Book Review: Ian McEwan's "Amsterdam"

I was quite impressed with my first Ian McEwan novel. Amsterdam is a well-thought-out, tight-knit story detailing the breakdown of the lifelong friendship of a leading composer, Clive Linley, and a newspaper editor, Vernon Halliday, in England. McEwan’s short novel is ultimately about morality. It explores the moral dilemma that the artist, Clive, faces as he tries to compose the “Millennium Symphony” for the British Symphony Orchestra, and juxtaposes his interpretation of the relationship between moral obligation and genius with that of the newspaper editor, Vernon, who is determined to destroy the political career of Julian Garmony—the foreign minister whose policies he finds appalling. The characters’ ruminations are palpable as readers are lead through their minds and experience their motives and decisions first hand. The novel’s irony is potent, as McEwan’s tale comes full circle and past deeds come to haunt Clive and Vernon. Most importantly, the prose is delectable, a truffle that only gets better the deeper one bites into it.

          The novel opens in the dead of winter, at the cremation for Molly Lane, former lover of both Clive and Vernon, where all of the novel’s major players have converged. Clive and Vernon bemoan Molly’s early passing, and comment on the despicableness of her jealous and controlling husband, George (a publisher), who has refused to give a memorial service, because, according to Clive and Vernon, he is so jealous that he does not want to hear her former lovers and friends give eulogies. George, they believe, finally got what he wanted when Molly fell suddenly ill and lost her mental faculties to the point that she had to leave her apartments in the Lane mansion and trust herself to her husband’s care. Julian Garmony, Molly’s most recent lover, is also in attendance, and Vernon and Clive worry that his star is rising too fast and that he may soon find himself in the prime minister’s chair; they fear for the country if he does.

          The rest of the novel plays out over the ensuing months as both George and Clive come to terms with Molly’s sudden and early death and the precariousness of their own lives as they attempt to complete their respective masterpieces: for George a newspaper edition that will effectively end Garmony’s career and that is, in itself, a work of journalistic art; and for Clive the “Millennium Symphony,” which will cement his position in history as the British Beethoven. Clive and Vernon’s paths cross many times throughout the remainder of the novel, and both make decisions that the other finds morally appalling. Their friendship is tested to the point of breaking, until, finally, the novel culminates in their meeting in Amsterdam, where Clive’s symphony will be played for the first time.

          As I mentioned at the outset, Amsterdam is a short, but intricate and rewarding novel. It is not too literary for beach reading, but it is still a great literary achievement. Its prose is beautiful and its story compelling. McEwan is certainly a great writer, and I look forward to reading him again in the future.

          Next, I will return to my history reading with The Monument’s Men.

JCM

29 May 2014

Book Review: William L. Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"

After over a month at it, I finally finished reading William L. Shirer’s 1,150-page history, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. It was a rewarding read, giving me greater insight into a period of history that was briefly covered at the end of my history courses, or glossed over because it was assumed that we knew what we needed to know about the war. The period from Hitler’s rise to his fall is so rich with historical perspective that it really should be studied by anyone with even the remotest interest in history or politics. Even a single course would not be able to cover everything, let alone a single book, but Shirer’s book is a good place to start for anyone wishing to gain deeper insight into the period.

          Shirer was an American journalist stationed in Germany prior to and during Hitler’s rise to power. Later, he became a war correspondent. His presence in Nazi Germany gives his a book a richer context than a standard history book. He infuses his presentation of historical fact with personal accounts of his experience in Germany. He presents a rich account of the events leading up to Hitler’s eventual takeover and Nazification of Germany, using captured official Nazi documents, transcripts from the postwar trials, and journals of well-placed figures both within the Nazi party and elsewhere in Europe. As such, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich focuses primarily on Germany and the machinations of the Nazi leaders to create the thousand-year Reich that Hitler promised to deliver to the German people. The book’s scope is massive, and even after reading its 1,150 pages, a reader must recognize that there is much that Shirer was unable to cover. It is also important to recognize that Shirer’s focus on Germany is, by necessity, absolute. He does not expound at any great length about events in America or elsewhere in Europe, when those events do not pertain to Germany. The events at Pearl Harbor are given a small section, because they are relevant only in so much as they brought Germany another enemy to contend with in a war that Hitler declared was for the life and death of the German people. By limiting his scope, Shirer is able to keep his history from getting too unfocused and out of hand.

          Despite the limits of scope, Shirer’s book is incredibly informative. I had never known how deeply Hitler disliked the idea of going to war with England, which he viewed as a cultured peer, rather than as a fervent enemy. I was also unaware of the Nazi plot to capture the former English king, Edward, while he was on a visit to Portugal. The Nazis believed that the former king could be declared as the English king again, despite having abdicated the throne (which allowed his brother, Queen Elizabeth II’s father to become King George VI), and that the English people would then rally around him as he called for an end to the war with Germany. Nor did I know that Mussolini was actually removed from power and arrested by the rest of Italy’s fascist government in 1943, and that Hitler considered Mussolini such an important ally that he ordered an airborne operation that rescued the fallen dictator, allowing Hitler to reestablish him as the leader of a rump, northern Italy.

          The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich provides a detailed account to how Hitler was able to conquer much of Europe before the other European powers (namely England and France) finally declared war. This lesson should not be forgotten and is still very relevant today, as Russia flirts with similar tactics in Ukraine. Hitler used Nazi groups in neighboring Austria to stir up trouble, before sending in his own troops under the pretext of protecting the Germanic citizens of Austria, before annexing the country. He then held a general referendum which, not surprisingly, declared that an overwhelming number of Austrians wanted to become part of Germany. How could they not declare their allegiance to Germany, when Nazi thugs ran rampant through the country, strong-arming dissenters? The Sudetenland and, eventually, the rest of Czechoslovakia was the victim of a similar power grab.

          Overall, Shirer’s book is excellent, which is perhaps why it has remained a definitive historical text for over fifty years. Despite my fears, Shirer held my attention well, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of the rise of fascism in Germany, and the ways in which it changed German society on an economic, as well as social level. Shirer organizes his chapters well, keeping material that is geographically or thematically related together in a single chapter, while pushing other material elsewhere in his book. This does force readers to pay attention to dates, though, and recognize that Germany’s setbacks in Russia, discussed in one chapter, are occurring at the same time as the attack on Pearl Harbor a chapter later. For an attentive reader, this division works, and it allows the reader to focus on the task at hand (so to speak), to grapple with events that had greater impacts on each other, before placing them in their greater historical context.

          A book of this type is not for everyone; it certainly can’t be considered light beach reading either. If, however, you want to get a greater (if somewhat broad) understanding of Nazi Germany, then I suggest you pick up this book. You can always take break in the middle if it gets too tedious.

JCM
14 May 2014