hard road to their futures, and we really do witness the peaks and troughs a life can deliver. Not only is there the loss of their parents to deal with but also separation as the three of them are split up for the first time in their lives at the boarding school and again later after they’ve gotten together collectively or sometimes in pairings. There is the agonising over unrequited love and the mistakes they make (that we all make) as they grow up, sometimes leading to longer term problems or regrets that will continue to haunt them. There’s also a pervading sense of time running out, things left undone. And there’s a suspicion that lives can be poisoned from the start (the siblings lost their parents and Alva lost a sister) stunting the ability to find happiness thereafter. But there are good times too, successes and moments of pure unadulterated happiness.

Apart from enjoying the unfolding of the tale itself, one of the great pleasures of this book for me was the way in which the group wrestle with some of the big philosophical questions in life, such as: do people really have free will and if a different path had been taken would some elements still be the same – would something still survive, the immutable part?

For Liz, life is about excitement and stimulation but for Marty and Jules I sense it’s more about finding security and contentment. Different strokes for different folks. Do each of them (or any of them) find what they’re looking for? Well, I’m not going to answer that, you’re going to have to read the book and find out for yourselves!

A five star read, without doubt. This book has been a huge success since it’s release, winning the 2016 European Union Prize for Literature, and I can see why. Now translated into English it’s one that you’ll miss at your peril.

My sincere thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Feb 05, 2019 *TUDOR^QUEEN* rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was a very moving account of three siblings from Munich, Germany who tragically lost their parents in a car accident. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest son, Jules. As the story begins, a now adult Jules wakes up in hospital realizing he has survived a motorcycle accident. Both Jules' older brother Marty and the hospital psychologist question whether it was an accident or a suicide attempt. From here, the story rewinds to its beginning.

Jules is a carefree, brave and outg This was a very moving account of three siblings from Munich, Germany who tragically lost their parents in a car accident. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest son, Jules. As the story begins, a now adult Jules wakes up in hospital realizing he has survived a motorcycle accident. Both Jules' older brother Marty and the hospital psychologist question whether it was an accident or a suicide attempt. From here, the story rewinds to its beginning.

Jules is a carefree, brave and outgoing child of 7. He loves his apartment where he can look down into a pleasant courtyard. His pretty Mom plays a Beatles cassette in the car as they make their annual summer jaunt to visit Grandmother in her ivy-covered house in the south of France. Dad is an aspiring photographer, but in reality is an accountant. He is well thought of at work and has an engaging personality. The Moreau's family life seemed rather idyllic during this early period, and I was easily lured into the story.

As time progresses, the father doesn't seem as sound of spirit as he used to be. He comes home from work later than usual and seems agitated. The parents' marriage doesn't seem quite as loving as it used to be. To that end, the parents go away alone on a trip hoping for a restorative effect on their marriage. Instead, they wind up dying in a car accident. This results in Jules, Marty, and the oldest- sister Liz- being sent to a boarding school. Jules is separated from his older siblings in the building. Still in shock and mourning, Jules is not the same madcap, ebullient personality he used to be...especially in this new environment. Then he meets a girl named Alva.

Jules used to sit towards the back of the class, keeping to himself. Alva started sitting next to him. One rainy day, she came over to his room at the boarding school where he played her a Nick Drake album; one of his Mom's favorites. Alva's passion was reading, and she could always be found sitting in some improbable position atop various pieces of furniture, enthralled in a book. Jules used to have a passion too...for writing stories.

Jules never forgot something his father fervently told him: "The most important thing is that you find your true friend, Jules. Your true friend is someone who's always there, who walks beside you all your life. You have to find them; it's more important than anything, even love. Because love doesn't always last." Jules was certain that person was Alva.

This was a very rich story spanning decades in Jules' pursuit and devotion of Alva. His single-minded focus on her is unwavering. It also follows the interesting and unfolding lives of Jules' siblings, Marty and Liz. The character of Jules is very likeable and sympathetic. He has emotional issues to work on, to come to terms with the last moments he spent with his father before he was snatched by death. This is also a story of a family that is always there for each other, and it was a very touching read.

Thank you to the publisher Penguin Books who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss. ...more

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Mar 01, 2018 Peter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, netgalley, global-read, world-cup

Persistence
A book of love, loss and loneliness, with its encounters of uplifting emotion, that nourishes the heart.

