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The Magician

The Magician

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  • Create Date：2021-09-02 02:21:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Colm Tóibín
  • ISBN：1476785082
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Summary

Colm Tóibín’s new novel opens in a provincial German city at the turn of the twentieth century， where the boy， Thomas Mann， grows up with a conservative father， bound by propriety， and a Brazilian mother， alluring and unpredictable。 Young Mann hides his artistic aspirations from his father and his homosexual desires from everyone。 He is infatuated with one of the richest， most cultured Jewish families in Munich， and marries the daughter Katia。 They have six children。 On a holiday in Italy， he longs for a boy he sees on a beach and writes the story Death in Venice。 He is the most successful novelist of his time， winner of the Nobel Prize in literature， a public man whose private life remains secret。 He is expected to lead the condemnation of Hitler， whom he underestimates。 His oldest daughter and son， leaders of Bohemianism and of the anti-Nazi movement， share lovers。 He flees Germany for Switzerland， France and， ultimately， America， living first in Princeton and then in Los Angeles。

The Magician is an intimate， astonishingly complex portrait of Mann， his magnificent and complex wife Katia， and the times in which they lived—the first world war， the rise of Hitler， World War II， the Cold War， and exile。

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Reviews

Michael Burke ，

An epic journey。。。"The Magician" by Colm Tóibín is a fictional portrayal of German author Thomas Mann covering a history from pre-war Germany in the 1890's through post-cold war America。 It is a fascinating insight into Mann and his colorful family-- particularly when they were forced to witness the Nazi takeover and had to abandon their home。 Politics would also follow them to America after the war as they were subjected to the wave of anti-Communism。In Germany Mann was initially reluctant to v An epic journey。。。"The Magician" by Colm Tóibín is a fictional portrayal of German author Thomas Mann covering a history from pre-war Germany in the 1890's through post-cold war America。 It is a fascinating insight into Mann and his colorful family-- particularly when they were forced to witness the Nazi takeover and had to abandon their home。 Politics would also follow them to America after the war as they were subjected to the wave of anti-Communism。In Germany Mann was initially reluctant to voice his opposition to Hitler or even get involved in the political mess developing there。 Fearful for his reputation， he hid his homosexuality throughout his life， even as his children were unafraid to flaunt their very open lifestyles。 The Thomas Mann we see is a lover of art and beauty， yet he channels most of his passion into his Pulitzer Prize winning writing， electing to project a detached personae on the outside。 The problem is we do not delve into his actual work at all。 The title "The Magician" refers to the nickname his children gave him for his ability to create magic in his literature-- a magic we are not exposed to from an otherwise guarded and distant man。This saga covers a considerable amount of time， an epic history of a spirited family and how they were sucked into the political and social tidal waves of the age。 Be prepared for a challenging but rewarding read。 4 stars。I am grateful to Colm Tóibín， Scribner Books， and NetGalley for providing the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review。 #TheMagician #NetGalley"The Magician" is to be published on September 7， 2021 and this review will be posted on Amazon， Barnes & Noble， BookBub， Facebook and Twitter on that day。 。。。more

Tim Boss ，

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Peggy ，

Outstanding！ A novel of the life of Nobel prize winner Thomas Mann。 The novel depicts his life， family and historical events during his lifetime。 Well written and kept your interest from beginning to end！I received this book from goodreads in exchange for a review。

Sarah-Hope ，

Colm Tóibín's The Magician is a good read， the sort of book you can settle into for several hours at a time。 However， what makes The Magician a good read is not so much Tóibín's writing as it is the subject matter he's writing about。 The book is a piece of bio-fiction exploring the thinking and writing of Thomas Mann and life within his family circle。 The Manns were a remarkable bunch。 Thomas and his siblings included two remarkable writers （Thomas' brother Heinrich， in addition to Thomas）， two Colm Tóibín's The Magician is a good read， the sort of book you can settle into for several hours at a time。 However， what makes The Magician a good read is not so much Tóibín's writing as it is the subject matter he's writing about。 The book is a piece of bio-fiction exploring the thinking and writing of Thomas Mann and life within his family circle。 The Manns were a remarkable bunch。 Thomas and his siblings included two remarkable writers （Thomas' brother Heinrich， in addition to Thomas）， two suicides， and one boringly predictable life。 Thomas' children included two （what we would call today） sex radicals， one more ordinary gay man， an entire army's worth of radical anti-fascists （Thomas joins this group slowly and incompletely）， at least two drug addicts， one suicide， a professional violist， two writers/performance artists。 （Thomas and his wife Katia had six children， so a Venn diagram illustrating the previous sentence would show considerable overlap。） Members of the family lived in multiple European nations and the U。S。， had at least half a dozen narrow escapes from the German Nazi government—one daughter even survived the sinking of her liner to the U。S。 by a German u-boat （unfortunately， he husband was not so lucky）。With all the fireworks going on among that cast of characters， it's hard for the writer's work to shine。I'm not saying "don't read this。" The Magician is well worth reading， but read it for the life it relates and not necessarily Tóibín's particular way of narrating that life。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own。 。。。more

Kathy ，

I appreciate the opportunity the author & publisher gave me in reading this book via a giveaway。It was an enlightening and thought-provoking novel。

