6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The inevitabilty of destiny....., May 2, 2005
This review is from: LA Herencia De Eszter / Esther's Inheritance (Narrativa) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)
LA HERENCIA DE ESZTER is yet another excellent piece of writing from Hungarian writer Sandor Marai.
Eszter, the main character and narrator, lives in a house which she inherited from her father. She shares the house with Nunu, who has been her maid and main confident for many years. One day, she receives a letter from and old friend, Lajos, who announces a visit after an absence of 15 years.
Lajos, a dreamer, liar, poet and mainly a con man is responsible for Eszter and her family having lost most of what they owned.
Lajos' visit proves to be everything Eszter and Nunu expected it to be, and more.
The novel's main topic is the inevitable fulfillment of destiny, beyond reason, ethics and any type of moral code.
LA HERENCIA DE ESZTER is also a love story, a story of love that never was, and a story of love that could have been.
As in other of Marai's novels, the prose is beautifully written, and the book is very hard to put down.
The main characters are profound and full of life. The plot is well conceived and very nicely laid out.
As in EL ULTIMO ENCUENTRO , also by Marai, people rejoining after having been apart for extended periods of time, is one of the novel's main pillars. He is able to not only understand but portray and expose human feelings that have been kept in the deepest corners of their souls for many years.
I highly recommend this novel.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great short novel by Sandor Marai, January 5, 2008
This review is from: LA Herencia De Eszter / Esther's Inheritance (Narrativa) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)
A great short novel by Hungarian writer Sandor Marai (untranslated into English so far, I think). Written in 1939, the novel is about Eszter, the main character and narrator, a single woman in her mid 40s, who fears the impending return of Lajos, a former lover and con man, who left her for her sister twenty years ago leaving her almost bankrupt. With help from her friends, she has reconstructed her life, but she fears that Lajos, who manipulates her at at will, is back to finish his job. As it happens, her worst fears will come to reality. The book is great, and Lajos is a great picture of a swindler. I would have expected the novel to explain a bit more why Eszter is so passive to Lajos' tricks, but despite this, this novel is a great work.
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