The Night in Lisbon

Rating:
Summary: "underrated Genius"
Review: An absolutely beautiful book. Remarque is one of the most gifted mainstream Europaen novelists to emerge from the first half of the twentieth century. He is known for writing about the personal side of war, and this book is a great example of the devestating effects of a global conflict on ordinary people. This book is a riveting example of of an underrated literary master.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Erich Maria Remarque is an unchallenged master when it comes to describing what happens to people whose lives are disrupted by war. In "The Night in Lisbon" he does this with an intensely personal voice which makes the reader feel oddly present in the scene.Remarque's language is simple and direct, his metaphors and similes provoking and at times startling. In this novel he uses what is basically the rather uncomplicated story of two lovers seeking safety in war-torn Europe to explore a multitude of far more complex themes: the degenerations and transformations of civilizations, the vagaries of perplexing personalities, the roles played by memory and hope in our understanding of the self, and people's varying conceptions of time and eternity, to name but a few. Remarque accomplishes all of this in the swiftly moving pages of an essentially short novel, tells a highly entertaining tale in the process, and, when it is done, leaves the reader's mind tempted with further questions about the compelling characters just left behind. There is some dated material in "The Night in Lisbon", such as the many crude epithetical grenades lobbed in the highly deserving direction of the Nazi dictator and his gangs of thugs and thugesses. Remarque's references in this unrefined vein seem too obviously placed to curry favor with American readers fresh from their own horrific experiences of war and holocaust, and perhaps suspicious of a German novelist and his sypathies. And one might wonder, as some reviewers have, how the narrator might realistically tell his story in the space of one short Portuguese night without losing his voice or simply running out of time before breakfast."The Night in Lisbon" may not belong in the very front ranks of the brilliantly beribboned regiments of world literature, but it remains nevertheless a shimmering and exotic bird which flutters cooly and confidently through the literary skies.One does well to listen to its plaintive cry, to watch its unusual shadow elongate across the fictional landscape, and to ask oneself just why it flies as strangely as it does.

Rating:
Summary: A Moving Tear-Jerker that's very Casablanca in theme
Review: Remarque has a gift with words, he can paint a scene so clearly--that it will be forever etched in memory. This novel is a tragic love story that takes place in the beginnings of WWII, and the dialogue has a sense of Hemingway in it. What a beautiful novel to read, my eyes would well up with tears because it was so utterly moving. The novel tackles themes like love, survival, justice, war, identity, and the meanings of life--the two narrators of the story come alive, and I almost felt like I could hear all the emotions and inflections of their voices. But, Remarque has always had a talent--All Quiet..was also a brilliant novel. The back cover of this novel describes the story very very well. The Night in Lisbon is a novel that moves quickly amd brushes you up in its wings; it is a book that can be finished in 2 or 3 days. I highly recommend it to anyone that has discovered Remarque or would want a taste in spellbinding literature. The Night in Lisbon, is a night that I won't forget.

Rating:
Summary: The Night In Lisbon- a fantastic read!
Review: Remarque produces yet another fantastic read. I enjoyed Schwarz as a character- he had a lot of fight in him. He could always find the irony in every situation- some parts of the novel were even humerous! I found it humerous that Schwarz sold Degas painting for mere scrap change- paintings now worth millions! Schwarz is a fine example with which to use the phrase,"Don't be careless, but don't be too careful, either." The storyline was fascinating- I was almost disappointed when the story ended....I was ready for more! The novel was very realistic, and for this reason, my eyes remained glued to the pages. Although I wouldn't call this novel a "tear- jerker", as some reviews did, it definitely did have it's emotional parts. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who just plain wants to hear a great story.

Rating:
Summary: Flawed but good.
Review: Remarque's stoic account of the refugee's struggle is stunning. It was hard to believe, however, that Schwartz could talk at such length with such eloquence. Remarque's similes were odd; although they related to what they described, the images they evoked actually detracted from my empathy for the characters. (Read it and you'll understand.) Also, the love was too desperate, too detached from reality.

Rating:
Summary: a cross between "Casablanca", "Lord Jim" & "The Death Ship"
Review: This is a very good book by a very good author. It contains elements of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and romance. It is one of the best novels I've read about the plight of regugees at the outbreak of WWII (with similarities with the first part of Traven's "The Death Ship"). It is the tale told by one refugee to another over the course of a night in Lisbon (hence the title). The narrator is the listener and the story he is told builds into a very good romance that reminded me a lot of the movie "Casablanca". While an endless and exciting series of arrests, escapes and near-misses is going on, we discover a special kind of love between a man who returns to his wife after a number of years of exile. In the topsy-turvy world of Europe at the outbreak of WWII, the standards for conventional romance and fidelity are lost in the need for something more flexible. The reader may question many aspects of the love that is expressed in these pages but not the love itself. I was impressed as I have been with other books by this author. Remarque portrays the chaos of life during WWI as well as Heinrich Boll portrays it in post-war Germany. This is a novel with terrific insight to the times in which it takes place and the capacity for love to prevail against overwelming odds. I'd rate it a 4.5.

