Customer Reviews

Coningsby; or, The New Generation

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Coningsby is an interesting political-romantic novel set in early nineteenth century England. In much of the first part of the book, Disreali introduces the main characters and the political and social background against which the action in the later parts of the book will be played. In this book Disraeli covers several topics. He explains the state of parliamentary politics of the day and the changing social and political situations of the nobility and the rising manufacturing class. As the title character, Coningsby, develops his political philosophy, Disraeli gives an insight into his own core political beliefs. Through Sidonia, one of his main characters, Disreali makes a pitch for the rights of Jews, a group to which Disraeli is linked by consangunity, though not be religion. To make it all entertaining, Disraeli takes Coningsby and his lover through a long and chaste romantic quest, in which they finally overcome the obstacles placed in their way by their families. The book, ultimately, provides a triumph of love over hatred and pettiness.

The strong points of this book are its pleasant story line and the ability to tell a romantic and political tale without including the moral failings, without which so many modern authors seem incapable of expressing themselves. The weak points are found in its age and storybook ending. The repeated references to so many details of political life of his day and the simililarities of characters to prominent people, which may have been amusing to the readers of his day, are lost on most contemporary readers. The ending, in which all the injustices inflicted on Coningsby by petty people around him are reversed through acts of self-sacrifice which set the world right, introduces a sense of fantasy which makes the book seem just a bit too much to believe. Overall this book is a worthwhile read

I normally don't care for fiction,but this book is an exception.

It may be fiction,but it is based on fact and real people.

This book offers a view of the politics of Disraeli's time and where political power really exists.

Well written and recommended book!

One caveat:

I have the Penguin Classic paperback and I don't recommend this edition as the print is very small.Thomas Braun edited it with notes for each chapter.It would have been great if not for the print.

This book caused a stir in its day if only because some famous political figures were actually very thinly disguised in the novel. It also was a book that clearly stated to the English aristocracy that if England was to be saved from imminent obscurity, the aristocracy had to change their ways. The book presents a very interesting picture of British politics during the twelve years following the Reform Bill of 1832 told by a crafty and sage politician who could also write a good story. Certainly one of Disraeli's most entertaining works.

No stars is no mistake. Calling this the "Kindle Preferred" edition is a joke. The copy does not lay out or wrap properly no matter how large or small the type selected. It's very difficult to read and is not worth even 99 cents. I wouldn't accept it as a gift. After trying to read two chapters, I bought a different edition.

How can Amazon offer such a defective product?

I read the novel "Coningsby, or the New Generation" (1844) because of the often-quoted line, "...the world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes." That quote is seen by some folks as confirming that Jews run the world. In context, that is exactly what was asserted.

The author of "Coningsby" is Benjamin Disraeli, twice prime minister of England, and a Jew (though supposedly Christianized). Was Disraeli was actually revealing inside knowledge about the domination of the Jews? It could be argued that this was merely poetic license because he was not prime minister until decades after this book was published.

In "Coningsby," the character Sidonia is obviously intended to be a member of a "fictional" Rothschild family. (Disraeli was a pal of Lionel Rothschild.)

This novel is reputed to be Disraeli's best. The author teaches us to distinguish between facts and phrases, realities and phantoms. This is a docu-drama, with real historical characters used as background for Disraeli's fictional characters.

Some reviewers, more knowledgeable about English than History, have suggested that the political commentary is dated and not applicable to our times. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than champion the cause of a particular party, Disraeli lampooned all politicians. Disraeli saw the liberals as destructive, and the conservatives as ineffective because of their abandonment of principles and their adherence to expedience. Disraeli's Tory conservatives took the brunt of his incisive and often humorous jabs.

This book prods the reader to ponder many aspects of democracy, such as: who should vote, the theory of representative government, the role of political parties, the role of the press, the proper ties between State and Church, and the nature of the aristocracy. The book is educational, and even bestows a bit of wisdom upon the reader.

The only negative attached to this book is its presentation of some distorted notions about Jewish history and the role of Jews in early Christianity. Also, Disraeli presents the Jewish tycoon Sidonia as the richest, smartest, wisest, man on the planet...a skilled public speaker, multilingual, possessing an athletic frame, irresistible to women, and a great horseman besides. It is a bit overdone.