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Product Description
From Amazon
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. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From Library Journal
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting, but unsatisfying, metaphysical love story,
By
This review is from: The Blue Flower (Paperback)
Penelope Fitzgerald's Booker prize-winning novel THE BLUE FLOWER is the story of Friedrich "Fritz" von Hardenburg, who later became the Romantic poet Novalis, and his love for Sophie, an adolescent with whom he has little in common but who illuminates the world for him. Among the book's strengths is its vivid depiction of life in late-1700s Germany.Much of THE BLUE FLOWER is concerned with mood and the inner lives of its characters, and may disappoint those who favour a smooth and moving plot. The ending is particularly abrupt and I didn't find it satisfying. Among common criticisms of the book is that the issue of Fritz's consuming love for Sophie is unrealistic because they have nothing in common, and in fact Sophie is quite a dullard. Nonetheless, every man has at times fallen in love with some woman who may display few intellectual qualities but who is beloved because she is a glass through which the universe is seen. Thus, Fritz calls Sophie his "Philosophy. Plus, there is much emphasis on the fact that it is Sophie's mysterious aura, not her mind, that is the real draw. Fritz cannot help but love her. THE BLUE FLOWER raises some interesting questions to ask of oneself, although after the reading it is somewhat forgettable. Nonetheless, it's a quick read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who might find the setting interesting. I should mention that the book does change a few details of Novalis' life, so if you are already acquainted with the poet it may annoy you.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not half as interesting as the ratings suggest,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Blue Flower (Paperback)
On the strength of the ratings and the fact that she won the Booker I bought the book. It really wasn't an interesting read and the character development seemed pretty poor. I, like many of the other reviewers, wouldn't recommend it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing book,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Blue Flower (Paperback)
The more Penelope Fitzgerald I read, the more I believe that she must be ranked with Iris Murdoch and Anita Brookner as the best writers the last fifty years have produced. This book is unlike anything I have read, and within the conventions of the novel, Fitzgerald's mind takes yours down little alleyways where you see things in a completely new way. I was reminded of 18th century portraits with the sitters and their surroundings come to life; and of a tiny, exquisite music box opened to entertain and edify. Every character is beautifully depicted, every scene has meaning and beauty. I love this book.
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