Karen ，

He liked the idea of traveling with someone whom he could not trust completely。 It would encourage him， even more than usual， to share no secrets。 Although I've wanted to， I've never read a book by Colm Tóibín before and nor have I read any books by Thoman Mann， so I am not exactly sure why I requested this ARC when I saw it but I am so glad I did。 This is the story of Thomas Mann from when he was a young child to his death。 It covers decades of history contextualized within Mann's life。 It cove He liked the idea of traveling with someone whom he could not trust completely。 It would encourage him， even more than usual， to share no secrets。 Although I've wanted to， I've never read a book by Colm Tóibín before and nor have I read any books by Thoman Mann， so I am not exactly sure why I requested this ARC when I saw it but I am so glad I did。 This is the story of Thomas Mann from when he was a young child to his death。 It covers decades of history contextualized within Mann's life。 It covers his family dynamics for his family of origin and then his relationship with his wife， his children and more。 It has a lot of backstory about his books and how they came to be。 How they were received， what they meant to him and his life。 More than anything， he wished to live intensely in the voracious moments before this， in the sure knowledge that it would happen。It also has a lot of the politics of the time。 As a German who was in Germany all throughout the beginning of World War II， there is a lot of politics and the impact its had on his life （and books， and family， etc。） There is so much interesting content here and it's so incredibly well-told that I could not stop reading it。 The family issues， suicide， politics， sibling rivalry， fatherhood， being gay at a time when it was not acceptable， fleeing war， citizenship and belonging， being an artist， writing novels， marriage， and so so much more is covered in this beautiful book。He wanted to tell Golo， who was now thirty-two， that Elisabeth had declared that after the age of thirty no one had the right to blame their parents for anything。I am so very glad that I requested this novel and I cannot recommend it enough。 with gratitude to edelweiss and Scribner for an advanced copy in return for an honest review 。。。more

Vanessa ，

This is a fictionalized account of the life of Thomas Mann。 It made me realize how little I knew about Thomas Mann， despite having a couple of his books in my possession。 For example， I thought he lived about a hundred years before he actually did。 Having read this book， I am thoroughly fascinated with the entire family。 One thing that stuck out to me was his perspective， as a German （with a nominally Jewish wife）， of WWI and WWII。 Granted， he was living in exile for the entirety of WWII。 The en This is a fictionalized account of the life of Thomas Mann。 It made me realize how little I knew about Thomas Mann， despite having a couple of his books in my possession。 For example， I thought he lived about a hundred years before he actually did。 Having read this book， I am thoroughly fascinated with the entire family。 One thing that stuck out to me was his perspective， as a German （with a nominally Jewish wife）， of WWI and WWII。 Granted， he was living in exile for the entirety of WWII。 The entire book is interesting and well written。 I definitely recommend it。 I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Judy ，

The Magician follows the life of Thomas Mann an author with homosexual desires。 His fantasies are interspersed in his novels through his characters。 The story begins in 1891 and follows the history of living during WW1 and WW2 as Mann travels around Europe and the United States。 The writing gripped me as much as the story。 Thank you @simonandschuster and @BookClubFavorites for the free books。

Maggie ，

The Magician by Colm Toibin covers the life of Thomas Mann， from birth to death。 You begin the story with Mann as a child， listening to stories of his mother's childhood， and you end the story with Mann remembering the stories his mother told him of his homeland。 Mann's story ebbs and flows in the way that a full long life does， deftly handled with Toibin's words。 From the unification of Germany， the Great War， the Second World War， the partition of Germany， Mann's story touches on many differen The Magician by Colm Toibin covers the life of Thomas Mann， from birth to death。 You begin the story with Mann as a child， listening to stories of his mother's childhood， and you end the story with Mann remembering the stories his mother told him of his homeland。 Mann's story ebbs and flows in the way that a full long life does， deftly handled with Toibin's words。 From the unification of Germany， the Great War， the Second World War， the partition of Germany， Mann's story touches on many different parts of 20th century history as well as the shifting tides of culture across the Western World。 There isn't much that is left out of The Magician; family dynamics， political identity， responsibility to our country and our values， sexual orientation， all play a role in the story， with various members of the Mann family pushing and pulling Thomas Mann's course。 The book is over 500 pages long， and at times it felt tedious， though so much was covered， it's hard to consider what would best be left out。 If there's a weakness here， it's surprisingly， the portions where Toibin imagines Mann's thought process while developing the ideas for his books。 These sections feel forced and speculative in a way that the rest of the novel manages to escape being。 Altogether an interesting read for anyone interested in 20th century European history or arts。Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

I received an advance copy of this book。 Thank you。 I am torn about this book。 Although quite long， I never once wanted to put it aside or stop reading it， but it didn't really catch me either。 Prior to reading this book， I wasn't familiar with Thomas Mann， so about 1/2 way through， I googled him and read up。 While the book was really thorough in Mann's life in many aspects， what escaped me while reading the book， was really why were his writings so influential？ Seems he wrote and then boom， he I received an advance copy of this book。 Thank you。 I am torn about this book。 Although quite long， I never once wanted to put it aside or stop reading it， but it didn't really catch me either。 Prior to reading this book， I wasn't familiar with Thomas Mann， so about 1/2 way through， I googled him and read up。 While the book was really thorough in Mann's life in many aspects， what escaped me while reading the book， was really why were his writings so influential？ Seems he wrote and then boom， he was a success。 In the book， Mann came off to me as someone who probably was frustrated sexually， because it alludes to it， but doesn't really delve into much。 At one point Mann is worried about his private diaries being confiscated and exposed， and this is the first time we're aware he has a diary and that he's written about his fantasies。 Also， throughout the novel， he seems to enjoy his comfort and privilege， not going out of his way to take a stand against things like the Nazi regime， even after most people did。 So I didn't find his character very likeable。 I feel I got to know his life， but not him。 。。。more

Lais Atilano ，

In The Magician， Colm Tóibín tells the story of the life and work of Thomas Mann。 A writer writing about a writer， Tóibín enters the psyche of Mann， imagining and reconstructing what the German might have been thinking as he composed his greatest works。 The novel deals with the private life of a public man， his inner desires， his secrets， fears and motivations。 A man who， from an early age， felt like an imposter， a confidence man。 And it was precisely this inner life that fuelled his work， culmi In The Magician， Colm Tóibín tells the story of the life and work of Thomas Mann。 A writer writing about a writer， Tóibín enters the psyche of Mann， imagining and reconstructing what the German might have been thinking as he composed his greatest works。 The novel deals with the private life of a public man， his inner desires， his secrets， fears and motivations。 A man who， from an early age， felt like an imposter， a confidence man。 And it was precisely this inner life that fuelled his work， culminating in Confessions of Felix Krull， Confidence Man， his last， unfinished work。 The Magician is a well-researched work， spanning several decades and dealing with the most troubled period in 20th century history。 Although it deals with real-life events and people， it never reads like a dry biography。 By focusing on Mann’s reaction and interaction with the events around him， Tóibín managed to keep the novel interesting and gripping， portraying his characters multidimensionally， and thus ensuring a satisfying read。 。。。more

Christine ，

A disquieting and detached portrait of a disquieting and detached man， "The Magician" is an odd duck。 Technically， "The Magician" is non-fiction in that it recounts the life of Thomas Mann， a German author from the turn of the 20th century who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939 and became an exile when Hitler took power， officially stripped of his German citizenship in 1936。 On the other hand， "The Magician" is still a novel， and I expect you will find it in the Fiction aisle of your loca A disquieting and detached portrait of a disquieting and detached man， "The Magician" is an odd duck。 Technically， "The Magician" is non-fiction in that it recounts the life of Thomas Mann， a German author from the turn of the 20th century who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939 and became an exile when Hitler took power， officially stripped of his German citizenship in 1936。 On the other hand， "The Magician" is still a novel， and I expect you will find it in the Fiction aisle of your local bookstore。 This is not a biography。 It is a portrait， painted in bits and pieces by Colm Tóibín。Unsurprisingly， Tóibín's writing is excellent。 "The Magician" is a slow story that maintains momentum despite very little to suggest a page-turner。 In fact， Tóibín downplays a lot of the more typically "exciting" or nerve-wracking episodes of Mann's life， likely due to the third-person limited point of view adopted。 Mann's detachment is like a blanket that smothers any flame， so if I found this book hard to put down， I can only credit Tóibín's skill。 I admit the last fifth of the book feels more aimless， but overall it's a very gripping read。 If only Mann were a less disquieting person， I might have enjoyed myself。And that is the problem here: not the writing or the storytelling， but the subject （and more importantly， Tóibín's choices in portraying the subject）。Tóibín has been an admirer of Mann's work for years， as have many， many authors。 Mann is considered a major influence of literature， and cinephiles have likely heard of （if not necessarily seen） the famous Luchino Visconti adaptation of Mann's story， "Death in Venice。" I have not read anything by Mann， and I knew next to nothing about him when I requested this book， save for the fact that he had written a novel about a creepy sanatorium called "The Magic Mountain。" Some cursory searching yielded interesting information about the author， which Tóibín's novel covers in evocative detail。 For instance， Mann's wife Katia Pringsheim was among the first women to enroll at a university in Germany。 Her family was particularly interesting in that they were of Jewish origin but did not practice， and they were huge admirers and patrons of Richard Wagner， whose daughter-in-law Winifred personally interceded to protect the Pringsheims from the Gestapo during Hitler's regime。 In a particularly memorable passage， Tóibín depicts Katia's conflicted but mainly disgusted feelings about owing her parents' safety in part to a woman （Winifred Wagner） who openly and vehemently supported Hitler， even after the war。Unfortunately， I cannot decide what to think of Tóibín’s book as a whole， except that it was slightly disturbing and only got more so as I dug deeper into the accounts by Mann's children， especially those of his son Golo Mann。 Throughout the novel， Tóibín depicts Mann at close range， taking us into the author's mind from childhood onward。 And yet Mann is never "I。" He is "Thomas。" He is at arm's length， and not because of the third-person limited point of view。 Stylistically， Mann is detached from us。 We are not privy to what moves his actions， only his reactions and vague thoughts。 We do not know what he desires except when he plans a story or a novel。 Matters develop around him and he acts accordingly。 Part of this detachment seems true to accounts of the real Mann， and I can't imagine that Tóibín created this impression accidentally。 On the other hand， the book left me uneasy in the same way that， say， reading John Fowles's "The Collector" did not so long ago。 "The Magician" has so many characters， so many friends and relatives and children of Mann's， and yet Mann could not care less about them。 When he cries at his mother's death， I had to reread the passage out of disbelief。 