At 11 years of age, the story's narrators, Jules, and his older brother and sister, Marty and Liz, lose their parents in a car accident. They are re-homed in a boarding school with each drifting apart and trying to adapt to this new alien world. For Jules, he despondently watches his older siblings “desert” him and he gradually starts to retreat into himself and his imagination. H Persistence
A book of love, loss and loneliness, with its encounters of uplifting emotion, that nourishes the heart.

At 11 years of age, the story's narrators, Jules, and his older brother and sister, Marty and Liz, lose their parents in a car accident. They are re-homed in a boarding school with each drifting apart and trying to adapt to this new alien world. For Jules, he despondently watches his older siblings “desert” him and he gradually starts to retreat into himself and his imagination. He makes friends with a girl, Alva, a little older than he, and she is also finding it difficult to socialise and engage with others. Over the years, their mutual loneliness and sadness are only abated as they spend more time together and strike up a close bond. These characters are subtly developed and it's intriguing watching how they share similar traits yet are different, how they are affected by their other relationships yet have a bond that they probably can't fully appreciate. During adolescence Jules starts to realise that his feelings are more intimate than just friendship, but will he risk losing what he has, to gain everything. He reflects that he,

“Never had the courage to win her, only ever the fear of losing her.”

The End of Loneliness takes us on a lifelong cyclic journey of love and loss for each of the characters. The issue of unrequited love is a hugely emotive aspect of the narrative and the writing style delivers this extremely delicately yet dramatically. How would life pan out if we had taken a different course?

“If you spend all your life running in the wrong direction, could it be the right one after all?”

If you spend most of your life chasing a dream, is it still a dream when you catch it, and what happens if you let the dream go? The last part of the book is genuinely emotional, especially if you have connected with the characters, which I’m absolutely sure the reader will. It’s not a dramatic romance story, but the emotional pull is much more powerful for it. Is life a zero-sum game or do some people just have more than their fair share of bad luck? The book is sad without being depressing, and it has its moments where it is inspiring and heartfelt.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review. ...more

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Nov 07, 2018 Rachel rated it really liked it

Shelves: published-in-2019, german, in-translation, 2019, literary-fiction, netgalley, i-actually-cried

Well, this utterly wrecked me. What a beautiful book.

The End of Loneliness, translated from the German by Charlotte Collins, follows three siblings growing up in Munich, whose parents die in a car accident, leaving them orphaned and forced to attend boarding school. The focus is on Jules, the youngest sibling, who's more of an observer than a participant in his own life; after his parents' death he turns inward and fixates on a parallel narrative that he's crafted of what his life would have bee Well, this utterly wrecked me. What a beautiful book.

The End of Loneliness, translated from the German by Charlotte Collins, follows three siblings growing up in Munich, whose parents die in a car accident, leaving them orphaned and forced to attend boarding school. The focus is on Jules, the youngest sibling, who's more of an observer than a participant in his own life; after his parents' death he turns inward and fixates on a parallel narrative that he's crafted of what his life would have been like had they survived. At boarding school he meets Alva, another loner who he's able to connect with as he and his siblings grow apart, but after school they lose touch and Jules is once more on his own.

With a focus on the complex dynamics between the three siblings, Benedict Wells deftly explores the ripple effect of loss and grief. He also plays with the fallibility of memory in a way that recalls Kazuo Ishiguro, as Jules is recounting events from his childhood years later, and eventually certain cracks begin to form in his carefully curated narrative that suggest he may have chosen to remember certain events in a way that was convenient to him. This is a deeply melancholy book that gives little respite in its misery, but I found its emotional honesty refreshing. And with Jules' retrospective narration, the grief discussed feels more like a bruise than an open wound (it's a painful book to read, but not as visceral as something like A Little Life). It did bring me to tears at one point, but it wasn't the kind of painful that I lost sleep over; it's more of a quiet kind of haunting that slowly seeps under your skin.

My one criticism is that the end gets a bit twee and Wells insists on wrapping everything up a bit too neatly; maybe he's playing with the idea that one of the characters floats around, that life is a zero-sum game; maybe he thinks his characters have all suffered enough to have earned a neat ending. But as a reader I ironically feel less fulfilled with the more closure I get, so I would have preferred things to end on a slightly more somber note. 4.5 stars - rounded down for now but maybe I'll change it depending on how this stays with me.

Also - my advice going into this book is to avoid reading the Goodreads summary if possible (or maybe just read the first paragraph), as it essentially gives a paint by numbers account of the entire plot. It's not that I felt spoiled while reading - it's more driven by character than plot anyway - but it's just unnecessary to give that much away when the book is less than 300 pages to begin with.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jan 30, 2019 Esil rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

“A difficult childhood is like an enemy. You never know when it will strike.”

This quote pretty much sums up what The End of Loneliness is all about. Jules is the youngest of three siblings. His parents die when he is 11 years old, and he and his siblings go live in a boarding school. Later in life, Jules looks back on different points in his life — how he and his siblings distanced themselves from each other and slowly came back together. But, always, for Jules and his siblings, the early loss o ...more

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Feb 17, 2019 Dem rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Described as a Tear Jerker in the magazine review I read but I am afraid this one didn't emotionally affect me in any way and not a tear was shed which may say more about me than the book....... but we do all react differently and as so many of friends found this one a powerful and emotional read, Unfortunately by the end of the novel I was left unmoved and unsatisfied and didn't connect with the characters and to be honest probably wont remember much about this novel a month from now. I do rea ...more

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Feb 07, 2019 Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4+ stars

This was a book about siblings Liz, Marty, and Jules.. who at young ages, lost both their parents in a traffic accident, and then were sent to boarding school for many years. They were separated from each other while there and for the youngest, Jules .. it was especially difficult.
This is their story, (mostly focusing on Jules life) and how the sadness of such an early loss affected their entire lives. There are also other great characters in this book to bring about a very meaningful a ...more

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Feb 01, 2016 Kim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-gelesen, meine-liebsten

Ich hätte es niemals erwartet, aber ich habe gerade definitiv eines meiner liebsten Bücher beendet. Ich hab gehadert, geliebt, geweint und sogar geschmunzelt.
Einfach alles.
Danke dafür.

Während ich seit einer guten Stunde immer und immer wieder mein Geschriebenes lösche, weil ich mir laufend die Frage stellen muss: „Wie rezensiere ich ein Buch, das mich sprachlos zurückgelassen hat?“, entscheide ich mich genau dafür als Anfang.
Dabei möchte ich festhalten, dass ganz gleich was ich schreiben werde, Ich hätte es niemals erwartet, aber ich habe gerade definitiv eines meiner liebsten Bücher beendet. Ich hab gehadert, geliebt, geweint und sogar geschmunzelt.
Einfach alles.
Danke dafür.

Während ich seit einer guten Stunde immer und immer wieder mein Geschriebenes lösche, weil ich mir laufend die Frage stellen muss: „Wie rezensiere ich ein Buch, das mich sprachlos zurückgelassen hat?“, entscheide ich mich genau dafür als Anfang.
Dabei möchte ich festhalten, dass ganz gleich was ich schreiben werde, es wird diesem Roman nicht im Entferntesten gerecht werden.

„Das Leben ist kein Nullsummenspiel. Es schuldet einem nichts, und die Dinge passieren, wie sie passieren. Manchmal gerecht, so dass alles einen Sinn ergibt, manchmal so ungerecht, dass man an allem zweifelt. Ich zog dem Schicksal die Maske vom Gesicht und fand darunter nur den Zufall.“

Dieses Zitat war der Anstoß eines großartigen Leseerlebnisses. Es sorgte dafür, dass Benedict Wells neuer Roman meine volle, ungeteilte Aufmerksamkeit bekam. Wie man bisher unschwer erahnen kann, wurden meine Erwartungen nicht enttäuscht. Darüber hinaus möchte ich vorweg nehmen, dass es definitiv die Chance hat, dass beste Buch des Jahres zu werden. Es weckt in mir den Wunsch es jedem zu empfehlen, der bereit ist sein Herz für „Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ zu öffnen.

