Madensky Square
Authors: Eva Ibbotson
Published by: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
Published by: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
Susanna Weber's dress shop stands in the picturesque Madensky Square, a quiet little world of its own, nestled in the heart of glittering pre-war Vienna.
As the winter of 1910 unfurls into spring, Susanna starts a journal about life in the Square, about the buildings and their colourful inhabitants.
There's Frau Schumacher, with six daughters and a baby on the way, Professor Starsky and his menagerie of sickly reptiles, an aging bookseller, a teenage Anarchist, and little Sigi – an orphaned child prodigy forced to play the piano all day, every day.
And then there's her dear friend Alice, the only person who has noticed the heartbreak that hides beneath Susanna's brisk kindness and brilliant talent . . .
As the winter of 1910 unfurls into spring, Susanna starts a journal about life in the Square, about the buildings and their colourful inhabitants.
There's Frau Schumacher, with six daughters and a baby on the way, Professor Starsky and his menagerie of sickly reptiles, an aging bookseller, a teenage Anarchist, and little Sigi – an orphaned child prodigy forced to play the piano all day, every day.
And then there's her dear friend Alice, the only person who has noticed the heartbreak that hides beneath Susanna's brisk kindness and brilliant talent . . .
My thoughts:
I just finished reading Madensky Square, a read that was selected by one of my monthly book clubs.
Admittedly, Eva Ibbotson’s writing was completely new to me, and picking up a copy of the book revealed a whole shelf of the author’s work in my local bookshop.
Offering a classic snapshot of Viennese life before WWI, the novel unfolds month-by-month as Susanna records the daily gossip, heartbreaks, and lives of her neighbours.
I enjoyed the diary form of storytelling, which drifts along gradually, bringing all the characters together as they live their daily lives in Madensky Square. It has the distinctive feel of a comforting, cosy historical novel, with a rich sense of place, atmospheric charm, and emotional depth. The square truly feels like a living, breathing character, and I was very invested to see how things would turn out for everyone.
Views on Madensky Square were mixed at the book club discussion, but I really enjoyed this one.
It took me a little while to settle into the story and get to know its large cast of quirky characters, but I was ultimately won over by the strength and charm of Ibbotson’s writing. There is a real intelligence and wit to Ibbotson’s writing, and I was especially taken with the warmth and individuality of Susannah’s voice. I finished the novel with a newfound curiosity about the rest of Ibbotson’s back catalogue. It has certainly made me keen to delve further into the author’s body of work.
Overall reaction:
I just finished reading Madensky Square, a read that was selected by one of my monthly book clubs.
Admittedly, Eva Ibbotson’s writing was completely new to me, and picking up a copy of the book revealed a whole shelf of the author’s work in my local bookshop.
Offering a classic snapshot of Viennese life before WWI, the novel unfolds month-by-month as Susanna records the daily gossip, heartbreaks, and lives of her neighbours.
I enjoyed the diary form of storytelling, which drifts along gradually, bringing all the characters together as they live their daily lives in Madensky Square. It has the distinctive feel of a comforting, cosy historical novel, with a rich sense of place, atmospheric charm, and emotional depth. The square truly feels like a living, breathing character, and I was very invested to see how things would turn out for everyone.
Views on Madensky Square were mixed at the book club discussion, but I really enjoyed this one.
It took me a little while to settle into the story and get to know its large cast of quirky characters, but I was ultimately won over by the strength and charm of Ibbotson’s writing. There is a real intelligence and wit to Ibbotson’s writing, and I was especially taken with the warmth and individuality of Susannah’s voice. I finished the novel with a newfound curiosity about the rest of Ibbotson’s back catalogue. It has certainly made me keen to delve further into the author’s body of work.
Overall reaction:
