This short novel is reflective, and tender – a detailed character study and poignant portrayal of aging.

Septuagenarian Sy Baumgartner is an author and philosophy professor at Princeton. His life has been defined by his love for Anna, his wife who died in a swimming accident almost a decade earlier. Via his revisited memories and some of his and Anna’s writings, we learn about Sy’s youth in Newark, the background of his parents, his first meetings with Anna, and their 40-year relationship.

This novel is character-driven, not plot-driven. Not much happens. The narrative follows Sy’s recollections which do not follow a chronological order. The style, almost stream-of-consciousness, approximates how memories work. Sentences are often very lengthy, again suggesting the flow of memories.

I found Sy, whose full name is Seymour Tecumseh Baumgartner, a relatable character since I too am in my twilight years when there are more years behind than ahead of me. He’s intelligent and has a great sense of humour. He’s coming to terms with his past, especially the losses he has experienced, and the present and what lies ahead with the mental and physical challenges of aging.

It is Sy’s grieving of the loss of Anna that stands out. He describes himself as a human stump whose “innermost part” is dead: “a half man who has lost the half of himself that had made him whole, and yes, the missing limbs are still there, and they still hurt, hurt so much that he sometimes feels his body is about to catch fire and consume him on the spot.”

Nonetheless he still wants to live, even if “to live is to feel pain.” He knows that “to live in fear of pain is to refuse to live” so he accepts that and decides to follow his father’s wishes that he “fight the good fight.” An unexpected letter gives Sy a new lease on life; as he awaits the arrival of Beatrix Coen, whom he describes as a bookend of his life, he “is half out of his skin with anticipation, like a restless boy counting down the days until school lets out for the summer.”

Then there’s an abrupt ending; its ambiguity will leave many readers unsatisfied and perhaps even angry. I found it perfect. The last event is so ironic in light of Baumgartner’s overwhelming fears for Beatrix. And considering the central metaphor of his last book which he has just finished writing, his experiencing a “breakdown in the heart of motor city” is just so apropos.

This quiet novel with its introspective protagonist made me think of Elizabeth Strout’s novels, particularly the Amgash series featuring Lucy Barton. Readers wanting an action-filled book should look elsewhere, but readers who enjoy reflective novels which examine the complexities of relationships and the human condition are in for a treat.

This meditation on a life is a lovely read. For me, it was a little like sitting with an older family member telling me about his life and I have always loved that kind of storytelling.

This is my first Paul Auster novel; with that being said, I am now thoroughly excited to dig deeper into this author's oeuvre.

A profound character study of a man whose advancing years are shaped by mourning and memory, "Baumgartner" will surely strike a resonant chord with his readers.

Sy Baumgartner, the protagonist of our story, is struggling with the challenges of aging and the passage of time. At the age of seventy, he realizes that he can no longer afford to be hesitant and indecisive. As he navigates through a day filled with minor accidents and mishaps, we meander down a path of memories of the past, including his life with Anna, whom he met in 1968, and the profound impact she had on his life. We also learn about his immigrant parents and his childhood in Newark, culminating in a scholarship that allowed him to escape. The story is interspersed with excerpts from Anna's writings and Baumgartner's own memories.

One of the standout features of the book is how effortlessly Auster guides readers through the memories of Baumgartner. His writing is approachable and edifying, allowing readers to inundate themselves in the protagonist's state of consciousness quickly. This simplicity in narrative style makes it easy for readers to understand our main character's complexities and their experiences. While I understand Paul Auster departs from the postmodern pyrotechnics that have defined much of his acclaimed career, Auster's simple and profound prose within "Baumgartner" takes readers on a captivating hero's journey nonetheless.

Lovely. So well written that I felt like I was in the room watching Baumgartner write and walk and think. This is a story of an academic in his 70s having lost his wife and learning how to live in this new stage of life. There’s little linear plot - a lot of reflection of his family and his life - and I enjoyed it all. The writing. Whew. Beautiful.

