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    Effi Briest
    Effi Briest
    Effi Briest
    Audiobook12 hours

    Effi Briest

    Written by Theodor Fontane

    Narrated by Brigitte Trübenbach

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Effi heiratet als siebzehnjähriges Mädchen auf Zureden ihrer Mutter den mehr als doppelt so alten Baron von Innstetten. Dieser behandelt Effi nicht nur wie ein Kind, sondern vernachlässigt sie zugunsten seiner Karriere. Oft allein gelassen und vereinsamt geht Effi eine flüchtige Liebschaft mit dem Major von Crampas ein. Als Innstetten Jahre später dessen Liebesbriefe entdeckt, ist er außerstande, Effi zu verzeihen. Zwanghaft einem überholten Ehrenkodex verhaftet, tötet er den verflossenen Liebhaber im Duell und lässt sich scheiden. Effi ist fortan gesellschaftlich geächtet und wird sogar von ihren Eltern verstoßen. Erst drei Jahre später sind diese bereit, die inzwischen todkranke Effi wieder aufzunehmen.
    LanguageDeutsch
    PublisherBUCHFUNK Verlag
    Release dateJul 14, 2016
    ISBN9783868470840
    Author

    Theodor Fontane

    Der weltbekannte Autor Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) ist bis heute einer der wichtigsten deutschsprachigen Autoren und wird immer noch gern gelesen. Effi Briest ist das bekannteste Werk von ihm.

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    Reviews for Effi Briest

    3.5/5

    405 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I can see why this annoys so many people at school. Fontane provides a lot of excuses for the mistakes his characters make, but he doesn't really manage to make them likeable. Effi is bright, clever, pretty, but in essence a spoilt, vain teenager; Innstetten is stiff and official most of the time, and Crampas only really gets one scene in which he has something interesting to say. And it is difficult to sympathise with the trouble they make for themselves: Effi so effectively manages to conceal whatever she has done from the reader that we feel rather cheated when we find that she has kept some incriminating evidence for Innstetten to find, while Innstetten has plenty of good reasons to find some less baroque way of settling the matter than pistols in the dunes. There isn't much story, either: the whole thing could easily have been done in 25 pages by Kleist, for instance. If I'd read this at the over-literal age of 17, I'd probably have hated it too.So why is it such an appealing novel after all? It is, definitely appealing, so there must be something more to it than the storyline. I think it comes down to Fontane's style and the clever way he mixes realism with symbolic motifs. We may not like Effi, but we understand her and the other characters as an integral part of the north German landscape. The story clearly has to take the shape it does, and we come to the final chapters waiting for the swing, the plane trees and the Rondell to come back. The strange, slightly spooky quality of Kessin seems odd in the abstract — what could be less spooky than a flat, windy Baltic beach resort? — but in context it makes perfect sense that everything there happens at a slightly higher level of intensity than elsewhere. The sunny innocence of Hohen-Cremmen and the official briskness of Berlin (where seven years can pass in the space between two sentences) make perfect sense too. It's basically just the translation of ballad form to prose...
    • 4/5
      Although this was a sad story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were well developed and the plot was such that it held your interest to the very end. The novel was also an excellent look at the political and social times of the late 19th century Germany. Effi's transgression was more of a sin against the social code as we are never told the depth of the affair. It was interesting to learn about the different gender roles and a look at a young woman married to a man twice her age. I look forward to reading more of Theodor Fontane's works.
    • 4/5
      'Effi Briest' is a fascinating book, though not always enormously interesting or entertaining. But such things are, frankly, besides the point in these older novels, and while I understand the relatively low rating afforded Fontane's work on Amazon and its ilk, I think that when we read these black Penguins we should modify our expectations accordingly.If I have understood it well, this is a book about time, and about the human relationship with time and age. Effi Briest hurtles into a marriage of convenience, though still very much a child. Her husband is twice her age, and is something of a pedagogue - everything is to him a learning opportunity for his child-bride. This is not romantic love, and soon Effi compromises herself with another man. The years pass, and soon her secret is discovered, with the sort of tragic consequences one has come to expect in novels of this period.The questions that Fontane asks are particularly thought-provoking. Aside from the obvious ones about love and marriage, there is also the concept of the passing of time and how it affects our relationships. Roswitha, the most down-to-earth character, thinks that since six years have passed between the affair and its discovery, it is old news and should more readily be forgiven; but Roswitha is also quick to remind her interlocutors that her father once charged at her with a red-hot poker, thus suggesting that time does not in fact heal all wounds. So what are we to make of it all? Are we to side with the cuckolded husband, or with the neglected wife? There is much here to mull over, and that is the value of this novel.
    • 3/5
      In late 19th century Germany, 17-year-old Effi Briest is married off to a man 21 years her senior, a former suitor of her mother. Her new husband, a civil servant based in Pomerania, is a quiet, serious man, who enjoys touring museums, and who's idea of a fun night in is retracing their entire honeymoon from his notes. Effi, meanwhile, is young, vibrant and, prior to her marriage, carefree, and enjoys being outdoors, going for long walks.