It felt like watching a stranger cry， not the person whose life I had followed up to that point。 Similarly， there is no care in the depiction of Mann's children。 They are like passing images， intriguing from a distance， but not enough to come close。 Notably， Tóibín's Mann seems disturbed by his son Golo's distance。 Golo observes from afar， and for some reason Mann in the book does not love this。 Later， when Golo is charged with getting Mann's diaries out of Nazi Germany， we understand a bit more。 And I assume Golo， both in the book and in real life， must have understood more， too， after reading the diary。 The upsetting fact is that Thomas Mann， who was among many gay men who could not live openly without facing enormous danger， has some very disturbing diary entries wherein he describes his attraction to his own son， Klaus， when Klaus was a young boy。 This fact does not come up in Tóibín's novel until the moment Mann worries about his diaries falling into the Nazis' hands。Which is where， I think， Tóibín's portrait seems a little disingenuous。 We are privy to all kinds of thoughts by Mann， especially when Tóibín has to use some of his imagination to fill in Mann's childhood and developing awareness of his attraction to men。 Mann’s childhood struggles with his attraction to other boys made him really sympathetic， because he really had no one in whom he could confide。 But what I don't understand is why there is nothing， nothing at all to suggest Mann would feel attracted to his own son， not until Mann worries about the Nazis using his diary to ruin him forever。 This total silence is not explained by Mann’s own discomfort， because up until this episode about the diaries， there is no suggestion that Mann finds his sexual attraction concerning （in fact， his real-life diary notes that he finds his attraction to his son "natural"）， and we even see the moment in Mann's childhood when he is attracted to his older brother Heinrich despite their relationship as siblings。 We are also privy to a holiday during which Mann became fixated on a ten-year-old boy， who later served as the inspiration for the fourteen-year-old Tadzio character in "Death in Venice。" What I mean is that Tóibín’s version of Mann did not hide his sexual attraction from the reader。So why did Tóibín feel the need to hide Mann’s thoughts about his son Klaus， something equally private to Mann as his fantasies about Heinrich and the boy on holiday， but eminently more disturbing？ It feels like a half-hearted effort to remain historically accurate while also making Mann more palatable as a person。 And I see no reason to make Mann more palatable。 Certainly Tóibín is aware of the man's flaws。 Did he hide the diary entries' revelation until the novel’s midpoint for shock value？ And if so， what for？ Wouldn't we have felt the same tension and stakes had we already known about what those diaries contained？There are also no mentions of Mann having any kind of conflict with his wife， despite the fact that Tóibín referred to numerous writings by Mann's children， and Mann's son Golo has written about his father's terrifying bursts of anger。 There is hardly even a mention （really， only the slightest） of Mann's disappointment at the birth of his first child because she was a girl， because he found boys to be "more full of poetry" and （in what seems to match his deeply narcissistic mentality） more of a "continuation" of himself。 This Mann， as depicted by Tóibín， may be entirely self-centered and oblivious to his faults， but that does not explain how he fails to even register basic interactions with his family that we know took place。 His mind is on his books。 His wife is his devoted supporter。 That is it。 The rest does not exist。 And when Mann's son Klaus dies of probable suicide， we hardly feel anything， because Mann himself feels so little in this book。 We cannot understand Klaus。 This version of Mann has made no effort to do so。The most moving part of the novel is， sadly， a letter written to Mann by his son Michael after Klaus's funeral， which Mann did not attend: "You are a great man。 Your humanity is widely appreciated and applauded。 I am sure you are enjoying loud praise in Scandinavia。 It hardly bothers you， most likely， that these feelings of adulation are not shared by any of your children。 As I walked away from my brother's grave， I wished you to know how deeply sad I felt for him。"I have to think Tóibín is the true author of this letter， as Mann （in the book） claims to have destroyed it。 This leads me to believe that Tóibín does--without a doubt--know what kind of person Mann was to his family。 Perhaps his point is that Mann had no clue how callous and cold he seemed to others。 Personally， I don't think Mann was unaware。Overall， this is a good novel and a good piece of historical fiction， but it is not an internally consistent portrait of Mann， and if people must read something after this novel， I hope they will seek out the autobiography of Golo Mann， who brings a very different opinion of his father to the table。Recommended if you are interested in fiction depicting turn-of-the-century Germany with a particular focus on the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler。 I can also recommend this to anyone who has read or plans to read the works of Thomas Mann， who remains a huge influence on literature to this day。I received a free eARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Sarah ，

A lyrical epic tale of one man's life journey from the late nineteenth century through most of the twentieth， I couldn't help but be drawn in by his experiences and family。 A lyrical epic tale of one man's life journey from the late nineteenth century through most of the twentieth， I couldn't help but be drawn in by his experiences and family。 。。。more