I have been hesitating between the three and four stars.
I really liked the story. I found the main character, Sy Baumgartner, charming, and the relationship with his deceased wife beautiful.
The hesitation comes because if I compare it to Auster's other works, I think this one is lame, simpler. However, to be honest, if it didn't have the name Paul Auster on the cover, I would definitely give it 4 stars.

Español: He estado dudando entre las tres y las cuatro estrellas.
La historia realmente me ha gustado. El protagonista, Sy Baumgartner, me ha parecido encantador, y la relación con su mujer difunta preciosa.
La duda viene porque si lo comparo con otros trabajos de Auster, creo que ésta se queda cojo, más simple. Sin embargo, para ser honesta, si no tuviera el nombre Paul Auster en la cubierta, le pondría 4 estrellas sin duda alguna.

Baumgartner is the last name of our main character, a man in his 70's who is been trying to redesign his life for the past decade after the passing of his beloved wife, Anna. I love character-driven novels and this was very rich in a variety of subjects: writing life, academic life, grief and Baumgartner's family history, being descendent of immigrants. I also enjoyed reading about Anna, she seemed like an interesting character, even though we know from the very beginning she is not alive anymore. I liked the writing, it was very easy to get into the story and kept me engaged even in the most mundane scenes. Very recommended.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for the eARC.

Paul Auster is a master storyteller and this story is one of those that will remain with me for a long time.
I loved the storytelling, the emotions, and the characters.
An excellent read
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An excellent novel by a master writer. The prose is beautiful, the characters are wonderfully drawn, and the plot pleasingly meanders along. Baumgartner is actually my favorite Auster novel. The book is focused on one character and his journey through grief and aging.

The title character , Sy, is a quickly aging senior who has lost his beloved wife in a drowning incident. Sy goes through many phases of grief, some of them productive and some just sad. He tries to find new love. He begins to have all the little domestic accidents and falls that most old people go through in the latter parts of life. Anyone who is growing older or who has walked this journey with parents will recognize and empathize with this character.

No spoilers, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of the book. It leaves a lot unsaid. On the other hand, who are we kidding? Anyone who's been around older people know how the story ends.

This slim, self indulgent novel will be most enjoyed by fans of Auster. It moves back and forth to tell the story of Sy Baumgartner, now 70 and his courtship and marriage to Anna, who has been dead for nine years. He's confronting his morality, thinking philosophical thoughts, and meditating on love and marriage. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Another entry into the genre of older men thinking about their past.

Seymour Tecumseh (“ST”) Baumgartner, philosophy professor at Princeton, is approaching his seventh decade. He’s a widower whose beloved wife Anna died in a tragic beach accident ten years ago, a loss that left him reeling. He’s picked up the pieces, has a new love, and is getting ready to retire. But his body and mind aren’t what they were, and lately he’s been wondering if he’s made the right choices. Pervading the novel is the notion: will old(er) age end in loneliness?

I became a Paul Auster fan many years ago when I perused my wife’s bookshelf when we were first dating. Always good to share interests, right? That set me on a path, which left off six years ago with the masterpiece, 4321. This is now the ninth book of his I’ve read, and I cherish them all (with 4321, Leviathan, and Moon Palace taking top billing).

That said, I was skeptical because of the layout of this novel. Nearly plotless, heady, introspective, intensely philosophical? Hmm. Those are all the reasons I never finished any Proust (yes, I’m a troglodyte). But, at just 208 pages, I figured that even if I did get bogged down, the traffic jam of thought wouldn’t last long.

I forgot, however, why I love this author in the first place. You philosophy majors can go ahead and laugh, but I find his writing deeply existential in a common-man way. OK, Sy isn’t exactly Joe Sixpack, as a Princeton professor and all, but Auster tortures him in a manner to which we can all relate. I adored the first chapter: the accidents, the solitude, the rambling of thoughts, things that happen to anyone. It’s all told in Sy’s head, and the sentences are Faulkner-esque, stretching for nearly half a page…but since it’s tactile, easy to imagine, it absolutely works. It’s not, “He loved his wife with all his heart,” but rather, “Anna looked like this,” and “She ran like the wind.” Auster illustrates his MC’s feelings, and somehow I was made to feel them intensely. Only a master does that.

