آدام و اولین

by Ingo Schulze, حسین تهرانی (Translator)

داستان آدام و اولین در تابستان و پاییز ۱۹۸۹ می‌گذرد. درست زمان فروپاشی دیوار برلین. زوج جوان بی‌توجه به سیاست، درگیر زندگی پر مشغله‌ خود هستند. آدام خیاط زنانه و اولین گارسون است تا این که روزی اولین به خانه می‌آید و آدام را در شرایط نامناسبی غافلگیر می کند، پس خانه را ترک کرده و با دو دوست راهی مجارستان می‌شود. آدام نیز آنها را تعقیب می‌کند و ....

Genres: Fiction, German Literature, Romance, Novels, Historical Fiction, Drama, Historical

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Ingo Schulze is a German writer born in Dresden in former East Germany. He studied classical philology at the University of Jena for five years, and, until the German reunification, was an assistant director (dramatic arts advisor) at the State Theatre in Altenburg 45 km south of Leipzig for two years.

After oversleeping the events of the night of November 9 1989, Schultze started a newspaper with friends. He was encouraged to write. Schultze spent six months in St Petersburg which became the basis for his debut collection of short stories 33 Moments of Happiness (1995). He has lived in Berlin since the mid 1990s.

Schulze has won a number of awards for his novels and stories, which have been translated into twenty languages, among them into English by John E. Woods.

Reviews

[Biblibio · Rating 2 out of 5]

On a certain level, I very much enjoyed Adam and Evelyn. The writing is clever and intelligent, and I remained interesting in the lives of the characters until the very end. But on a more fundamental level, Adam and Evelyn is a very problematic book. With all its clever writing, the actual plot and background is often very, very vague. Though this makes the storytelling very realistic, it is also incredibly frustrating to read a novel and never really be sure what is going on behind the scenes.

Adam and Evelyn requires patience, at the end of the day. Ingo Schulze writes like he must think - conversations are multi-layered, realistic and confusing, descriptive scenes are brief and limited, and very little background is ever given. The reader must muddle along just like the characters, who are thankfully (for the most part) well-developed. The story itself is rather simple, but is complicated by the introduction of characters and political intricacies that may be unfamiliar to many readers. Despite being well-acquainted with the history and the setting, I often found myself confused by the time leaps and location skips. It's a book best read with context.

Well written but overly vague, Adam and Evelyn is an interesting read but somewhat frustrating as well. I don't regret reading it, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it either.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam and Evelyn

After quitting her job, Evelyn came home to find Adam with another woman. Adam is a tailor and he was adjusting the woman’s new outfit (okay a little more than that). Evelyn storms out and heads off to Hungary, where they had planned a vacation. Except she goes with Michael, who was engaged to her cousin, Mona. Adam follows them and meets Katja, who was trying to swim across the Danube.

It is 1989 and our couple live in the GDR (East Germany). Adam loves his job (obviously with some fringe benefits) but Evelyn, like Katja want to leave for the west. Michael is from West Germany and tempts the women.

The first part of the book is a road story with lots of comedy admits their challenges. The border guards love Adam’s 31 year old three cylinder Wartburg while Katja is hiding in the trunk.

Evelyn and Adam. Their love has hit a rock and they need to sort it out. They make it to the west but confront the challenges of unemployment and high living costs.

Then the wall falls on November 9, 1989. And things change.

I enjoyed the book as a entertainment. Not great but not bad either. Then I discover they made a movie and the trailer looks enjoyable. I realized that the book reads like a movie. A romcom. Short chapters, fast pace and lots of dialogue. Now to find that movie.

[Zozetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

΄Αραγε τα πολιτικά γεγονότα διέπονται από τους ίδιους νόμους που διέπουν και τα προσωπικά; Είναι ίσως ένα από τα ερωτήματα του βιβλίου καθώς το κύριο δίλημμα των κεντρικών χαρακτήρων δεν αφορά μόνο στο εάν πρέπει να μείνουν με κάποιο σύντροφο ή όχι, αλλά ταυτόχρονα και στο εάν πρέπει να αποσχίσουν στη Δύση αλλάζοντας σελίδα στη ζωή τους. Μοιάζουν αλληλένδετα αυτά τα δύο.

