643. Group Portrait With Lady

Group Portrait With Lady
Heinrich Boll

1971

Around 416 pages

Boll made a splashy start on this List, but I was slightly less impressed with this novel. Everybody else seems to consider this his masterpiece, and apparently it was one of the biggest reasons Boll earned his Nobel Prize. 

The story revolves around Leni and the people in her life in a small city in Germany in the 1930s and 40s. It's presented as a factual portrait of Leni, with Boll inserting himself into the story as an interviewer/reporter. Leni is considered a "loose" woman by the decade's standards, even though she has only had about four lovers in 50 years. 

Structurally, I enjoyed this novel, even if Boll was way too concerned with women's weights in his "reporting." Boll presents his story in a creative way. The importance he attaches to the life of Leni, who is mostly an ordinary woman, against the backdrop of Nazi Germany was unique as well. Like her life was as worthy of study and scrutiny as any historical figure of the period. 

It does get a little grueling after awhile, considering how many characters there are. So an interesting snapshot of the era, but one that I was definitely relieved to finally finish. 

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Adapted into a film in 1977.

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