| Amazon.com Penelope Fitzgerald wrote her first novel 20 years ago， at the age of 59. Since then， she's written eight more， three of which have been short-listed for England's prestigious Booker Prize， and one of which， Offshore， won. Now she's back with her tenth and best book so far， The Blue Flower. This is the story of Friedrich von Hardenberg--Fritz， to his intimates--a young man of the late 18th century who is destined to become one of Germany's great romantic poets. In just over 200 pages， Fitzgerald creates a complete world of family， friends and lovers， but also an exhilarating evocation of the romantic era in all its political turmoil， intellectual voracity， and moral ambiguity. A profound exploration of genius， The Blue Flower is also a charming， wry， and witty look at domestic life. Fritz's family--his eccentric father and high-strung mother; his loving sister， Sidonie; and brothers Erasmus， Karl， and the preternaturally intelligent baby of the family， referred to always as the Bernhard--are limned in deft， sure strokes， and it is in his interactions with them that the ephemeral quality of genius becomes most tangible. Even his unlikely love affair with young Sophie von Kühn makes perfect sense as Penelope Fitzgerald imagines it. The Blue Flower is a magical book--funny， sad， and deeply moving. In Fritz Fitzgerald has discovered a perfect character through whom to explore the meaning of love， poetry， life， and loss. In The Blue Flower readers will find a work of fine prose， fierce intelligence， and perceptive characterization. From Library Journal Fitzgerald never repeats herself， and her latest novel， named Book of the Year by 19 British newspapers in 1995， is her most original book yet. Here she reconstructs the life of 18th-century German romantic poet Novalis， focusing on his boisterous family， his struggle to articulate his longings， and， most tellingly， his passion for 12-year-old Sophie， a simple child he intends to marry despite the furious reservations of family and friends. Fitzgerald doesn't make it entirely clear what draws Friedrich von Hardenberg (Novalis's real name) to little Sophie?but that is precisely the point. Throughout， he is carried aloft by an inchoate desire for something beyond that is summed up in his little story of the blue flower: "I have no craving to be rich， but I long to see the blue flower....I can imagine and think about nothing else." As a counterpoint to her protagonist's beautifully captured romanticism， Fitzgerald successfully evokes the sights， sound， and smells?and the constant sorrows?of domestic life in 18th-century Germany. A little treasure; highly recommended.?Barbara Hoffert， "Library Journal"Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews |
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