He also has a way of describing characters with such intricacy, importance, and care. Even the gasman that shows up is given a personality, a tenderness that challenges our assumptions and fits in perfectly with Sy’s thoughts. Each gets a little backstory, which you think would be tedious. But no, “show, don’t tell” wins again. We see the contrast between Anna and Judith (his new love) shown through Judith’s upper-middle-class upbringing. We get a sense of every member of Sy’s family through the dress shop, through lived history, through interpersonal conflict. Again, it’s palpable, and thus, it’s not really introspection, is it?

Even better, Auster gives us love, pain, long-ago happiness using a tremendously creative and well-executed tactic: the main characters’ writings. Sy stumbles across short stories and poems written by his wife and shares them with us. I love an author who can portray different voices in the same novel, and Auster’s no slouch. Anna’s childhood memoir flattened me, and I’m no lover of poetry, but I adored the verse that seemed to be the beginning of their love affair. Not as crazy about one of Sy’s memoirs, but it was still an interesting way to share feelings and thoughts. The ending is a little abrupt and vague, but I gave it some thought and I’m OK with it now.

So, once again, if you consider yourself a budding philosopher, I won’t begrudge your snickering. But the reason I loved this novel was the everyman existentialism, the contemplation of Sy’s place in the world, his contributions to society, his struggle with his fears of loneliness. He looks, for example, at his relationship with his sister Naomi with regret and longing, and through real-life actions and tangible memories, we feel those regrets. Time and again I set down my Kindle, letting the sensations wash over me. But not for long, since I ripped through this novel, not your stereotypical “page-turner,” in a day and a half.

I could sit in these feelings all day. The ideas and situations Auster presents are the kinds that would remind me that the examined life is worth living.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for the distinct honor of receiving an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Baumgartner will be released November 7, 2023.

This is a quiet story about age and love and grief. It made me laugh and clenched my heart a little.

It reminded me a little of Zorrie by Laird Hunt or the Lucy Barton books by Elizabeth Strout, in that it's the story of a life, told through memory. Tender is a good word.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Pack it up Paul! If you can’t hold up like Scorsese, retire now. This was the most boring ‘tell not show’ narrative I’ve come across this year.

Auster asks us to think back on love and loss and how to come out of it. Where do our minds wander? Forward? Backwards? Towards our own pasts? How far have we really come?

But in this snoozefest that characterizes women in such a weird/horny way, you lose sight of empathy and see that Auster is just an old kook that is working from an entirely different generation that doesn’t work in the frame of the modern world (even though the book is set a few years before the pandemic). Auster writes the way Woody Allen still makes movies with jokes that center around the Vietnam War and J Edgar Hoover. He’s not up-to-date. He requires retirement.

Now, I’m one for narratives about the elderly thinking about past love (ie. 𝘈𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳 by Haneke or even 𝘝𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘹 by Noé) but whenever old man Baumgartner got horny, it came out of nowhere. There was no build up. Pure objectification of women without much class or grace. If you can't prose like Salter and lean into foreplay, then don't write the sexy bits, Auster!

Though the book starts off incredibly strong. The scene is set up. The anxiety and rush is there. But it stops short. This is 20% of the book. The other 80% is a slog that delves into memories and the way one thinks of the past when it came to the pandemic. In a ways, this is a pandemic-memory book, but Patchett did it better with 𝘛𝘰𝘮 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦. She at least respects her characters, especially when writing the opposite sex.

Skip this and look to 𝘈𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳 by Michael Haneke.

p/s: the most interesting thing to come out of my experience with this book was that a quick google search of auster showed me that he was married to lydia davis. whose work slaps SO MUCH harder and better than Auster. woof.

At what point in life do you find yourself looking back at what has been more often than you look forward to what is to come? In truth, I believe I may have already reached that point. Certainly Sy Baumgartner, the seventy one years old academic featured in this story, has. As we meet up with Sy he’s not having a great day, he’d been contemplating how to invest his time but now he’s had a fall, which has really scuppered any plans he might have tentatively formed. however, following a telephone call from an old friend he's become somewhat reinvigorated, he’s been prompted to dig out and sort through the unpublished writings of his late wife, Anna. It seems that a young scholar is interested in writing a thesis based on Anna’s work - Sy had arranged for a collection of her poems to be published some years earlier - and now it seems that her unpublished pieces would also be of interest.