Doch worauf lässt man sich bei dieser Geschichte ein?
Nun, wir lernen Jules und seine beiden Geschwister Marty und Liz kennen, als Jules elf Jahre alt ist und die Geschwister ihre Eltern durch einen Autounfall verlieren. Sie verlieren ihre Eltern, das gewohnte Umfeld, eigentlich sogar ihr eigenes Leben, denn als sie nach dem Tod ihrer Eltern auf ein staatliches Internat müssen, verändert sich alles. Die Geschwister verlieren sich immer mehr und versuchen auf ihre Art mit der neuen Situation fertig zu werden. Jules, der sich immer mehr zurückzieht, findet nur in Alva eine Freundin.
Nach den ersten Eindrücken über die Familie und das neue Leben im Internat, begleiten wir die Charaktere über die Jahre hinweg bis sie selbst Erwachsen sind. Jeder von uns wird sich in einem dieser Charaktere wiederfinden. Um ein paar Beispiele zu nennen: Jules ist auf der Suche. Liz ist wie eine rebellierende Reisende ohne Boden unter den Füßen. Und dann haben wir noch Alva, die alles mit sich selbst ausmacht.

Wir bekommen im weiteren Verlauf der Geschichte immer wieder einen Einblick in Jules Leben, aber es folgen auch Zeitsprünge. Diese Unterbrechungen in der Erzählung waren für mich während des Lesens sehr wichtig und willkommen, da sie einem die Zeit verschaffen um aufzuatmen und Revue passieren zu lassen. Sowieso habe ich immer wieder nachgedacht, reflektiert, genossen.

„Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ birgt, neben einer grandiosen Handlung, eine ungeheure Melancholie. Wie sonst soll man einen Roman über Verlust, Einsamkeit, Familie und die Liebe schreiben?
Es ist wünschenswert, dass man dieser Geschichte sein Herz öffnet. Die Figuren sind so facettenreich gezeichnet, dass sie die Nähe zum Leser brauchen und verdient haben. Sie sind in ihrem ganzen Sein und Handeln einfach menschlich, nicht überzogen oder gar beschönigt.

Benedict Wells ist ein wahres Meisterwerk gelungen. Die Figuren sind absolut bemerkenswert, die Geschichte eindringlich und trotz der Schwere abwechslungsreich und der Erzählstil so mühelos und ausgereift, dass jede Zeile puren Lesegenuss darbietet.
...more

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Feb 06, 2019 Tooter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Tooter by: Elyse Walters

5+++ Stars.

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Feb 15, 2019 Debbie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cultural, edelweiss

3.5 and a yawn

What I thought would knock my socks off instead made me yawn. This was a fine story and a decent character study, but so? I pretty much felt zippo about the main character, Jules, even though he was vivid and sympathetic. It was more than a meh, but not by much. Full review to follow.

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Feb 02, 2019 Renee (itsbooktalk.com) rated it liked it · review of another edition

I had high hopes for this character driven exploration of fate, life, and love but by the halfway point I fizzled out on the story. This is the story of Jules, Marty and Liz, 3 siblings who weather their first tragedy when their parents are killed when they're all still under 16. They're sent to a boarding school and I must say, the author did a fantastic job of portraying the depth of sadness that all 3 experienced because as we learned from the beginning of the story, they were close with thei ...more

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Dec 20, 2017 Paula Bardell-Hedley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Paula by: NetGalley.

Shelves: giveaways, netgalley, literary-fiction, translated-literature

“A difficult childhood is like an invisible enemy. You never know when it will strike.”

Eleven-year-old Jules and his siblings, Marty and Liz, live sheltered, seemingly idyllic lives in Munich with their devoted mother and father. Until, that is, both parents are killed in a catastrophic road accident while motoring in France and the children are sent to a grim state boarding school, where they rapidly drift apart.

Jules changes from a fearless, vivacious boy into a withdrawn teenager who writes stories and lives through his imagination. The only person able to reach him is the equally damaged Alva, whom he comes to love, but they are divided by a misunderstanding after leaving school.

Many years later they are given a chance to make amends, but their relationship has never been straightforward – grief shadows both their lives.

Seven years in the writing, The End of Loneliness is German author, Benedict Wells' first novel to be published in the UK. Prior to translation it won the European Union Prize for Literature, was on the German bestseller list for over 18 months, and was translated into 26 languages.

