The Blue Flower

by Penelope Fitzgerald | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0395859972 Global Overview for this book
Registered by nillabreen of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts USA on 11/30/2003
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
7 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by nillabreen from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, November 30, 2003
This is near the base of my TBR mountain. I'm sending it on a bookring so it can be read in the meantime. My mom sent me this one. It looks fantastic, but I have so much to read and it's been on my shelf for a long time.


cover copy:

The Blue Flower is set in the age of Goethe, in the small towns and great universities of late-eighteenth-century Germany. It tells the true story of Friedrich von Hardenberg, a passionate, impetuous student of philosophy who will later gain fame as the Romantic poet Novalis. Fritz seeks his father's permission to wed his "heart's heart", his "spirit's guide" - a plain, simple child named Sophie von Kuhn. It is an attachment that shocks his family and friends. Their brilliant young Fritz, betrothed to a twelve-year-old dullard! How can this be?

The irrationality of love, the transfiguration of the commonplace, the clarity of purpose that comes with knowing one's own fate- these are the themes of this beguiling novel, themes treated with a mix of wit, grace, and mischievous humor unique to the art of Penelope Fitzgerald.

Journal Entry 2 by nillabreen from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts USA on Monday, December 1, 2003
When you receive this book, please make a journal entry to let everyone know that you have received it. After you read the book, please make another journal entry with your comments. Send a private message (pm) to the next person on the list to get their address. If that person doesn't reply, try sending another message, but if they don't reply within a week, please skip that person and contact the next one. The skipped person can get back into the ring later by contacting me. Try to keep the ring moving, but don't read the book so quickly that you don't enjoy it. Thanks for joining the ring! Happy reading!



Journal Entry 3 by fio-dagua from Porto - City, Porto Portugal on Tuesday, December 30, 2003
got it!
thank you very much!

Journal Entry 4 by fio-dagua at on Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Released on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 at caixa de correio in estação dos CTT, Envio Postal/Postal release Portugal.

Journal Entry 5 by LeighBCD on Friday, April 16, 2004
Thanks fio! I received this book in yesterday's post. I have just finished reading 2 bookray books and was ready to start something else on Mount TBR when this came through the mail-box - perfect! Decision making over with! I started the book this morning on my Tube trip into work and will probably finish this within the next few days. Thanks very much nillabreen!

Journal Entry 6 by LeighBCD on Monday, April 19, 2004
While I am very glad that I had a chance to read this book - any novel which has won the Booker Prize is worth delving into - I have to say that I did not like this book at all. Unfortunately, this book for me was a real case of "The Emperor's New Clothes" - I cannot understand why people raved about it. Technically Fitzgerald is a very accomplished writer and she has done her research - but as a book, and as a story, it did not engage me at all. I am really pleased to have joined the bookray though - thanks so much nillabreen for organising it. :-)

I will send this to the next person in the ray over the course of this week.

Journal Entry 7 by LeighBCD at to tania-in-nc in Mooresville, North Carolina -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, April 22, 2004
Released on Thursday, April 22, 2004 at to tania-in-nc in Mooresville, North Carolina Controlled Releases.

I hope you enjoy the book more than I did!

Journal Entry 8 by tania-in-nc from Mooresville, North Carolina USA on Thursday, April 29, 2004
This book arrived safely in my hands today. Thanks for sharing!

Journal Entry 9 by tania-in-nc from Mooresville, North Carolina USA on Friday, May 14, 2004
I started this one last night. So far, so good. One of my passions is the collecting of quotes. I read with a pen in hand taking notes. These passages ended up in my journal. I thought you may wish to see them.

.. in a voice as deep as the third level of a copper-mine, ... p85

The servants had already brought in the soups, one made of beer, sugar and eggs, one of rose-hips and onions, one of bread and cabbage-water, one of cows' udders flavored with nutmeg. There was dough mixed with beech-nut oil, pickled herrings and goose with treacle sauce, hard-boiled eggs, numereous dumplings. It was dangerous - on this, at least, all Germany's physicians were agreed - not to keep the stomach full at all times. p115
[comment: I enjoy reading about different meals. This book is set in the 1700's]

She was constraining herself not to tap her feet. The music seemed to pass into them and upwards through her whole body: she felt like a bottle of soda-water. p177

Journal Entry 10 by tania-in-nc from Mooresville, North Carolina USA on Sunday, May 16, 2004
I am waiting for Ilios' address to send it on. I think this is a book I will need to reread to fully capture the beauty of it.

sent media mail May 23rd, 2004.

Journal Entry 11 by Ilios from Tampa, Florida USA on Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Just got it in the mail today! Thanks for sharing this. I am going to update this journal entry as soon as I am done. I read Fitzgerald's Human Voices and I am curious about this book.

Update 7/31/04
My deepest apologies for having this book more than 30 days. Life caught up with me and I became a book hogger despite my best efforts! :o( I have been studying for my board certification in Behavior Analysis and my reading time was spent studying instead of reading for fun. I am getting back on track and hope to send this book on its journey pretty soon. I expect to be done with it next week and I already have DrBrown address. Again, my apologies to all.

ps: on the bright side, I did pass the certification exam! :o)

Journal Entry 12 by Ilios from Tampa, Florida USA on Friday, August 6, 2004
This is a picture of Novalis, or Fritz, the main character of this book.

I am finally done with the book. My apologies again to all for the delay. I am giving the book a 6 only because I didn't care about the characters at all, even though I liked Penelope Fitzgerald's style. This is the 2nd book I read by this author. The first one was "Human Voices" and I had a similar problem with the charaters. However, with that book, they grew on me, and by the final chapters I was really dying to know how their destiny would play out.

With the Blue Flower, I cared less and less about the characters as the story progressed. :o( I feel quite ambivalent about the book, because I really enjoyed Fitzgerald's humor, so I really had a hard time rating the book. Am I being too confusing? I read a thread on the fora about how people get frustrated with succinct journal entries, so I am trying to do my best here! :o)

Anyway, Novalis' love for his plain Sophie wasn't understood by his family, and didn't quite understand it myself. I had the impression that Fritz was as childish as the object of his love. The tragedies at the end of teh book just made the whole story even more peculiar.

I am sending this to DrBrown. I am curious about other BXers opinions about this book.

Journal Entry 13 by Ilios at post office in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Friday, August 6, 2004
Release planned for Saturday, August 07, 2004 at post office in snail mailed to a fellow bookcrosser as part of a bookring, Bookring Controlled Releases.

Sending to DrBrown!

Journal Entry 14 by DrBrown from Sierra Madre, California USA on Friday, August 13, 2004
This arrived last night, and I will start as soon as I finish the book I'm presently reading.

Journal Entry 15 by DrBrown from Sierra Madre, California USA on Wednesday, January 19, 2005
So very sorry for gumming up the works -- I put this on my TBR shelf, we cleaned house, the shelf got rearranged somehow, and I completely forgot about it. I've emailed the next person in line and will send this on as soon as I receive her address!

Journal Entry 16 by spaceystacey from Bridgeton, New Jersey USA on Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Just received in the post today. Will be reading shortly and sending on to nillabreen.


12/31/2007 another one that I have had way too long. Will connect with nillabean again to see if she still wants the book returned to her before venturing overseas. I do have the funds at this time to post internationally. I have pm'd the next reader in malaysia for an address.

My first read from this author. At first I was very stunned by the shortness of each chapter. But as the read progressed, I was able to focus less and less on that physical fact of the book.

I had just finished reading a book, set in the same timeframe, A Thousand Orange Trees though that one was in Spain and France and the setting for this one is in Germany.

Are you sure you want to delete this item? It cannot be undone.