About the book
Originally published in 1942 and now rediscovered to international acclaim, this taut and exquisitely structured novel by the Hungarian master Sandor Marai conjures the melancholy glamour of a decaying empire and the disillusioned wisdom of its last heirs.
In a secluded woodland castle an old General prepares to receive a rare visitor, a man who was once his closest friend but who he has not seen in forty-one years. Over the ensuing hours host and guest will fight a duel of words and silences, accusations and evasions. They will exhume the memory of their friendship and that of the General’s beautiful, long-dead wife. And they will return to the time the three of them last sat together following a hunt in the nearby forest–a hunt in which no game was taken but during which something was lost forever.
Reviewed by U3A Winchester Modern Novels Group 2:
Well written, insightful, very well crafted. Evocative of Vienna etc – vivid pictures of places including General’s castle. Gothic setting …Vehicle for examining the nature of friendship rather than narrative. Some thought it a bit too long. We would recommend this book.
Star rating: ****
Hampshire Libraries 
Review by KTC Reading Group:
Extremely well written. Characters well drawn and maintained throughout. An extraordinary tour de force on the point of the author as the General analyses and muses on his experience of friendship, love, betrayal and sadness. A story of wasted lives and intransigency – but which is a good page turner.
Star rating: ***
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