Born in Munich in 1984, Wells writes from experience. He attended three separate Bavarian boarding schools from the age of six, and like his protagonists, suffered acute loneliness. He moved to Berlin after graduating in 2003, but decided against attending university, opting instead to focus on writing while earning his living by holding down a variety of jobs. He lived in Barcelona for a period but has recently returned to Berlin.

Superbly translated by Charlotte Collins (award-winning translator of The Tobacconist), The End of Loneliness is a book you fall into from the first page. It is a poignant exploration of the past told through the ruptured lives of the siblings: a moving tale of loss, longing and familial love. Wells has produced an outstanding piece of writing; one that will linger in your thoughts long after the story ends.

“If you spend your life running in the wrong direction, could it be the right one after all?”

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing an advance review copy of this title. ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Annina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, must-reads

Was für ein feinfühlig geschriebenes Buch. Da mir die Tränen bei einer Szene runterliefen, bleibt wohl nicht mehr viel anzufügen. 5 Sterne.

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Dec 01, 2015 Booklunatic rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: leseexe, high-expectations, highlights-2015, all-time-faves, deutsche-autoren, diogenes

5 Sterne, aus tiefstem Herzen. Könnte man sich mit einem Buch verheiraten, ich würde dieses hier sofort vor den Traualtar zerren.

Ich habe Benedicts Bücher alle gelesen und mochte sie auch alle (vor allem den Vorgänger, "Fast genial", für den er gerade am Film-Drehbuch schreibt), aber hiermit ist ihm sein bisheriges Meisterwerk gelungen. Die relativ lange Zeit, die er sich für das Schreiben dieses Romans genommen hat, hat sich definitiv ausgezahlt. Das Buch ist ein wenig anders - reifer, ist vie ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 Miriam Smith rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaways

I won the "The End of Loneliness" written by Benedict Wells and translated by Charlotte Collins in the Goodreads Giveaways and was very pleased I did. It was an entertaining story looking at life philosophically, dealing with friendships, illness, death and such like and although very sad at times it was also quite uplifting.
General fiction readers should really enjoy this book, it's not my normal genre but I'm glad I won it as I did find it a pleasurable read and probably wouldn't have picked i ...more

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Jan 22, 2016 Franziska rated it really liked it · review of another edition

ein tolles Buch, aber sehr viel Tragik - vielleicht sogar etwas zu viel... aber dennoch habe ich es sehr gern gelesen. Nun fühle ich mich etwas befreit von all der Schwere.

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Feb 01, 2019 Knjigomanijak rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Upravo sam završila ovu knjigu i ostala sam zatečena.
Knjiga je to koja me je do srži uzdrmala i mislim da ću je još dugo pamtiti.
Glavni protagonist romana je Jules Moreau, čovjek koga život nije mazio.
On, njegov brat i sestra nakon što im roditelji poginu, primorani su živjeti u internatu.
Jules je dječak koji se nikako ne može naviknuti na teškoće života bez roditelja, no s vremenom uviđa da se mora prilagoditi ovakvoj novonastaloj situaciji i životu koji se odvija po nekim određenim pravilima.
P ...more

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Apr 11, 2016 Sarah Monreau rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookshelf, romane

Eine schwierige Kindheit ist wie ein unsichtbarer Feind, dachte ich. Man weiß nie, wann er zuschlagen wird.

Benedict Wells hat mit diesem Buch ein absolutes Meisterwerk geschaffen. Noch nie habe ich einen Roman gelesen, der eine solche Wucht von Schwermut, Traurigkeit und Schicksal vermittelt hat. Selten habe ich ein Buch gelesen, dass so eine Emotionstiefe hatte, die sich mit dem Aufschlagen des Buches immer wieder in mir ausbreitete. Ich denke an das Buch, sehe es manchmal nur an, und fühle mi Eine schwierige Kindheit ist wie ein unsichtbarer Feind, dachte ich. Man weiß nie, wann er zuschlagen wird.

