| | Mendelssohn Is On the Roof (Flamingo) |  | Author: Jiri Weil
Creators: Philip Roth, Marie Winn
Publisher: Harpercollins Publisher
Category: Book
Buy Used: $2.10
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 3169155
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
ISBN: 0006544541
EAN: 9780006544548
ASIN: 0006544541
Publication Date: February 20, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: **UK SHIPPED** With friendly customer service! Sent by air mail. Our feedback says it all!"Buy with confidence, Buy Book EcoLOGICal" Some discolouration on page edges.
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Product Description
On the roof of Prague's concert hall, Julius Schlesinger, aspiring SS officer, is charged with the removal of the statue of the Jew Mendelssohn--but which one is he? Remembering his course on "racial science," Schlesinger instructs his men to pull down the statue with the biggest nose. Only as the statue topples does he recognize the face of Richard Wagner. This is just the beginning in Weil's novel, which traces the transformation of ordinary liveds in Nazi-occupied Prague.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Mendelssohn is on the Roof May 11, 2008
The main problem with this work is the confusing nature of the storyline. Weil clearly has the grandest of ambitions, and it is obvious that he is a capable, strong writer. The ideas for a remarkable story are certainly there, as is the character development - from the Jewish families, Nazi officials, and Czech citizens. The subtle nuances of each individual struggling to survive in Nazi-occupied Prague bring striking humanity to the most inhuman times; Weil manages to portray each individual character as complex, driven by myriad desires and emotions.
There are heavy allusions made towards certain members of the Nazi party - clearly Speer and Heydrich play substantial roles, though they are never really mentioned by name, only by behaviors, physical descriptions, and commentary on their positions in the Czechoslovakian Protectorate. The Czech characters are human, and trying to bump along and maintain their livelihood in light of the occupation.
In many ways, the complexities of the characters is reflective of contemporary postmodern literature. For a subject matter that is frequently a magnet for absolutist thought and behavior (one side being "all bad," the other side being "all good"), Weil deals thoughtfully and provocatively with the two 'sides' to the Nazi occupation. Neither side is portrayed absolutely: there are moments of kindness on both sides of the conflict. The complexity, however, can become an overriding theme in character development - a behavior not uncommon in 'Mendelssohn is on the Roof' - and prevents true character depth from developing throughout the story.
Some of my favorite writing of the book is included when one of the Nazi leaders (presumed, and heavily implied to be, Reinhardt Heydrich) thinks about the importation of German cultural behavior to Prague. The juxtaposition of his thoughts on Beethoven during the purges of the Nazi party members are remarkable, despite being basically absurd.
Weil's poetic descriptions of the beautiful city (which I have loved so well) are fitting and appropriate: they avoid heavy handedness, while still grasping at the deeply emotional connection many feel with the beauty, and cultural traditions of, Prague.
'Mendelssohn is on the Roof' becomes frustrating because clearly Weil has an excellent story idea. The Nazi occupation of Prague is not nearly as frequently discussed or explored through literature and history as many other aspects of World War II, so Weil successfully avoids cliche and triteness; he is able to bring a fresh outlook to a subject that has been, to some extent, overplayed and wrought with rigid intellectual and emotional behavior.
Weil is obviously confident in his ability to create a remarkable foundation for a story (he is extremely successful), but doesn't excercise control over how, precisely, to incorporate underlying themes and character leitmotifs to effectivelly *tell* the story.
Throughout the novel, it's evident that the author is straddling the line between trying to create a magical realist story (a la M. Kundera's tradition) and telling a linear, simple story of survival amongst Prague's residents. Either methodology would have worked equally well, but the indecision about literary methodology - which carries through to the end of the book - sporadically outshines the story's incredible potential as a masterpiece.
Overall, the work is quite excellent, but not without its flaws. Much like the characters of 'Mendelssohn is on the Roof,' the storytelling itself is courageously ambitious. However, Weil's storytelling wavers without a decisive literary behavior
Really Brilliant June 3, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
There isn't a "plot" per se. The book is a series of scenes involving a host of Jews, Czechs and Nazis in the Czech Republic during WW@ as the Nazis empty Prague of the Jews. The book is both darkly comic and deeply tragic. It is the best book about the holocaust I've read since it covers the sort of day-to-day lives of the Jews before the camps and also the very effortless translation. It is a quick and easy read but filled with a lot of poignant moments. In particualr what it does well is puts the reader into the mind and thought process of Jews who were victimized by the Nazis not just as victims but also as accomplices.
If there is a short coming, it is that Weil uses a lot of the Nazi nomenclature for places and groups and titles for people so readers without a strong knowledge of the Holocaust might be confused by the byzantine number of Nazi offices and organizations (this BTW is a real stregnth of the book for those familar with the system since it highlights how fragmented and fuedal the Nazi state was).
An Excellent novella for everyone to read June 2, 2003
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is amazing in its realism and emotion. The symbolism takes time to understand but when you do the book takes you to another level. The courage of the Jews and Czech people is heartening and brings another diminsion to what is commonly thought about when you think of WW2. An excellent book that I encourage everyone to read.
Fiction parallels history in this work. December 22, 2001
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Jiri Weil has here a masterpiece, a series of events involving a host of characters. Children hiding in a closet, German soldiers of high and low rank, elderly Jewish council members and scholars. What really chills me was my visit to the Holocaust museum days after finishing this book. The identification papers you draw upon entering that I received were for a man in the exact region of my Slovak grandparents. Before leaving much later that day, I viewed newsreels in the library. They provided actual background for the description of Reinhard Heydrich's assassination, told in detail in Weil's book. I highly recommend this excellent book.
Humor and Pathos Mixed Beautifully in World War II Prague November 28, 1999
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
In short vignettes, the author explores the difficult choices faced by the people of World War II Prague, from Reinhard Heydrich (never named by name) to individual soldiers, civil servants and Czechs and Jews of all stripes. Some episodes are absurd and full of humor, particularly the moment when the workers try to identify which statue on the roof is actually Mendelssohn's (they choose the one with the largest nose and are about to make the maximum possible error when they are stopped in the nick of time). Others are almost painful to read, such as the choices of a Jewish scholar hired to work on the museum built to illustrate the lives of his people; he realizes the purpose is to describe a people who are to be eliminated from the face of the earth. Unlike many Holocaust novels, this book presents its points in a subtle and wonderful manner. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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