The Rules of Perspective

by Adam Thorpe

It is April 1945, and the small town of Lohenfelde is about to be overrun by the Allied Third Army. Huddled in the vaults of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum to escape the artillery bombardment, are Heinrich Hoffer, the Acting Director, and his three colleagues, two women and one man. Their petty rivalries and resentments surface quickly in their confinement, and the vaults become a stage for an intense psychological drama of secret histories and shared terror.

Above ground, picking through the rubble, is Corporal Neal Parry who wishes he was back in West Virginia studying art, and not dodging snipers. When he finds an exquisite painting in what remains of the museum vaults, he is immediately reconnected with a lost world of beauty and the world of art. It is this small 18th century oil — the appropriately titled Landscape with Ruins — that is the poignant link between the young soldier and the four charred corpses he finds at the same time. As the narratives interweave, the story of the painting reveals the hidden story of Herr Hoffer and his three associates — and in so doing, uncovers other, darker mysteries.

In this thrilling re-creation of the last months of the Second World War, Adam Thorpe has written a narrative tour de force. Through his beautifully drawn characters, Thorpe allows us to see — just as they begin to see — the possibilities of art and perspective, in the face of war.

Genres: Historical Fiction, War, Novels, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Art

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2005

About the author

Adam Thorpe is a British poet, novelist, and playwright whose works also include short stories and radio dramas.

Adam Thorpe was born in Paris and grew up in India, Cameroon, and England. Graduating from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1979, he founded a touring theatre company, then settled in London to teach drama and English literature.

His first collection of poetry, Mornings in the Baltic (1988), was shortlisted for the Whitbread Poetry Award. His first novel, Ulverton (1992), an episodic work covering 350 years of English rural history, won great critical acclaim worldwide, including that of novelist John Fowles, who reviewed it in The Guardian, calling it "(...) the most interesting first novel I have read these last years". The novel was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for 1992.

Adam Thorpe lives in France with his wife and three children.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Tina Tamman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be a much better novel if, say, twenty pages of repetition were edited out. (The worst repetition is that TWO men in the course of the novel soil their pants and are ashamed!) As it stands, the book is boring in quite a few places because the ending is given at the beginning and we are progressing towards the doom. However, I liked the structure (alternating chapters before and after) - that is, I liked the idea. Alas, I never grew to like any of the characters (closest to liking was the sad figure of Frau Hoffer), felt the Jewish girl's diary notes in italics were intrusive, missed humour in dialogue, wondered why I was reading this book. And yet, on the positive side, I was attracted to art - the paintings that Herr Hoffer and his colleagues at the museum were trying to save. The numerous names mentioned in the novel made me realise how little I know of German art.
I should have really given it two stars but something about the idea says, three.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was in a local favorite book store listed as the best overlooked book of the year, and from the lack of reviews I'm not surprised. It is a wonderful book. Two stories; one of workers in a German museum and one of the American soldier who finds them.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

After sometime I still think back to how much I enjoyed the book. I have read some poetry by the author since but prefer the fiction. Beautiful.

[lärm · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels on WW2 that I've read, which is interesting as it isn't so much about soldiers, battle, blah, blah. Instead this book is actually about the Kaiser Wilhelm museum in Lohenfeld, its art, its staff, their biggest fan (a deranged SS-er) and an American GI who took part in the liberation aka destruction of the town. The core element of the story is the Nazi view on Degenerate Art and the attempts by acting director Her Hoffer to preserve it. There's more talk about art than what most people can handle so beware, but in spite of that it is a must read! If not for the art thing, then at least for capturing the feeling of despair or resilience from the civilians who had to undergo years of bombing and who were now confronted with their impending private Götterdämmerung.

The story may be fictional, but if you replace Lohenfeld by Magdeburg, and Van Gogh's "Der Maler in der Nähe von Auvers-sur-Oise" by "Le peintre sur la route de Tarascon", then you know the main source of inspiration.

Highly recommended!

[Emilie]

Dnf and it's not for want of trying. At another time of the year, in another year, even, i believe i might have enjoyed it.

[RollingT · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story focuses on three major characters, a museum official, a German officer, and an American soldier. Interesting but not gripping.

[Pam Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book.

American advance on the German city of Lohenfelde (fiction city?) Germany, where 4 employees of a museum huddle in the museum's vault among hidden art treasures to wait out a bombing raid.

Neal Perry is an American corporal who is among the advancing Americans. Great character development and interaction.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even after the author reveals the fate of several characters in the first chapter, he is able to keep the suspense up until the very last page. You don't even know completely what has happened until the epilogue. It was a entirely different take on WWII novels.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A painting found in the ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Lohenfeld, Germany is the common thread between the stories of the museum director and an American soldier as the town becomes a war zone in the last battle.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard one to review. Cleverly written and a different perspective on a well known historical period. Got tired of the name dropping and philosophising at times but in the end I was won over. Liked the art theme throughout.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written. Interesting juxtaposition of opposing sides during WWII - driving theme: art.

[Anni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on www.whichbook.net

[Djuna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interessant verhaal maar slecht geschreven, hoewel dat ook aan de Nederlandse vertaling kan liggen.

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF