Publication
New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2018.
Collection
Call number
Fiction M
Physical description
318 p.; 21 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:The epic story of war and medicine from the award-winning author of The Piano Tuner is "a dream of a novel...part mystery, part war story, part romance" (Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See). Vienna, 1914. Lucius is a twenty-two-year-old medical student when World War I explodes across Europe. Enraptured by romantic tales of battlefield surgery, he enlists, expecting a position at a well-organized field hospital. But when he arrives, at a commandeered church tucked away high in a remote valley of the Carpathian Mountains, he finds a freezing outpost ravaged by typhus. The other doctors have fled, and only a single, mysterious nurse named Sister Margarete remains. But Lucius has never lifted a surgeon's scalpel. And as the war rages across the winter landscape, he finds himself falling in love with the woman from whom he must learn a brutal, makeshift medicine. Then one day, an unconscious soldier is brought in from the snow, his uniform stuffed with strange drawings. He seems beyond rescue, until Lucius makes a fateful decision that will change the lives of doctor, patient, and nurse forever. From the gilded ballrooms of Imperial Vienna to the frozen forests of the Eastern Front; from hardscrabble operating rooms to battlefields thundering with Cossack cavalry, The Winter Soldier is the story of war and medicine, of family, of finding love in the sweeping tides of history, and finally, of the mistakes we make, and the precious opportunities to atone. "The Winter Soldier brims with improbable narrative pleasures...These pages crackle with excitement... A spectacular success." �??Anthony Marra, New York Times Book Review… (more)
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cariola
When World War I breaks out, Lucius Krzelewski, only son of a Polish aristocrat, is a second year medical student. His father, a former cavalry man, wants to use his connections to get his son a glory-seeking position at the front, but Lucius instead enlists in the medical corps, hoping to gain
Mason does a fine job of recreating the horrors of war and the physical and mental toll it takes on the soldiers. Lucius is particularly haunted by one man, a Hungarian named Horvath who produces beautiful drawings but can't speak; instead, he produces a loud, constant hum. The characters are very well developed, including the resourceful and independent Margrete, her orderlies, and the hospital cook, as well as Lucius and his patients. I was a bit put off by the love story that dominates the second half of the book. Then again, I can imagine that in such an environment, young men were happy to cling to any hope of a better world. Like many of them, Lucius is haunted by people and events from his war experience that he just cannot shake.
Although I did enjoy this book, I still feel that The Piano Tuner was better. Still a recommended read for those interested in World War I from an Eastern European standpoint who are not too squeamish.
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some hands-on experience. He finds himself assigned to a remote village--as the only doctor on staff. The hospital is run by a young nun, Sister Margrete, whose practical education under the last doctor has taught her more than Lucius could imagine, including how to amputate limbs and drain pressure on the brain. Determined to help and protect injured men, he soon learns that his task is to heal them just enough to send them back to the front lines.Mason does a fine job of recreating the horrors of war and the physical and mental toll it takes on the soldiers. Lucius is particularly haunted by one man, a Hungarian named Horvath who produces beautiful drawings but can't speak; instead, he produces a loud, constant hum. The characters are very well developed, including the resourceful and independent Margrete, her orderlies, and the hospital cook, as well as Lucius and his patients. I was a bit put off by the love story that dominates the second half of the book. Then again, I can imagine that in such an environment, young men were happy to cling to any hope of a better world. Like many of them, Lucius is haunted by people and events from his war experience that he just cannot shake.
Although I did enjoy this book, I still feel that The Piano Tuner was better. Still a recommended read for those interested in World War I from an Eastern European standpoint who are not too squeamish.
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LibraryThing member ZachMontana
I liked the different perspective on WWI and the narrowing to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The historical value of how truly brutal war is to both the soldiers and the civilians is excellent. For me it was not an uplifting book, even though in the end the main character seems to find some finality.
