Night Train to Lisbon: Amazon.co.uk: Pascal Mercier: Books

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Review

"'One reads this book almost breathlessly, can hardly put it down... A handbook for the soul, intellect, and heart.' Die Zeit (Germany) 'This excellent novel is a lesson in life and lucidity.' La Quinzaine Literaire (France) 'A sensation. The best book of the last ten years... A novel of incredible clarity and beauty.' Bucher (Germany) 'One of the great European novels of the past few years.' Page des libraires (France)"

Image magazine, February 2008

'If you liked carlos Ruiz Zafron's The Shadow of the Wind you'll love the international bestseller, Night Train to Lisbon.'

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

Average Customer Review

2.6 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)

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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars when a book's already sold 2M surely you can afford a decent translator?, 3 Aug 2008

By	E. A. Duns (devon UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If Pascal Mercier ever had to read his book in 'English' HE'D be giving Atlantic a piece of his formidable mind. Ugly words like 'gotten' may be the norm in the USA but don't belong in a work like this, and like the other reviewers I feel that this poor translation does not do the book justice. And just when you're getting excited by one of the brilliantly thought-provoking passages, along comes another teeth-gnashing typo to take the edge off.
Having got that off my chest, I have to say that this book rises above the translator's poor endeavour, and if you're patient and prepared to 'read between the errors' provides a great deal of food for thought. It's certainly made me ask some pertinent questions of my own life.
Lucky German readers will have had a pretty amazing experience.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Terrific but for the translation blues, 30 Jul 2008

By	Rebsarooley (Lancashire UK) - See all my reviews

Gaia is absolutely right. I'm pretty sure this is a terrific book, and my impression is that it is quite poetically written. The translation, though, is lumpy and seems to rob the prose of the lyricism I'm sure is there. The typos and proof reading errors are just unforgivable, and again make the reading hard and annoying going (a simple spell check test would have picked up some of the many words which run together). If it weren't for the intriguing nature of the story, I'd say don't buy this at all until the publisher has sorted out the basics above.
However, if this is the only translation / version available to you, then persevere. The founding premise is beguiling: middle aged man has surprising experience and walks away from his comfortable life... and catches a train to pursue the thoughts of a troubled, enchanting, and long dead soul. He's not an absconder in the Stonehouse sense, so don't come to this looking for adventure. Come prepared to be provoked into thinking, sometimes slightly spooked and annoyed, and to remember that it wasn't so long ago that Portugal was not the holiday haven it is today.
Just don't buy it if rotten line-editing and makes you mad... you'll be frothing!

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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Night Train to Lisbon, 26 May 2008

By	Gaia (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Train to Lisbon (Hardcover)

I wish I could read German - the language in which this book was originally written! An interesting story which I will reread some day - I had to rush it a bit as was under time-pressure to pass it on to someone else.
However, it must be said that it was pretty hard going because of the mediocre quality of the translation (requiring a re-reading of a number of sentences and passages in order to [try to] extract the true meaning) and the not inconsiderable number of typos and punctuation errors.
Given the importance of words/use of language as a central theme of the story, I really do wonder just how much was lost in this translation!
In a nutshell, not an easy read - you will need to invest some time to get the most out of it. However, do persevere - it is definitely time well spent as the plot and setting are quite intriguing!
What a shame that the publisher didn't pay more attention to details such as these - they are so very basic and potentially easily remedied.
Sort out these problems and I would give it five stars! Somehow, I think enrolling at the Goethe Institute might be the answer!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars A shadow of 'Shadow of the Wind'
So what a con-trick! Like others I bought this book on the basis of a comparison with 'Shadow of the Wind' - a truly excelllent read. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mark Franklin

5.0 out of 5 stars Endearing and Thought-provoking
This is a book the reader will either love or despise. It never sets out even vaguely to be an action-packed page turner, so look elsewhere if that's what you want. Read more

Published 1 month ago by N. M. Clube

5.0 out of 5 stars Big, big shame about the translation. Nevertheless...

I borrowed Night Train to Lisbon from the local library but was only half - maybe less - than halfway through - when I was off to France on holiday. Read more

Published 1 month ago by J. Jago

4.0 out of 5 stars Tragically bllighted by American translation
I am part way through the audio version, beautifully read, but like other reviewers I am severely irritated by the American translation, and yes that horrible American word... Read more

Published 1 month ago by S. may

4.0 out of 5 stars Internal journey in Lissabon
The Classics teacher Raimund Gregorius is very set in his ways; he's been teaching at the gymnasium in Bern for a couple of decades now and has his daily routines. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Charles Deckers

1.0 out of 5 stars I've read some dross, but this is special..
It's one of those books that you stick with just incase you are labelled as not smart enough to understand it. Read more

Published 2 months ago by S. D. Smith

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for Me: Maybe Not For Others
I have to say that I was not surprised to see so many negative reviews of this book. Frankly it is just the sort of thing I normally hate. Read more

Published 2 months ago by H. meiehofer

1.0 out of 5 stars Tedious and inconsequential.
I must agree with the negative reviews already published. It is nothing like 'Shadow in the Wind'(which I love), it does not read like a thriller, it is supremely put-downable (I... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Keith Andreetti

1.0 out of 5 stars A shoddy piece of work
I am amazed that anybody has read the whole book. No only is the translation completely unfathomable,and the errors and typos unforgivable, but the author himself seems not to be... Read more

Published 2 months ago by The Reader

1.0 out of 5 stars Sixth form philosophy
I was attracted by the title first, as I love both Portugal and train journeys, and it turned out that the title was the best thing. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Byrdster

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Night Train to Lisbon (Paperback)

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