Share for friends:

Read The Dark Arena (2001)

The Dark Arena (2001)

Online Book

Author
Genre
Rating
3.32 of 5 Votes: 4
Your rating
ISBN
0345441699 (ISBN13: 9780345441690)
Language
English
Publisher
ballantine books

The Dark Arena (2001) - Plot & Excerpts

This book takes place after World War II in Germany. This is about an American soldier that returns home to his family and his girlfriend who has waited the whole time he was in the service. The problem is that he is a changed man and he doesn't want this scenario anymore. He returns to Germany for the woman he fell for while he was stationed there.The author does a fantastic job with the setting and the mood for this novel. One cannot help but get a feeling of dreadfulness throughout this novel as people try to move on from war and put their lives back together. The description of the setting is intense as he describes the ruins of homes and the contrasting nature of people partying in this world. That is the only positive aspect of the book. Overall, this book was wearisome because of the characters especially the main character. They were so unlikable and there was nothing redeeming about them at all. Even when the main character had a chance to act personable or be likable, he did the opposite and left the reader despising him.My advice is to read other books by this author as he has penned classics. There is nothing positive about this book and I could not connect with any aspect of this novel. The descriptions were vivid and detailed and this is the only reason I gave it a two star rating.

The first thing that strikes you when you read The Dark Arena is the stark contrast to the other works of Puzo like The godfather, Last Don and the likes. Puzo uses an entirely different narrative structure and you wouldn't find any of sudden twists, travelling back and forth in time, he keeps it straight here with a linear storytelling. Nor would you find lengthy side tracks. Not surprising as it is one of the earlier works of Puzo. The story takes some time to get us engaged but halfway through the book we are given hints about the danger looming around the characters, but not quite sure who would be struck by the danger. We are able to figure out Mosca completely only towards the end of the book.When the tragedy finally strike it is completely unexpected and heartbreaking. Puzo more than makes up for the earlier parts of book with the tense, pressure cooker mood sustained throughout the end.

What do You think about The Dark Arena (2001)?

Tento první román světoznámého prozaika se odehrává v poválečném Německu. Je to období norimberského procesu a okupačních zón, ale i doba nových možností pro poctivé i podnikavce bez skrupulí. Americký voják Walter Mosca se obohacuje obchodem na černém trhu. Válka udělala z tohoto 23letého mladíka drsného muže spoléhajícího jen na vlastní sílu. Jediným, na kom lpí, je něžná milující Hella, s níž má syna; když ji však tragicky ztrácí, nezadrží ho už nic na cestě násilí, na kterou se dal... Německá kritika označila Temnou arénu za nejlepší americký román o životě v poválečném Německu. Puzo v něm vykreslil události moderní historie i osudy hrdinů přesvědčivě a realisticky. Přeložil František Jungwirth.
—Michal Skrivan

This came as a pleasant surprise. I didn't go in expecting to like this book, and the first few pages didn't make an impression on me either, but as the book progressed, I actually grew to like it. Though I usually don't read stuff that are not a-thousand-things-happening-at-once stuff, this book was more that good enough to keep me in it's grip. I must say, Mario Puzo knows his business. More than the plot, it's the subtle way he narrates that makes it worth reading. I just may give his other novels a chance.
—Apps *ąþþℓεş щïŧɧ şþℓεεŋ ïş şҩųïşɧγ*

i read this one in the darkest days of my life, when i thought too much about my life, about what i'd lost and how i could... die without hurting anyone around me. i felt touched with this story of a soldier who couldn't again get in touch with his loved ones at homeland and that made him return to Germany to find the only one, his woman, who got all his trust during darkest days of the WWII. her love helped him go on with his life until the day she passed away. nothing left and worth to him since her death, even their own child. what he lost was not only his loved one, not only his family or his nation, but also his trust in life. at the end of the novel, he got lost, and tried to run away, cared nothing for what was next in his life, he left his baby to an old woman who got his wife's trust and got away. years later, when i read "a movable feast" by ernest hemingway, i started to think back about "the dark arena" and got to know more about those of the lost generation. life is so hard. this one is neccessary for one's life to know the truth about living and trusting. it's also my favourite book of all time in my own life.
—Aurore

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Read books by author Mario Puzo

Read books in category Fiction