Benedict Wells hat mit diesem Buch ein absolutes Meisterwerk geschaffen. Noch nie habe ich einen Roman gelesen, der eine solche Wucht von Schwermut, Traurigkeit und Schicksal vermittelt hat. Selten habe ich ein Buch gelesen, dass so eine Emotionstiefe hatte, die sich mit dem Aufschlagen des Buches immer wieder in mir ausbreitete. Ich denke an das Buch, sehe es manchmal nur an, und fühle mich deprimiert oder zumindest so, als müsste ich dringend einen tiefen Seufzer loswerden. Ich fühle mich irgendwie bedrückt. Und das meine ich keineswegs negativ, denn dieses Buch hat mir etwas vermittelt und es hat mich auf jeder einzelnen Seite dazu gebracht, mich völlig anders zu fühlen, nämlich genauso, wie sich womöglich die Figuren dieser Bücher gefühlt haben.
Die Atmosphäre ist sehr dicht, sehr ausgeprägt und immer präsent. Es gibt in diesem Buch keine Seite, keine Aussage, die irgendwie fehl am Platz wäre oder die überflüssig war.
Man merkt dem Buch an - vielleicht nicht unbedingt die sieben Jahre Arbeit, aber - dass der Autor sich viel Zeit genommen hat für seine Figuren, für seine Handlung und für die Gefühle innerhalb des Romans. Es ist unfassbar zu sehen, wie Worte und Gefühl hier zusammenspielen, wie sie ineinanderfließen, weil Benedict Wells es versteht, Worte mit Sinn zu füllen und die Zwischenzeilen mit Leben.
Auch die Charaktere in diesem Buch haben allesamt ihre Eigenarten und sind ganz große - ganz verschiedene - Persönlichkeiten. Sie sind Großartigkeiten, ehrlich, denn sie treten aus dem Buch heraus und ziehen uns die Sympathie und die Empathie für sie aus den Herzen.
Zusätzlich hat das Buch ganz viel zu sagen über das Leben, es wirkt sehr weise, weswegen ich darum bitte niemals einen noch jungen Autor vorzuverurteilen oder gar zu unterschätzen. Benedict Wells hat viel über das, was er schrieb, nachgedacht und hat das Beste für uns in diesen Seiten zusammengestellt. Mir hat dieses Buch explizit wieder gezeigt, wie wichtig es ist, zu leben, zu lieben, zu vertrauen, auf die Fresse zu fallen, wieder aufzustehen, nicht aufzugeben, aber vor allem man selbst zu sein. Zu tun, was man will, was man für richtig hält, was einem das Herz sagt. Niemals stehenzubleiben, der Angst zu trotzen, an sich und anderen zu wachsen.

Für mich ein Meisterwerk, ein außergewöhnliches Buch, das mich lange und intensiv begleitet hat und noch sehr lange nachhallen wird. Da bin ich mir sicher.

Aufmachung: 3/5
Idee der Geschichte: 5/5
Umsetzung: 5/5
Sprache: 4,5/5
Unterhaltungswert: 4,5/5
Ideenreichtum: 4,5/5
Tiefgründigkeit: 5/5
Bildungswert: 5/5
Lesetempo: 4,5/5

Punktzahl insgesamt: 41/50
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Dec 21, 2018 Marjorie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

When the parents of young Jules, Liz and Marty Moreau die in a car crash, the children are sent to a boarding school. Jules is separated from his brother and sister and has a difficult time adjusting. He once was the only one brave enough to cross a dangerous tree that had fallen across a waterway but now he feels vulnerable and retreats to his memories and books. When he meets Alva, he recognizes a kindred spirit. Alva also has had tragedy in her life. But their friendship falls apart, although ...more

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Mar 17, 2018 Dina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Es sencillamente la historia de Jules, contada a través del paso de los años y marcada por la muerte de sus padres. Me ha recordado a Canciones de amor a quemarropa en la forma en la que está contado (que no en la trama en si).
Se lo recomendaría a cualquiera.

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Jan 10, 2019 Carina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, favorites

brilliant, wunderschön.

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Feb 08, 2019 Krista rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-recomnd-to-read, kindle-netgalley, reviewed-for-netgalley, fiction, foreign, fiction-award-winner, setting-eu, setting-eu-germany, literary-fiction, family-interactions

5 incandescent stars

Rating: 5 stars

German author Benedict Wells has written a complex, thought-provoking book about all the important things in life; family, friendship, finding your place in the world, determining what sort of person you will become. We meet the narrator, Jules Moreau, in the hospital after he was involved in a motorcycle accident. He starts reflecting on all the events that brought him to this place.

