Official Review: The Mistaken Hero by Mart Schreiber

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any fiction books or series that do not fit into one of the other categories. If the fiction book fits into one the other categories, please use that category instead.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
L_Therese
Posts: 588
Joined: 25 Sep 2013, 05:21
Currently Reading: American Psycho
Bookshelf Size: 1970
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-l-therese.html
Latest Review: The Middle Ages by Jane Chance

Official Review: The Mistaken Hero by Mart Schreiber

Post by L_Therese »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Mistaken Hero" by Mart Schreiber.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Sometimes it’s easy to ignore infrastructure until something goes wrong. If a highway exit ramp or a city bus seat could speak, what stories would it tell? In Mart Schreiber’s book The Mistaken Hero, the Vienna metro system is the common denominator in four short stories. An innocuous transportation system becomes the setting and perhaps a catalyst for pivotal moments in at least four lives. In the first story, entitled “The Mistaken Hero”, Sven once rescued a beautiful woman during a terrifying subway journey, but he finds out later that his younger brother Erik got the credit - and the girl. A brief, flirtatious exchange on the morning commute causes strife in Clemens’ romantic life in “Newly in Love”. In “A Dirty-Green Backpack”, an abandoned backpack left underneath the seat raises fears and suspicions as commuters recall the ubiquitous anti-terrorism warnings they’ve all heard but never really listened to. Finally, the train ride in “The Last Journey” marks the point where one man comes to terms with his own reality.

Each story in this collection is entirely unique, but there are themes that bring them together beyond the motif of the Vienna metro. In every story, the concept presented or assumed at the beginning gets twisted into a new direction. In more than one story, I grew to dislike the protagonist because of the way events and situations revealed hidden character traits. At the same time, other characters might be viewed more favorably by the way the plot turns each situation on its head.

One small problem I had with this collection is the stiffness that often accompanies translation. The author lives in Vienna and probably wrote the book in German. Translation is attributed to Holger Flock, ostensibly in American English. While the translation is clearly skillfully done, it left a lot of the dialogue sounding slightly unnatural, mixing common slang with forms that are not typical in spoken English. Readers who use forms of the English language closer to British or Australian norms will probably be more comfortable than users of American English.

There were just a couple of minor editing problems in the book. An occasional missing word and a you/your mix-up represent the most noticeable errors. I found no reason to doubt that the editing was professionally done and that the mistakes were anything more than typographical errors.

Despite the slight flaws I mentioned above, it is my pleasure to rate The Mistaken Hero by Mart Schreiber 4 out of 4 stars. The stories were intricate and fascinating, and the characters were vivid. Each story shared something profound with the reader: the importance of self-examination, the healing joy of forgiveness, the tragedy of racism, and the loneliness of aging number among the many other valuable lessons demonstrated by Schreiber’s characters. Since it is immediately evident that the book is written from a Viennese perspective, I think it is not necessary to place too much weight on the small flaws caused by the process of translation. Schreiber’s book is moving and masterful, and I hope readers everywhere can enjoy it as much as I did.

******
The Mistaken Hero
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like L_Therese's review? Post a comment saying so!
User avatar
Kourtney Bradley
Posts: 2137
Joined: 10 Oct 2015, 21:45
Favorite Book: Bridges of Madison County
Currently Reading: Layla
Bookshelf Size: 412
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kourtney-bradley.html
Latest Review: Dante's Demons by K.L. Barstow
Reading Device: 1400697484

Post by Kourtney Bradley »

It's nice when you are able to give a perfect rating despite some errors, because that book was just THAT great! Thanks for sharing! I'll have to check this out!
Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light. :techie-studyingbrown:
–Vera Nazarian
User avatar
MrsCatInTheHat
Posts: 3817
Joined: 31 May 2016, 11:53
Favorite Book: Cry the Beloved Country
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 376
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mrscatinthehat.html
Latest Review: Marc Marci by Larry G. Goldsmith
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Publishing Contest Votes: 0

Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

I find that stiffness to be a common problem, as well, when books are translated. A good story does help to overcome that issue!
Life without a good book is something MrsCatInTheHat cannot imagine.
User avatar
kimmyschemy06
Posts: 2598
Joined: 20 Oct 2015, 20:49
Currently Reading: The Searching Three
Bookshelf Size: 694
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kimmyschemy06.html
Latest Review: Kazi Boku by M. Poyhonen

Post by kimmyschemy06 »

I like the book already :) It sounds like a great read. The author seems to do a really good job with all the four stories. Great review. Congratulations to Mart Schreiber on such an obviously well written book.
User avatar
Wasif Ahmed
Posts: 662
Joined: 19 Sep 2016, 22:00
Favorite Author: J.K. Rowling
Currently Reading: The Face of Fear
Bookshelf Size: 110
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wasif-ahmed.html
Latest Review: Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! by Len Foley
Reading Device: B00THRCA6E
fav_author_id: 1778

Post by Wasif Ahmed »

Looks like the book would have been flawless if it had been originally written in English. Good job on the review.
When people say you've changed, it just means that you have stopped living your life, their way.
Post Reply

Return to “Other Fiction Forum”