Kathryn ，

This is a wonderful read on so many levels。 As a family saga， it is gripping， as a wartime chronicle it offers an alternative view and as a biography of Thomas Mann， it is a sympathetic telling of the life of one of the great authors of the twentieth century。The novel is peppered with references to the many famous names Mann crossed paths with。 Literary names such as Brecht & Auden， composers such as Schoenberg and Mahler and leaders such as FDR。 500 pages of such a story may be daunting but in This is a wonderful read on so many levels。 As a family saga， it is gripping， as a wartime chronicle it offers an alternative view and as a biography of Thomas Mann， it is a sympathetic telling of the life of one of the great authors of the twentieth century。The novel is peppered with references to the many famous names Mann crossed paths with。 Literary names such as Brecht & Auden， composers such as Schoenberg and Mahler and leaders such as FDR。 500 pages of such a story may be daunting but in Tobin's hands， it trips along lightly。 This is a very rewarding read as Tobin works his magic on this scene just as he mastered the world of Henry James before。Highly recommended。 。。。more

Róisin （somethingarosie） ，

TW: incest， pedophilia， suicide。I remember seeing the blurb of this on Netgalley and thought it was right up my alley。 I （usually） love anything set in Germany and was fascinated by a narrative from the perspective of a closeted gay man， especially during world war II Germaany。 This is what I looked forward to reading in this book。 For the first chapter or so， I was engrossed。 His early years grappling with his sexaulity was so so intriguing to read about。 This was going to be 5 stars， easily。 H TW: incest， pedophilia， suicide。I remember seeing the blurb of this on Netgalley and thought it was right up my alley。 I （usually） love anything set in Germany and was fascinated by a narrative from the perspective of a closeted gay man， especially during world war II Germaany。 This is what I looked forward to reading in this book。 For the first chapter or so， I was engrossed。 His early years grappling with his sexaulity was so so intriguing to read about。 This was going to be 5 stars， easily。 However， it all went downhill very fast。 Very little of the book focused on what the blurb led me to believe it would explore。 I didn’t realise this was autofiction。 On the one hand I am relieved that these are not solely Colm Tóibín’s thoughts but on the other hand， I am sickened that the main character in this book actually lived and furthermore disgusted by the fact Colm Tóibin chose to write about him。 One could argue sure， it’s important to expose such figures but Thomas Mann faced no consequences for his predatory actions， at any point within this book。 Additionally， there was no mention of such scandals in the blurb of this book。 Unless one knows of Thomas Mann and his controversies already， I feel like there will be lots of people similar to myself who innocently pick up this book， seeing that it is written by the renowned author Colm Tóibin， expecting great things。 Instead， all I got was nausea。 The fact Thomas Mann won a Nobel Prize for Literature is irrelevant。 Colm Tóibín should not have written this book。 Not if he didn’t include a plot where Mann faces consequences in some way ie。 his diaries being uncovered。 That obviously happened at some point， for us to know what we know now however Tóibín chooses to romanticise Mann’s life and is not objective in his writing。 A quick read of his Wikipedia page is more than sufficient。 I did not enjoy reading a book where Thomas Mann talks of being ‘sexually aroused’ by seeing his naked thirteen year old son， continues to flirt （and oftentimes more than that） with young men and boys， well into his elder years and write novels based on his various predatory fantasies including one which was inspired by the idea of his wife and her twin brother being in an incestuous relationship。As well as having some scenes that were very uncomfortable to read about， I found the plot rather boring and hard to engage with。 As a German studies student at university， I thought this was a highly romanticised narrative of war， of WWII especially。 It is from the perspective of highly privileged individuals who ran in very well to-do circles & did not endure even half of the struggles caused by the war。 I found it very hard to have empathy。 Did they face hardship？ Sure。 But I find it difficult to have sympathy for someone who ran in the same circles as the American president when I have studied this topic as part of my degree and have read accounts of how devastating it was for those who were not as lucky as Mann。No doubt， Colm Tóibín is a skillful writer。 How he chooses to use this skill is questionable。Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my review copy。 Please don’t publish books romanticising the lives of pedophiles in future。 。。。more

Judy ，

I wanted so much to love this book because the writing is excellent but for me the characters were not well defined as they progressed。 In other words I initially found the family intriguing but there were too many big gaps of time where people grew and changed but there just wasn’t enough to help the reader move forward with them。 Even the main character Thomas Mann jumped from unknown writer to Nobel Prize winner in the blink of an eye。 Maybe in the big picture the years and events that were l I wanted so much to love this book because the writing is excellent but for me the characters were not well defined as they progressed。 In other words I initially found the family intriguing but there were too many big gaps of time where people grew and changed but there just wasn’t enough to help the reader move forward with them。 Even the main character Thomas Mann jumped from unknown writer to Nobel Prize winner in the blink of an eye。 Maybe in the big picture the years and events that were left out were inconsequential but still left me feeling as though I got lost along the way。I skimmed through the last quarter of the book。 While this is well written and certainly will be enjoyed by many readers， it just wasn’t for me。 I appreciate the opportunity to access the ARC of this book。 。。。more

