Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Fear by Stefan Zweig

Irene is a beautiful, self-centered, spoiled woman, the wife of a wealthy lawyer who takes everything for granted.  From childhood, she has lived the kind of life where everything has been handed to her on a silver platter.  She decides to indulge in an extramarital affair with a poor musician, which leads to blackmail.  It's a new experience for her, as this is a difficulty she must handle all on her own or risk losing everything she has--husband, children, luxurious lifestyle, social standing, all of which she only learns to appreciate when threatened with losing them.

Very entertaining story of a woman who gets her comeuppance with an unexpected twist at the end.  As always, Stefan Zweig displays his talent for creating realistic characters and interesting plots.

Apparently there's a Roberto Rossellini movie made in the 1950's based on this novella called <i>La Paura</i> starring Ingrid Bergman, which I'd love to see if I can find it.

No comments:

Post a Comment