Το ζήτημα φαίνεται να μην απασχολεί ιδιαίτερα τον μάλλον 'απολιτικό' Αδάμ που βλέπει τη ζωή του στην Ανατολική Γερμανία με τη σύντροφό του σαν Παράδεισο και το μόνο που ιδανικά θα ήθελε θα ήταν να γυρίσει στη ζωή του όπως την ήξερε. Πλην όμως, τα γεγονότα, προσωπικά και πολιτικά, τον ωθούν σε διαφορετική κατεύθυνση.

Μια ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται εν κινήσει (road trip story), αρκετά θεατρικό στη δομή, που αποφεύγει να δώσει ευθείες απαντήσεις, αρκούμενο στο να θίγει θέματα όπως αυτό της αφθονίας της Δύσης που για κάποιους μπορεί να συμβολίζει τον Παράδεισο, αλλά από την άλλη μεριά οδηγεί τον άνθρωπο στο να θέλει όλο και πιο πολλά, ίσως και την αθανασία, χάνοντας στο τέλος τον εαυτό του.

Ίσως το 3.5 στην αξιολόγηση να ήταν πιο δίκαιο.

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia de encuentros y desencuentros amorosos entre los protagonistas, que viven en la Alemania Oriental, en el período incierto que rodea a la caída del muro de Berlín.
Por momentos toma la forma de una road movie; Adam persiguiendo a Evelyn, a través de países con diverso grado de liberalización. Evelyn que quiere llegar a occidente, Adam que quiere hacerla volver.
Encontrar el propio lugar en el mundo, y armonizarlo con el deseo de estar juntos.

[Laura Walin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kertomus pariskunnasta, 21-vuotiaasta Evelynistä ja 33-vuotiaasta Adamista, jotka lähtevät Itä-Saksata länteen juuri ennen kuin Berliinin muuri murtuu. Aiheeltaan kirja oli kiinnostava, odotin mielenkiinnolla miltä nuo 80-luvun lopun vuodet ovat DDR:ssä tuntuneet. Valitettavasti kirjan kerrontatekniikka oli niin vieraannuttava, että sen puoleen tapahtumista kuin tuntemuksistakaan ei oikein päässyt perille. Teos eteni paljolti johtolauseettomiendialogien voimin, ja joka luvun alussa piti sitten melko työläästi päätellä ketkä puhuvat ja mitä tämän ja edellisen luvun välillä on mahdollisesti tapahtunut. Niinpä tarinan sijaan sainkin päähäni vain kokoelman nopeasti räpsäistyjä, nyt jo auringonvalossa kovaa vauhtia haalistuvia Polaroid-otoksia.

[MiNa Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

ترجمه حسین تهرانی/ نشر کوله پشتی

[Emma Zucati · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's definitely super different from what I'm used to, and I'm curious of if that's because it's German or because it's just an odd book. I liked how Shulze never tried to get you to like, or even pity Adam. He was an asshole and continued to be oblivious to others throughout the novel. I felt like Evelyn wasn't given a whole lot of thought though. She existed to push Adam's story along which felt more sexist and dull than clever.
It was pretty difficult to follow people, their actions, and geographic placements as the novel went along. In Schulze's defense, I have no political understanding of Germany/Hungary during the late 1980s. I know the Berlin Wall is a prominent feature of the novel, but it was never referenced directly so I was mostly lost, as most people with a generic American education would be.
I also don't get the reference to Adam and Eve. Like I don't know where that was supposed to come into play, especially with the one dimensional Eve, but I found it disappointing.

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review: https://theblankgarden.com/2014/11/17...

