The Gustav Sonata: A Novel

This award winning novel by an award winning author, is rather disappointing.The author cleverly divides the story into three parts, like the movements of a piano sonata. Unfortunately, the parts are not in chronological order. The main character Gustav is beginning kindergarten in part one, but then in part two Gustav's future parents meet for the first time. In part three, Gustav is in his late fifties. Huge chunks of Gustav's life are missing resulting in a disjointed and weak development of this main character.Certainly a friendship between two people from kindergarten throughout adulthood is a deep and abiding one. Yet, the relationship as portrayed in this novel is extremely lopsided: whatever Anton demands, Gustav obligingly agrees to even leaving the town Gustav grew up in and loves and selling the successful business he has so painstakingly built. The author does not adequately explain Gustav's compliance to Anton's demands. How very unrealistic!This reviewer finds Tremain's writing pedestrian. Even her descriptions of idyllic Davos, come off as flat. Her frequent use of scatological language and sexual incidents seem inappropriate in parts one and two given both the time (1940's) and place (rural Switzerland). The bravery and morality of the Swiss assistant police chief, upon whose real life Gustav's father is based, is unfortunately denigrated by both the language and behavior of the fictional father, Erich Perle.Finally, the issue of the neutrally of Switzerland during WWII, is a serious one. The Swiss fear a German invasion. The novel discusses how many Jews sought refuge in Switzerland until the borders were closed to them resulting in the deportation and death of many German Jews. It would have added to the heroism of Erich Perle, if some of the characters, particularly the Zwiebels who are Jewish, discuss that by taking no side, Switzerland actually caused the deaths of many. The author lost an opportunity to inform an audience of readers who might not have ever considered the role a non-neutral Switzerland might have played.

This author has an amazing ability to cover a wide range of subjects and never disappoints. Unlike so many stories, here there is a small cast, so characters develop more fully, though Gustav is unquestionably the protagonist. I agree with one reviewer that unlike the people in the story, the prose is fairly simple but that does not detract. It covers a wide range of subjects and I was left wondering why so much store was placed in the symbolism of Gustav's childhood toy train in the publicity blurb when there is so much more that is relevant. My only real disappointment was that I felt the end came too fast. Everything unravels just a little too quickly. As so often when reviewing a book, it would be churlish to say what happens but I had predicted the outcome about half way through. Rose Tremaine spends much effort to describe the tortured relationship between Gustav and his mother, such alienation of a parent towards their child a more common cause of discord today than ever. The parallel theme to Gustav's life story of Switzerland's treatment of Jewish refugees and the country's neutrality during WWII are mercifully treated with balanced sensitivity, never overwhelming the main theme. I say mercifully because this reader now shies away from the subject of what happened to Jewish people during this period of history as it has been written about and filmed so extensively.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a well told and very well written story. It is restrained and precise. The book is sensitive but not sentimental or treacly. The characters are believable, some familiar and some less so, yet all play their parts in the unfolding drama. The reader may guess some of the future but our characters are clueless.Gustav is a particularly special character as we follow him from his early childhood and backtracking to fill in the spaces, he enters our hearts. I constantly felt a need to protect him and shield him.The music in the book is a particularly important element. As in many books with a musical title or subtext, in this book the music becomes a tool, an entity of many facets. Often the music is not soothing or pleasant, it grates on the reader (myself ), because of the obsessive desire Anton’s parents and Anton have for his life as a professional musician. All the well known pieces which he plays throughout the book often filled me with dread and anticipated disaster. I could hear the music in my head. Some of the pieces well known, but i was unable to enjoy or feel the music. The only time i was soothed and completely engulfed by the music was when Anton played the “Gustav Sonata” , there was no music other than what i could make up, but it was the first time i sensed that the music was not a prelude to tragedy.