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It examines human character and adaptation to terrible circumstances well. It doesn't seem that we as human's learn from the atrocities of war as we see on a daily basis in our current world! Show Less
LibraryThing member maryreinert
Loved this! One of the best historical novels I've ever read regarding WWI. Lucas is the youngest son of an aristocratic family who against his family's wishes attends medical school. But it is more about lectures and arrogant professors than practical knowledge. When war opens, he finds himself
The war closes in which brings increasing number of physically and mentally wounded soldiers including one with a skill in drawing who is suffering from severe mental shock. Margarete and Lucius eventually have an affair. As the war drags on and more and more recruits are needed, some are taken from the hospitals even if they are unfit for service. Lucius makes a decision to protect the wounded soldier only to create an even worse situation.
This story is so believable, the settings of church, the countryside, the war are beautifully rendered. The personalities of all characters are realistic. Lucius and Margarete are eventually separated, but she never leaves his mind. The ending is gripping.
Daniel Mason is a truly gifted writer. I would read anything he has produced.
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being sent to a remote field hospital in the mountains. Here he finds a poorly equipped "hospital" set in a church run by a stern but efficient nun, Margarete. He is totally over whelmed, but slowly learns how to amputate and other medical procedures from Margarete.The war closes in which brings increasing number of physically and mentally wounded soldiers including one with a skill in drawing who is suffering from severe mental shock. Margarete and Lucius eventually have an affair. As the war drags on and more and more recruits are needed, some are taken from the hospitals even if they are unfit for service. Lucius makes a decision to protect the wounded soldier only to create an even worse situation.
This story is so believable, the settings of church, the countryside, the war are beautifully rendered. The personalities of all characters are realistic. Lucius and Margarete are eventually separated, but she never leaves his mind. The ending is gripping.
Daniel Mason is a truly gifted writer. I would read anything he has produced.
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LibraryThing member clue
We begin in Vienna in 1914. Twenty-two year old Lucius has disappointed his aristocratic parents by deciding to study for a medical career. After three years in medical school, he has only touched four patients, and one of those needed an ear cleaning. He decides to leave school and volunteer as a
Assigned to a hospital in the Carpathian Mountains, Lucius makes the arduous journey in deadly winter weather. He is surprised when he arrives to find the hospital in a commandeered church. This is only the first of many surprises. When the door is answered and he asks for the physician in charge, he quickly learns from the only nurse that there is no other doctor, he is that physician. The previous physician left, possibly because of the typhus epidemic.
The hospital is in short, a horror. Patients cover the floor inflicted with injuries the young doctor has never even imagined. Nor did he imagine working with very few supplies and no equipment or sleep. The work is constant, grueling and the patients if they arrive alive, in agony. The nurse, a nun called Margarite, begins by teaching him triage. They will work together under the worst of conditions for a year and then their lives take an unexpected turn.
There is nothing I don't like about The Winter Soldier. The setting, the atmosphere and the characters meld into an unflinching look at life and death during WWI. I admired Margarite, sympathized with Lucius and felt like weeping over the patients. A review in the Washington Post says about Margarite: Actresses all over Hollywood should be jockeying to play her part in the inevitable movie adaption."
The Winter Soldier was named a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and was chosen as an NPR Great Read. I'm sure this will be a contender for the best book I read this year and one that I will think about for a long time.
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battlefield surgeon, seeing the war as an opportunity to get practical training from experienced doctors.Assigned to a hospital in the Carpathian Mountains, Lucius makes the arduous journey in deadly winter weather. He is surprised when he arrives to find the hospital in a commandeered church. This is only the first of many surprises. When the door is answered and he asks for the physician in charge, he quickly learns from the only nurse that there is no other doctor, he is that physician. The previous physician left, possibly because of the typhus epidemic.
The hospital is in short, a horror. Patients cover the floor inflicted with injuries the young doctor has never even imagined. Nor did he imagine working with very few supplies and no equipment or sleep. The work is constant, grueling and the patients if they arrive alive, in agony. The nurse, a nun called Margarite, begins by teaching him triage. They will work together under the worst of conditions for a year and then their lives take an unexpected turn.
There is nothing I don't like about The Winter Soldier. The setting, the atmosphere and the characters meld into an unflinching look at life and death during WWI. I admired Margarite, sympathized with Lucius and felt like weeping over the patients. A review in the Washington Post says about Margarite: Actresses all over Hollywood should be jockeying to play her part in the inevitable movie adaption."