Jules is the youngest of three siblings. Liz is the eldest in the family, Mar ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Sophia rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-literary-pickers-challenge, 2019-new-release-challenge, general-fiction, review-requests

One of my bookish resolutions for 2019 was to read more World Literature and then, serendipity, I was introduced to The End of Loneliness set in Europe and written by a German author. Wundershon! I read this as a translated work and thought the translator did great with the fabulous understated work by the author because I meant to only read a little and ended up devouring the book in two sittings. Oh the melancholy and the tears, but so worth it.

The End of Loneliness introduces Jules the younge One of my bookish resolutions for 2019 was to read more World Literature and then, serendipity, I was introduced to The End of Loneliness set in Europe and written by a German author. Wundershon! I read this as a translated work and thought the translator did great with the fabulous understated work by the author because I meant to only read a little and ended up devouring the book in two sittings. Oh the melancholy and the tears, but so worth it.

The End of Loneliness introduces Jules the youngest Moreau child as the narrator of a story about his life and that of his estranged siblings after the tragedy of their parents' deaths in a auto accident. Jules gives his impressions of his family before the crash and then what it was to be separated to boarding schools and feel not only the loss of his parents, but what Jules perceived as the abandonment of his older siblings, too. He meets Alva whose sister died so they become friends in their grief. Jules grows to love Alva, but it is unrequited and the book shares how he and his siblings go on coping with what life hands them even though his sister yearns and grasps for more out of life. There is also a sense that there is more to the past and more to Jules' own accident that landed him in the hospital to reflect on the past. Looking back, he can see the hints that things were definitely not what they seemed.

Now, while I said this was a melancholy story, it wasn't an utter drag that gutted me. It was introspective and the writing created a tone that kept the reader going and hoping that these people would catch a break and get a dream or two come true. I was struck by how I felt an affinity to Jules and his family even though my own life and family experiences are very different. This is what kept me reading and hoping. The romantic in me wanted Jules to get his second chance with Alva, but more so see the estranged siblings come to an understanding.

In the end, it was a beautiful, sad story set against the Europe of the early eighties and told how grief can tear apart a family and mutual understanding and acceptance can- maybe, eventually- pull them back together.

My thanks to Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Apr 07, 2018 Denisa Ballová rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Otázka znie, čo by sa však nezmenilo. Čo je v tebe to, čo by ostalo také isté? To, čo by v každom živote ostalo rovnaké, bez ohľadu na to, ako by sa odvíjal. Existujú v človeku veci, ktoré všetko prežijú?"

O živote, samote, láske, rodine, o výnimočných momentoch, ktoré nás formujú a osobách, bez ktorých by sme neboli tými, ktorými sme dnes.

"Vtedy sme sa míňali, potrebovali sme jeden druhého ako priateľa a príliš neskoro sme si uvedomili, čo k sebe navzájom cítime. Teraz by som vedel naše chyby ...more

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Jan 25, 2019 Stephen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Glad that I read this as it certainly makes you think and to make the most of the good times in life but it was a pretty bleak and depressing book. Found this interesting article which explains why the German author has such an English surname:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

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Jan 06, 2016 Elisabeth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-releases, german, read-in-2016

Die ersten beiden Benedict Wells Romane „Becks letzter Sommer” und “Spinner” habe ich kurz vor dem Abitur gelesen. Beide Bücher gingen mir damals sehr nahe, da sie diese unsichere quarter-life-crisis Zeit irgendwie echt perfekt eingefangen haben, in der man sich zwischen Schulabschluss und Mitte zwanzig (und vielleicht sogar weit darüber hinaus) oft so befindet.
Zudem handeln Wells Romane meistens auch von dem Versuch sich in kreativen Berufen zu etablieren – ein Thema, das bei mir ebenfalls auf Die ersten beiden Benedict Wells Romane „Becks letzter Sommer” und “Spinner” habe ich kurz vor dem Abitur gelesen. Beide Bücher gingen mir damals sehr nahe, da sie diese unsichere quarter-life-crisis Zeit irgendwie echt perfekt eingefangen haben, in der man sich zwischen Schulabschluss und Mitte zwanzig (und vielleicht sogar weit darüber hinaus) oft so befindet.
Zudem handeln Wells Romane meistens auch von dem Versuch sich in kreativen Berufen zu etablieren – ein Thema, das bei mir ebenfalls auf einen Nerv trifft.

