Rating: 
Summary: A Story of History--and Fathers & Sons
Review: I am sorry that it took me so long to become aware of Joseph Roth. But I recently read an article describing this novel so I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did because it is one of the best novels I've read recently.The Radetzky March describes the last decades before the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I through the story of a family, the Trotta family. In following three generations of the Trottas we see their sudden rise to glory when Captain Joseph Trotta becomes the ennobled Hero of Solferino by saving the life of the young Kaiser Franz Joseph, we see their stagnation is the long bureaucratic career of Franz Trotta and we see the just as sudden end of the Trotta's with the death of Carl Joseph Trotta in a battle near the beginning of the war. In many ways, this progression is a human mirror for the rise and fall of Austria-Hungary and, for someone like myself who is very interested in World War I, this novel gave great insight into the lead-up to the war. If this novel were just political commentary, however, there would be nothing special about it. In fact, it is much more. It is a very human story of fathers & sons in changing times. After brief backgrounds of the Hero of Solferino and his son, the bulk of the novel follows Carl Joseph's life and career before the war. In particular, we see how Carl Joseph's relationship to his father leads him down the path that will take him to his death. And yet, there is great love and respect between the two men. Some of the most moving passages in the novel are those where Carl Joseph and his father spend time together. And over both of them hangs the painting of the Hero of Solferino. Even after his death, Carl Joseph's grandfather holds sway. Family mold us. This novel is also peppered with well-drawn minor characters including a wonderful chapter that puts us in touch with the aging Emperor Franz Joseph. And it moves us with fascinating events such as the death of Carl Joseph's first mistress and his encounter with the woman's husband, the death of Carl Joseph's best friend in a foolish duel and an encounter with his father's old, fallen friend when father & son travel to Vienna together. So much happens here that I cannot begin to describe it all. It is hard to tell what might be lost in translation, but the prose here is very well written and a joy to read. It is more formal and stylistic than modern prose (the recurrence of the song that gives the book it's title, for example--I wish I was familiar with the tune) but I enjoyed it. Anyone interested in classic novels or World War I would be foolish to pass this novel up; however, I would also suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good novel of father/son relationships. This is a fantastic book.
Rating:
Summary: A Story of History--and Fathers & Sons
Review: I am sorry that it took me so long to become aware of Joseph Roth. But I recently read an article describing this novel so I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did because it is one of the best novels I've read recently. The Radetzky March describes the last decades before the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I through the story of a family, the Trotta family. In following three generations of the Trottas we see their sudden rise to glory when Captain Joseph Trotta becomes the ennobled Hero of Solferino by saving the life of the young Kaiser Franz Joseph, we see their stagnation is the long bureaucratic career of Franz Trotta and we see the just as sudden end of the Trotta's with the death of Carl Joseph Trotta in a battle near the beginning of the war. In many ways, this progression is a human mirror for the rise and fall of Austria-Hungary and, for someone like myself who is very interested in World War I, this novel gave great insight into the lead-up to the war. If this novel were just political commentary, however, there would be nothing special about it. In fact, it is much more. It is a very human story of fathers & sons in changing times. After brief backgrounds of the Hero of Solferino and his son, the bulk of the novel follows Carl Joseph's life and career before the war. In particular, we see how Carl Joseph's relationship to his father leads him down the path that will take him to his death. And yet, there is great love and respect between the two men. Some of the most moving passages in the novel are those where Carl Joseph and his father spend time together. And over both of them hangs the painting of the Hero of Solferino. Even after his death, Carl Joseph's grandfather holds sway. Family mold us. This novel is also peppered with well-drawn minor characters including a wonderful chapter that puts us in touch with the aging Emperor Franz Joseph. And it moves us with fascinating events such as the death of Carl Joseph's first mistress and his encounter with the woman's husband, the death of Carl Joseph's best friend in a foolish duel and an encounter with his father's old, fallen friend when father & son travel to Vienna together. So much happens here that I cannot begin to describe it all. It is hard to tell what might be lost in translation, but the prose here is very well written and a joy to read. It is more formal and stylistic than modern prose (the recurrence of the song that gives the book it's title, for example--I wish I was familiar with the tune) but I enjoyed it. Anyone interested in classic novels or World War I would be foolish to pass this novel up; however, I would also suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good novel of father/son relationships. This is a fantastic book.
Rating:
Summary: a classic
Review: I bought this book after hearing the LA times literary magazine editor and Nadine Gordimer refer to it as one of their favorites. They are both fans of Joseph Roth, and with good reason.
If what you're looking for is a beautifully crafted, thoughtful and evocative book, this is it. In spite of the depth of expression, it is easy reading. The page that details the first seduction of a 15 year old virgin military cadet by an older married woman is brilliant. I read it over and over again--Roth wrote the scene with a delicacy and understanding that is marvelous. Like the best writing, there is a trueness to it that reveals things the reader didn't know about him or herself, or had forgotten.
In this age of indulgent, overwritten fiction, this novel is a relief. Thank heaven Roth has been resurrected.
Rating:
Summary: read this in the original
Review: if at all possible, read this book in the original, even if that means learning the German language first. this book, and everything else by Joseph Roth, will repay the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: expected a bit more
Review: It's a beautiful prose, some pages funny and sarcastic, with keen political observations, some other pages darkly poetic, like the final chapters, where people learn about the death of archduke Francis Ferdinand during this wild celebration ... also one of the best, really tragic, descriptions of the first days of war. Still, the main character, young von Trotta, is not shown with all the psychological nuance one might expect from a book like this.
