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| Title | : | The Door |
| Author | : | Magda Szabó |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 262 pages |
| Published | : | October 20th 2005 by Harvill Press (first published 1987) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Cultural. Hungary. Historical. Historical Fiction. European Literature. Hungarian Literature. Novels. Literary Fiction. Literature |
Magda Szabó
Hardcover | Pages: 262 pages Rating: 4.06 | 15147 Users | 2045 Reviews
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A busy young writer struggling to cope with domestic chores, hires a housekeeper recommended by a friend. The housekeeper's reputation is one built on dependable efficiency, though she is something of an oddity. Stubborn, foul-mouthed and with a flagrant disregard for her employer's opinions she may even be crazy. She allows no-one to set foot inside her house; she masks herself with a veil and is equally guarded about her personal life. And yet Emerence is revered as much as she is feared. As the story progresses her energy and passion to help becomes clear, extinguishing any doubts arising out of her bizarre behaviour. A stylishly told tale which recounts a strange relationship built up over 20 years between a writer and her housekeeper. After an unpromising and caustic start benign feelings develop and ultimately the writer benefits from what becomes an inseparable relationship. Simultaneously we learn Emerence's tragic past which is revealed in snapshots throughout the book.
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| Original Title: | Az ajtó |
| ISBN: | 1843431939 (ISBN13: 9781843431930) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Hungary |
| Literary Awards: | Prix Femina for Étranger (2003), Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2006), Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize (2006) |
Rating Containing Books The Door
Ratings: 4.06 From 15147 Users | 2045 ReviewsComment On Containing Books The Door
This book has a timbre, a tone that is haunting. I will not be forgetting the character of Emerence anytime soon. An older woman, she acts as housekeeper for a lady writer and the writer's husband. Odd-turned and enigmatic, harsh and opinionated, Emerence is a workhorse. The 20 year relationship between the two woman is fascinating, charming, and sad. The story of Emerence's life slowly comes together, pieced together like an intricate mosaic. There are myriad meanings behind the title.Johannes Brahms can make autumn leaves dance in one of natures most graceful circle. The chill in the air was about to birth the seasons very first snowflake. The clatter of rusty shovels being removed equated to the asinine banters of old women gossiping on the porch. After the death of its final leaf, the trees lay barren like a country that had abruptly lost its people. There were no birds to be seen, yet I heard them chirp a summer song. The fervent barking of a mongrel was followed by a
4.5At some point during my reading of this, I was reminded of The God of Small Things in that I felt as if this too can be read on two levels and that if I knew more of the history of the country of origin (here it is Hungary), I wouldve gotten even more out of the novel. Because I know basically nothing of the latter (I googled some), and even though this can be read as a character(s)-relationship study, I feel as if something essential has eluded my grasp. Yes, we are told in perfect pacing
How on earth could the telling of the life and character of an aged Hungarian cleaning lady feel so eerily uncanny? Because, do not be mistaken, this is not a mystery book. This is a novel about the relationship between two women: an illiterate servant and her considerably younger employer, a writer. The latter narrates the story, which is set in Hungary around the 1960s-80s. So, how could this be such a memorable story? Magda Szabo (1917-2007) proves in The Door to be an astounding writer.
I still don't know how she fitted so much living into one life.Hope and despair go hand in hand whenever I try to form a rather fragmentary sketch of a far-off Hungarian landscape. It is one place which has become an essential part of my past as well as prospective literary sojourns and whenever I decide to visit there, to meet another storyteller and to hear one more hypnotic tale, theres always a throbbing anticipation to receive a treasured souvenir made out of unfamiliar lives but
"I know now, what I didn't then, that affection can't always be expressed in calm, orderly, articulate ways; and that one cannot prescribe the form it should take for anyone else." What an unusual sort of book and a very peculiar relationship examined therein between Magda, the narrator of The Door, and her housekeeper, Emerence. This novel really grabs you from the start right away the reader knows that there is some mystery surrounding these two disparate women. Magda is a writer, privileged
I finished this novel a couple of weeks ago, but havent had time to review it until now. Turns out that was a good thing. Two weeks ago, I would have given The Door three stars and moved on. It was slow. It felt a little pointless. I didnt like the characters. But, because I wanted to review it, I kept the book in the front of my mind and over time a deeper truth began to emerge for me.The Door is slow because its subject matter is difficult and slippery. It felt pointless because I didnt work
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