This exercise causes Sy to recall events from when he’d first met Anna right up to the point a tragic accident took her life, some ten years ago. As he works through a large pile of poems and other assorted pieces his mind is filled with thoughts prompted by Anna’s writing, or at other times it’s his own recollections that take over. This might all sound somewhat maudlin, but actually it’s anything but in the hands of someone as skilled as Auster. Yes, Sy misses Anna terribly and in many ways he knows he’ll never really get over his loss. But to some extent he’s forced himself to move on and, in fact, he’s now mulling over the idea of proposing marriage to a woman he’s been seeing regularly for some time.

Auster has amazing range: he’s written some of the most imaginative stories I’ve ever read (Timbuktu and Mr. Vertigo immediately spring to mind); In the Country of Last Things took readers to a disturbing dystopian future; The New York Trilogy is a series of interconnected detective novels, and the list goes on. He’s also reflected deeply on his own life in books such as The Invention of Solitude and Winter Journal. So where does this one fit? Well, Sy is a little younger than the author, but not by too much, and other links also stand out: a home city of Newark, a period of living in Paris as a young man and Jewish parents with some Austrian ancestry. So though it’s not a story of Auster’s own life, I do feel that he brings something of himself to this short but brilliantly observed novel. Sy is a man reflecting on the life he’s lived and on his more limited future, about what he’s had, what he’s lost and also the randomness of things - how things might have played out so differently. It’s not my favourite Auster novel - maybe it’s a little too close to home for that - but it is an affecting tale, one that’ll certainly stay with me, and perhaps haunt me, for some time to come.

The episodical plot of the novel constantly changes lanes and prevents the reader from guessing the direction that it could take at any point. Though I was bedazzled by the writing, I was waiting impatiently for all the subplots to tie up neatly and make sense. Then came the final reveal of the subject of his philosophical book, and all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place. The book is essentially a reflection on human life and the constant struggle to make sense of it.

Paul Auster is one of the great American novelists. His previous novel 4321 (2017) was a magnum opus that traced four alternative lives of its main character. But it was a bit of an outlier compared to his many much shorter novels that deeply investigate the life of its protagonist. Books like Leviathan and Mr Veritgo. Auster’s latest book, Baumgartner, his first since 4321, returns to this style of a short, deeply observed character study.
Sy Baumgartner is an ageing academic living on his own. The opening section of the book quickly established Baumgartner as a man who is struggling a little to cope but also has a support network around him. Readers soon learn that ten years on he is still mourning the death of Anna, the love of his life. Through her short stories and poems he brings their romance and their story out over the course of the novel while he tries to produce his own new work. At the same time, he reflects on the journey of both of their families and the circumstances that predated them coming together. Auster effortlessly takes readers into his main character’s point of view and uses a variety of techniques to bring his reminiscences and his past to vivid life.
Auster, himself 76, is likely reflecting on his own life, but as he has done before, he uses this fictional vehicle to make universal observations on memory, ageing and love. Baumgartner is a beautifully observed and achingly written character study that shows a great author still able to deliver something new is a style that has always been their own but they seem to have honed and perfected.

He is seventy year old, after all, and the time for dithering has come to an end.
from Baumgartner by Paul Auster

I turned seventy-one this year. I discovered that my knees are worn out. I fell down a step and tore a rotor cuff. We cleared out our son’s childhood toys and books and college papers this summer. With every load hauled out of the basement, it felt like I was erasing his past. Even if with his permission. Sometimes, the brevity of life left and the decades of life that has passed hits me like a brick and I shudder with recognition: I am old and have squandered my days.

Reading books about the so-called ‘elderly’ in their early seventies, dealing with physical limitations and the siren call of memories of times past is disconcerting. Do I even need to read them–I am living it.