The Winter Soldier was named a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and was chosen as an NPR Great Read. I'm sure this will be a contender for the best book I read this year and one that I will think about for a long time.
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
This novel follows the story of a doctor serving on the Eastern Front of World War I. Since the Western Front tends to loom large in WWI historical fiction, this novel deserves credit for telling a much lesser known tale. Fresh from medical school and only promoted to doctor by necessity, Lucius
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finds himself the only doctor in a tiny mountainous hospital close to the battle-lines of the Eastern Front. He finds himself struggling to treat patients wrestling with the psychological aftermath of battle and only slowly makes progress with the help of an able nurse, who he also develops feelings for. This novel made for interesting reading and made me a lot more curious about medicine during WWI, but I did really wish for a different ending for the characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member JanaRose1
Lucius, is a young medical student when WWI erupts. Hoping to gain more experience, he enlists. He is sent to a field hospital in a remote valley. The previous doctor and nurses have left, save one, Sister Margarete. Quickly realizing that he has no idea what he is doing, he relies on Sister
This was a pretty good book. Lucius was a realistic and likeable character. His relationship with Sister Margarete, the patients, and medicine was interesting to watch. I would definitely read another book from this author. Overall, well worth picking up.
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Margarete to teach him the fundamentals of battlefield surgery. Together, the two run the field hospital. When a soldier is brought in with shell shock, Lucius is fascinated by the disease and does his best to cure him. Lucius keeps the soldier long past the time he should, resulting in devastating consequences. This was a pretty good book. Lucius was a realistic and likeable character. His relationship with Sister Margarete, the patients, and medicine was interesting to watch. I would definitely read another book from this author. Overall, well worth picking up.
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LibraryThing member nancyadair
I am thrilled that I stopped resisting The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason. I was leery of delving into another WWI novel, knowing the despair and suffering I would encounter. When I began reading I couldn't stop and stayed up late to finish it.
The novel tells the story of Lucius Krzelewski of
Lucius is sent to a remote hospital on the Eastern Front. The doctors abandoned the hospital when typhus broke out. In charge is a nurse, a nun named Sister Margarete and under her tutelage, Lucius learns how to doctor and how to love.
Lucius knows his job is to patch the men up so they can be returned to the war. He wants to protect the men in his care whose wounds are unseen but who the army deems fit for service. One soldier particularly affects Lucius and Margarete, a beautiful artist who arrives in winter, so traumatized he cannot stop screaming.
The storyline and characters kept my interest but I also appreciated how I learned so much about the war on the Eastern Front, the level of medical practice and knowledge at the time, and the shifting political landscape of Eastern Europe.
I have read so many terrific WWI novels in the past few years. So much has changed in 100 years. And yet, so much remains the same.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
The novel tells the story of Lucius Krzelewski of
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Vienna, an inexperienced young medical student who shows much promise but is frustrated by the limitations of medical school. When war breaks out, a friend convinces Lucius that he can get first-hand experience by enlisting as an army doctor.Lucius is sent to a remote hospital on the Eastern Front. The doctors abandoned the hospital when typhus broke out. In charge is a nurse, a nun named Sister Margarete and under her tutelage, Lucius learns how to doctor and how to love.
Lucius knows his job is to patch the men up so they can be returned to the war. He wants to protect the men in his care whose wounds are unseen but who the army deems fit for service. One soldier particularly affects Lucius and Margarete, a beautiful artist who arrives in winter, so traumatized he cannot stop screaming.
The storyline and characters kept my interest but I also appreciated how I learned so much about the war on the Eastern Front, the level of medical practice and knowledge at the time, and the shifting political landscape of Eastern Europe.
