Group Read, February 2025: In Search of Klingsor
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1puckers
Our February group read is In Search of Klingsor by Jorge Volpi. Please join in the read and post any comments on this thread.
2annamorphic
I started this early and I just want to say that it is VERY difficult. I mean, it's a seriously hard read. Some would kindly term it "challenging" but I have a PhD and I am almost unable to get through it. Every time I think I'm going to give up, though, I realize that I need to keep going because it is somehow exciting. But the "give up" moments are not infrequent.
Possibly if my PhD had been in physics I'd be doing better, but I was able to get through Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture without a degree in mathematics. Also, I gather that in some way the plot of this book is following Wagner's *Parsifal* and I am ignorant in that area as well.
Has anybody here warmed to this book? Found it a stimulating read? Thank goodness my book group is reading Decline and Fall next, because we chose a light novel to get us through dark times. Klingsor is in no way light.
Possibly if my PhD had been in physics I'd be doing better, but I was able to get through Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture without a degree in mathematics. Also, I gather that in some way the plot of this book is following Wagner's *Parsifal* and I am ignorant in that area as well.
Has anybody here warmed to this book? Found it a stimulating read? Thank goodness my book group is reading Decline and Fall next, because we chose a light novel to get us through dark times. Klingsor is in no way light.
3puckers
>2 annamorphic: I didn't get too bogged down in understanding the detail when I read this. I quite liked it - my review from last year:
"A German professor and an Amercian Lieutenant are assigned the task of searching for the lynchpin in Hitler's atomic weapons program, who is known by the codename "Klingsor". Much of this novel relates to the conflicts between various European scientists as they sought to advance quantum physics in the years prior to WWII; while I didn't necessarily follow all of this, I found it interesting (though can't vouch for the accuracy of any of it!). At the end you are still uncertain who Klingsor is, and I couldn't work out why finding him was so important. Notwithstanding some scathing reviews (including arukiyomi's dismissive 1 star review), overall I enjoyed the book. 4/5"
"A German professor and an Amercian Lieutenant are assigned the task of searching for the lynchpin in Hitler's atomic weapons program, who is known by the codename "Klingsor". Much of this novel relates to the conflicts between various European scientists as they sought to advance quantum physics in the years prior to WWII; while I didn't necessarily follow all of this, I found it interesting (though can't vouch for the accuracy of any of it!). At the end you are still uncertain who Klingsor is, and I couldn't work out why finding him was so important. Notwithstanding some scathing reviews (including arukiyomi's dismissive 1 star review), overall I enjoyed the book. 4/5"
4annamorphic
I finished this book but I fear I did not do it justice. I needed something light and diverting because everybody I know is depressed if not despairing. Have I mentioned that I live in DC? So I finished Klingsor, moved on to a very entertaining mystery novel, and am now on Decline and Fall. I think that I should return to Klingsor in happier times.
5staci426
I'm not going to be able to get to this one this month. The only digital edition I was able to find is on archive.org and this one is a bit long for me to read there, especially after reading the comments here about it. This may end up being one that doesn't get checked off the list for me.