Poptart19 （ren） ，

4。5 starsA biographical novel of Thomas Mann’s life， it follows his evolving identity as a person， a writer， & a German。 This book is intensely emotional but in a quiet， contemplative， sort of way。 I thoroughly enjoyed the nuanced character portrayals & historical details that contextualize his major novels & his life story。[What I liked:]•The book is long， & it’s not a particularly fast-paced novel， but neither does it drag or get boring。 It has a nice flow， a good balance between external even 4。5 starsA biographical novel of Thomas Mann’s life， it follows his evolving identity as a person， a writer， & a German。 This book is intensely emotional but in a quiet， contemplative， sort of way。 I thoroughly enjoyed the nuanced character portrayals & historical details that contextualize his major novels & his life story。[What I liked:]•The book is long， & it’s not a particularly fast-paced novel， but neither does it drag or get boring。 It has a nice flow， a good balance between external events happening & the development & evolution of Thomas as a person & a writer。 His lifelong search for identity， his close relationships， & his work are what the story focuses on。 It’s rich & nuanced in content。•The characters are well developed， have unique voices， & all the major characters are likable in some aspect。 I really appreciate how much we get to see of Thomas’s relationships with his siblings， wife， & children—the tragedies & joys & perplexities of family life contribute much to this story。 And I enjoyed reading about Thomas himself， his sensitivity & secret desires， his love of music & poetry， his close companionship with Katia， his feelings of being a fraud， his frustrations with society， his family， & himself。 He’s a very relatable character， one I felt I got to know & appreciate well。•The book is well researched， & covers Thomas’s early life in late 19th C Germany to his last year of life in 1955， across two continents & both world wars。 The details of his life， his family， his politics， his writing， & his sexuality are portrayed without the narrative taking obvious sides or passing judgment on morality。 I appreciate the nuance。[What I didn’t like as much:]•The beginning starts out rather slow， introducing us to Thomas & his siblings in his childhood， focused mainly on establishing the setting & family characters。 Once we hit Thomas’s adolescence it gets more interesting as his inner life gains depth。CW: racism， drug abuse， infidelity， suicide[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you for the book！] 。。。more

Stacy ，

Colm Toibin is clearly a very talented writer。 That said， I couldn't finish this book。 It is more a biography than it is historical fiction and it just doesn't flow。 Large parts of World War I and II are ignored， despite the fact that the characters were deeply affected by both wars。 Just not the book for me。 Colm Toibin is clearly a very talented writer。 That said， I couldn't finish this book。 It is more a biography than it is historical fiction and it just doesn't flow。 Large parts of World War I and II are ignored， despite the fact that the characters were deeply affected by both wars。 Just not the book for me。 。。。more

Nancy Reynolds ，

I have to be honest。 I could not make myself finish this book。 I kept trying。 I even tried skipping to different sections。 It just did not appeal to me。 I won an ARC here at Goodreads。 I really wanted to like it。 I finally gave up。

Theresa Smith ，

Review to come。。。

Tina ，

The Magician is a very interesting fictional depiction of the life of German author， Thomas Mann and his family。 This a long book that flows so well you won't realize you've read over 500 pages。 A new author to me， Toibin weaves such an intriguing tale that now I want to one-click all of his backlist！I received an advanced copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own。 The Magician is a very interesting fictional depiction of the life of German author， Thomas Mann and his family。 This a long book that flows so well you won't realize you've read over 500 pages。 A new author to me， Toibin weaves such an intriguing tale that now I want to one-click all of his backlist！I received an advanced copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more

Sonya ，

This vibrant and personal novel about the life of Thomas Mann， a renowned writer with immense influence in the first half of the 20th century， is a deep plunge into the details of his unconventional family merged with the terrible history of the world wars and fall of Germany。 Like all good historical fiction， there are enough details to tell stories， but the narrative is not bogged down。 Mann's inner life， which would not be depicted in a biography， his quiet desires and his foibles， are front This vibrant and personal novel about the life of Thomas Mann， a renowned writer with immense influence in the first half of the 20th century， is a deep plunge into the details of his unconventional family merged with the terrible history of the world wars and fall of Germany。 Like all good historical fiction， there are enough details to tell stories， but the narrative is not bogged down。 Mann's inner life， which would not be depicted in a biography， his quiet desires and his foibles， are front and center。 Toibin has mastered the material and given today's reader a look back in time。 Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced review copy of this novel。 。。。more

Erika ，

I did not know a whole lot about Thomas Mann or his writing before I picked this book， but I was so intrigued by the description and his background and the cover is so gorgeous and intriguing。 This book was very long and took me some time to get through， but it was so beautifully written and no detail felt unimportant。 Truly astounding what Thomas was able to accomplish throughout his life， all while navigating through some very dark times in his homeland。 Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for I did not know a whole lot about Thomas Mann or his writing before I picked this book， but I was so intrigued by the description and his background and the cover is so gorgeous and intriguing。 This book was very long and took me some time to get through， but it was so beautifully written and no detail felt unimportant。 Truly astounding what Thomas was able to accomplish throughout his life， all while navigating through some very dark times in his homeland。 Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for the ARC。 。。。more