Rating:
Summary: a cross between "Casablanca", "Lord Jim" & "The Death Ship"
Review: This is a very good book by a very good author. It contains elements of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and romance. It is one of the best novels I've read about the plight of regugees at the outbreak of WWII (with similarities with the first part of Traven's "The Death Ship"). It is the tale told by one refugee to another over the course of a night in Lisbon (hence the title). The narrator is the listener and the story he is told builds into a very good romance that reminded me a lot of the movie "Casablanca". While an endless and exciting series of arrests, escapes and near-misses is going on, we discover a special kind of love between a man who returns to his wife after a number of years of exile. In the topsy-turvy world of Europe at the outbreak of WWII, the standards for conventional romance and fidelity are lost in the need for something more flexible. The reader may question many aspects of the love that is expressed in these pages but not the love itself. I was impressed as I have been with other books by this author. Remarque portrays the chaos of life during WWI as well as Heinrich Boll portrays it in post-war Germany. This is a novel with terrific insight to the times in which it takes place and the capacity for love to prevail against overwelming odds. I'd rate it a 4.5.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites.
Review: We've all been in the situation of being in a restaurant or a bar and overhearing a conversation that has peaked our interest. We strain to hear the whole conversation, the story being woven, perhaps to live vicariously through the narrator or simply because being curious is human nature. Imagine being in that situation only in a different time: the very early stages of World War II, and a different place: Lisbon, Portugal. And, imagine that the person you are listening to is telling his story during this tumultuous time, from a perspective that is often forgotten, from that of a refugee.

This work of fiction is an intriguing tale of a man's struggle to re-enter Germany to find his wife after fleeing for his life about a year prior and then their flight to Portugal to obtain passage on a ship to the United States.

I only read this book after reading Remarque's "All Quite on the Western Front". I was quite disappointed with that work and was left wondering why it is considered to be such a great story. Wondering if Remarque was overrated or truly the great author that I failed to see, I went to the library and checked out what would become my favorite work of fiction. I have since read the book three times and enjoy it as much as the first read each time through it. There are, to me, three elements of "The Night in Lisbon" that make this a great work: the plot, the characters and the style.

When one imagines the plot of a story set in or around WWII, the first thing to come to mind is probably something along the lines of a heroic tale from the front lines or a valiant struggle for survival in the skies over Germany in a crippled bomber. While these tales often lead to great stories, a completely different spin on WWII makes "The Night In Lisbon" unique and intriguing. Remarque's plot revolves around a German refugee not trying to escape because of his religious affiliation but purely for his political beliefs. While it is never clearly explained why our hero is an enemy of the Reich, the reader is able to draw some conclusions from the dialog. It is this man's struggle to re-enter his homeland from which he was exiled to find his young wife and take her back to Portugal with him is what exists as the core of the plot. His journeys through Switzerland, Austria, France and Spain alone and with his wife pull the reader into the book, hoping he and his wife survive French prisons, encounters with German soldiers, border guards and a particularly deadly enemy that cannot be seen. This is truly an involving story that leaves the reader wishing for more once the book is finished.

As with plot, characters and their emotions provide substance to a story. With weak characters and unrelatable emotions, the plot can often become moot. Remarque masters both in "The Night In Lisbon" providing a protagonist (Schwarz) for whom we hope for the best and a tale of love that shows just how strong this emotion can be. The reader can understand how Schwarz feels and his motivation for his actions. Through Remarque's simple character portrayals, he is able to invoke sympathy from the reader towards Schwarz and his wife giving him motivation to see the story through.

Remarque's style in "The Night In Lisbon" is as important to the story as the plot or characters. Simple first-person narrative allows this story to seem more real. Switching between Schwarz's account of his journey and that night in Lisbon in which the story telling takes place makes the reader feel as if he is seated next to Schwarz in the dimly lit bar at 3:00am listening to his account. It is Remarque's mastery of this simplicity and realistic narration that makes this a truly relatable tale.

I cannot recommend this book enough but I fear I am overstating it, as I feel "All Quiet on the Western Front" has been. The only way to know is to find a copy of this book at your local bookstore or city library and read through it at your first available opportunity. I feel you won't be disappointed and I believe this simple tale of love in a complicated time will become an instant favorite. 5 stars out of 5.