Rose Tremain's novel about post WWII's Switzerland as seen through two vastly different families is a revealing testimony to the psychological make-up of Swiss neutrality. Watching two kindergarten friends become senior citizens who have pursued different choices in their lives only to return to their original connection to each other is a endearing story of love, understanding, and forgiveness.

The book was so enjoyable. I didn't want it to end. Gustav was such a kind gentle man having come from such a cold uncaring mother whose on mother was horrible also. I was a bit surprised at the ending as I saw Anton as cold and unloving. It is also a good description of the Swiss mentality during the holacaust.

A deep yet loss of love in a time where one couldn't love the same sex. Time is a great healer once one finds their true self... live the life you want not the life others have chosen for you. In this well written novel it touches all in a form that willl stay in your heart and mind.

A story set pre- and post the Second World War, beautifully weaving through the protagonist, Gustav's, life in a small village in Switzerland. The author cleverly draws the reader into the psychological and emotional realities of Gustav and those people close to him, and keeps the reader consistently involved.

I loved this book. It was a book club selection but I didn't read it for that as I wasn't there but read it in my own time. It's set in Switzerland and evokes the atmosphere of the Swiss neutrality during the war in the character of Gustav's father, a policeman who risked all to bring in Jews beyond the deadline for accepting refugees. This resonates through the story. Anton and Gustav meet in their first day at school and their lives are intertwined. Antonio has a future as a musical prodigy but his nerves prevent him realising this dream of his parents.The relationship with their parents is explored and found wanting in Gustav's mother who cannot love him as a mother should. It's a poignant story of missed opportunities and failed relationships and the author paints a vivid picture of the time, setting and the whole historical context of the pre and postwar period, right up to the present.I'd recommend this to any discerning reader.

I've read a few other books by this author and had been recommended this novel by many people so had high expectations.It has just over 300 pages, split into conveniently small chapters which is always a great start.We follow Gustav's life in Switzerland, being born into an uncomfortable marriage just before the start of World War 2. Everything about his life is awkward and isolated which seems to play as a well drawn metaphor for the country itself.The prose is poignant and there are many specific parts that are very tender.The reader cannot help but urge Gustav to act on his emotions rather than sit back and accept his fate. This shows how perfectly drawn the character is as he completely comes to life when reading.Time moves back and forward as the detail of the story gradually fill in. Characters develop naturally and are given plenty of space in which to do this. People feel plausible and appropriate, particularly when used to tell the story.

4 stars, would have been 5 stars but just lost momentum three quarters of the way through. A remarkable story of two boys who meet at kindergarten in Switzerland and remain close until they are sixty. Their individual family stories are so different, yet they form a very special bond. Most enjoyable!

A story of friendship and loss. Before reading 'The Gustav Sonata' I thought it might feel all too familiar - Jews, persecution, flight, terror, cruelty - and although all those are there, the originality of Rose Tremain's story gives the reader so much more. The sadness running through the book is palpable but the ending is satisfying.

This unusual gripping story, with a WW2 background and set in Switzerland, is a 'must read' for Rose Tremain fans.The characters are so vivid and the story is told in such a convincing way. Not sure why I didn't give it 5 stars as there is no flaw that I can put into words. Maybe the whole thing unsettled me and really made me think....

I have read several Rose Tremaine novels and find her to be a engaging and thought provoking writer. This novel did not disappoint.The novel centres on relationships and lack of communication. Gustav yearns to be loved by his mother and does not understand why she will not - or cannot - love him. His mother and father had a complicated relationship. Gustav and his friend Anton have a complex relationship. Lack of communication leads to a lack of understanding and ultimately to a lack of love.Tremain has the ability to skilfully draw characters and to allow the reader to empathise with them. She reveals enough of their past for the reader to understand their present.I did feel that the novel lost its way slightly towards the end but regained momentum to give a conclusion which was easily foreseen but nevertheless welcomed.I also found the history of Switzerland during WW2 really interesting. I knew nothing other than it was neutral but accepted Nazi-stolen gold/art etc. This gave me an insight into the ordinary people of Switzerland during that time.

