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The Exploits of Baron de Marbot by Baron de Marbot. The true adventures of a Napleonic hussar who rises from a recruit to general. These entertaining memoirs formed the basis of the excellent Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard (New York Review Books Classics) by Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Radetzky March (Works of Joseph Roth) by Joseph Roth. This famous work was hugely successful in the 1930's, but not so much today: The Amazon review:
Joseph Roth's 1932 novel, The Radetzky March, starts with an accident that creates a dynasty. When an infantry lieutenant steps in front of a bullet intended for the young Franz Joseph, the Austro-Hungarian emperor rewards him with wealth, promotion, and a knighthood. Almost overnight, Joseph Trotta is "severed" from his ancestors, and his family is transformed from unremarkable soldiers and peasants living in the outer reaches of the empire to barons and high-ranking officials living near the imperial palace.
The Ballad of Dingus Magee by David Markson. An over-the-top anti-Western in the vein of Little Big Man.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale. The attempt to solve this case by the nascent Scotland Yard became the prototype for detective mysteries.
The Madman of Bergerac by Georges Simenon. If you like mysteries and have never read Simenon, you need to cure that ASAP.
Have you tried the writings of John Lawton, set in England during WWII? The descriptions of family life in a time of xenophobia, much like our own time, is remarkable. Excellent police procedurals.
ReplyDeleteNo, but I'm always looking. Thanks.
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