The Temple

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Review: Despite the "hot" cover and interesting historical period involved, this book is actually quite dull and poorly written. Spender is known as a poet and memoirist, not a novelist. There is no narrative pace, the characters are thinly drawn, and the plot is meandering. It is interesting as an artifact in the Auden-Isherwood-Spender literary history, for those who care, not as a novel in itself. Let the reader be warned.

Rating:
Summary: Do not go to the gym - read this instead
Review: This simply told but sincere and intelligent story captured me. So much has been written on the subject of Germany, before, during, and after World War II... I felt relieved but also invited by the apparent simplicity of the text. It betrays the underlying emotions and discoveries, which are poignant and real, and brings the experiences of a different time closer. I was reminded of the temporal, fragile nature of every human constellation, be it family or friends, so it makes sense that I found the book in my stair well... Finally, it was very refreshing to read a nonpolitical, nonmoralizing book on the experiences of a young gay man, focusing on the human traits of emotions, a sense of belonging, and friendship. Especially the description of the fascination with health and the body as a machine at that time should be pertinent for our culture at present.