[Άννα Τσιαπούρη · Rating 3 out of 5]

Με κούρασαν οι λεπτομέρειες στην αφήγηση και οι πολλοί διάλογοι. Η πλοκή της ιστορίας πολύ αργή για τις προτιμήσεις μου.

[Eddy64 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una sorta di leggiadra tragicommedia on the road, che cerca di cogliere l’atmosfera di un’estate particolare ma vi riesce solo in parte. Adam e Evelyn vivono nella Germania dell'est e stanno progettando di passare, con tutti i visti necessari, un paio di settimane di vacanze sul lago Balaton. Lui è un sarto trentenne appassionato del suo lavoro, adorato dalle clienti che fotografa con i modelli di sua creazione, lei, dieci anni di meno è una apprendista cameriera insoddisfatta del suo lavoro e di non poter studiare all'università. Evelyn scopre Adam sotto la doccia con una cliente piuttosto attempata e lo pianta in asso partendo per le vacanze con una amica, Simone e Michael, un ragazzo che lavora come ricercatore nel mitico ovest. Adam non si rassegna e parte all’inseguimento su una vecchia auto, che chiama affettuosamente Henrietta; per strada raccoglie Katja, una ragazza senza soldi e senza documenti che vuole a tutti i costi passare il confine e ci ha già provato a nuoto…E questo è solo l’inizio di una storia strampalata che prosegue tra il lago Balaton, Budapest, Praga in un perdersi e ritrovarsi continui, tra passaggi fortunosi alle frontiere e soste in attesa di poter passare il confine. Sono giorni strani, corre voce che abbiano aperto ufficiosamente i confini e molta gente è in viaggio con la speranza di passare. Adam è incerto se andare ad ovest o tornare a casa, Evelyn e Katja non vedono l’ora, Michael ha un lavoro che l’aspetta; il futuro è davanti a loro, è il momento di coglierlo: l’occidente è la libertà di vivere, lavorare, studiare, sognare, comprarsi una casa, fare dei progetti… anche se poi non sarà tutta terra promessa e paradiso, per esempio un sarto di paese ha poco lavoro in un mondo di abiti confezionati. Buone le intenzioni di cogliere lo spirito di quei mesi concitati che culminarono nell’abbattimento del muro di Berlino con le vicende scanzonate di un gruppo di giovani che si trova improvvisamente in mezzo al guado ma la storia incespica e si avvita qualche volta di troppo, e la scrittura basata quasi esclusivamente sui dialoghi tra i protagonisti non aiuta il lettore, creando confusione più di una volta. Non è stata una delusione, ma una lettura comunque divertente, senza troppi pensieri che sfiora temi non banali. Un raggio di sole e di speranza in un periodo buio come questo. Tre stelle e mezza

[Robin Petty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fundamentally it's a 'dysfunctional relationship' novel set against the backdrop of the fall of the iron curtain. I liked how the characters were *not* absolutely in the thick of the action. It would have been overly-convenient and twee to have them present at the Pan-European Picnic or taking bricks from the Berlin Wall. I ought to say it's a period and place in history that very much interests me anyway, so I found it a page-turner.
The female characters are very believably written and it's very well translated by John E. Woods.
However...and here's the "but".....it's more like a radio drama than a novel and that's very much it's downfall. It's told very much through dialogue at the expense of giving us much visual description of people or place. What does the Angyal's house look like? What does Pepi look like beyond a surface description? We don't fully get to know as there is little fleshing-out and there are no internal monologues to help us work out *why* characters are behaving the way they are, particularly when one of the lead's behaviour becomes, latterly, more puzzling.
Also it's often, frustratingly, hard to tell who is speaking, even when only two people are present. This dawns on you when you realize a character has the capacity of saying two sentences in a row, breaking a back-and-forth that you thought you had the measure of.
It starts out like a road-movie with the focus firmly on one of the two leads and you are pretty convinced that's going to be the viewpoint for the remainder. But then there is a scene in which the character that we have been faithfully following is not present (it's a jump-cut to a scene with just Evelyn and Michael in a bedroom I think) and this is very discombobulating.
I have a feeling that, with the introduction of a 'Gideon Bible' device, the author was trying to get us to see an allegory in it all, but I couldn't get a handle on what we were supposed to conclude from Genesis in relation to events and actions that have unfolded.
I *did* enjoy it, but it's not without it's frustrations.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book at a book fair in my city, this year. I fought my way around hundreds of books in a pile of discounts because I thought the cover and the synopsis were so intriguing.