I have read so many terrific WWI novels in the past few years. So much has changed in 100 years. And yet, so much remains the same.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
Lucius is a medical student at the outbreak of WWI. There is a shortage of doctors so medical students are encouraged to enlist. Believing it will be a valuable experience, he does so.He is sent to a remote field hospital in the Carpathians close to the front. To his dismay, he discovers, when he
It took me a while to get into The Winter Soldier by author Daniel Mason. After a few stops and starts, I finally got far enough into it to get caught up in the story and once I did, I couldn't put it down. Although the story is, at heart, a historical romance, it was the parts about the war, the soldiers and civilians, the deprivations, the local displays of patriotism, but most of all, the depiction of medicine at the time, the fears and prevalence of diseases like typhoid in the hospitals, the devastation of the flu, and the remedies that now seem so strange like oatmeal to treat pneumonia I would definitely recommend this to anyone who, like me, loves learning real history while reading historical fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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arrives, that the previous doctor and all the nurses but one have left. It is fortunate for him that she has been acting in the doctor's stead since he has no surgical experience and most of his expected medical work is amputations. Under her guidance, he quickly becomes adept at it. Once the men are healthy enough, they are to be sent on to a better equipped hospital and, likely, eventually back to the front. Then a soldier is brought to the hospital who appears to have no wounds yet he is stiff and completely unresponsive. Lucius tries every recommended remedy only to have them fail. In desperation, he tries a medication that, until then, seemed to have no use. Surprisingly, the man begins to recover. Lucius is so fascinated with the case that he refuses to send him on, hoping to continue working with him. This decision will have devastating consequences not only for the soldier but for Lucius himself. It took me a while to get into The Winter Soldier by author Daniel Mason. After a few stops and starts, I finally got far enough into it to get caught up in the story and once I did, I couldn't put it down. Although the story is, at heart, a historical romance, it was the parts about the war, the soldiers and civilians, the deprivations, the local displays of patriotism, but most of all, the depiction of medicine at the time, the fears and prevalence of diseases like typhoid in the hospitals, the devastation of the flu, and the remedies that now seem so strange like oatmeal to treat pneumonia I would definitely recommend this to anyone who, like me, loves learning real history while reading historical fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member hemlokgang
Winter, the final season of life. Winter, the ability to end physical life. Winter, the ability to numb body and spirit. Winter soldier, death of hope, spirit, heart. A powerful novel of war and its winter nature. Set in Hungary and Poland during WWI, this is a moving, poignant story.
LibraryThing member TimBazzett
Daniel Mason's THE WINTER SOLDIER is easily one of the best, most compelling, character-driven, historical, LITERARY novels I have read in a long time. It caught me up with its WWI story of young Viennese med student, Lucius, who enlists as a 'medical lieutenant' and is thrust into service as a
I read - and also loved - Mason's THE PIANO TUNER fifteen or more years ago, so expected this one to be good too. In fact I think it's even better. The ' winter soldier ' of the title is, firstly, one Jozsef Horvath, found beneath a pile of frozen bodies, barely alive and severely traumatized, unable to speak or move. Nursed back to the edge of normalcy by Lucius and Margarete, he suffers a grisly and brutal setback at the hands of a sadistic officer. Enough said; you have to read the atory. But the 'winter soldier' could be many others here too, especially Lucius himself, who is separated from Margarete in the heat of a battle with Russian Cossack cavalry, and then tried to find her for the next two years. He is also plagued by vivid nightmares and other symptoms of what we now call PTSD.
The post-war part of the book, as Lucius goes back to search for Margarete, is reminiscent of The Oddysey, with his many adventures and dangerous encounters, but, even more so, of another more obscure, beautifully written novel I read a few years back, also about WWI and eastern Europe, Andrew Krivak's THE SOJOURN.
I also was intrigued that Daniel Mason is a doctor, a practicing psychiatrist and professor of medicine, and I thought of other doctor-writers I have read and admired - Abraham Verghese (CUTTING FOR STONE), Ethan Canin (author of several fictional works and on faculty at the Iowa Writers Workshop), and, of course, the late Michael Crichton, who penned numerous bestsellers.
