Customer Reviews

The Book of Fathers

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If, to enjoy a book, you need a page turner with a plot - this will not be a book you will like.
If, to enjoy a book, you need only good writing (albeit in translation) and a different take on the family saga theme - this could be worth a look.

Vamos, in twelve chapters, presents us with the 'story' of each of the first-born males of twelve generations of one Hungarian family. (Fortunately, there is a family tree included.) Unlike so many such sagas, this is not about the rich, famous or titled. Rather, this is about the struggles of the generations to survive the changing world.

Hungary has a history of being governed by outsiders with laws set without regard to its people, culture or history. The fathers and sons we meet are placed in situations requiring them to change who they are and what they are. Sometimes they are Jews; other times they are Christians. Sometimes they are patriots; sometimes they run away. What we don't have is any form of normal family life over the centuries.

The translation was very readable. The Hungarian vernacular that remains is either defined or apparent in meaning, thus being no problem. This is very much what will be labeled "literary fiction". While the book advances from A to Z in linear fashion, there is little of a continuing storyline - except for one inherited trait that I will not disclose.

The reason for only four stars is that it did drag toward the end. I thought the whole thing could have been handled, keeping the same twelve generations, in about a hundred fewer pages. This did not keep me from enjoying the book from cover to cover, however. I assume you have read the Product Description (above). Since you are still reading, I think you would like this one.

I don't read much translated contemporary literature, but this was a treat. I'm not sure what I was expecting, perhaps some kind of science fiction-like story line where the ability of the first-born in the family line is able to use their unusual gift to pull off amazing and unexplanable feats...? Anyway, what I got was an extremely interesting guided tour through the family history of a mostly unremarkable clan.

The ebb and flow of the writing was refreshing and not at all Hollywoodized, especially after reading a series of religio-action adventure novels. It's apparently not the goal of this author to sell the movie rights.

While reading this book I could actually breathe, and the characters were interesting and had much more depth than characters in many of the other books I've been reading recently. I was particularly intruiged by the continuous string of references to Hungarian history (something I know woefully little about). If you are like me you will be intruiged by references to ethnic fighting in the early 1700s, the influx of German language and culture and the suppression of Hungarian language and culture during time of Austria-Hungarian Empire, hten comes WWI as well as the plight of Hungarian Jews throughout the entire narrative. Next you are on to WWII, Communist rule, and the fall of Communism, and the book wraps up around 1999. Don't get me wrong, this is not a history book, but it is engaging historical fiction.

If you read this book you will find yourself constantly flipping to the front of the book where a chart of the family lineage of the main characters is provided. I found that when I had set the book aside for a couple of days that I was able to readily refresh my memory with a quick glance at that chart and pick up where I left off.

Also, if you choose to read this book I HIGHLY recommend that before you start the first chapter that you flip to the back of the book and read the author's notes and brief history of Hungary the author has put togther. I didn't do this until after I had read the book...more's the pity.

All in all this was an enjoyable read. Four solid stars, and worth my time.

It's been difficult trying to find what to say in this review. I suppose the first thing would be a comment on how fairly fascinating "The Book of Fathers" can be. It's a good epic - 12 generations - and it manages to have a massive story without having too massive a tome. It's the kind of book where you feel the general direction but are never really sure how it's going to get there.

Setting aside the writing style for a moment, there are a few fairly major issues with the book that bothered. Take, for instance, the last two generations. The stories, while bringing the reader to the current age comfortably, ring false with the rest of the book and are kind of boring. In general, some of the stories weren't very strong, as might be expected from a book of this kind. The format makes it resemble a book of short stories in that sense, with some chapters much better than others. Another point that frustrated was the Jewish subplot, which often seemed unlikely and slightly bizarre.

Because each chapter focuses on a different person, there's an overall imbalance to the book. Some characters are excellently drawn, are realistic, interesting, and make the reader want to learn about their lives. Others are simpler, duller and provide little food-for-thought, such that even their personalities feel flat and crudely drawn. The contrast can be a little disconcerting at times - one chapter I thought the book was brilliant, the next I was struggling to get through.

And then there is the writing. It's good writing (a fairly good translation too), but so much of the book is written in giant chunks of "told" stuff. Five pages of story-telling, summing up years in an almost inelegant fashion. This made it difficult to read sometimes and could get a bit boring. The unevenness was particularly apparent by the end, where the tone didn't quite match the content. It's not badly written at all, but sometimes it felt clunky.