I just finished it and I feel like I couldn't fully grasp the point of the book. Therefore, I feel disappointed.
I'm not sure if this is only me, perhaps it is, but maybe is the style or the translation. I can't help but wonder, had I read it in German, would I've been able to get it a lot better? I cannot say. What I can say is that the last 100 pages were more of a duty than something I really wanted to do. I could've dropped it halfway but instead, I decided to give it a chance, and by the end, I felt lost.
I'd give it 3 stars for the author and the prizes he has achieved. That's why I feel like maybe something was lost in translation. or maybe the style of writing? I am glad I followed the story from the beginning because up until more than half of the book, I was interested. Then, something happens and there is a point where I felt like the story and the characters were losing me.

I found some symbolism throughout the story and I could even say that morals and lessons from it, if I must save something that I liked. I also appreciated the interactions between Adam and Katja, more than Adam and Evi's and I like the setting of the story, because it was undoubtedly a time of great change and historical relevance. Nevertheless, I'm proud of myself for giving it a try and finishing it, because now I can continue my reading challenge, but the last bits of the book, for me were quite a struggle, and that can be sad because I had high hopes for this one. Anyway, I might donate it or sell it for someone else to give it a go.

[Frau Becker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trotz mehrerer Versuche werde ich mit Ingo Schulze einfach nicht warm. Dieses Buch habe ich zwar stellenweise ganz gern gelesen, insgesamt aber konnte ich damit wenig anfangen: Die konsequent neutrale Erzählperspektive und Dialoglastigkeit erschwert den Zugang zu den Figuren. Vor allem aber nervt es mich ungemein, wie meist männliche Autoren Untreue verhandeln: Der chronische Weiberheld, der keine Reue zeigt, weil Sex ja nichts bedeutet, ja der angesichts der Versuchung gar nicht anders kann, der dann die - berechtigterweise tief verletzte - betrogene Frau so lange stalkt, bis sie ihn doch zurücknimmt, dann aber die beleidigte Leberwurst spielt, als sie vielleicht von einem anderen Mann schwanger ist. Dass diese Figur vergleichsweise positiv gezeichnet ist: Männerphantasie. Dass er dann im Nachhinein Recht hatte, als im Westen doch nicht der Himmel voller Geigen hängt, mag zwar in der Logik der Geschichte plausibel sein, setzt ihn aber in der Beziehung in eine Rolle der Überlegenheit, die ihm im moralischen Sinne nicht zukommt. Evelyn erschien mir demgegenüber ein Fähnchen im Wind, deren Entscheidungen mir nicht immer klar waren. Sie schafft es nicht, sich unabhängig zu machen, sei es von Adam, sei es von "Besser-Wessi" Michael. Interessant fand ich Katja, ihre abenteuerliche Geschichte, ihr unabhängiger, unbeirrberer Charakter hätte mich mehr interessiert als dieses dich etwas fade Pärchen.

[Idin paydar · Rating 2 out of 5]

📝ماجرای کتاب توی تابستون و پاییز ۱۹۸۹ رخ میده زمانی که جریانات سیاسی منجر به سقوط دیوار برلین شد. آدام و اولین در آلمان شرقی زندگی میکنن. زندگی خودشون رو دارن و کاری به سیاست ندارن. آدام خیاط زنانه دوزه و اولین هم گارسونه. یه روز اولین برمیگرده به خونه و ادام رو توی یه وضعیت نامناسب با یکی از مشرتیاش می بینه. خونه رو ترک میکنه و با دوستش مونا و پسر عموش راهی مجارستان میشه. آدام که عاشق اولین بوده اون ها رو تعقیب میکنه و اتفاق هایی که در طول سفر می افته و بقیه ماجرا..

