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Austerlitz
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
Austerlitz, the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by one of the most gripping writers imaginable (The New York Review of Books), is the story of a mans search for the answer to his lifes central riddle. A small child when he comes to England on a Kindertransport in the summer of 1939, one Jacques Aus-terlitz is told nothing of his real family by the Welsh Methodist minister and his wife who raise him. When he is a much older man, fleeting memories return to him, and obeying an instinct he only dimly understands, he follows their trail back to the world he left behind a half century before. There, faced with the void at the heart of twentieth-century Europe, he struggles to rescue his heritage from oblivion. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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review
andrew61
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Pickpick

An opportunity to pick up a bk languishing in my tbr pile and what a wonderful read.
A chance meeting in a antwerp station allows the narrator to recount conversations of many yrs with jacques austerlitz. A moving tale of a child adopted in 1939 by a childless welsh couple, who as an adult realises he was part of the kinder transport. This triggers a dislocation ⬇️
#ContainsPhotos #booked2021 @4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

andrew61 For austerlitz who retraces his origin to the Czech Town he was born in and his mother's forced move to the ghetto and the events that occurred there. Told without paragraphs or chapters this is a hard read as it moves with austerlitz's reflections on childhood, architecture and loss but it is a rewarding and moving read, unique and I feel I need to read it again to fully appreciate the writing. Definitely a 5* book. 3y
Leftcoastzen This has been on my TBR forever ! Great review! I may move it up the pile 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Sounds powerful! 3y
See All 6 Comments
Centique Wonderful review Andrew! 3y
andrew61 @Centique thanks Paula. 3y
andrew61 @Leftcoastzen definitely worth trying although takes a bit of time to adjust to the voice and style. 3y
35 likes1 stack add6 comments
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WarandWar
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
Pickpick

In this book, the whole story is a written account of what they were told by a friend. The friend in turn tells his story, of starting late in life to find his family. Colorful writing keeps it from dragging on too much, though its an overall sad book. Still, it has won high praise for a reason: its a stunning story that feels all to real.

1 like1 stack add
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Ladygodiva7
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Bella is trying to read Austerlitz but is falling asleep. I will now take over. #Reading1001 #1001Books

CoffeeNBooks Adorable! 🐶 4y
BookwormM I know the feeling Bella 🤣🤣 4y
11 likes3 comments
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Ladygodiva7
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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My handsome chonk, Booker 😻 #Reading1001 #1001books

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BookwormM
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
Mehso-so

#Reading1001

I just didn‘t get this book based on group discussion a lot went over my head.

I dislike SOC narratives and I hate no natural eye breaks on a page. You may have guessed this is how the book is written.

I liked the inclusion of photos which added to the feeling that this was fact not fiction while at the same time giving a new dimension to the unreliable narrator trope.

Everyone else loved it so you can probably ignore me LOL

Liz_M 👍 I can't remember which of his 1001 books I've read, but I am definitely not a fan. 4y
BookwormM @Liz_M so glad I am not alone 4y
29 likes2 comments
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Wilkie
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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I tried...Lord knows I tried! #bookyouneverfinished #riotgrams

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sprainedbrain
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Mehso-so

I feel like I should have liked this book more than I did.

Austerlitz is ultimately about identity, and the story is compelling—the main character was one of the children sent away on Kindertransport before WWII—but I never really felt like I connected with this book. The writing is very good, and I actually liked all of the architectural discussion, but I wasn‘t crazy about the style.

Maybe I‘m doing it wrong? Oh well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#1001books

mrozzz Hmm will need to approach with an open mind... 6y
108 likes1 stack add1 comment
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sprainedbrain
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Out for my lunchtime #audiowalk with a new book. Things are not getting green very fast, but how nice that the 🤬ing bugs are back.

I‘m about 1 1/2 hours in to this book, and we are finally getting in to Austerlitz‘s story. Fingers crossed that it gets a little more interesting, because my god this is boring. 😳

#1001books

Trashcanman That looks like a cool place to walk. 6y
tstan Keep waiting. 😂 It doesn‘t get much better. 6y
sprainedbrain @tstan oh, fantastic. 😂 6y
See All 12 Comments
sprainedbrain @Trashcanman it is! I can‘t wait until it‘s not so brown again. 6y
Lmstraubie I missed my yoga class today (due to traffic) and was disappointed. But when I got home I thought of you and went on my own #audiowalk Thank you for the inspiration! 6y
sprainedbrain @Lmstraubie awesome! It‘s a beautiful day here for it... 72 and sunny. Hard to believe we are supposed to have more snow this weekend. 🙄 6y
Lmstraubie @sprainedbrain Nooooooo 😖 6y
Eyelit I‘m so jealous of your walks! 6y
Jinjer Yah just had to kill a wood roach on the ceiling and I‘m terrified of all bugs. 6y
sprainedbrain @Jinjer in the forest today I was greeted by the flying, swarmy kind that don‘t want to leave you alone. 😫 6y
Jinjer Ugh!!! And try to get in your nostrils? 6y
sprainedbrain @Jinjer seems like they‘re trying! Ick. 6y
92 likes1 stack add12 comments
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KellyHunsakerReads
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Have any of you read this? It is an April TBR book. I will be reading it for a challenge in the #Reading1001 group on Goodreads.

#1001books #WW2books

BarbaraBB Yes I did and once you get into it, it is w great, memorable book. Enjoy 💕 6y
sprainedbrain I‘m reading it for the diversity challenge, too! 6y
21 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Mcoun
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
Pickpick

This was not an easy book to read, but I think it was worth it. This was the second time I tried it. The difficulty lies in the fact that it is a set of nested narratives, sometimes as many as three deep. It also reads very much like Proust, where objects and places launch into a stream of consciousness. These are often beautiful philosophical musings that eventually weave into the story of a man who is trying to learn about his heritage.

minkyb Great description. 6y
46 likes1 comment
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SMM
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Bailedbailed

Tried to read x 2, but just couldn‘t get through first ten pages. That being said, it‘s an award winning piece of literature and gets great reviews on Litsy :):) Even though I bailed on it, I‘m keeping it on my bedside pile.... there might be a chance for a third try sometime in the future 🙃

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CharissaWeaksAuthor
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Who's read Sebald? I'm excited to find a new-to-me author. Recommended by Anthony Doerr.

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I haven't, but now Im interested! 7y
53 likes1 comment
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BarbaraBB
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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Pickpick

Jacques Auterlitz was raised in Wales by foster parents in the early 1940s. He refuses to think of his past and lives his life fleeing the truth while he is hardly aware of doing just that. Until one day he hears about transports of Jewish children from Prague to the UK just before WWII. He realizes he was one of those children and that he no longer can or wants to flee from his past and his roots. #1001books

6 likes2 stack adds
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Lise
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald
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One of my favourite #onewordtitle books. Moths, architecture, and the search for identity #riotgrams

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Jessicav
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Alright, who's read this? I'm 83 pages in and MAN what I wouldn't give for a chapter break. Heck, even a paragraph break would do. It's lovely, but it's such a reading commitment. Any strategies that can be recommended?

the.bookish.valkyrie Audio book version? They always help me make it through something I'm having a tough time reading! 7y
Jessicav That's not a bad idea. My only problem is that I'm listening to Springsteen's Born to Run and I'm not ditching that for ANYTHING. 7y
14 likes2 comments
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Jessicav
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#giftsfromfriends. And by gifts I mean borrowed books that I'm thrilled to read. Both come highly recommended... picking which one to read first is like picking sides isn't it... 😊

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Novels
Austerlitz | W.G. Sebald

Ob ich "Austerlitz" jemals zu Ende lese?

Variemaa Lohnt sich! 7y
4 likes2 stack adds1 comment