      The apparent incompatibility between the couple, the husband Innsteten's long absences, and Effi's desire for excitement see her developing a relationship with a military officer. Knowing it to be wrong, she takes advantage of Innstetten's promotion and their resultant move to Berlin to move on and focus on her marriage. The past, however, catches up with her, and, though he professes that he loves her, Innstetten's feels compelled to follow the moral and social code of the day.

      As a commentary on the strictness of that code,, and the problems that it could create, Fontane's novel is taut, subtle work, telling its tale simply and effortlessly, with no melodrama, and the novel is all the more powerful for it. The characters are well drawn and strongly defined, and as I reader, I found myself sympathising with both Effi and Instetten. Due to their respective desires to 'do the right thing', they both end up suffering.

      Having said that, there is something about Effi that I found intensely annoying. She is childish, and selfish - Fontane himself describes her thus: 'Effi was not for reheated leftovers; fresh dishes were what she longed for, variety'. I did find myself losing patience, and sympathy, with her. Whether that was Fontane's intention, I do not know, though he does allow Innstetten to describe her as 'a spoilt young lass'. I feel that Fontane is trying to establish that neither one nor other party to this ultimately doomed marriage was responsible for its breakdown, but rather circumstances and social mores were to blame.
    • 5/5
      Fontane is a novelist of subtlety with a great understanding of the emotional nuances of married life.
    • 3/5
      The last chapter really sums of the story, and asks the question that I asked myself almost from the beginning. Yes, the book is reminiscent of Madam Bovary and Anna Karenina, but I found the story of Germany and it's society at the end of the Nineteenth Century interesting. This Oxford edition had some very helpful footnotes.
    • 5/5
      "One just has to keep one's life in order and have no reason to be afraid"By sally tarbox on 30 May 2017Format: Kindle EditionAbsolutely fabulous and atmospheric read. Effi Briest is the generally likeable seventeen-year old daughter of an upper class family. When her mother's one-time suitor calls and seeks her hand in marriage, Effi is aware of his prospects and immediately assents - though the reader has a sense of foreboding as her playmates' voices echo into the room, calling 'Come back, Effi.'Living in a distant town, Effi's new home is comfortable but creepy, with a ghostly presence that sometimes manifests itself. And while her much older husband Geert is not unkind, he prioritizes his career in the civil service and is rather a dry old stick. And then Effi is thrown into the company of womanizing Major Crampas...Unputdownable and unforgettable.
    • 5/5
      Die junge, lebhafte Effi Briest wird von ihren Eltern mit dem doppelt so alten Baron von Instetten verheiratet, einem Mann mit Geld und politischem Einfluss, der jedoch sehr steif und von Konventionen geprägt ist. Sie zieht mit ihm ins ferne Kessin. kann sich aber als Fremde in der abgeschotteten Gesellschaft des Landkreises nicht einleben. Auch die Geburt ihrer Tochter ändert nichts an ihrer Einsamkeit, und so kommt sie dem draufgängerischen jungen Offizier Crampas näher. Die heimliche Liaison der beiden endet unauffällig, als die Familie von Instetten aus beruflichen Gründen nach Berlin zieht, wo sich Effi ein gesellschaftliches Leben aufbauen kann und ihr kleines Glück findet. Erst viele Jahre später entdeckt ihr Mann durch Zufall den Ehebruch und möchte seine verlorene Ehre um jeden Preis wiederherstellen.Das Buch leben von dem Nicht-Ausgesprochenen; um die Handlung zu verstehen, muss man zwischen den Zeilen lesen. So wird auch die Liaison von Effi und Crampas nie explizit beschrieben; was wirklich passiert ist, bleibt der Phantasie des Lesers überlassen. Erschütternd, wie von Instetten seine Vorstellung von Ehre über alles stellt und in dem schon zum damaligen Zeitpunkt völlig antiquierten Ritus des Duells sein eigenes Lebensglück vernichtet und die Existenzen der Menschen, die er doch eigentlich liebt, wissentlich - und ohne Not - zerstört. Auch Effis Eltern brauchen lange Zeit, bis sie die Liebe zu ihrer Tochter über die gesellschaftlichen Zwänge stellen.Ein Roman, den man im Kontext seiner Zeit sehen muss - und doch ist der innere Konflikt zwischen den gesellschaftlichen Zwängen und dem eigenen moralischen Kompass (Was wird von mir erwartet? / Was finde ich selbst richtig?) zeitlos und immer hochaktuell.