📍کتاب رو من چند سال پیش خواستم شروع کنم اما به دلایلی نشد ادامه اش بدم و الان خودم رو مجبور کردم که تا اخرش بخونم.

📝داستان خیلی کشش خاصی برای من نداشت. روند کتاب خسته کننده بود. خیلی کفتگو محور بود. در خیلی جاها کمی طول میکشید تا متوجه بشم گفتگو بین چه کسانی هست و هر جمله متعلق به کدوم شخصیته. خیلی اطلاعات خاصی در مورد آلمان و دیوار برلین به خواننده نمیده.

📌خیلی جاها احتیاج به پاورقی بود به نظرم. داستان خیلی برام قابل درک نبود و با شخصیت ها اصلا نتونستم ارتباط برقرار کنم.

✅تنها قسمت کتاب که خیلی برام جذاب بود قسمتی بود که آدام انجیل رو میخوند و داستان به زمین اومدن آدم و حوا از بهشت رو روایت میکرد که با چیزهایی هم که قبلا جسته گریخته از عهد عتیق(تورات) و عهد جدید(انجیل) خونده بودم جذابیتش بیشتر شد.

[Uralte Morla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam ist Damenschneider in der DDR, mag die Frauen und die mögen ihn auch. Als seine Freundin Evelyn ihn beim Fremdgehen erwischt, fährt sie ohne ihn nach Ungarn. Weil Adam ohne seine Evelyn nicht sein kann, fährt er hinterher. Als Ungarn dann die Grenzen zu Österreich aufmacht, stehen die beiden vor einer Entscheidung: zurück in die Heimat oder hinein in die neue Welt? Und was ist eigentlich mit ihrer Beziehung?
Ingo Schulze erzählt in "Adam und Evelyn" von zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen, der Sehnsucht nach Freiheit und dem Einkuscheln in Gewohntes. In vielen, vielen Dialogen erzählt er das, eigentlich wirkt das Buch fast wie ein Drehbuch.
Dabei liest es sich gut weg, plätschert aber irgendwie auch so vor sich hin und hinterlässt bei mir nur wenig Nachhall.
Der gleichnamige Film besteht übrigens lustigerweise größtenteils aus Stille, ist deswegen aber nicht schlecht.

[Rapha Hell]

Habe ich bis seite 177 gelesen. Dieses buch kommuniziert mir einfach nichts. Es lest sich. Es ist nicht langweilig, oder kompliziert, aber trotzdem (meiner meinung nach) voll uninteressant. Die protagonisten sind mir leer. Die dialoguen klingen mir leer aus auch. Über diese geschichte gibt s kein wichtige grund punkt. Ich kann nicht raten, warum dieses buch geschrieben wurde. Ich habe kein lust weiter zu lesen. Es gibt andere geschichte die lesenswert sind, ich würde lieber auf solche bücher mich fokusieren.

Ich empfehle dieses buch nicht, aber to each their own.

[Gabi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The atmosphere of the book was interesting, but the plot didn't seem to go anywhere, and I couldn't really root for any of the characters.
I was excited to pick up a book that partly takes place in Hungary in 1989, and I appreciated the atmosphere, the sense of place the author created, but I wasn't blown away.

[Millie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think it was at it’s most entertaining when following the travelling, but wasn’t anything particularly outstanding.

however, do think my german is improving because reading this was actually pretty easy.

