The Blue Flower

Rating:
Summary: A funny, refreshing little book
Review: Though this book is not a literary milestone, it is amusing & refreshing. Each chapter is neatly constructed & truly enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Impeccable scholarship;compellingly told
Review: Penelope Fitzgerald engages the reader immediately with the odd behavior of quirky historical characters. Short, rich chapters make the reading easy, while strongly drawn psychological studies draw the reader in. In the end a knowledge both spiritual and intellectual of the poet Novalis leaves one deeply satisfied.

Rating:
Summary: Much ado about nothing!
Review: After reading the professional reviews about this book, I couldn't wait to read it. What a disappointment! It was a quick enough read, and not uninteresting, but the characters were underdeveloped and I never understood what made Sophie so beguiling. I won't remember this book a year from now.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendously overrated
Review: In my opinion, this book is/was over-rated. While Fitzgerald is a decent writer and many of the subcharacters in this novel have interesting lives and one-liners, this book does not add up to a satisfactory read. My fantasy is that after spending a few years translating Novalis's writings, Fitzgerald felt compelled to put her knowledge to good use -- there's nothing wrong with this, but it just didn't work for me. I didn't know who Novalis was when I started this book, and I had virtually no interest in finding out who Novalis was by the time I finished this book -- I didn't care.

Rating:
Summary: Pretentious, Shallow & Boring.
Review: If one was trying to fight the old ennui one would not attempt to read The Blue Flower. Why do Fitzgerald's characters behave so? No attempt to explain their actions or emotions is made. What made Sophie so attractive? She seems to be devoid of personality & lacking in either charm or beauty. Frederica seems the most interesting character. She did, after all, have the intelligence not to be able to understand the parable of the blue flower.

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Summary: Mrs. Fitzgerald reinvents the historical novel
Review: All of Penelope Fitzgerald's novels are small masterpieces of bone-dry wit and human observation. This time, though, she turns from her customary British turf to 18th-century Germany. Her focus is the early Romantic poet and theorist Novalis and his comical yet agonized infatuation with the early Romantic equivalent of a 12-year-old Valley Girl. An unlikely subject, you might say. But Fitzgerald reaps the usual comedic dividends and raises some fascinating questions about our very conception of romance. She's the greatest! Nobody packs more meaning--and fun--into such tiny canvases.

Rating:
Summary: Too Impressionistic -- Leave that to Artists
Review: The Blue Flower is supposed to be an award winning book, but it is certainly one of the most disappointing pieces of "literature" that I've ever read. The writing is beautiful, even sometimes lyrical, and creates an impressionistic picture of its time, place, and characters. But, it is too impressionistic. While I think I understand something of the main character and even, perhaps, his feelings about Sophie,I reached the end of the book and said to myself: who cares? Normally, when I've read a good fictional account of a real-life person, the fiction almost always inspires me to either seek out more fictional accounts about that person or to seek out a biography. The Blue Flower left me hoping that I'd never come across Novalis! I'm sure that cannot be what the writer intended. Too bad.

Rating:
Summary: Researche, nothing ventured and little gained.
Review: I don't know what Fitzgerald wanted "to get at" in this book. There is not enough "life" and "living" for us to feel the time and either live in it, or evaluate it for it's Romantic Follies. There is little of the poetic of Novalis, Goethe etc, but some "understated signposting" of philosophical interests and perspectives. One feels that there were better books out there this year that were deserving of awards. This book never opened its arms wide enough or peered deep enough to gain a place in our affections.

Rating:
Summary: If you can relate, you love it; if not you hate it.
Review: Well, it looks as though everyone either loves or hates this book. I confess to be in the first category. The simplistic style and literal language should not fool anyone. German is a literal language, and I often felt I was reading in German. The author did a superb job of re-creating German life at the end of the 18th century; I felt like a guest at the Hardenbergs' the Rockenthiens', the Justs. Life was much simpler and also harder and sadder in many ways. The Hardenberg family had gotten so close to me, I almost cried at the end to hear how all of them died so young of diseases that today are curable (on the other hand, how many families lose young members today to violent crime, drugs and abuse). I noted some readers were displeased that Fitzgerald did not explain why someone like Fritz fell in love with Sophie. The answer is, people fall in love all the time without a rational explanation. Aren't people always asking what does he/she see in her/him? Obviously the person in love (here, Fritz) sees or thinks he sees something no one else does. Sadly, we don't get to find out whether Fritz and Sophie make a go of it together or not. Knowing something of German language, culture and literature is helpful in understanding this book, without a doubt, and the same holds true for books of any other culture. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thought Fitzgerald, who is not German, did a wonderful job of bringing the period to life.

Rating:
Summary: BORING!
Review: I was so relieved to read that other people found this book boring. I found myself reading on the train and after about two pages would be nodding off. I just couldn't get interested in any of the charcters. The whole book made no sense whatsoever. I felt like I was missing something because I kept reading how great this book was. Be prepared to analyze every word if you attempt to read this tedious book.