Review of the book “The Great Fortune” by Olivia Manning.
“The Great Fortune” by Olivia Manning is a fascinating and emotional novel that transports us to the Europe of the Second World War, and shows us the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary people. The novel is the second book in Manning’s “The Balkans” trilogy, and follows the characters we met in “Arrival of the Bodies” as they fight to survive in an increasingly dangerous and turbulent world.
What is so special about the book “The Great Fortune” by Olivia Manning? This novel, published in 1960, is the first part of the Balkan Trilogy, a masterpiece of 20th century English literature that portrays the life of a British couple in the turbulent setting of the Second World War.
The protagonist is Harriet Pringle, a young newlywed who accompanies her husband Guy, a university professor, to Bucharest, where he works as a cultural advisor for the Romanian government. There they will find a cosmopolitan and decadent city, full of contrasts and threatened by the advance of Nazism. Harriet will have to adapt to a new environment and share her husband with a diverse group of friends and acquaintances, among whom are diplomats, aristocrats, spies and refugees.
The book “The Great Fortune” by Olivia Manning is a fascinating novel that combines the psychological portrait of the characters, the historical and political analysis of the time, and the author’s ironic and biting humor. It is a work based on Manning’s own experiences, which she lived in Romania and other Eastern European countries during the war with her husband, also a teacher. The novel is the beginning of a saga that continues with Friends and Heroes and The Plundered City, which make up the Balkan Trilogy, and with The Dangerous Edge of Things, The Tower of Pigeons and The Long Journey, which make up the Trilogy. of Levante.
If you like historical novels, love and adventure stories, and stories with a critical and lucid look at the world, don’t miss the book “The Great Fortune” by Olivia Manning, a literary gem that will captivate you from the first page. .
The story focuses on married couple Guy and Harriet Pringle, who find themselves in Bucharest, Romania, at the beginning of the war. Guy is an English professor working at the University of Bucharest who has committed himself to the cause of the Allies, while Harriet is a young writer who is struggling to find her place in the world. As the war progresses and the situation in Europe becomes increasingly tense, the couple finds themselves fighting for their survival in a world that is crumbling around them.
Manning has a knack for creating realistic and complex characters, and the characters in “The Big Fortune” are no exception. Guy and Harriet are two very different characters who have their own internal struggles and their own ways of dealing with the war. While Guy feels called to help others and contribute to the fight against fascism, Harriet feels increasingly isolated and desperate to find her place in the world. The supporting characters, such as Yakimov, the enigmatic Russian writer, and Sophie, the young German woman fleeing the Nazis, are also very well developed and add depth and complexity to the story.
The novel is also a great work of historical fiction, as Manning uses his knowledge of Europe at the time to create a detailed and realistic picture of life in Bucharest during the war. Manning describes the city and its surroundings in great detail, making the reader feel like they are there with the characters. Additionally, Manning also captures the political and social climate of the time very well, making the reader feel the fear and uncertainty that the characters are experiencing.
In conclusion, “The Great Fortune” by Olivia Manning is a fascinating novel that combines great historical fiction with complex and realistic characters. Manning’s prose is elegant and evocative, and her ability to create a detailed picture of life in Europe during World War II is impressive. This is a novel I would recommend to anyone interested in history, literature, or just a good story well told.
Source: https://algunoslibrosbuenos.com/la-gran-fortuna