[Shadi · Rating 1 out of 5]

كتاب ممل وحوارات ضعيفة ولم أستطع الإرتباط بين الشخصيات وحرام ضيعت وقتي عليه

[Elke Kuypers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up after 100 pages. No idea what tz story is about. Just lines and lines of pointless conversation

[Anna Þórhildur · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kláraði á hundavaði, náði mér engan veginn

[Marc Dilliën · Rating 4 out of 5]

De val van het Ijzeren Gordijn met veel humor verteld en als een relatieprobleem verpakt, dit kan je volgens mij verwachten bij het lezen van dit grappige boek.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adão e Eva no Mundo Socialista

O escritor Ingo Schulze passou boa parte da vida na Alemanha Oriental pré-queda do muro de Berlim. Fez dos traumas e das arestas da reunificação das duas Alemanhas tema central de seu livro mais reconhecido internacionalmente, o caudaloso romance Vidas Novas. Neste livro mais curto, Adam e Evelyn (Tradução de Sergio Tellaroli, 380 páginas, R$ 63), que a Cosac Naify está publicando agora, Schulze também se vale do fim dos regimes comunistas na Europa como pano de fundo, mas usa a história de um jovem casal de amantes como estrutura especular à crise que varreu os países comunistas e provocou a queda das autocracias socialistas.

Adam e Evelyn vivem em uma cidade do interior da Alemanha Oriental, em 1989. Ele é design de roupas, ela trabalha na imensa e já insustentável máquina burocrática do Estado. Até que Evelyn descobre que o namorado mantém com suas clientes relações além do simples corte e costura, e rompe a relação. Se antes havia problemas para que ambos conseguissem fazer coincidir suas férias (e as autorizações de viagem necessárias em um país em que o trânsito de pessoas é controlado pelo governo) para partir em uma planejada viagem à Hungria, após a briga Evelyn parte sozinha, de carona com uma amiga e o primo desta, vindo da Alemanha Ocidental. Um atormentado Adam a segue pela mesma estrada, no próprio carro. No meio do caminho, a viagem de Evelyn transforma-se em uma tentativa de fuga do comunismo no exato momento em que o próprio comunismo parece entrar em colapso.

Assim como Vidas Novas era uma forma de reler o Fausto no contexto da reunificação, por meio da biografia de um homem que, de artista e aspirante a escritor, se torna um bem-sucedido industrial aproveitando as oportunidades criadas pela reunificação, aqui o próprio título já denuncia um novo modelo mítico: Adão e Eva. As transformações históricas que se realizam à volta do casal, envolvido com seus próprios problemas amorosos, assemelham-se a um contemporâneo fim da inocência edênica, saídos de um regime não apenas centralizador e totalitário, mas também tutelar, para o enganoso paraíso capitalista, em que a regra do desperdício consumista parece demasiado agressiva e o dinheiro e onde obtê-lo é uma preocupação com muito mais peso do que na pobre sociedade comunista em que viviam. É algo que voltaria em Vidas Novas, um mergulho muito mais detalhado na psique de um homem que aprende não apenas a viver no capitalismo já na vida adulta, mas que aprende a negociar com a própria consciência para aceitar sem culpa, gradativamente, a própria ganância, central no sistema capitalista.

[Ian]

Ingo Schulze's novel Adam & Evelyn takes place primarily during a four month span in the summer and fall of 1989 when a tumultuous series of events in Eastern Europe culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall. Schulze's purpose in writing this novel might have been to present an event that had (and has) global ramifications from the perspective of ordinary people who were experiencing it while it happened, at ground level as it were. Adam and Evelyn live in East Berlin. Their lives are busy and they have little interest in politics. Adam is a tailor with only female clients, and one day in August Evelyn returns home to find Adam in a compromising situation with one of these clients. She leaves, meeting up with the people that she and Adam were intending to travel with to Hungary for a vacation. Adam follows. What ensues is a mad dash across several borders as Adam tries to convince Evelyn that their relationship is worth saving. External events rush forward, however, and eventually they are presented with a much more profound and startling dilemma: whether to return home at all or settle in the West and begin a new life. The novel is effective because it draws us into a story involving several people during a crucial turning point in history and shows us the issues they grapple with as they struggle to make decisions that will change their lives forever. It could have been more effective, however, if Schulze had given us characters we could truly care about. Both Adam and Evelyn have genuinely touching moments, but they can also be moody and petty. Again and again Schulze gives their bickering center stage, not seeming to realize that he's testing his reader's patience. Still, the novel is engaging more often than not and provides a Western reader with a window into a time and place that changed the world in which we live.

