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Review
'A masterful observation of hope and despair' --The Observer, March 2, 2009
Review
'An extraordinary work ... there's a volcanic energy to Zweig's writing ... wholly mesmerising.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I must come clean, I'd never read anything by Stefan Zweig (or even heard of him) before I picked up this novel. On finishing it, I methodically hunted down everything he ever wrote and I have them all stacked next to my bed, awaiting devourment.
Zweig's language is beautifully poetic, even in translation the symmetry and deftness of his phrasing is striking. But what really drew me in, even beyond the language, was the deceptively simple story and how Zweig uses a delicate fable to say so much.
One of the major themes of the novel is metamorphosis, and how people adapt to change itself. Christine's exposure to a world of splendour far beyond her wildest dreams leaves her unable to cope with the harshness of reality when she finds her temporary idyll pulled out from under her. It seems like Zweig is saying beware too much happiness, beware the pain that remembered happiness can inflict. It's a bit like George Bernard Shaw's quote on the two great tragedies in life - losing your heart's desire, and gaining it.
There's a poignant sense of loss running through the novel, and in many ways it reads as a wistful meditation on a lost era, and even an entire lost generation. Zweig's pacifism is plain, and he clearly demonstrates how the great poison of war can trickle down and infect the lives of ordinary people many years after the last explosion or gunshot. For Zweig, the destruction of innocence and hope doesn't end, and can't be healed, with armistice.
Zweig's language is beautifully poetic, even in translation the symmetry and deftness of his phrasing is striking. But what really drew me in, even beyond the language, was the deceptively simple story and how Zweig uses a delicate fable to say so much.
One of the major themes of the novel is metamorphosis, and how people adapt to change itself. Christine's exposure to a world of splendour far beyond her wildest dreams leaves her unable to cope with the harshness of reality when she finds her temporary idyll pulled out from under her. It seems like Zweig is saying beware too much happiness, beware the pain that remembered happiness can inflict. It's a bit like George Bernard Shaw's quote on the two great tragedies in life - losing your heart's desire, and gaining it.
There's a poignant sense of loss running through the novel, and in many ways it reads as a wistful meditation on a lost era, and even an entire lost generation. Zweig's pacifism is plain, and he clearly demonstrates how the great poison of war can trickle down and infect the lives of ordinary people many years after the last explosion or gunshot. For Zweig, the destruction of innocence and hope doesn't end, and can't be healed, with armistice.
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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There are some books which still feel relevant whenever they are read, no matter when they were written. This is one such book. Discovered after the author had committed suicide in 1942 after having fled Nazi Germany it is the tale of a girl, the 'Post Office Girl' of the title, who, for a few days, gets to experience the rich life in Switzerland before being dumped back into obscurity. It details the clash between feeling important and being someone because you have money, and the frustration and obscurity of those without money who feel cheated by the Austrian state. It is a tale of hope and despair, of dreams realised and broken. Set in 1926 with Austria in economic crisis due to the First World War it is truly a clash of cultures - between those who probably don't realise anything is wrong and those who feel it too keenly - the writing throws you straight into this situation and there is not a word out of place here. The plot is taut and carries you with it right inside the head of the Post Office Girl. I can't reccommend this book highly enough.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Stefan Zweig is a fantastic writer. He brings another world to life so vividly that the reader is completely caught up in the story. This book is about the horror of poverty, particularly horrific when you have experienced what it is like not to have to scrimp and save, not to worry about every penny and when you have lived the life - even for a few days - of someone rich, glamorous and respected.
The main character, Christine has grown up during the war and her family has suffered. She is invited by her aunt and American uncle to holiday with them in Switzerland. This is the 'pretty woman' part of the story where a provincial post office girl is transformed into a society lady. She wears her new character like she wears the new clothes and make up she is given. She's submerged in a whirlwind of parties, suitors and has all the attention she could ever wish for. Just as suddenly as this is bestowed, it is all whipped away.
There follows a life of drudgery as Christine becomes more and more bitter about her lot. She meets a like-minded man who is also bitter about the life he's forced to lead.
I don't want to give too much away about the plot but between them they come up with 2 solutions for how to get out of the wretched lives they are leading.
The story is gripping and it's nearly impossible to put the book down at any point ... I was dying to know what would become of Christine ... I was cheering her on all the way, hoping that some good luck would befall her, willing a knight in shining armour to ride up and rescue her.
