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nastya 's Reviews > Three Comrades
Three Comrades
by
by
The story about the lost generation, young men and women suffering from the economic collapse of 1920s Germany. They hustle to get any jobs when there are none and they drink their brains out every evening. Everything is very nihilistic, everyone is living just for today, and when the main hero, Rob, falls in love and thinks maybe there can be happiness after all, Remarque is ruthless and punishes him. Hope is futile. Very bleak story.
Somewhere around 60 % I suddenly thought about The Magic mountain. Why? I’m curious about it myself. What do these books have in common? Both written in German! Two men who lost their country to madness. Ok, written in the interwar period and I would argue can be only written back then, not later. Getting warmer. Remarque was a working class young man of 18 when he was drafted into the infantry during ww1. Mann couldn't be further from the working class, a dying European aristocracy, old money, no idea where he spent ww1 but I assume somewhere in Switzerland. Ok, getting cooler. One was a lady’s man, for which Mann resented him, the other was� hm� thirsting for his pubescent naked son. Paging doctor Freud! Cold, so cold! Both were banned by nazis, Remarque’s sister was killed since they couldn’t get to him. Know almost nothing about the other guy’s history. Both wrote melancholy works, one is a very cinematic writer, for the people, the other one is an intellectual to be enjoyed by very very smart people. Both books about dying, time, nihilism, sanatorium in Switzerland. Ok, maybe that's it? See, I read only one Mann and never was interested to pick up another one of his, and almost all Remarque, so that tells you something about me and also I’ll be stopping here, cause I’m so out of my depth with Mann. Just a long way to say that I almost want to re-read Magic Mountain but then I remember that there was that second half. Sorry for rambling!
Anywho, back to this book. It’s often good, lots of great observations, sometimes eye-rolly and melodramatic, on the whole a solid work of an early Remarque, not my favorite, not my least favorite. Sad book about sad times, perfect for a very sad moi.
Somewhere around 60 % I suddenly thought about The Magic mountain. Why? I’m curious about it myself. What do these books have in common? Both written in German! Two men who lost their country to madness. Ok, written in the interwar period and I would argue can be only written back then, not later. Getting warmer. Remarque was a working class young man of 18 when he was drafted into the infantry during ww1. Mann couldn't be further from the working class, a dying European aristocracy, old money, no idea where he spent ww1 but I assume somewhere in Switzerland. Ok, getting cooler. One was a lady’s man, for which Mann resented him, the other was� hm� thirsting for his pubescent naked son. Paging doctor Freud! Cold, so cold! Both were banned by nazis, Remarque’s sister was killed since they couldn’t get to him. Know almost nothing about the other guy’s history. Both wrote melancholy works, one is a very cinematic writer, for the people, the other one is an intellectual to be enjoyed by very very smart people. Both books about dying, time, nihilism, sanatorium in Switzerland. Ok, maybe that's it? See, I read only one Mann and never was interested to pick up another one of his, and almost all Remarque, so that tells you something about me and also I’ll be stopping here, cause I’m so out of my depth with Mann. Just a long way to say that I almost want to re-read Magic Mountain but then I remember that there was that second half. Sorry for rambling!
Anywho, back to this book. It’s often good, lots of great observations, sometimes eye-rolly and melodramatic, on the whole a solid work of an early Remarque, not my favorite, not my least favorite. Sad book about sad times, perfect for a very sad moi.
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Reading Progress
October 23, 2022
–
Started Reading
October 23, 2022
– Shelved
October 31, 2022
–
65.0%
"На якусь мить мене охопило дивне почуття, наче тільки це й є справжнє життя в його найглибшому розумінні, а може, навіть і щастя: кохання з такою глибокою тугою, страхом за майбутнє і мовчазним усвідомленням небезпеки."
October 31, 2022
–
82.0%
"� Послухай, Отто, � сказав я, � якби ти міг усе своє життя прожити спочатку, ти б захотів?
� Точнісінько так, яким воно було?
� Так.
� Ні, � відповів Кестер.
� Я теж ні, � сказав я."
� Точнісінько так, яким воно було?
� Так.
� Ні, � відповів Кестер.
� Я теж ні, � сказав я."
October 31, 2022
–
Finished Reading
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Finished ch 7 (he just sold the car). I am enjoying it, especially when three of them are together.
Oh, I’m glad to hear it!I’m on chapter 23, will probably stop here for the day.
I keep thinking that if Robert just stopped drinking so much he’d have the money to rent a whole apartment and not just a room.
They party a lot. And their booze is so varied.. Let him drink, he'll probably be drafted as soon as the war starts and die somewhere in Belarus in 15 years.edit: on the second thought, don't think his liver will live that long
and how are you liking it?
nastya wrote: "They party a lot. And their booze is so varied.. Let him drink, he'll probably be drafted as soon as the war starts and die somewhere in Belarus in 15 years.edit: on the second thought, don't thi..."
I agree. He’ll be long-dead of cirrhosis by then.
nastya wrote: "and how are you liking it?"I’m enjoying it, but very differently from what I remember as a teenager. I reread it once about 10 years ago and I wasn’t that impressed, but this time I’m liking it more.
