Europe Central
by William Vollmann
List Price:
Our Price: $4.98
You Save: $15.02 (75%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.12 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: William VollmannEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-11-14
ISBN: 0143036599
Number of pages: 832
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Europe Central
Book Review: Magnificent; unputdownable; terrifying
Summary: 5 Stars
'Europe Central' surpasses genre. For all I learned about Germany and Russia from this book, it could well have been a history textbook; but the unflagging eloquence of its prose earns it a place amongst the great novels of our time. The novel grapples with vast, vast ideas, but the story is not crushed by didacticism. On the contrary, 'Europe Central' paints the struggles, whether military, political, ideological, psychological, or personal, in vivid and often nightmarish colors. I was extremely impressed by the author's facility with narrative voice and his expressive and lavish prose style.
The novel is not organized round a plot that points at any conclusion; rather, it is a sequence of vignettes that contribute to a Gestalt of the times it covers. Certain characters, especially the composer Dmitri Shostakovich and his love interest Elena Konstantinovskaya, have a presence throughout the novel, but the vignettes are in only a loose chronological order. I found this presentation extremely effective. Readers who find themselves adrift without the presence of a plot may not enjoy 'Europe Central' as much as I did, but I urge anyone who appreciates good literature, or who is interested in the Second World War, the Cold War, and the history of European totalitarianism, to give it a good long try.
Summary of Europe Central
In this magnificent work of fiction, William T. Vollmann turns his trenchant eye to the authoritarian cultures of Germany and the USSR in the twentieth century. Assembling a composite portrait of these two warring leviathans and the terrible age they defined, the narrative intertwines experiences both real and fictional?a young German who joins the SS to expose its crimes, two generals who collaborate with the enemy for different reasons, the Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich laboring under Stalinist oppression. Through these and other lives, Vollmann offers a daring and mesmerizing perspective on human actions during wartime.Historical Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Historical Books
Pirate Latitudes: A Novelby Michael Crichton
Harper; Published: 2009-11-24; Roughcut; Book
Best price: $2.49
Price in other shops:
The Master Butchers Singing Club: A Novelby Louise Erdrich
Harper Perennial; Published: 2004-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.83
Price in other shops:
The Last Witchfinder: A Novelby James Morrow
William Morrow; Published: 2006-03-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
Zorroby Isabel Allende
HarperAudio; Published: 2005-05-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.12
Price in other shops:
The Hot Kid: A Novelby Elmore Leonard
William Morrow; Published: 2005-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.89
Price in other shops:
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Chronicles Series #1)Mass Market Paperback; Book
Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, Book 3)by Conn Iggulden
Harper Collins Canada; Published: 2008; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $44.70
Marchby Geraldine Brooks
Penguin Books; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
Emperor (Emperor 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2003-06-07; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.80
Girl With a Pearl Earringby Tracy Chevalier
Harper Collins Audio; Published: 2002-06-17; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $86.82
Similar Books and other products
You Bright and Risen Angels (Contemporary American fiction)by William Vollmann
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1988-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.39
Price in other shops:
Fathers and Crows (Seven Dreams)by William Vollmann
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1993-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.27
Price in other shops:
The Echo Makerby Richard Powers
Picador; Published: 2007-08-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.74
Price in other shops:
Shadow Country (Modern Library Paperbacks)by Peter Matthiessen
Modern Library; Published: 2008-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.96
Price in other shops:
Consider the Lobster and Other Essaysby David Foster Wallace
Back Bay Books; Published: 2007-07-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
Imperialby William Vollmann
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2010-10-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.02
Price in other shops:
Poor Peopleby William T. Vollmann
Harper Perennial; Published: 2008-01-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.93
Price in other shops:
The Atlasby William Vollmann
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1997-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.75
Price in other shops:
The Royal Familyby William T. Vollmann
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2001-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.15
Price in other shops:
Rising Up and Rising Down : Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Meansby William T. Vollmann
Published: 2005-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.38
Price in other shops: