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Es Muß Nicht Immer Kaviar Sein (2000)

by Johannes Mario Simmel(Favorite Author)

4.29 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

3763213791 (ISBN13: 9783763213795)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

review 1: This is the story of Thomas Levin, ladies man, pacifist, gourmand and reluctant secret agent. Through a series of circumstances, Thomas is driven out of his beloved London and forced to work as a spy for no less than 4 different countries - England, France, Germany and the U.S., before, during and after WWII. He's clever, this Thomas Levin, and manages for the most part to outwit these agencies, all of whom need him to do their bidding, and some of whom want him dead. Clever as he is however, his Achilles heel is women.One of the charming aspects of this novel is the inclusion of the recipes (in broad strokes) of the numerous fine meals our hero prepares for those he encounters along the way. Even if you don't read the book, the recipes alone justify the purchase.I've r... moreead this book no less then 5 times - thrice in the original German and twice in English. The first English version I read over 20 years ago had a another title (the Monte Cristo Affair?). I lost that paperback years ago, but recall that at least one chapter was edited out - one that included my favorite recipe in the book - Koenigsburger Klopse. The other English version is called It Can't Always be Caviar, and it suffers the same fate. Published in England shortly after the original appeared in German in the early 60's, there may have been some reason to delete or severely edit sections of the book. The German edition weighs in at a hefty 605 pages. The English version is lighter by about 150 pages, weighing in at 457. I feel the reader is cheated by these omissions. If you want the complete experience, get the original in German - Es Muss nicht immer Kaviar sein. If you prefer the Reader's Digest version (or can't read German), then by all means try one of the translated versions.The redacted English editiona only rates 4 stars. The original in German 5!A timeless classic.
review 2: I like Thomas Lieven's no sense of patriotism. He sees the world as one world, not as pieces of lands called nations. It's not that he hates all, but on the contrary, he loves all. He doesn't want his conduct to harm anyone. And that's, I think, so sweet. In the midst of wars and patriotism, he stays firm to what he believes in. As he said, if people had thought more, all the bad things in WWII wouldn't have happened. He wants people to live in harmony, regardless the nationality. And he's a good cook too. Awesome character. less

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