Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion

In September we will be reading Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane for our State of the Nation category - who's in?

I started this book in July so will get back to it. Soon.

I'm about 125 pages in and really enjoying this book so far. Not much is happening but the action and the speech of the characters is all very believable. I'm pretty gripped by it. There's a supernatural element too that I have no idea how it will play out.

The juxtaposition of Effi, who's barely out of girlhood, and the responsibilities and stuffiness of official society is stiffling for her.

I'm extremely intrigued to see where this story is going to go.

Okay, I've finished this book now.

WARNING - THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS POST

So I experienced very diminishing returns from this book. It explores similar themes to Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary without being ultimately anywhere near as good as either of them.

In the first 100 pages the novel's greatest strengths are displayed. The dialogue is very believable; we are introduced to Effi and her friends realistically, they are seventeen years old - and a young seventeen at that - with all the frivolousness and joie de vivre that accompanies being that age in a comfortable carefree environment. Then she's married off to a man she's met once before who's 25 years older than her and was once courted her mother. Moving to a strange town, dull and alone apart from her workaholic neglectful husband she falls for the charms of a dashing Major in the Hussars and a supernatural element is introduced into Effi's loneliness.

But here it all starts to come apart. The supernatural element goes no further and seems to be only there to reflect Effi's isolation and dreaminess, because nothing more is done with it in the book.

The affair with the Hussar is waved aside and does nothing except act as a plot device - It certainly never felt passionate, on either side. Perhaps that's the point.

And then Effi just wastes away - from ennui maybe, or a broken heart, or a cough perhaps - It all felt like that was what a good victorian fallen woman should do: quietly die.

So I ended up giving this 3 stars. It's probably 3.5, but I'm in a mood with my buildings insurance company right now, so I'm erring towards grumpiness.