Auch in „Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ werden diese Themen wieder angesprochen. Obwohl mir das Buch im Großen und Ganzen ganz gut gefallen hat, mag ich es etwas weniger gern als Wells bisherige Romane.

In „Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ lernen wir die Hauptfigur Jules als kleinen Jungen kennen und folgen ihm bis ins mittlere Alter. Dies ist eine Geschichte, in der es um Verlust und Liebe, Familie und Freundschaft geht.

Was ich vor Jahren an Wells Romanen „Becks letzter Sommer“ und „Spinner“ am meisten geliebt habe war, dass diese Bücher sich so unglaublich echt und authentisch angefühlt haben. „Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ hingegen kam mir beim Lesen oft eher gekünstelt und konstruiert vor. Die Figuren haben etwas karikaturistisches, allen voran Liz, die Schwester der Hauptfigur.

Zur Romanze in diesem Buch kann ich nur sagen, dass ich Alva überhaupt nicht ausstehen und daher auch keine richtigen Emotionen für die Liebesgeschichte aufbringen konnte.

Wieder gutgemacht wird dies durch Wells wunderbare Art zu schreiben: Der Autor schafft es, die Orte und Geschehnisse seines Buches zum Leben zu erwecken. Ich konnte mir beim Lesen dank der liebevollen und detailreichen Beschreibungen alles ganz lebhaft vorstellen.

Der Roman enthält viele zitatwürdige Stellen. Dieses kleine Büchlein steckt voller Wahrheiten, die einen tief in der Seele treffen.

„Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ handelt, wie oben erwähnt, viel von Liebe, Familie und Freundschaft. Doch vor allem geht es um das Überwinden von Schicksalsschlägen und falschen Entscheidungen, kleinen Fehlerchen, die nach und nach das Leben entscheiden, - aber nicht ruinieren.
Dies ist kein Buch vom Fall und Verfall eines Menschen nach einem Schicksalsschlag, aber auch kein Buch vom Erreichen irgendwelcher großartigen Lebensziele trotz Hindernissen. Es geht um Akzteptanz oder sogar Wertschätzung des Imperfekten und darum loslassen zu können. Loslassen von Schuldgefühlen, Loslassen vom Geliebten, Loslassen von Idealen. Zumindest ist es das, was ich persönlich als Leser „Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ mitnehmen konnte.
Ich fand diese Perspektive schön und erfrischend. Ich glaube, dass man gar nicht oft genug daran erinnert werden kann, nicht immer so von Perfektionismus und irgendwelchen unrealistischen Idealen besessen sein zu müssen.

Ich hätte mir nur gewünscht, noch ein bisschen tiefer in jene Themen und die Gedanken der Romanfiguren eintauchen zu dürfen. „Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ plätschert während der gesamten Zeit nur gemächlich an der Oberfläche herum.

Meiner Meinung nach ist „Vom Ende der Einsamkeit“ trotz Schwächen ein rundum gelungener Roman und ich werde auch weiterhin alle Bücher lesen, die Benedict Wells zukünftig (hoffentlich) veröffentlicht. Ich bin nämlich echt gespannt, welche Geschichten dieser Autor sonst noch so zu erzählen hat.
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About Benedict Wells

Benedict Wells

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Homepage: https://www.benedictwells.de

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Benedict Wells wurde 1984 in München geboren. Im Alter von sechs Jahren begann seine Reise durch drei bayerische Internate. Nach dem Abitur 2003 zog er nach Berlin. Dort entschied er sich gegen ein Studium und widmete sich dem Schreiben. Seinen Lebensunterhalt bestritt er mit diversen Nebenjobs. Sein Debüt ›Bec ...more

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“Das Gegengift zu Einsamkeit ist nicht das wahllose Zusammensein mit irgendwelchen Leuten. Das Gegengift zu Einsamkeit ist Geborgenheit.” — 43 likes

“Das Leben ist kein Nullsummenspiel. Es schuldet einem nichts, und die Dinge passieren, wie sie passieren. Manchmal gerecht, so dass alles einen Sinn ergibt, manchmal so ungerecht, dass man an allem zweifelt. Ich zog dem Schicksal die Maske vom Gesicht und fand darunter nur den Zufall.” — 34 likes

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