[Gulsun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the insight from a personal perspective to an interesting time period in history.

There is something very romantic and sexy about the idea developed around Adam's prefession and its link to his personal life.
The bottomline you get from the book is something that we all know (i.e. making your own paradise primarily depends on, besides your personal relationships, doing a job you like and devotion to perfect your skill at it given that you have the option to choose it as a career). Yet, the story forces you to think about those things one more time, and from a different angle.

I did not care much about the parallel drawn between the chracters and Adam&Eve from the bible. It felt very arbitrary and a weak attempt to do or prove ... I don't now what.

Also, some of the dialogs were plain boring, but I guess they were realistic because that's what young couples fight about and sound like during a relationship crisis.

Character development is not up to par as Adam and Michael come out as most interesting and complex characters whereas Eve and Katya, despite the fact they are strong women with hteir own convictions and desires to pursue a better life, are practically the same person.

[Catalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked more the communism part than the story between Adam & Evelyn which i am sure it was actually just an umbrella for the main story. You need to know stuff about communism to understand some aspects-one that comes to my mind right now is the 'funny' moment happening at the inn, just after the border, when Adam is suspecting the courtesy of the inn's workers(a normal thing in a civilized country but a rare aspect in a communist one) is a sign they are after something :)) but also very tragic like Katja risking her life trying to swim the Danube to get out etc.

As a minus i hated the lapidary chapters- i guess the author used this style in order to easily past from one scene to another, but some time was confusing and also in may case made less possible to get into the story, to really feel the characters!

[Tina Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book. Built-in tension, because it's set in mid to late 1989 (AKA just before the Wall came down). Interesting aside: you think you know when and where the Iron Curtain opened for the first time, but you don't. ;)

Anyway, back to Adam and Eve: Loved the plot, and the characters were flawed enough to be both human and exasperating, which also made them endearing. The actual writing is very brisk - kind of sketching out the most important information, then letting your imagination fill in the details. It worked well, for the most part, but there were bits were we lacked some pretty important connective tissue. The result is that we sometimes feel lost in the plot. It also hindered character motivation - I didn't always understand why people did what they did.

Otherwise, a highly satisfying read.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest Ingo Schulze novel is an odd hybrid of sex comedy, road trip, and existential thriller. In Adam and Evelyn, the original sin occurs when an East German tailor named Adam sleeps with a female client. His girlfriend Evelyn catches him with his pants down, then flees to Hungary with a friend and her cousin. On impulse, Adam stalks her across Europe and tries to woo her back to paradise...Like any road trip, there are moments of tedium, particularly in the middle section, where the characters seem to wallow in their existential malaise and the previously rollicking plot loses steam.
READ FULL REVIEW HERE: http://bit.ly/ySydyN

[Marta · Rating 2 out of 5]

M'eh? This book is written in a style that is not conducive to reading 20 or 30 pages and then putting it down for 4-5 days. You kind of need a good block of time to read and get through it. The conversations can be disjointed and it will take several pages to figure out who is talking and who is saying what. Usually I can do that but this time I could not. I don't fault the author just me but I still can't rate it that high.
Interesting story woven around the events of the fall of the Berlin wall but you don't get a real sense of what that felt like from these characters on the wrong side of the wall. I wanted more and it just wasn't there.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Buch der Optionen - Welches ist der richtige, welches der falsche Weg? Behalte ich das Alte, das Bekannte oder wage ich den Sprung in das Neue? Ein Stück deutsch-deutscher Geschichte, erzählt von einem Meister der Dialoge: Wenn sich Adam und Evelyn im Zug über Ihr "Neues Leben" unterhalten, fühlt man sich wie ein Spion, der ihren Gesprächen heimlich lauscht, so nah dran ist man an den Figuren.