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I really liked the main character and thought she was drawn very well. In fact, all the characters were well realised, very human and believable. I liked Effi's youth and self assurance that was actually naivety, and thought the description of her change following the life changing event, that is really only ever hinted at throughout the book, no need for passionate or salacious details, was very well executed. The whole book models the politesse of 19th century society, where nothing is discussed in the open, but everyone understands what is going on under the surface. Effi starts out a child, confident that her bizarre marriage to her mother's former beau is something she is in control of. The realities of separation from her family and childhood home change her outlook on life, and the lifestyle her much older husband follows does not sit well with her effervescent character. Small wonder that her head is turned. The events that follow are tragic, and all involved are aware of the tragedy but are bound by the inevitability of the actions society demands of them. Effi changes completely, resigned to her fate. She reminds me in some ways of Natasha Rostova in War and Peace. Of the two other 19th century 'adultery novels' I've read (Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary), this one was the most sympathetic. I felt for all of the characters in each of their situations. I think this is because none of them is self-centred or arrogant in the ways Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary are. All of them are flawed, but each cares about the effects their flaws have on those closest to them. Well worth reading.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of young girl, really still playing with girlfriends, who is married off to an old man. In fact the fellow used to date the girls mother. The young girl is full of life and loves to be outdoors and involved in adventurous activities. She soon is married off, moves far away to an area where she doesn’t fit in and is lonely as she discovers herself to be married to a workaholic. Her only friends and companions is the Newfoundland dog Rollo and her servant who she found on a bench in the cemetery in a fit of melancholy. This is a story that is compared to Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary. I liked this one best. Anna is a good story but a little long and tedious at times. Emma (Madame Bovary) was not likeable. This story is enjoyable, reads quickly and you can’t help but like Effie. A sad story. .
    • 3/5
      Honestly, I read this because Thomas Mann said it was great. Not good, great. I hesitate to disagree with him, so I'm willing to consider translation issues as the problem. Maybe ejaculations like 'speaking of which' and 'by the way' and 'meanwhile' and so on are/were natural in late nineteenth century German? Maybe the dialogue is less stilted in its native tongue? Maybe the symbolism is less heavy handed than the translation makes it appear?
      Certainly the endless jackbooting of 'society' would have made more sense at the time the book was written; but it's hard for me to feel much anger at 'society' today. We could probably do with a bit more moral straitjacketing, let's be honest, and a little less you-are-a-unique-and-special-snowflake. You're not. Fontane is obviously a smart enough man not to fall for it too hard, which makes the book worthwhile. But compared to Madame Bovary... well, it's a bit clumsy, and I'd rather re-read Flaubert than re-read this.
