Gabriele Tergit (1894–1982)

I liked much of it, especially the snappy style in which the stories were told.
However, I thought the snappy style was also the reason for the story dragging on and on and on. There was no change of pace, no change of tone, no adjustment of the writing to account for the emotional state of the characters etc. I'm not sure why this irked me so much as it is not something I usually seek out. I just got a little bored with the way the stories were told, especially because I could already show more foresee how some of the characters; stories would end. No great feat on my part, it's just that the stories reflect the stories of so many people in Berlin at the time the story is set - suffering decline due to economic hardship such as the incredible rates of inflation in 1923/24 and the stock market crash 1929.

Ironically, the part that fell a little flat me because of the consistently snappy style is also the books greatest asset: I loved the descriptions of day to day life of the various characters. It was such an insightful and detailed telling of what people did in their dialy lives. A real gem from a social and historical point of view of what life was like in late 1920s Berlin - with a lot of Berlinian style and humour thrown in.

The ending of the book hit hard. Having gotten to know the characters so well, I could not help to hope for a more hopeful turn of events for them. show less

In the words of NRC reviewer Michel Krielaars "Het mooie aan De Effingers is dat Tergit per hoofdstuk het vergrootglas op een ander familielid of gebeurtenis legt en zo een grote hoeveelheid verhalen vertelt, die ingenieus in elkaar grijpen. Daardoor is haar roman behalve een fascinerend familierelaas ook een caleidoscopische geschiedenis van het Duitse keizerrijk en de Weimarrepubliek tegen de achtergrond van de door Hitler verwoeste cultuur van de Duits-Joodse Bourgeoisie.' De roman heeft show more ook als thema traditie, moderniteit en generatieconflicten. Boeiende onderwerpen en ze schrijft zo beeldend over de grote huizen, interieurs, mode, vrouwen emancipatie, filosofie, ideologie. Je blijft gefascineerd lezen. show less

3.5 rounded to 4.

https://lizzysiddal.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/kasebier-takes-berlin-gabriele-terg...

Zie onze recensie"""