I absolutely loved THE WINTER SOLDIER. Daniel Mason is an extraordinarily gifted and talented writer. My very highest recommendation.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
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doctor for the Austro-Hungarian Empire in a remote field hospital in the Carpathian mountains, where he falls in love with a mysterious nursing sister, Margarete.I read - and also loved - Mason's THE PIANO TUNER fifteen or more years ago, so expected this one to be good too. In fact I think it's even better. The ' winter soldier ' of the title is, firstly, one Jozsef Horvath, found beneath a pile of frozen bodies, barely alive and severely traumatized, unable to speak or move. Nursed back to the edge of normalcy by Lucius and Margarete, he suffers a grisly and brutal setback at the hands of a sadistic officer. Enough said; you have to read the atory. But the 'winter soldier' could be many others here too, especially Lucius himself, who is separated from Margarete in the heat of a battle with Russian Cossack cavalry, and then tried to find her for the next two years. He is also plagued by vivid nightmares and other symptoms of what we now call PTSD.
The post-war part of the book, as Lucius goes back to search for Margarete, is reminiscent of The Oddysey, with his many adventures and dangerous encounters, but, even more so, of another more obscure, beautifully written novel I read a few years back, also about WWI and eastern Europe, Andrew Krivak's THE SOJOURN.
I also was intrigued that Daniel Mason is a doctor, a practicing psychiatrist and professor of medicine, and I thought of other doctor-writers I have read and admired - Abraham Verghese (CUTTING FOR STONE), Ethan Canin (author of several fictional works and on faculty at the Iowa Writers Workshop), and, of course, the late Michael Crichton, who penned numerous bestsellers.
I absolutely loved THE WINTER SOLDIER. Daniel Mason is an extraordinarily gifted and talented writer. My very highest recommendation.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
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LibraryThing member Paul-the-well-read
In The Winter Soldier, Daniel Mason weaves a complex story in which the horrors of WW I become vivid and concrete to the reader while, at the same time, the plot reveals that even in the most horrifying of times, love can still bloom.
From his very earliest years as a child, Lucius, the story’s
WWI begins and this budding medical genius becomes the pawn in his mother’s ambitions, his father’s memories and fantasies and his closest friend’s emotionally stirred patriotic fervor. These forces carry him into the decision he does not want to make, a decision that will stand between him and the attainment of his dreams. He joins the army.
Even though he is only a third year medical student, his training makes him a candidate to serve as a doctor and he is sent to a field hospital in a forward war zone. Conditions are bleak and only get more so.
While in this ‘hospital’, at his elbow is a highly competent nurse, who basically takes control of him just as everyone else has ever done, but whose guidance makes him a first rate doctor. The war zone becomes a medical school like no other and Lucius learns from every case he handles.
The cases are grisly, horrific realities of what war really is: not a patriotic rally, but an experience in the worst depravities of mankind.
In a spite of the horrors of the situation, Lucius and the nurse, Margarete, fall in love, only to be separated by the rapid advance of enemy troops.
Mason, a physician and psychiatrist himself, creates a vivid accounting of war and the medical challenges it presents. He engages readers fully in the suffering to the wounded and the accompanying mental anguish of those who try to help them. Neither the soldiers nor their rescuers will ever be the same. Yet, even when mankind periodically tries to exterminate itself, a higher power, the power of love, continues to persist against the self-destructive behaviors of humanity.
This novel is both horrifying and uplifting. The writing is direct and vivid. The author builds the action slowly and carefully so that both the most graphic horrors of war and the uplifting power of love emerge slowly as the storyline develops.
Masons other books demonstrated his mastery as a mature writer and this book only furthers his capable reputation.
From his very earliest years as a child, Lucius, the story’s
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man in character, has been obsessed with medicine, with understanding everything about the human body, especially about the workings and malfunctions of the brain. His early obsession only grows over time until he enters medical school and excels even there. WWI begins and this budding medical genius becomes the pawn in his mother’s ambitions, his father’s memories and fantasies and his closest friend’s emotionally stirred patriotic fervor. These forces carry him into the decision he does not want to make, a decision that will stand between him and the attainment of his dreams. He joins the army.
Even though he is only a third year medical student, his training makes him a candidate to serve as a doctor and he is sent to a field hospital in a forward war zone. Conditions are bleak and only get more so.
