The last 200 pages or so wore me out. There wasn't any unifying theme, and after reading a lot of Proustian prose about Shostakovich, he again pops up for another 100 pages of self-pity in the chapter "Opus 110". I found all the music-related similes at best awkward and at worst total nonsense. This novel is the epitome of overwritten and adds zero understanding of Germany and Russia during WWII, but provides a backdrop for imagined affairs and angst for the two countrie's artists, composers, and filmmakers. I'm done with Vollmann if this is an example of his best work (he got the National Book Award for this one). ( )

Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "Heavy, intense reading with a rich reward. The Soviets and the Nazi's battle it out in central europe during WWII (Operation Barbarossa), and artists such as Soviet composer Dmitri Shastokovich continue to be inspired and produce. Include profiles of several real persons, in addition to Shastokovich: Kathe Kollwitz, Kurt Gerstein, General Paulus and General Vlasov." ( )

I thought the section about Gerstein, the conflicted supplier of gas to death camps was the best part. After were the tales of Paulus and Vlasov, the generals who were captured and switched allegiences. Unfortunately, Vollman spends more time on Shostakovich, the composer involved in a love triangle. ( )

Not sure what Vollman was going for for this book. I expected a deep meditation on tyranny, the role of the individual in mass movements, that sort of thing.

What I got instead was an account of the many men obsessed with Elena Konstantinovskaya, a half-assed biopic of Shostakovich, and a couple of character sketches.

I am left with the impression that Vollman spent far too much time at the library reading up on mid-century Germany and Russia, and this is his Book Report. ( )

Not Vollmann's best work but, with his talent, even a one-off book is an excellent work. I'm not the best person to evaluate Europe Central. I have little understanding of music in general and less so with classical music. As Europe Central revolves around the life and work of Dimitri Shostakovich, an understanding of classical music would go a long way in appreciating its worth.

None-the-less, Europe Central is filled with painful stories of the German-Russian dimension of World War II. As the war's Eastern Front is often neglected in the West, the story is a powerful reminder of the personal horror we typically ignore. And, of course, Vollmann's masterful prose (not to mention his remarkable historical research) make the book a powerful addition to Vollmann's literary work. ( )