“To live is to feel pain,” Sy tells himself; “and to live in fear of pain is to refuse to live.” His beloved wife Anna died tragically nearly ten years ago and he had refused to feel the pain for ten years, was dead inside.

Paul Auster’s new novel begins with Sy Baumgartner’s very bad day of forgetfulness and accidents on the first day of spring. And on this day, “the lost world of Then” came flooding back, the first time he saw Anna, their life together.

He has no idea how many years he has left, or more disconcerting, how many years of active, competent years, all which will “flit by in a blink.” He is aware that “the world is burning up,” and yet he finds solace in a beautiful September day that demands you go outdoors to enjoy it.

Sy finally decides to propose to the woman he has been seeing; it doesn’t go as he had hoped. Then, a grad student expresses interest in Anna’s writings, someone who loved her one published poetry book, and she inquires if she could have access to all Anna’s papers for research. It gives Sy new interest in the future, a way to keep his wife alive for future generations.

The novel closes with Sy surviving another accident, suggesting this is the beginning of Sy’s last chapter.

I try to keep in the present, to not regret the past or the shortening of the days. Reading prepublication books is one way I stay connected to the ‘now’, or more exactly, to the future. It is a way of proving to myself my mind is still good and I can contribute.

But, like Sy, an accidental misstep and injury brings into focus what I lose every day. And a novel like Baumgartner, expressing the wisdom one writer has garnered can help we the ‘elderly’ feel less alone and give younger readers insight into their future.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

Beautifully written this is the sort of book that you need to take time to read. Sy Baumgartner is 72, his first wife has died some years ago. He loved her completely and without her he has trouble putting his life back together. This story allows for lots of reflection both past and present as he tries to decide what’s really important. In the end it is decided for him and we will be awaiting the next instalment. It is an unusual Topic for Paul Auster and I wonder how much was driven by his own life. Certainly there would be rich pickings there. That matters less than it is worth reading and the processing that he uses with Sy are relatable for anyone who has grieved and who needs to believe in what next.Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the pre publication copy. My opinions are my own

I have always been a huge fan of Paul Auster, so I was thrilled to hear he had another one coming this Fall.

As a native New Yorker, Auster always makes the tri-state area (this one takes place in New York City + Princeton, NJ) come alive in a way I believe requires a native soul.

I started Baumgartner three nights ago, immediately after finishing another book. Usually, when I begin one book on the heel of another, I make it ten minutes, then go to sleep.

Baumgartner immediately hooked me with a seemingly banal tale of a task that turned into an accident that turned into....a whole reflection of his life.

From there, Baumgartner reflects on his entire life. He reminisces about his wife, his family, his family history, and tales of wolves. My favorite parts of this book were, incidentally, Baumgartner's wife's unpublished prose, which detailed a traumatic wartime accident and her own love story with Baumgartner. I wanted to know more about Anna!

As I read this book, I also Googled Auster to see what had been up with him—and he has had a rough few years, which made me feel closer to this book and Auster's reflections.

Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Sy Baumgartner, a man in his 70s who has always been deeply in love with his wife Anna, even after her sudden and tragic death. Struggling to live in her absence, Sy looks back at his youth and recalls his life with his parents, how he chose his career, when he met Anna, how their relationship developed with time.

Baumgartner is a short reflective book that, more than telling us a story, lets us feel it. It's a collection of memories, of pictures that the narrator holds dear in his heart and looks back in a time of sadness and loneliness. The prose is brilliant, clever, charming. Now I understand why he is such a loved and praised author (this is my first Auster but I already know it won't be my last - time to catch up!).
This book is very character driven, so don't expect action or plot twists: I read it as an occasion to stop and simply savor the present, especially the surprises (good and bad) that life gives us, just like Sy does. I particularly loved the beginning and the ending of the book, both unpredictable, but very real and effective. The middle section was a bit slow at times, and often I couldn't help but wonder how much of what the main character says and feels comes from the real voice of Paul Auster, and not from just his creativity. This made me appreciate the story more, and the author as well.

* I'd like to thank Paul Auster, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. * Baumgartner is out on November 7th, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Baumgartner by Paul Auster!