While in this ‘hospital’, at his elbow is a highly competent nurse, who basically takes control of him just as everyone else has ever done, but whose guidance makes him a first rate doctor. The war zone becomes a medical school like no other and Lucius learns from every case he handles.
The cases are grisly, horrific realities of what war really is: not a patriotic rally, but an experience in the worst depravities of mankind.
In a spite of the horrors of the situation, Lucius and the nurse, Margarete, fall in love, only to be separated by the rapid advance of enemy troops.
Mason, a physician and psychiatrist himself, creates a vivid accounting of war and the medical challenges it presents. He engages readers fully in the suffering to the wounded and the accompanying mental anguish of those who try to help them. Neither the soldiers nor their rescuers will ever be the same. Yet, even when mankind periodically tries to exterminate itself, a higher power, the power of love, continues to persist against the self-destructive behaviors of humanity.
This novel is both horrifying and uplifting. The writing is direct and vivid. The author builds the action slowly and carefully so that both the most graphic horrors of war and the uplifting power of love emerge slowly as the storyline develops.
Masons other books demonstrated his mastery as a mature writer and this book only furthers his capable reputation.
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LibraryThing member Maydacat
I don’t understand the wide appeal of this novel; I am certainly in the minority with others who just didn’t care for it. I found the extremely graphic descriptions of the effects of the cold, of the war, and of the bullying in the guise of military discipline to be excessive. If there are
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lessons to be learned here, it’s that I shouldn’t put too much faith in the reviews of others and in the not so praise-worthy comments on book sites. Sometimes they just aren’t true. Show Less
LibraryThing member JulieStielstra
So much to admire, and yet... Somber, meticulous writing in stately rhythms; imagery by turns gorgeous (when spring finally comes, "Harp strings of light broke through the nave") and appalling ("He had never seen such a scream, teeth glittering in the crimson mouth" of a dead man whose jaw has been
A frequently beautiful, vivid, powerful read, but marred by an emotional lack that keeps it from breaking your heart.
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blown off). Mason sucks you in and puts you right there, in an isolated, freezing church among the dead, the maimed and the dying soldiers, amputating, sewing, draining, bandaging. The introverted, awkward young medical student Lucius learns to cope under the direction of the lone nurse, a rifle-toting nun called Margarete, left to tend 60 desperately ill men when the winter, the lice, typhus and the stench of gangrene has killed or driven away the other doctors and nurses. And... you know where this goes, right? He falls in love with Margarete. And in the chaos of war, they lose each other, he spends much of the rest of the story trying to find her again. But their love story, which is perhaps reminiscent of the grandiose romance of Dr Zhivago (a novel and movie I loathe), simply doesn't come to life. I couldn't tell if this was intentional on the writer's part: is it because Lucius, though marked by his medical school teachers as one who has "an unusual aptitude for for perception of things that lie beneath the skin," has difficulty in actual relationships, so a rich love is something he can't quite have? He is obsessed with medicine, with the mechanics and functions and ways it all can go wrong, and so when he thinks he is in love, it's similarly clinical. While I was curious about how this would end, and because so much of the writing was quite wonderful, I kept reading but I didn't really *care* how it ended, and the resolution was just that: an ending. It does close with some hope for Lucius, that perhaps his carapace has cracked a bit, that he might go on to engage with the world, with its beauties and it sufferings, in a more meaningful way. A frequently beautiful, vivid, powerful read, but marred by an emotional lack that keeps it from breaking your heart.
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
Twenty-two-year-old Lucius Krzelewski is a Polish-Austrian medical student in Vienna at the outbreak of the Great War. He enlists in the Austro-Hungarian medical corps and finds himself at an understaffed remote field hospital a former church in the Carpathian mountains. He is in way above his
The primitive state of medicine meant that many wounds resulted in amputations. Soldiers with minor injuries were sent back to the front as soon as possible. Many were medically unfit but still had to rejoin their units. Mental trauma was viewed as shirking or cowardice. There was little knowledge of what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the standard “treatments” were horrendous. Lucius finds an alternate method that works for one of the soldiers and attempts to safeguard him, but his kind efforts backfire, leaving Lucius with his own demons.
