The Gustav Sonata - General Discussion, No Spoilers (May 2017)

[Hugh]

This topic is for general comments and background information on The Gustav Sonata. Please do not post any spoilers here.

The Gustav Sonata is the most recent of the 13 novels by Rose Tremain, a British writer. Her previous award-winning novels include The Road Home, Music & Silence and Sacred Country.

The book is set in Switzerland and tells a tale of two childhood friends, which explores the compromised nature of Switzerland's neutrality when confronted by Nazi Germany. Since one of the characters is a talented pianist, music is another major theme, and there are also references to Der Struwwelpeter and Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain.

There are plenty of reviews, note that many of these contain spoilers:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what...
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/bo...
http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_en...
http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/boo...
https://www.ft.com/content/ee7b6ce2-2...
https://literaryreview.co.uk/rooms-wi...
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/b...

[Caroline]

I haven't started yet but am greatly looking forward to it. I believe I've read about five of her books and have highly enjoyed each one, though music and silence and the color were probably my two favorites. It's been a few years since I've last read any of her work so it's about time to jump back in!

[Neil]

Just to put the other side of the coin (!), I sneakily started this yesterday a day early. I am about halfway and, if I am honest, I am rather bored with it. I haven't read any others of her books, so I can't draw any comparisons. I will definitely finish it, though, and I am always open to groups like these persuading me of things I have missed.

[Hugh]

I have read five of her previous books. Music & Silence was my favourite of those too, which is why I was looking forward to another one with a musical theme. I had not read it when we chose it for the discussion. The others I have read were The Road Home, Restoration, Merivel and Sacred Country.

[Robert]

I liked The Gustav Sonata - I felt though that the ending was a rush job. As for Tremain's other books, I've only read the Road Home, which I enjoyed more than Gustav Sonata.

[Hugh]

Robert, Thanks for that. I would prefer not to discuss the ending here, but I will post my thoughts on that when I have created the spoiler topics this evening. The UK paperback edition contains an interesting afterword in which Rose Tremain explains how the novel evolved and the way it is structured, and I will add some relevant quotes from that later too.

[Robert]

Sounds good!

[Kathleen]

The Gustav Sonata was my first Rose Tremain, and I believe it was my favorite book so far this year. The voice of Gustav pulled me in from the first page. It had that quality of compelling sadness--kinda like it hurt so good. It's one of those very quiet stories, so I can see why some might find it boring. I loved it though, and can't wait to read Music & Silence.

[Ernie]

This is also my first Rose Tremain novel, and I've already put several others on my list. I'm definitely a fan. (I'll be sure Music & Silence is included.) I couldn't put it down once I started and read it very quickly. I've also recommended it to several other people that I think would enjoy it. It was a very engrossing story, and my interest in it never once swayed. She's a beautiful writer. [Side note: Coincidentally, I also read [book:The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science|4371507] recently, and I had no idea these two writers were together until I finished the book.]

[Ernie]

Oops, I messed that up somehow. The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science

[Kay]

This will be my first Tremain, so looking forward to see how I like it. Thank you, Hugh, for all the review links.

[Hugh]

Thanks to all of you - today's comments suggest that this will be a lively and interesting discussion. I have now created the three spoiler topics.

[LindaJ^]

Thanks for the reviews Hugh. I especially liked John Boyne's in the Irish Times. Boyne certainly knows how to write great bleak and depressing books that I love (e.g., The Absolutist - my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), so I appreciated his description of The Gustav Sonata and how much he liked it!

[Beverly]

Thanks for the reviews Hugh.
I finished the book last night.
This is my first Rose Tremain book.
Also, it is the second book that I can remember reading that is set in Switzerland - the first was Hausfrau.
I will wait to the spoiler discussion to expand about my connection between the two books.

One of the reasons I was anxious to read this book is it made the Bailey's Longlist.

I am looking forward to the discussion.

[Neil]

I think I'm going to be ploughing a lone furrow here. I really didn't enjoy this. I will attempt to contribute constructively to the discussions, though, and maybe someone can show me what I have missed. Several times in group discussions I have ended up improving my rating of a book, although no one has yet succeeded in making me dislike a book I enjoyed!

[Beverly]

Neil wrote: "I think I'm going to be ploughing a lone furrow here. I really didn't enjoy this. I will attempt to contribute constructively to the discussions, though, and maybe someone can show me what I have m..."

You are so right! I have in the past improved my rating on a book based on a discussion but I have never changed my mind about a book I really enjoyed.

[Suzy]

I finished this about a week ago - I really appreciate all the links to reviews, Hugh. Since this is the "initial impressions" thread, I will just add that at first I thought this was going to be too "precious", attempting to be profound, but missing the mark. Quickly, though, I was drawn in and ended up really enjoying it. I have not read any other of Tremain's books, but will add some to my TBR. I like her quiet writing style, reminding me a little of Tessa Hadley. The book structure kept bringing to mind Hadley's The Past.

[Kirsten]

I just finished this book and loved it! It even made me cry.

For such a small book, you really become engrossed with the characters and the situations.

Funnily enough, I was listening to a Tremain book on BBC's Book of the Week, Trespass. Now, I want to find more of her work!

One of my favorite bits is the relationship between Gustav and the British ex-patriate.