Customer Reviews

Love And Madness

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Much like The Stranger by Camus, this book depicts a time, place, and philosphy that modern man would do well to consider.

It's early in the 20th century as Love and Madness begins. The location is Goteborg Sweden. Karl Lind is an intelligent, idealistic young man with a strong work ethic. Despite his life of wealth and privilege, he has no desire to be counted among the idle rich. Karl loves his job working for his father's newspaper, and accepts with humor his family's urging to live a rich man's life. Lively discussions of philosophical beliefs and religious mores are common around the dinner table and Karl participates with relish.

The chance meeting of a hedonistic girl with atheistic leanings casts a pall on Karl's life. The first rush of sexual excitement is soon replaced by boredom and dislike for Bertha and her ways. By then she's pregnant and he's forced by moral beliefs into a marriage he cannot stomach. It's downhlll all the way from there. When Bertha establishes a lesbian attachment to her friend Christine, not even Karl's devotion to his son is enough to salvage his idealism. Bertha and Christine plot to ruin Karl through vicious lies and sly rumors. They won't be satisfied until he's lost everything, including his family, money and sanity.

In Love and Madness, David Rehak shows a good man's rapid fall from grace. It's a dark period piece, a commentary on the past that remains a dire warning for this present day. "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it."

This is one dark love story! Love and Madness tells the story of a love affair gone awry. Karl is a wealthy man with a rather lavish lifestyle. He enjoys the intelligent discussions regarding religion and philosophy during dinners and parties. However, he is in the lookout for a romantic adventure. He meets Bertha and immediately falls in love with her. And then his life takes a rapid spin toward disaster. Bertha, with the help of her lesbian lover Christine, sets up a scheme to ruin Karl's impeccable reputation by way of lies and manipulation. Her motive is far more sinister than the reader anticipates. There are various disturbing scenes throughout the novel.

This is one of the most disturbing novels I have read this year. It is more than just a story about a man falling from grace -- the language, the development of the story and the psychological backdrop make this novel a unique, literary read. I love novels of this sort, and they don't get better than this. I also love the setting of turn of the century Sweden. It added darkness to the story. David Rehak is an amazing author. I loved A Young Girl's Crimes, but this one's better by a long shot. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I am hooked on his keen storytelling.

I had a great time with this book. Nice and tight in 131 pages, like "Jeckyll and Hyde" and "The Time Machine".

The story kept moving and over a long period of time. Once the hero met the willing girl, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and it did, over and over again. Great to watch the personalities change over the many years. Kind of like "Giant" but in a tight short length with the story refreshing itself and entering new acts quickly. Some of the incidences didn't tie into the story, but tied into the atmosphere.

The main thing about the book is that it is really a page turning and you will never guess what will happen to any of the characters until it actually happens.

I've read "Love and Madnes" and I love Karl and Bertha. It amazes me how the author can make a subject that some people would consider distasteful and weave it into a story that is so hard to put down. Very interesting work. I haven't read "Poems From my Bleeding Heart" yet, but it is next on my list.

I hope he will keep writing; his stories are great now and probably will just get better and better. I hope he will publish the next one soon. It's nice to have a fresh "voice" out there who isn't afraid to delve into the human psyche.

G. Chapman
Benefits Law Group

I usually prefer poetry to prose, but with some authors I make exceptions.

This was one of the BEST books I've ever read. I got it early this year and the story is still with me. [...] I read this book with relish. And no, I don't know the author.

Now to the story itself. You will find no really literary prose here, the storyline and what happens to the characters is the really interesting stuff. I couldn't say I like Karl, he was too moody, conservative, neurotic, and flawed. Bertha was too wild for him, and with bad qualities of her own. They just weren't a good match. They would have soon split up if it wasn't for Bertha's unexpected pregnancy. So they had to follow the moral social mores of the time and marry. But not even the birth of their son brings them closer together, so Bertha's lonely life seeks comfort, and she rekindles an old schoolgirl friendship with Christine. This leads to a web of really bad manipulation and lies with Karl as the target. This story of two calculating women bent on a campaign of self-destruction and greed will shake you. The last chapter was tragic, wonderfully tragic.

The dialogue and plotting in this novel are great. Great development as the story grippingly progresses and reaches its climax and stirring conclusion. If you like a great story in the dark and brooding decadent-style with a moral message thrown in, this is THE book to read.

David Rehak is carving out a sexy and intelligent career based on his two novels and essays about the Queen of Mean, Lizzie Borden.
In "Love and Madness" we are once again in Rehak's Land of Compulsion and Infatuation: Karl and Bertha are Lovers avoiding the realities of their sexual drives and indulging in them at the same time.
Rehak is a master of the innuendo, a slimy yet tasteful purveyor of sex and perversion. He writes with passion as only a young man can do: and we feel it, not only in our hearts but in our groins as well.
"Love and Madness"is sexy and fun,filled with intelligent insights into the psyche of his characters and a must read for anyone interested in contemporary fiction. Now we need to see D. Rehak use his obvious skills on a major work that encompasses not only his baser feelings but his artistic ones as well.

I've read all of this young author's works, and I enjoy his usual mixture of "sunshine and shadows." However, this book has more shadows, less sunshine than his previous books, but it was still a satisfying read.
Rehak is very clever and creative in portraying his characters; their dark sides and lighter sides bring them to life right before the readers' eyes.
His hero, Karl Lind, is a very sympathetic character, a man I rooted for right from the start. I wanted his dreams to come true so badly that I almost shouted "NO" out loud when he fell under Bertha's spell. She was never good enough for him. He finally wakes up, and love soon turns to hate and madness. But due to Karl's love for their son, he's trapped in a loveless marriage.
Bertha is not a nice person, to say the least, and what she and her friend plan for Karl is unforgivable.
I enjoyed the lively discussions held by Karl, his parents and Uncle around the dining room table. He was definitely not a "Yes Man," having original, interesting thoughts of his own to share.
Though a bit moody to begin with, Karl was quite a remarkable young man ... until he met Bertha.
First came LOVE, then came MADNESS, but who was the real nut-case, Bertha or Karl?
To find the answer, you must read this book; it's a great lesson in human nature, and a warning of how gossip can ruin a person's life.
This author tapped his magic keyboard to write another winner. Way to go, Rehak!

This is the second book I have read by this author (by request.) I enjoyed both reads. Love and Madness however was my favorite of the two novels. The characters in L&M were stronger (better developed) and the plot more organized and intriguing. A most appealing combination.

John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures Inc.
California

LOVE And MADNESS by David Rehak is book that I had trouble putting down once I started reading it! I responded well with the colorful and well-created characters and the plot kept me very busy turning the pages. Do yourself a huge favor and read this book!