The scenes shift enough to give a good idea of the vastness of the war – the countryside, front, the transport trains, the medical centers. Lucius comes from a privileged family, so we also see the splendor of the lifestyle of Vienna’s aristocratic class, sustained by black market purchases during the war. The characters are fully realized. The writing is beautifully descriptive and emotionally evocative.
“In comparison to the church, with its constant clamor, the huts had the hushed, sacred air of deathbed scenes, the light barely illuminating the pallid faces of the soldiers, the village women moving slowly in their dark shawls, their children sitting in transfixed vigil by the beds. For these, Margarete always had a crust of bread, a piece of carrot. Sometimes Lucius entertained them by showing them his father’s hand shadows, other times by letting them listen to their hearts. Their wide eyes grew wider with the cold bell of the stethoscope, not seeming to understand what they were hearing, but astonished nonetheless. Manifestly, he did this out of kindness, or a sort of effort at improving relations, though in truth there was something fortifying in the chance to touch skin without gangrene, without fever, the bodies without a wound.”
This book is a masterpiece of traditional storytelling. Themes include love, war, art, medicine, parental pressure, tenderness, suffering, chance, and personal journeys. I cannot praise this novel highly enough. It would make a great film. I loved it.
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head, having only a theoretical knowledge of medicine. The sole nurse, Margarete, comes to his aid, helping him learn the ropes. Together they form a close bond while attempting to heal diseases, physical injuries, and mental ailments in harsh conditions. The primitive state of medicine meant that many wounds resulted in amputations. Soldiers with minor injuries were sent back to the front as soon as possible. Many were medically unfit but still had to rejoin their units. Mental trauma was viewed as shirking or cowardice. There was little knowledge of what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the standard “treatments” were horrendous. Lucius finds an alternate method that works for one of the soldiers and attempts to safeguard him, but his kind efforts backfire, leaving Lucius with his own demons.
The scenes shift enough to give a good idea of the vastness of the war – the countryside, front, the transport trains, the medical centers. Lucius comes from a privileged family, so we also see the splendor of the lifestyle of Vienna’s aristocratic class, sustained by black market purchases during the war. The characters are fully realized. The writing is beautifully descriptive and emotionally evocative.
“In comparison to the church, with its constant clamor, the huts had the hushed, sacred air of deathbed scenes, the light barely illuminating the pallid faces of the soldiers, the village women moving slowly in their dark shawls, their children sitting in transfixed vigil by the beds. For these, Margarete always had a crust of bread, a piece of carrot. Sometimes Lucius entertained them by showing them his father’s hand shadows, other times by letting them listen to their hearts. Their wide eyes grew wider with the cold bell of the stethoscope, not seeming to understand what they were hearing, but astonished nonetheless. Manifestly, he did this out of kindness, or a sort of effort at improving relations, though in truth there was something fortifying in the chance to touch skin without gangrene, without fever, the bodies without a wound.”
This book is a masterpiece of traditional storytelling. Themes include love, war, art, medicine, parental pressure, tenderness, suffering, chance, and personal journeys. I cannot praise this novel highly enough. It would make a great film. I loved it.
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LibraryThing member labfs39
Lucius Krzelewski was the only child of wealthy, aristocratic Polish parents who lived in Vienna in the 1930s. His father had served in the Lancers and had romantic views of war. His mother ran the family's businesses and had strong opinions. He always felt awkward as a child and preferred studying
Lucius is deployed to a village in the Carpathian Mountains, where he expects to find a small hospital and some senior doctors to guide him. Instead he finds a church with a huge hole in the roof where a shell had fallen through, a single nurse, and many, many soldiers with horrible wounds he had never seen before, never mind treated. The sturdy, imperturbable nurse, Margarete, guides him through his first months and he finds himself falling in love. But when a severely shell-shocked patient is accused of malingering by a passing officer, their comradery is tested.
