Shadows in Paradise
by Erich Maria Remarque
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A haunting classic from the author of All Quiet on the Western Front, Shadows in Paradise reveals the deepest scars of the men and women who experienced the Holocaust. nbsp; After years of hiding and surviving near death in a concentration camp, Ross is finally safe. Now living in New York City among old friends, far from Europe's chilling atrocities, Ross soon meets Natasha, a beautiful model and fellow émigré, a warm heart to help him forget his cold memories. nbsp; Yet even as the war show more draws to its violent close, Ross cannot find peace. Demons still pursue him. Whether they are ghosts from the past or the guilt of surviving, he does not know. For he is only beginning to understand that freedom is far from easy--and that paradise, however perfect, has a price. nbsp; "The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure."--The New York Times Book Review show lessTags
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World War II is nearing its end (although no one knew that at the time), and there is a large community of refugees in New York City. Most of the ones we meet are German Jews, one is a French woman of Russian descent, and our main character, Ross, is German but not Jewish. He has spent a long time running from the Nazis because he opposed their regime, and he has spent time in jails and concentration camps before making it to the US. He has next to nothing, not even his real name because he is using someone else's passport. What he does have is a hatred for what is happening in Germany and a great love for and knowledge of art that he gained during the time he spent hiding in an art museum in Brussels. Now that he is in New York he is show more safe, at least as long as his visa is valid, and he, like all the refugees, has to find a way to live in spite of the memories that haunt him.
This novel is good, however, I didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed some of Remarque's other books. I think the reason for this is that Shadows in Paradise focuses primarily on the psychological impact of the war, so there's not much in the book. Regardless, it's definitely worth reading if you're a fan of Remarque or if you want see World War II from the perspective of an average German citizen. show less
This novel is good, however, I didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed some of Remarque's other books. I think the reason for this is that Shadows in Paradise focuses primarily on the psychological impact of the war, so there's not much in the book. Regardless, it's definitely worth reading if you're a fan of Remarque or if you want see World War II from the perspective of an average German citizen. show less
Zonde van mijn tijd geweest. Nu aan het einde van het boek nog steeds niet duidelijk wat de schrijver nou wil vertellen. Jammer want zijn andere boeken doen dat wel
833.912 REM
Apr 17, 2020Italian
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106+ Works 29,188 Members
Erich Maria Remarque was born Erich Paul Remark on June 22, 1898 in Germany. He was drafted into the German Army at the age of 18. He was assigned to the Western Front and later moved to the 15th Reserve Infantry Regiment. He was wounded by shrapnel in the left leg, right arm and neck, and was moved to an army hospital in Germany where he spent show more the rest of the war. After the war, he continued his teacher training and became a primary school teacher. He also began pursuing his writing career. He started writing essays and poems and his first novel, The Dream Room. When he published All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque changed his middle name in memory of his mother and reverted to the earlier spelling of the family name. The original family name, Remarque, had been changed to Remark by his grandfather in the 19th century. All Quiet on the Western Front was written in 1927, but Remarque was unable to find a publisher. The novel was published in 1929 and described the experiences of German soldiers during World War 1. His other works include: Station at the Horizon, The Road Back, Three Comrades, Flotsam, and Shadows in Paradise. Erich Remarque died in 1958 of heart collapse brought on byan aneurysm. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Shadows in Paradise
- Original title
- Schatten im Paradies
- Original publication date
- 1971 (Duits) (Duits); 1972 (Nederlands) (Nederlands)
- People/Characters
- Ross; Natasha
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA
- Original language
- German
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 833.912 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures German fiction 1900- 1900-1990 1900-1945
- LCC
- PT2635 .E68 .S313 — Language and Literature German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures German literature Individual authors or works 1860/70-1960
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 292
- Popularity
- 109,526
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.66)
- Languages
- 19 — Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 39
- ASINs
- 19