Young Gustav is a sorrowful fellow, with a father who died when he was a baby and a mother who hardly seems bothered about him. With a tiny flat and little money, he and his mother live a basic existence in 1940's Switzerland. When a young Jewish boy, Anton, moves to the area with his parents, he and Gustav begin a friendship that forms the core of the novel. The story moves into the past to explore the life of Gustav's parents before his father died, before moving on to see where things go. Young Gustav is a sorrowful fellow, with a father who died when he was a baby and a mother who hardly seems bothered about him. With a tiny flat and little money, he and his mother live a basic existence in 1940's Switzerland. When a young Jewish boy, Anton, moves to the area with his parents, he and Gustav begin a friendship that forms the core of the novel. The story moves into the past to explore the life of Gustav's parents before his father died, before moving on to see where things go.Rose Tremain has a wonderful writing style that is eloquent without ever being over-complicated or verbose. Her plots are multi-threaded with everything carefully but naturally woven together. Gustav is a rather pathetic soul, but drawn in a way that elicits sympathy rather than ridicule. Anton is a perfect foil for his character, and the small cast surrounding them providing fitting support. The Gustav Sonata is a beautifully written melancholy tale that I could find no fault with so I have no choice but to give it 5 stars.

I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I have enjoyed her previous ones. The characterization is good, however, and the descriptions of the cities during the periods where the novel is situation are compelling. I just found the story a bit trite.

I am still not sure about this novel. It is beautifully written with some superb descriptions both of place and person, but I didn't love it, and I didn't love the characters.It was very interesting to learn about a 'neutral' country during WW2 and how the threat of invasion really did affect lives, and I particularly found the early descriptions of Davos compared with the luxurious place we know today quite spooky.Poor Gustav remains stiff, upright and proper almost to the end - a product of his loveless upbringing (as was his mother) and Anton continues to be over-emotional - perhaps a reaction to his much more indulged life.The ending is happy if a little trite.

I liked this very much. If every novelist, at some point in their career, needs to confront the Holocaust, then this was an original and sideways way to go about it. Broken people living broken lives and managing the best ways they can. Searching for love and occasionally finding it. No one here was particularly remarkable, but there was a surfeit of compassion and loyalty and a genuine emotional payoff.

An interesting story that held the imagination. If accurate, and I assume they are, the wartime descriptions wouldn't necessarily go down too well at the Swiss Tourist Board. Well written, gentle but with sharp observation, if a bit uneven. Perhaps my only criticism would be that whereas I gained a sense of all the other characters, well drawn and fleshed out, I did not do so with Gustav. Yes that may have been deliberate, but it didn't sit particularly well with me.

A boy growing up in Switzerland (the country of Calvin and neutrality) is told to master himself. His friendship with young Jewish musical prodigy develops and we learn of the boy's dead father's past in the lead up to the Second World War.The novel explores (I think) the difficulty of personal, moral and political neutrality. I would have given it five stars, but I found the ending just a little pat. Nevertheless to be recommended.

I love Rose Tremain but this was only so so. I couldn't get enthused by Gustav and Anton. I could see how it would end but didn't much care. Some characters are very well drawn, Lottie for example but I don't think this is one of her best

This is a beautiful book, at times hard to read because of the sensitive way in which the author describes the sadness in Gustav's life and his lifelong friendship with Anton. However, the story is constructed in short chapters which help and the story moves along well. The story is set in the days leading up to the Second World War in Switzerland with invasion possibly threatened and reveals the emotions of the Swiss living at that time, not something many people would have considered. You will not regret reading this book.

Rose Tremain is always an interesting story teller, and this tale is no exception. The characters may not all be as engaging as in some of her other books, but I could visualise them all and become involved in their lives, especially so with Gustav. It certainly made me think more about the choices Swiss people had to make in WW2, which is not often the case.