The beginning of the story is, in my opinion, perfect. The world Christine inhabits in the high class hotel, her immersion in the society of the rich and frivolous is wonderfully told - it's as though you can hear the rustle of the fine sheets, the clink of glasses, the music and chatter; you can feel the softness of the material of Christine's new dresses, see the sweep of the stair case and imagine this young girl caught up in this life that she never even dreamed could exist. When it is all cruelly taken from her, you feel the loss and take it personally.
In my opinion, it loses its way a bit when Christine returns home and meets Ferdinand. This book was found after Zweig died - it wasn't a work that he considered ready for publication and I feel that he would have thought there was work still to do on it. Parts of the plot seem like they have just been sketched out, not completed. Other parts could have done with a little revision. That's not to take away from this book which is fantastic and will remain in my memory for a long time. It just seems obvious that this isn't really the finished product Zweig would have insisted on if he had agreed to its publication.
However, a great read and I highly recommend it.
The main character, Christine has grown up during the war and her family has suffered. She is invited by her aunt and American uncle to holiday with them in Switzerland. This is the 'pretty woman' part of the story where a provincial post office girl is transformed into a society lady. She wears her new character like she wears the new clothes and make up she is given. She's submerged in a whirlwind of parties, suitors and has all the attention she could ever wish for. Just as suddenly as this is bestowed, it is all whipped away.
There follows a life of drudgery as Christine becomes more and more bitter about her lot. She meets a like-minded man who is also bitter about the life he's forced to lead.
I don't want to give too much away about the plot but between them they come up with 2 solutions for how to get out of the wretched lives they are leading.
The story is gripping and it's nearly impossible to put the book down at any point ... I was dying to know what would become of Christine ... I was cheering her on all the way, hoping that some good luck would befall her, willing a knight in shining armour to ride up and rescue her.
The beginning of the story is, in my opinion, perfect. The world Christine inhabits in the high class hotel, her immersion in the society of the rich and frivolous is wonderfully told - it's as though you can hear the rustle of the fine sheets, the clink of glasses, the music and chatter; you can feel the softness of the material of Christine's new dresses, see the sweep of the stair case and imagine this young girl caught up in this life that she never even dreamed could exist. When it is all cruelly taken from her, you feel the loss and take it personally.
In my opinion, it loses its way a bit when Christine returns home and meets Ferdinand. This book was found after Zweig died - it wasn't a work that he considered ready for publication and I feel that he would have thought there was work still to do on it. Parts of the plot seem like they have just been sketched out, not completed. Other parts could have done with a little revision. That's not to take away from this book which is fantastic and will remain in my memory for a long time. It just seems obvious that this isn't really the finished product Zweig would have insisted on if he had agreed to its publication.
However, a great read and I highly recommend it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Generation lost.
It is at least mildly ironic that Stefan Zweig's The Post Office Girl was published in English during the current financial crisis, given that it describes the grinding poverty,... Read more
Published 11 months ago by J. Charlesworth
could have been less hopeless
A thought provoking tale, well paced, taking the reader to places and times in a thoroughly experiential way. Sounds, smell, taste, sights and emotions were superbly evoked. Read more
Published 13 months ago by K. Sewell
Rags to riches and back again
The Post Office Girl was published long after the author had passed away, havin gbeen discovered amongst his papers after his death. Read more
Published 16 months ago by S. Diment
A Transformation.
This novel was published posthumously, long after Stefan Zweig's death in 1942. It was found among his papers, not yet prepared for publication and so lacks the finesse of his... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Eleanor Gray
A real discovery.
Not having read a Stefan Zwieg novel before this one bowled me over. Such vivid writing,creating both descriptions of a blighted life,before the excitement of self discovery and... Read more
Published 16 months ago by John S. McDonald
Poignant and painful
Zweig draws the reader in immediately with his description of the day to day physical specificities of his heroine's working and home life, the dreary weariness of her existence... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Sarah A. Brown
An unexpected gem
"The Post Office Girl" deserves to be more widely read. It has clearly not suffered in translation. The crystal-clear prose captures the changing moods of Christine, the young... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Antenna
`Names have a mysterious transforming power.'
This novel tells the story of Christine Hoflehner, a post office clerk, in a small village outside Vienna some years after World War One. Read more
Published 24 months ago by J. Cameron-Smith
'The Post Office Girl' by Stefan Zweig
The year is 1926 and Christine Hoflehner is working as a postal clerk in a small village in Austria. Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by Joseph Porter
The Post Office Girl
Although Part 1 seemed a bit protracted, it took off in Part 2. (And in hindsight it needed this for you to get 'under the skin' of this very poignant story)
Published on 12 April 2010 by Sally
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