Rating:
Summary: A slightly flawed translation of a truly great novel
Review: Joseph Roth has long been accorded a place in the literary Pantheon in central Europe. His work has even achieved that dubiously honorific status of being read in German high schools. "The Radetzky March" is generally considered to be his masterpiece; however, I would also encourage readers to explore his other books. This version, however, has a few small flaws. The translation can sometimes be rough, although it is generally quite fine. Neugroschel, the translator, leaves some words untranslated and makes some translation errors. A "Rittmeister" was a captain in the Austro-Hungarian calvary, which few people would know. His soldiers play a card game called "tarot." This is not correct. As most readers know, tarot cards are a fortune-telling device. "Tarok" (with a "k") was the most popular card game among the Austrian elite in the 19th century. Morever, the introduction by Nadine Gordimer can be a distraction. Ms. Gordimer may be a Nobel Prize winner, but she is not a scholar of pre-World War I Austria or of Austrian literature. Her introduction is merely a writer's musings on another writer. It does enhance one's understanding of the story and of Roth's life if one has never heard of Roth before. For those who do know him, it says nothing new. She even writes, "I am glad that, instead, I know him in the only way writers themselves know to be valid for an understanding of their work: through the work themselves." Is she speaking for herself or for all writers everywhere? Is she dismissing the entire fields of literary criticism and biography? Some of what she writes is interesting, but I am left to wonder why the introduction is there other than to boost the book's credentials (i.e. "approved" by a Nobel Prize winner). I am looking forward to the NEW new translation by Michael Hofmann, already available in Britain.
Rating:
Summary: A slightly flawed translation of a truly great novel
Review: Joseph Roth has long been accorded a place in the literary Pantheon in central Europe. His work has even achieved that dubiously honorific status of being read in German high schools. "The Radetzky March" is generally considered to be his masterpiece; however, I would also encourage readers to explore his other books. This version, however, has a few small flaws. The translation can sometimes be rough, although it is generally quite fine. Neugroschel, the translator, leaves some words untranslated and makes some translation errors. A "Rittmeister" was a captain in the Austro-Hungarian calvary, which few people would know. His soldiers play a card game called "tarot." This is not correct. As most readers know, tarot cards are a fortune-telling device. "Tarok" (with a "k") was the most popular card game among the Austrian elite in the 19th century. Morever, the introduction by Nadine Gordimer can be a distraction. Ms. Gordimer may be a Nobel Prize winner, but she is not a scholar of pre-World War I Austria or of Austrian literature. Her introduction is merely a writer's musings on another writer. It does enhance one's understanding of the story and of Roth's life if one has never heard of Roth before. For those who do know him, it says nothing new. She even writes, "I am glad that, instead, I know him in the only way writers themselves know to be valid for an understanding of their work: through the work themselves." Is she speaking for herself or for all writers everywhere? Is she dismissing the entire fields of literary criticism and biography? Some of what she writes is interesting, but I am left to wonder why the introduction is there other than to boost the book's credentials (i.e. "approved" by a Nobel Prize winner). I am looking forward to the NEW new translation by Michael Hofmann, already available in Britain.
Rating:
Summary: A sad look at a doomed world
Review: The story is about the son and grandson of a liutenant that saved the life of the Franz Joseph I, in the Solferino battle. Roth describes carefully and artfully their lives during the last decades of the XIX century, up to 1916, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He experienced it first hand, having been born in its Polish territories. There is a constant oppresive feeling of fate on the main characters, unwilling or unable to change their lives. An interesting parallel between the Emperor and Mr. Trotta's lives is drawn, reinforced by their physical resemblance. Mr. Roth descriptions of natural environments are masterful, in some cases using very poetic metaphors. The book is a close, beautiful but sad account of life in a very old, proud and doomed Monarchy. The reason I didn't give it a 5 rating is that I'd like to have seen at least a bit of explanation of why didn't the characters try to change their destinies, and speculation of what could have happened if they had done so (as, if Franz Joseph had given more authority to the Slav group, along with Austrians and Hungarians, could the start of the Great War had been delayed, or could the Dual Monarchy had been spared of desintegration ?).
Rating:
Summary: Utterly Brilliant Masterpiece
Review: There can be very little more satisfying than discovering a new author. I had never heard of Joseph Roth until a friend recommended I read anything written by him. I picked up this title because it was the only one available in my local library.
What a stroke of luck!
This is a masterpiece of the highest order. There are no accidents in this beautifully crafted and written work of art. Every detail and scene is carefully calculated to present the complex life of the individual in the overall rush of history, as an empire decays and collapses and an entire value system fades away, along with the Emperor Franz Joseph and three generations of the Trotta family. The individual also lives and quickly dies within the eternal cycles of nature, so poignantly drawn by Roth.
I will never be able to do this work justice in just a brief review. I read the Everyman's Library edition, with a brilliant introduction by Alan Bance (which should absolutely be read AFTER reading the work, not before). That introduction does justice to every aspect of this masterpiece and pays tribute to Roth as a major literary figure.
This work alone puts Roth in the company of Flaubert, Mann, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Woolf, Kafka, and anyone else you can name. Bance points out that there's something of a sequel to this work in "The Capuchin Crypt," which I intend to read next.
If you care at all about art and literature, please read this book. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: more like 2 1/2 stars
Review: this book was good, but not great. mr. roth does a great job in telling the story but he fails in presenting the story to the reader. mr. roth includes very little dialogue in the book. either he feels it isn't needed or he is insecure about his capabilities to write meaningful conversations. his characters barely speak, and when they do, they rarely say anything of substance. mr. roth's descriptions of people and items are extraordinary at times but it is not enough to carry the interest of his audience. the second half of the book is much more interesting than the first half and it rescued me from waving the white flag on the whole experience. if you can, purchase this one in the bargain books section.
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