I liked reading "The Book of Fathers". I really did. I liked some of the stories and I liked the overall atmosphere of the epic. I didn't like the last two installments, thought the book went on for a little too long and had a few minor plot issues, but on the whole it's an interesting, pretty good book. Is it my favorite book of the year? No. It's not even the best Hungarian novel I've read recently. But it's a good, interesting novel that those with patience and time should read, if only to learn a little more about the world and people in it. It's not an easy book to read, but for those with an interest in world literature and history, it's a good book to read. 3.5.

Anyone who enjoys discovering a new author will be thrilled to read this book. Miklos Vamos is a bestselling author in Hungary, and based on this one translation I can see why.

The stories and characters are each in their own way compelling, and the common thread of shared memories recorded in the Book of Fathers gives continuity as the reader gets to know each successive generation. It is true that you will have to relinquish your attachment to each generation as you move through the book, but once you get the hang of it you will begin to look forward to the coming chapters, to see how each new son will change the fortunes of the family.

If you turn to the postscript you will see that Mr. Vamos was quite clever, in that as the story advances through 300 years of Hungarian history, the language of the book slowly progresses alongside. He committed himself to using only those words and phrases that would have been in use at the time of his characters' lives, and thus as the novel moves forward through time his phrasing and vocabulary become increasingly modern. Granted, as this is a translation, some of this effect has been lost, but it is an interesting linguistic study nonetheless.

As Americans, many of us have lost our immigrant heritage. This story brings to life the way generations of one family relate to their ancestors, the way their stories can be kept alive, and how they can be lost along the way. It is educational, entertaining, and beautifully crafted, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Spanning over three and a half centuries and many generations, this book begins in 1705 with the family history of Kornell Csillag who was just a lad of four years old when the Kurucz (Hungarian rebels) and Rakoczi (Austrian) soldiers fought control over the land of Hungary. Although his grandfather Czuczor had learned the printing trade, including typography and book-binding while in exile in Thuningen Bavaria, he never felt at ease in his adopted country. Therefore, he chose to return with his family and a servant to their homeland. There was yet no peace in Kos, their little village which became a battle field between the two opposing factions. The Csillag family and many other villagers sought refuge in the caves in the mountains above the village. Sadly there were few survivors, as the soldiers killed, pillaged and destroyed nearly everything in their sight. Kornell barely clung to life but through good luck and his strong will power, he became the sole survivor of his family along with the help of a mangy but loving dog named Malé. He was provided food and drink by a few Kurucz soldiers who were passing, next a band of gypsies took pity on him and later he worked as a stable boy for General Onczay who took great notice of him once he found out that Kornell could speak German. With his small build and German language skills, Kornell became a jockey who won numerous horse races for his master. Due to his fierce loyalty to the General, despite political rumors, Kornell was treated as an equal by his master who provided him one of his neices as a bride. Thus came into being the next generation of the Csillag family, three sons, who now went by the family name of Sternovsky. On his deathbed, with his wife nearby, Kornell relived his life and marveled at his good fortune, first in becoming a successful studfarmer which ensured him a successful marriage and family, next building a glassworks factory in the middle of the forest which fulfilled orders throughout Hungary. The glassworks was built solely due to the clairvoyant visions he received because he possessed the gold egg-shaped watch found by his Grandfather Czuczor so long ago ...

This is a magnificent fictional novel that is difficult to put down once it is begun. It is filled with many outstanding memorable characters from all walks of life who are the future generations of Kornell Csilllag (aka Sternovsky). They pursue their lives with courage, faith, hope and hard work and overcome many challenges amidst the changing politics which sealed the fate of all Hungarians from the early 1700s to the present. The author clearly provides fascinating details of everyday life through the actions, thoughts and emotions of his characters. The reader is drawn into the unfolding personal drama of each succeeding generation who provide fascinating stories and insights about survival within the crucible from which emerges the modern nation called Hungary.