I loved the descriptions of socially awkward Lucius and his passion for medicine, the scenes of winter in the remote mountains, and the early impressions of shell-shock and how to treat it. Daniel Mason is a doctor and professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, and his expertise informs his writing, but he is also an excellent writer. The plot propelled my reading, but the descriptions slowed it down so I could savor them. Recommended for historical fiction buffs and those who enjoy doctor-authors.
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to socializing. To his mother's disappointment, he enrolled in medical school. To his amazement, he was an excellent student and even made a couple of friends who liked to study as much as he did. Even as a third year medical student, however, there was very little interaction with patients, and, when World War I began joining the military seemed like an excellent way to get some first-hand experience.Lucius is deployed to a village in the Carpathian Mountains, where he expects to find a small hospital and some senior doctors to guide him. Instead he finds a church with a huge hole in the roof where a shell had fallen through, a single nurse, and many, many soldiers with horrible wounds he had never seen before, never mind treated. The sturdy, imperturbable nurse, Margarete, guides him through his first months and he finds himself falling in love. But when a severely shell-shocked patient is accused of malingering by a passing officer, their comradery is tested.
I loved the descriptions of socially awkward Lucius and his passion for medicine, the scenes of winter in the remote mountains, and the early impressions of shell-shock and how to treat it. Daniel Mason is a doctor and professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, and his expertise informs his writing, but he is also an excellent writer. The plot propelled my reading, but the descriptions slowed it down so I could savor them. Recommended for historical fiction buffs and those who enjoy doctor-authors.
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LibraryThing member markm2315
A well-written WWI Austria-Hungarian medical love story that smells a little like a condensed Dr. Zhivago. From my point of view it benefits greatly from the author being a physician.
LibraryThing member nancyread
Way too gory and slow moving at the beginning, but I kept going and finally really liked it.
LibraryThing member ZeljanaMaricFerli
Winter Soldier was a joy to read. The storytelling is top-notch, and the character-building is phenomenal.
The protagonist is a young medical student from a privileged background, Lucius, from Vienna. At the outbreak of WW1, he ended up stationed in a field hospital in the Carpathian mountains.
Mason is a psychiatrist, so it was especially interesting to read Lucius's self-reflections concerning his medical practice. Lucius is aware that his training, still largely consisting of Victorian procedures, does not satisfy the needs of his patients. And in one particular case, he makes a mistake that makes it hard for him to forgive himself.
And Margarete, what a great female character. I thought all the female characters in the novel were exceptional, no matter how small.
The relationship he develops with Margarete remains a major force in the novel, but this book never sinks into sappy romanticism. The vignettes of pre-war and wartime Vienna and the realities of life in the province are depicted with great style. Mason says a lot with few words and for a relatively short novel does a great job of transporting the reader into the setting. This book felt timeless to me, a true classic. And what a great story with a phenomenal ending.
4.5 stars rounded up.
The protagonist is a young medical student from a privileged background, Lucius, from Vienna. At the outbreak of WW1, he ended up stationed in a field hospital in the Carpathian mountains.
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There he meets a mysterious Sister Margarete, a nurse who will help him understand the limitations of his training and a cast of soldier characters all suffering from strange psychological conditions brought on by war (later to be defined as PTSD). Mason is a psychiatrist, so it was especially interesting to read Lucius's self-reflections concerning his medical practice. Lucius is aware that his training, still largely consisting of Victorian procedures, does not satisfy the needs of his patients. And in one particular case, he makes a mistake that makes it hard for him to forgive himself.
And Margarete, what a great female character. I thought all the female characters in the novel were exceptional, no matter how small.
The relationship he develops with Margarete remains a major force in the novel, but this book never sinks into sappy romanticism. The vignettes of pre-war and wartime Vienna and the realities of life in the province are depicted with great style. Mason says a lot with few words and for a relatively short novel does a great job of transporting the reader into the setting. This book felt timeless to me, a true classic. And what a great story with a phenomenal ending.
4.5 stars rounded up.
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Awards
Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize (Winner — 2020)
NPR: Books We Love (2018)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Fiction — 2018)
Language
Original publication date
2018-09
ISBN
9780316477598