    • 4/5
      Ich weiß nicht, ob ich den Roman auch schon zu Thomas Manns Zeiten als einen der sechs oder zehn besten aller Zeiten bezeichnet hätte.Für mich ist es ein interessantes (fiktives) Bild eines Teils der Gesellschaft Ende des 18.Jahrhunderts. Allerdings liest er sich immer noch ganz interessant und flott, auch wenn das Handeln oder die Motivation der ProtagonistInnen nicht mehr so richtig nachvollziehbar ist.Am besten haben mir die Monologe und Dialoge von Effi, ihren Eltern und Instetten gefallen, die es trotz der Zeit, die zwischen dem Buch und mir liegt, ein Mitdenken möglich machen. An Handlung passiert nicht viel.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully unfolded story of a young woman's confining marriage, ill-considered affair, and the consequences unleashed when the affair becomes known. Tragic, but in the tones of a comedy of manners.
    • 2/5
      I believe this book is the bane of existence for many, many students in Germany. (Didn't most of us have to read this at some point? Didn't most of us fall asleep at least five times with this book in our hands?)Having read other works by Fontane I know that he wasn't a "bad author" and deserves all the praise he gets; he was and still is definitely a key figure in German literature. What some people seem to like about this book is exactly what stopped me from enjoying it - the painfully detailed descriptions of landscapes, houses, things in- and outside the houses, people ...., as well as the main character Effi herself. She goes from being naive and apathetic to scared and apathetic and finally settles for being nothing but apathetic. Of course opinions differ on that matter but to me Effi is a pretty unlikable character. Even considering the way she was brought up and the things that happen to her throughout the story, I still wasn't able to establish any kind of connection with or even feel sorry for her.There are, however, a few interesting aspects in the story that made me read the whole book: Effi's husband Innstetten and the means that he goes to to make sure that Effi depends on him not only physically and in the eyes of society but also psychologically (the way he reacts to her fear of the "ghost"), as well as his views and decisions towards the end.These are wonderful examples for typical traits of literary realism (as well as the above mentioned often painfully long, detailed descriptions).All that is left to say after finishing the book is "... that is too big a subject."
    • 4/5
      I was not all that familiar with either this book or Fontane before reading it, but I had a general idea that it was something like Madame Bovary. And, indeed, it is; but only to a point. It's as if Fontane wanted to be Flaubert, but just couldn't bear to be as cruel as all that to his characters. With some minor exceptions (.e.g Sidonie), Fontane gives every character at least a modicum of decency or some slight redemptive quality. Also interesting was the structure of the novel itself. Although often referred to solely as a realist work, Fontane here takes a great deal of liberty with time and setting, often eliding supposedly essential details and placing gaps of years between scenes. By doing so, Fontane gives the work both a more episodic and elliptical form, which I enjoyed immensely, but I can see how this can bother other readers. My main complaint had to do with the nature of the dialog, especially Effie's: I usually blamed the narrator, but after a while, I wasn't so sure. I was, it should be noted, reading the 1967 translation, so perhaps in the most recent one, this is no longer a problem, but it did lessen some enjoyment of the book. But, all in all, a recommended work.
    • 4/5
      as good as it's touted as being. i love that it doesn't have a harmonious or typical ending for an adultery novel at all, but it's not way out there either...what makes it strange is the ho-hum of it. i honestly prefer this over the much more beloved and famous other versions of this story. cough, anna karenina, cough. yes, i must be an idiot...