Miklós Vámos uses two creative devices which seamlessly connects each generation with the next. The first is a golden watch discovered by Grandfather Czuczor believed to date to the early-1600s. In addition to telling time, it has the unique property of providing clairvoyance to the person holding it. The individual could look back in time or as one family member discovered, even look into the future. The person holding it receives images and feelings of what happened in the lives of previous family members who owned the watch. Another outstanding creative twist in the novel is the family journal which was started by Grandpa Czuczor in which he recorded his inner most thoughts and feelings about significant events in his life. This journal was an unbroken record of family history passed down to the eldest son in each succeeding generation who added their own contributions to provide an accurate document of great value about the past. Miklós Vámos has written an amazingly captivating book which covers over 350 years in the history of this family. Their stories are vibrant and dynamic, the characters are uniquely fascinating, well rounded and life-like. The author keeps the reader fully engaged from start to finish. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

Here's the story encapsulated: The Csillag family first-born males enjoy a gift (and endure a curse) -- they respectively experience misty visions of their own (and their ancestors') pasts and occasionally of their futures. Of course this generates both a boon and a pitfall for these unusual men and their immediate families.

But the focus is really not on this mystical side of the story. The Csillags were Hungarians and, as such, they endured intermittent hardship and continual repression by the Habsburg Monarchy. It was a double whammy for the Csillags: they were also Jewish and pogroms often flared up to their horrified astonishment. The reader travels along in time with the Csillags (they change their family name periodically) from the start of the 18th-Century to the present day.

The story is much about the development of the Hungarian language (covertly, a national treasure), Hungarian history (their domination and the failures of their revolts), Jewish persecution, and the Hungarian plight in general. It's not all doom and gloom -- individuals of the Csillag family frequently experience bright times, both socially and economically and they travel, late in the story, to America and back.

At the outset of each transitory episode is a paragraph of lyrical word-painting, originally in the evolving Hungarian language, which becomes more evocative as the tale progresses. One purpose of this exposition is that it serves to illuminate the maturation of the Hungarian language even though, in this edition, it has now all been rendered to English.

The translation itself has been artfully achieved by Peter Sherwood. This is a fluid read and a page-turner. The original publication in Hungarian emerged in 2000. The story runs 466 pages and the author has included a nice background epilogue, detailing the genesis of this compelling tale, at the conclusion of the work. Milklós Vámos, who has taught at Yale on a Fulbright scholarship, has written 25 other books (eleven novels) including: Santa Kutya.

This is an example of terrific contemporary European literature, the like of which we see all too little of these days. Vámos simply spins his yarn with the ease of a master and all the emphasis is on the journey, never the destination, a positive caveat of much European and Middle-eastern literature. This novel isn't another "War and Peace" but it is darn good reading.

Highly recommended for fans of European and Jewish history.

One of the best-selling authors in contemporary Hungary, Miklos Vamos has produced his masterwork in The Book Of Fathers. The book's conceit (regarding a pocket watch which allows the first-born male of each generation the gift of visualization of the lives of those who came before) allows Vamos to weave an interesting tale across an astonishing ten generations. But don't be fooled. This isn't magical realism or anything close to science-fiction, but rather a powerful overview of a couple of centuries of Hungarian (and partially, Middle-European Jewish) history. It examines conctructs of identity in the light of personal whim, political and social tides and random chance.

Frankly speaking, it blew my mind. Each chapter deals with the first-born (always a son) of a new generation. In this sense, the book is really a compilation of ten brief novellas. Vamos is such a wonderful storyteller that most of these chapters would work well as stand-alone stories of their own, and in fact, if I could read the book "anew," I'd probably read the chapters in random order to test this theory. Of course, we see glimpses of the previous (and future) generation in each chapter, and various connective themes are woven throughout the book. The book is quite lengthy, but I read it in a few evenings simply because I found it impossible to put down. By the time I'd finished, I looked by at the first chapter and couldn't really perceive how Vamos has managed to create such cohesion and subtle historical transition in a story that spans centuries. The ultra-intense and surprising (yet hyper-realistic) ending stands as one of the most spectacular comments on the illusory nature of both history and human nature. I can't recommend this book enough - absolutely brilliant, awe-inducing and thought-provoking.

I might also add - I can't think of a book more well-suited to book club discussion, if that's your game.

You may call this book a "multigenerational saga," if you want to give it a label, but really it's something quite unusual. From 1705 to 1999, the mythic Czillag (Sternovsky, Stern) family lives the tragic course of Hungarian history, one disaster after another. What makes them different is a visionary gift that enables one member of the family in each generation to see vividly the experiences of their forebears or (occasionally), of their future progeny.

