Customer Reviews

Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman

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I read this book in my teens. The book was on my parents' book shelves. It was a Hebrew translation from the German. When this was translated, Israel was just reborn, after 2000 years of exile. The Hebrew language was a dormant language that came to life. I am now passed my midlife & will never forget the strong impression that this story made on me. The strongest image that was stuck in my head is the one where the woman in the story was able to sense the mood, agitation or thrill that was expressed in the hands, without looking at the face,of the young Casino gambler. The story is flowing & as in all of Stefan Zweig's writings, it penetrates to the heart & sole of the characters. It is a work of art, like the most beautiful weaved carpet. Few weeks ago, I was visiting my brother's house & saw the book that I read as teenager on his shelf. I was so excited. I borrowed it from him & reread it in one gulp. The thing that amazed me was that after so many years, I felt like I never left the book, just that the translation felt to me so archaic. It actually added an unusual taste of nostalgia. I tried to get the book in a new translation in Hebrew, but couldn't find it. There are new translations of Stefan Zweig into Hebrew, but, unfortunately, as other reviewers commented on, this amazingly sensitive writer is not getting the place that he deserves to have. It is such a pity. Luckily enough, my English reading is as good as my Hebrew, so I looked for it in Amazon & found it. In my old Hebrew translation, there are 2 more stories. A very special one is "Burning Secret". This is as sensitive & cleverly weaved as the "24 hours in the life of a woman".

Don't miss any of the above.

Perhaps not as psychologically compelling and taut as some of Zweig's other work, this novella is still worth reading for it's fine writing. At a hotel in Monte Carlo in the days after World War I, a group of wealthy travelers are shocked to learn that a married woman of their set has suddenly left her husband and family on the arms of a seducer whom she has known less then twenty-four hours. Each guest chimes in with their opinion of the woman's extraordinary behavior. Our narrator expresses his understanding of the woman's actions while the others vehemently condemn the lady. Suddenly he finds himself the confidante of an older woman who is in the group. She tells him the tale of how twenty years earlier she too had been drawn to an intense younger man who she observed in the casino one evening. Zweig explores the motivations and the ramifications of a sudden act of passion.

This story is Stefan Zweig's version of 'The Gambler'. Although it doesn't rival Dostoyevsky's portrait, it is certainly a very worth-while read.

A woman falls under the spell of a gambler who lost his fortune and is on the verge of committing suicide. She tries desperately to save him.

This is an impressive short novel, because of the strong emerging feelings which erupt like volcanoes and leave the main characters totally upset. The endgame and the end are stunning.

It is one of Stefan Zweig's most successful short novels, although he is handicapped by the comparison with Dostoyevsky.

"Twenty Four Hours In The Life Of A Woman" is a part of Selected Stories, the Pushkin Press 2009 edition of Zweig. It is also in Pushkin's 2006 Twenty Four Hours / The Royal Game.

If you are lucky, you can see Berenice Bejo in 24 Heures de la Vie d'Une Femme (Original French Version DVD).

If none of the above is satisfactory, there is, of course ...

I have yet to read anything by Stefan Zweig which I have not thoroughly enjoyed and this, my sixth book, is no exception.

Twenty Four Hours in the Life of a Woman is not a novel but a beautifully crafted story. Zweig is a master at drawing wonderful characters. Inititially set in a small guest house in the French Riviera in the 1920's where the narrator is befriended by a 67 year old English widow who becomes the principal character of the book. She relates to the narrator an event that took place 20 odd years earlier in Monte Carlo. No surprises for guessing that the Casino features in her account. Zweig's description of the widow watching the gamblers is brilliantly evoked. She is mesmerised by one of the gamblers, a young Polish aristocarat and subsequently unfolds a fascinating and hauntingly realistic chain of events. Written in 1927 and mostly set in about 1900 this gem of a story has definitely weathered the passage of time.

In this framed narrative Stefan Zweig explores the sudden impulse that makes a woman toss her respectability, peace of mind and a good lump of money out of the window. Compulsion, obsession and impulses are important themes in Zweig's works and you'll find plenty of it in this small and powerful book. If you ever felt the tug of passion (some may call it life) dragging you away to the ocean you'll adore this book. I certainly did.