I do like the little bits of background that creep into the story. Desperate unemployment, snippets of intolerance to non-Germans, etc.
can you imagine going through the ww1 and ww2 is your future? this book is so depressing and I'm reading another book where heroine has a literal depression
I keep thinking that if Robby ends up in WW2 that would be terrible. But yeah, knowing all that’s to come - and so much crap that’s about to start in just a few years - makes it doubly awful.
hope he runs away or joins the resistance.
How’s the book going?
yeah, I like everything except romance
Robert/Pat romance is really the weakest part here.
his romances are often weak and so are his heroines, i find. the only one i liked is in my fave remarque - a time to live and time to die
Yeah, I’d be happy to read most of this book without Pat there, but then in the end I do like her presence.
can’t say about pat yet but he is into his femme fatale archetype. and i find it boring. a time to live and die doesn’t have one and i guess that explains why i loved that romance 🙂
nastya wrote: "can’t say about pat yet but he is into his femme fatale archetype. and i find it boring. a time to live and die doesn’t have one and i guess that explains why i loved that romance 🙂"I’ve read his other books so long ago that I have extremely vague recollections of those. Noting the non-famine fatale archetype one as my next Remarque though.
i think you might enjoy black obelisk
I’m pretty sure I’ve read it, but zero recollection of anything about it. Teenage me was probably not impressed, so adult me will definitely do Remarque rereads.
Nataliya wrote: "I’m pretty sure I’ve read it, but zero recollection of anything about it. Teenage me was probably not impressed, so adult me will definitely do Remarque rereads."I'll be following your re-reading journey and occasionally join you.
oh Rob and Pat together are making me cringe. 😬
nastya wrote: "oh Rob and Pat together are making me cringe. 😬"Where are you at in the book?
he visited her home then went to get drunk and then came back for her.
The way things are going now, I can bet money she doesn't survive till the end of the book
Do you care about spoilers?
I'm not scared of them but don't tell me. I'll find out soon :)
Making a note to myself: Skip Mann.
Nataliya wrote: "Making a note to myself: Skip Mann."nooo. damn it, it wasn’t my message! anyways I don’t think you’ll like him tbh 😀
Props to you for knowing and mentioning Remarque's sis was killed in a concentration camp. Poor woman.As to where Mann was in the Great War, bastard was mature for being drafter but he volunteered to be in the reserves, so he spent his time as a reservist in the Landsturm (sort of the same as the Volksturm in WWII).
nastya wrote: "Nataliya wrote: "Making a note to myself: Skip Mann."nooo. damn it, it wasn’t my message! anyways I don’t think you’ll like him tbh 😀"
You’re usually pretty spot on about my book tastes :)
Glad that you're enjoying even imprtfect stories.
Marquise wrote: "Props to you for knowing and mentioning Remarque's sis was killed in a concentration camp. Poor woman.As to where Mann was in the Great War, bastard was mature for being drafter but he volunteere..."
I just love Remarque, perhaps it's partly nostalgia, partly that his melancholy suits me.
Nataliya wrote: "You’re usually pretty spot on about my book tastes :)"I loved first 60% of the Magic mountain and just wished it would end already the last 40%. Know when to stop dude, so boring! But I read reviews and synopses of his other books and they sounded so dull to me. He's not the author I'm excited about
Left Coast Justin wrote: "Glad that you're enjoying even imprtfect stories."I don't think there are perfect books. But I value the heart behind the story. This one head it
nastya wrote: "I just love Remarque, perhaps it's partly nostalgia, partly that his melancholy suits me."You watched the newest 'All Quiet' film?
Marquise wrote: "You watched the newest 'All Quiet' film?"No. Not in the mood
Left Coast Justin wrote: "Added!"Because of Nataliya, not me 😀
Молода леді, ви помиляєтеся
You might be surprised, Nast� , but I have not read this Remarque. And as far as I remember, I only read “Night in Lisbon�. But I enjoyed very much your review and comparison of those two guys. I think it is quite apt. I think actually Mann supported the First World War and did not like Weimar Republic, but then he changed his mind. I’ve read a lot of Mann. I did not get a lot of the magic mountain first time. Second time was much better. It stayed with me more. But my personal favourite is Dr Faustus.
Katia wrote: "You might be surprised, Nast� , but I have not read this Remarque. And as far as I remember, I only read “Night in Lisbon�. But I enjoyed very much your review and comparison of those two guys. I think it is quite apt. I think actually Mann supported the First World War and did not like Weimar Republic, but then he changed his mind. I’ve read a lot of Mann. I did not get a lot of the magic mountain first time. Second time was much better. It stayed with me more. But my personal favourite is Dr Faustus."I am surprised, Katush, since he's super popular where we come from! I thought all reading kids go through their Remarque phase! 😀
He's so ... I don't know, earnest? He's not a man who's reading Kant or Hegel while listening to ... let's say Bach? (I know nothing about classical music) But he clearly sees what's happening around him especially with working class he's so familiar with. And he's so sad. And he's never about German myth and German supremacy.
How did you like Night in Lisbon? I assume not very much since you never picked up another one. I enjoyed the first 60% of MM but then I wanted it to be already over. I think I got everything I needed from it by then. 🙂 Also read about Faustus, isn't it the one with a lot of classical music? I just care not at all about it.
Meghna wrote: "A stellar review, Nastya! <3"Thank you, love <3
Also, forget Pat. Robert’s most important relationship is with rum. I swear, I’m getting hangovers just from reading it.