Sometimes they write these experiences down for their descendants, in a loosely kept scrapbook they call the Book of Fathers. What happens to the book, the gift, and the hapless Czillags will be revealed in this gripping book, and of course I won't tell you the outcome. You'll have to read it for yourself. You will find it hard to put down.

Author Miklos Vamos writes an engaging, allegorical tale of history, of memory, of the need to be part of a story. He does it beautifully, as far as one can say from a translation. I enjoyed it thoroughly, although, I must say, it was sometimes hard to keep track of all the characters. A map of Hungary might have been helpful, not to mention a pronunciation guide to Hungarian names. The author does include a brief synopsis of Hungarian history which makes the story a little clearer. This is not light reading, but if you've ever wondered about your own ancestors, I think you'll find it as intriguing as I did. I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

This book was my first exposure to Miklos Vamos, and all I can say is that this is really a classic novel. It follows a long-lived family which is distinguished by two things--the ability of "second sight" (i.e. being able to see outside of one's self, past, present and future), as well as a multigenerational chronicle called "The Book of Fathers" that gets maintained by firstborn male children over the centuries. There is a bit of magical realism in the book, to be sure, but what surprised me about the book was that these elements were underplayed. Being able to see the future turns out rarely to be helpful to the characters--they don't get full information on what is going to happen or what they need to do--while the continuity offered by the book is extremely valuable to the characters. When that information becomes unavailable, the effects are tragic, though the book does present a rather ironic ending that suggests that having correct knowledge of our past is less important than feeling like we have one.

Vamos's prose, even translated into English, is pretty potent. The novel is structured episodically, almost like a series of linked short stories that explore similar themes. Many of these stories are colorful and vividly written. I especially liked the stories about young Kornel, the progenitor of the line who has to survive Hungary's Civil War in the early 1700s; the story of Istvan, who converts to Judaism in the 18th century for love; as well as the novel's haunting coverage of World War II and the Holocaust. The protagonists of our story tend to have successes as businessmen and creators, while they tend to lack substantive relationships with their fathers and tend to suffer early deaths. In many cases, our protagonists don't know much about their fathers and their past than what they read in the titular book. Vamos's book argues that knowing our past is more important than being able to see the future, and that ultimately it is family and not circumstances that dictate most of who we are. This is a wonderful, thoughtful book, and I would readily recommend it.

More than 300 years of Hungarian history are told through the reflections of the first-born male of each generation of the Csillag line. The Csillag clan returns to Hungary after exile in Bavaria. Thus begins The Book of Fathers, which gives us an insider's view of 12 generations of this family, through prosperity and tragedy, in Hungary and the United States, from Judaism to Christianity, from democracy to socialism to capitalism, in concentration camps and on the run from persecutors. Each first-born male is gifted with the ability to "see" the past and to re-connect with his forefathers. Some are able to glimpse the future, but it is the link with the past that unites them all. Even when the gift is shunned, each son is strengthened in some way by the men who lived and died before him. And no matter where each man decides to make his fortune - either to support his family or to run away from his past - Hungary is where they each return.

I'm not sure what I expected when I ordered this book. I am a reader of mostly American authors, and I don't read many translated novels. This book took me a while to get into. It's not always the most uplifting of stories and is often told in such a stark, matter-of-fact way that it borders on off putting. However, I still found myself absorbed into this story. How does a family continue in the face of tragedy? How is it possible to stay connected to one's roots while forging one's own identity? Do homeland and ancestry really have so much importance in one's life?

I also should have expected, given the title, an almost exclusive focus on the male characters of the story. Personally I think this is to the detriment, but I also wonder how "good" is this Hungarian-to-American English translation? The narrative is often awkward, and I can't help but attribute that to the translation. Since I can't read Hungarian - and since I was able to only squeak out 4-5 somewhat intelligible words when I was in Hungary a couple of years ago - I can't say for sure.

I wish I could point to one thing or an "Aha!" moment that made me like this book, but I can't. It's stark. It's depressing. It's often so bleak that I wanted to put it to the side for something much more light-hearted. But it worked for me. I raced through the second half of the book, constantly thumbing back to the family tree provided at the beginning of the story.

I am quite curious about Miklós Vámos, and this novel has me hoping that I'll see more of his fiction in English translation.