msleighm ，

Thank you to Goodreads giveaways， Scribner， and Colm Toibin for the ARC review copy of The Magician。 Publication date September 7， 2021。I finished the book a few days ago and have been mulling over what to say about it。 Being a huge fan of historical fiction and literary non-fiction， this should be a no-brainer; I have been very conflicted。 I finally decided to read through some of the reviews already published and agreed with most of them， the positive， the negative， and the three stars。 This q Thank you to Goodreads giveaways， Scribner， and Colm Toibin for the ARC review copy of The Magician。 Publication date September 7， 2021。I finished the book a few days ago and have been mulling over what to say about it。 Being a huge fan of historical fiction and literary non-fiction， this should be a no-brainer; I have been very conflicted。 I finally decided to read through some of the reviews already published and agreed with most of them， the positive， the negative， and the three stars。 This quote from one sums up my quandary， "I felt I was reading a non-fiction account in fictional clothing。"I greatly enjoyed learning the structural facts of Thomas Mann's life。 There was a lot I didn't know about him that I'm glad I do now: his place in the history of both the first and second world wars， his Nobel prize in literature， and speculation about the motivations behind his books plots and characters。 As other reviewers pointed out， there is a lot of ground to cover and it wasn't always clear or gracefully done。The one thing I can't get past， is how do you publish historical fiction， based on the life of an historic man and his family， and still have the boilerplate "。。。any resemblance to actual events or places or persons， living or dead， is entirely coincidental。" This leaves me baffled and uncomfortable。 Despite all this， I still give the book four stars。 I did really enjoy it and got a lot out of it。 Fans of WWII historical fiction， in particular， will enjoy this portrait of a real family and their plight。 I didn't love it， so it loses one star， which makes me sad。 。。。more

Maine Colonial ，

I received a free publisher's review copy via Netgalley。This novel maps Thomas Mann’s life from his late 19th-century youth in straitlaced Lübeck， in northern Germany， through his many refugee homes in Europe and the US， to a speaking tour in celebration of Goethe， which occurred a few years before his 1955 death。 It seems that Mann was always in physical and emotional exile。 His family moved from Lübeck to Munich when he was a young man， shortly after his father’s death。 While traveling in Fran I received a free publisher's review copy via Netgalley。This novel maps Thomas Mann’s life from his late 19th-century youth in straitlaced Lübeck， in northern Germany， through his many refugee homes in Europe and the US， to a speaking tour in celebration of Goethe， which occurred a few years before his 1955 death。 It seems that Mann was always in physical and emotional exile。 His family moved from Lübeck to Munich when he was a young man， shortly after his father’s death。 While traveling in France in 1933， he was warned that he was in danger from the Nazis and he and his wife didn’t return to Germany until after World War II。After living in France and Switzerland， the Mann family fled to the US in 1939。 Along with Albert Einstein， he was invited to teach at Princeton University。 Not finding Princeton or New Jersey congenial， his next move was to Pacific Palisades。 During the Cold War， he was accused of being a communist or at least a communist sympathizer。 He finally uprooted his family one last time and they moved to Switzerland。The picture Toibin paints of Mann is someone who lived as an observer， rarely engaging but always watching。 A man who was married and had six children， but who longed for young men his whole life。 Others insisted on categorizing him politically， which forced his many exiles， but no matter where he lived， he was able to write， because his focus was on the mind and the soul。 I found it hard to engage with the book for quite awhile， because it has a somewhat chill and remote tone， suiting its subject。 But eventually I was drawn in and found it a rewarding read。 I would say that the ideal reader for the book is someone who has a strong interest in the lives of artists and writers。 。。。more

Julie Friar ，

Thomas Mann won a Nobel Prize and hid his sexuality while being married and having six children。 Two world wars saw the view of his beloved Germany change。 An insight into this man and his life。 Enjoy。

Mary Lourdes ，

This is an historical novel based on the life of German author， Thomas Mann。 It is told from his point of view beginning in the late 1800s through his death in the 1950s。 This book has so many layers; it addresses his genius， his family， his conflicts about his sexuality， fleeing the Nazis， meeting FDR， and working for the Library of Congress。 The Mann family were a bunch of eccentric geniuses， and treated women equally during times in history when that wasn't the norm。。 Toibin's writing is impe This is an historical novel based on the life of German author， Thomas Mann。 It is told from his point of view beginning in the late 1800s through his death in the 1950s。 This book has so many layers; it addresses his genius， his family， his conflicts about his sexuality， fleeing the Nazis， meeting FDR， and working for the Library of Congress。 The Mann family were a bunch of eccentric geniuses， and treated women equally during times in history when that wasn't the norm。。 Toibin's writing is impeccable as well。 This book is moving and thought-provoking in so many ways。 。。。more

Shawn ，

Tòibín wades into fertile territory by attempting an expansive biographical novel of Thomas Mann and the broader circle of his family。 The Magician reflects the extensive research by the author in crafting this engaging and informative novel。 However， remembering that it is a novel， it reads more as a biography attempting to look to the more emotional and human aspects of the story than a chronological examination of the themes or motivations of the author-subject。 Thomas Mann was the progenitor Tòibín wades into fertile territory by attempting an expansive biographical novel of Thomas Mann and the broader circle of his family。 The Magician reflects the extensive research by the author in crafting this engaging and informative novel。 However， remembering that it is a novel， it reads more as a biography attempting to look to the more emotional and human aspects of the story than a chronological examination of the themes or motivations of the author-subject。 Thomas Mann was the progenitor of a clan of exceptional and individuals in their rights。 As a Nobel laureate and an outspoken critic of the rise of fascism is ripe territory for exploration。 Tòibín produces a novel that focuses on posthumously uncovered diaries that revealed Mann's private homosexual reflections and become a critical narrative arc for the story。 One develops a sense that Mann floats along in his world with little control over his destiny。 The novel opens with a young Thomas living in the shadow of his older brother Heinrich。 The machiavellian Thomas attempts to inveigle his way into becoming his father's favourite and the one chosen to inherit the family concern。 However， on his father's passing and the resulting will largely disinheriting the mother and her children， Thomas seems to become a pawn of his times， forced but never seeking to speak out or to influence。 This behaviour appears to fly in the face of an accepted appreciation of his life and paints a discordant view of Mann's subsequent life。 Mann seems to be a hostage of homosexual stirrings that he can rarely act upon yet preoccupies （if not controls） his existence。 Books， which earned him the Nobel prize in literature， are presented with little apparent effort or more profound reflection。 I am not sure this is Tòibín's intent， but this seems an odd realisation。 The novel is quite readable， and Mann's eldest children are well characterised。 The wider tale is colourful， engaging and leaves the reader satisfied for having read， although possibly unconvinced， based on the evidence presented that he lacked self-determination or a desire to speak out publicly against fascism。 For example， his decision to speak in the nascent East German Republic on a speaking tour celebrating the Goethe centenary in opposition to shadowy advice from the US State Dept not to seems contradictory to the character developed over the bulk of the novel。Ultimately， the novel is expansive， engaging， but the author's own editorial decisions may seem contradictory to some readers - myself included。 Nonetheless， it does raise these questions， provokes reflection and thus serve as an effective vehicle to further understanding。 。。。more

Sam Quixote ，

The Magician tells the life story of Thomas Mann， an early-to-mid 20th century German writer， who won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his novel The Magic Mountain， and who was later revealed to be gay （or at least bisexual）， following the unsealing of his diaries in the late 1990s， several decades after his death。 Colm Toibin （himself a gay novelist， which might have informed/drawn him to this project？） has clearly done his research for this novel， and covers the periods of Mann’s major works The Magician tells the life story of Thomas Mann， an early-to-mid 20th century German writer， who won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his novel The Magic Mountain， and who was later revealed to be gay （or at least bisexual）， following the unsealing of his diaries in the late 1990s， several decades after his death。 Colm Toibin （himself a gay novelist， which might have informed/drawn him to this project？） has clearly done his research for this novel， and covers the periods of Mann’s major works: Buddenbrooks， Death in Venice， The Magic Mountain， Doctor Faustus， and Felix Krull。 We see Mann discover his sexuality as a teenager and become involved with several men， before meeting his wife Katia， and then his homosexuality seems to be confined to his diaries， though it does feature in his work （most notably in Death in Venice）。 Together they had six children: Erika， Klaus （both of whom were also gay but out and not closeted like their dad）， Golo， Monika， Elizabeth， and Michael， and lived through both world wars。 The Manns did better than most through the post-WW1 inflation years in Germany， thanks to Thomas’ books selling well abroad， but the family fled the country once Hitler rose to power， eventually settling in America until returning to Europe after the war。 I didn’t know much about Thomas Mann before this so everything in The Magician was new to me， and I thought it was all really interesting stuff。 Toibin picks the most compelling times in Mann’s life to write about so the narrative is consistently engaging throughout。 He’s also wonderfully adept at characterisation， bringing Mann’s family and the times they were alive in convincingly to life， so that you get a strong idea of who they were like as people， as well as what life was like during late 19th century Germany， the Weimar Republic， the war years in America， and Europe in the aftermath of WW2。 The only real criticism I would give the novel is that， ironically， Thomas Mann himself， despite being the subject of the novel， remains somewhat inscrutable even after all of it。 As well as Toibin does in writing all of the characters in this novel， I left the novel not really knowing what to make of Thomas。 When his son Michael speaks to him as an adult， there’s palpable bitterness and hatred from the son to his father， which was surprising because Toibin didn’t really show us any scenes where Thomas was a bad father that would explain Michael’s animosity towards his dad。 Yes， it is mentioned in passing by Katia that Thomas is a distant father who doesn’t really play with his children （though he does do magic tricks at the dinner table for them when they’re young - hence the title）， so I guess that explains why Michael （really all of Thomas’ children） didn’t like their dad？ It’s odd because you don’t get the sense， until the scenes when the children are grown up， that Thomas failed them in any serious way， and I think that’s due to Toibin not writing anything to indicate that。 So why omit scenes that would let us know Thomas better？ Perhaps Toibin thought that by making Mann distant， he would be true to the person and that this was the best representation of his character。 It’s not to say that there is no insight into his inner life - there is， particularly with his enduring fascination with young men - but I was expecting Toibin to delve deeper into Mann than stay more or less surface level。 You expect to come away from a novel about a person having a fuller understanding of who they were than not， and he could’ve done that with fiction， rather than stay so steadfastly within the boundaries of nonfiction。 It feels like a wasted opportunity。 The overall effect is a bit like Toibin almost wrote a nonfiction biography here。 The novel aspects make it seem like those documentaries which include occasional dramatised scenes featuring actors because no footage exists。 It’s not a huge complaint but it’s worth mentioning anyway。 Overall， I really enjoyed the novel。 Thomas Mann led an interesting life during tumultuous times and Toibin takes us through it with smooth prose and engaging storytelling， full of illuminating details。 Colm Toibin’s The Magician is well worth checking out for anyone interested in the writer and/or well-written and accessible historical/biographical novels。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Magician

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Magician&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Magician&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0