This was an interesting listen. It was a quick read/listen and I never became bored with it. I personally just did not think this will be a title that will stick with me. A read that I won't necessarily remember.

Thank you NetGalley for free audiobook. I was drawn to this book because of the music aspect. I felt like it just sort of meandered and never went anywhere. Not 100% sure what the author was trying to say or what point he was trying to make.

J.M. Coetzee's "The Pole" is a gripping novel that delves into the complex relationship between two unlikely characters. The book's captivating language and well-developed characters draw readers into the story, full of emotional highs and lows as the characters navigate their complicated bond.
The story revolves around Witold Walczykiewicz, a talented pianist with a white mane of hair, and Beatriz, a married patron of the arts who initially appears uninterested in Witold. However, as the story progresses, readers are taken on a journey filled with twists and turns that reveal the actual depth of their relationship.
Coetzee's writing is poetic and atmospheric, efficiently transporting readers to various locations. He skilfully captures the intricacies of human relationships and experiences, making for a compelling read.
The audiobook version, narrated by Colin Mace, highlights the book. Mace's pleasant voice and attention to detail make for an enjoyable listening experience, and his ability to correctly pronounce Polish words and surnames adds to the story's authenticity.
Overall, "The Pole" is a powerful novel that will captivate readers who enjoy thought-provoking and moving literature. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a poignant and memorable story.

Such a quiet book, and yet so provocative and memorable. This gem of a story about a Polish pianist and patron of the arts from Barcelona had so much to say about infatuation, connection, longing, affection, language, and what the end game is of a life. I was unprepared for the ending--and yet in retrospect it felt just perfect. So many questions raised, so much that can never be known. This is just the kind of story I love -- and just the kind that comes along way too seldom.

A simple, short, elegant book that creates a spell not unlike the Chopin piano performances that gird the story.

A 72-year-old Polish concert pianist becomes smitten with a 49-year-old Spanish woman who, at her age, understands all of the seductive b.s. that men try to pull over on women. He's kind of decrepit. And, sure, her husband is a jerk, likely unfaithful and the marriage seems more like it's sustained by the inertia of social obligations. But isn't it nice to be adored at this age? No, it's unseemly. And yet...

I found myself sucked into Beatrice's dilemma. There's real tension about what will happen. And the writing is a masterclass. Every word is perfectly, sparely placed.

As for a rating, to me, the book is outside of ratings. It's the work of a master. My rating is based on how wide of a circle I'd recommend it to.

#netgalley

Coetzee's latest work is typical of his shorter fiction. In this novel he tells of a brief affair between Beatriz, a Spaniard involved in hosting the much older visiting pianist Witold, who is infatuated with her. Witold pursues Beatriz and she finally invites him into her life for a moment in time when she invites him to her vacation home on Mallorca, after her husband has returned to Spain. She cuts off the relationship as abruptly as it began and erases him from her mind until she receives word that he has died and left her a mysterious package, which contains poems he has written for her in Polish, a language she does not know. While the reader is privy to Beatriz's inner thoughts, Witold is much more unknown to us. Coetzee's language is spare but incisive, conveying wisdom about the human condition. The book will appeal to fans of Coetzee's previous works as well as to readers of literary fiction.

The Pole is minor Coetzee, but even minor Coetzee is wonderfully made, and indeed major. The measured tension of the prose, the thoughtfulness of exploration of character and relation...from the meta fictions of the opening, to the rigorous consideration of desire throughout, the novel is a sustained delight.

The difficulty of communication, another frequent theme of Coetzee’s, is here explored in large part (in keeping with his decision to have the book published in Spanish translation before being published in English) through consideration of language, translation, and different forms of art (music, poetry, prose). Coetzee repeats much of his thematic repertoire, but The Pole is yet another brilliant performance.

So a little time to digest this beautiful piece of writing from JM Coetzee. I loved Disgrace so when this short novel came up on Netgalley I clicked request immediately.

The Pole is Wittold, a concert pianist booked to perform at a music circle concert in Barcelona. Beatriz is there by default, standing in for a friend and she does not like the way Wittold interprets Chopin. At a meal after the concert she interrogates Wittold about the music and is dissatisfied with his answers but cannot seem to stop asking questions, provoking him to provide yet more unsatisfactory responses.

After he has left Wittold gets in touch with Beatriz to tell her he has fallen in love with her. She tells him that these feelings are not reciprocated.

For me the book starts here. For me this is Coetzee's genius. He does not make Wittold young or sexy or desirable, quite the opposite. He tells us Beatriz says she is not interested, doesn't want a relationship, does not want intimacy but the following chapters prove the lie.

Beatriz is the most infuriating, rude, delusional character. She does not want Wittold but replies to his letters; she does not want a relationship but continues to involve herself in his life; she refuses to have an affair with an old man and yet ... You can guess where she's going and what she will do long before it ever happens.

And afterwards she complains he has not hounded her for more, has not begged; conveniently forgetting the emails she trashed without reading, the refusals she gave him.

It is quite a melancholy book but I still loved it. I listened to the audio which was delicately read by Colin Mace. The language and the reading made it quite hypnotic so once started it is difficult to stop until you reach the end.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley and RB Medua for the advance review copy.

I really enjoyed this story. One of the main reasons why I gave it a 3.5 was because I really enjoyed the second half of this book way more than the beginning. It starts off strong putting you right in the middle of the story of The Pole, a pianist who is really intrigued by Beatriz, a married woman. The Scandal! The first 50% of this book was sprinkled with some cheesiness which read a bit outdated for my taste but I don't think that takes anything away from how beautifully this was written.

Now to the good stuff! This short novel was sprinkled with information and details on music and other important figures in literature. J. M. Coetzee writes sharp, making every sentence count. The simplicity of his writing flowed through with such elegance and poise. He delivered this story so effortlessly that it was impossible not to want to be Beatriz at some moments.

The Pole explored themes of human connection, relationships, and loss. You could feel the tension, the grief and most importantly, desire.

Thank You to Netgalley for allowing me to review this novel through audiobook. Highly recommend!

"The Pole" by M.J. Coetzee is a concise book comprising six parts, each consisting of remarkably short chapters, some even as brief as a single sentence. This unconventional structure creates a feeling akin to perusing a series of concise diary entries rather than traditional chapters, offering a unique narrative approach.

At just 176 pages, it makes for a swift read.

The story revolves around Witold, an elderly Polish pianist celebrated for his interpretations of Frederic Chopin's music. His life takes an unexpected turn when he falls in love with the much younger Spanish woman, Beatriz, and the novel subtly weaves in references to Dante and Beatrice.

However, "The Pole" falls short in some crucial aspects. The characters lack depth, making it challenging to become emotionally invested in their journey. The story feels somewhat dry and lacks the passionate exploration of the theme of love that one might expect. The relationship between Witold and Beatriz fails to convince, leaving readers yearning for a more authentic connection. Overall, the narrative feels somewhat contrived, which is a departure from what one might anticipate from a seasoned author like Coetzee.

As a fan of Coetzee's previous work, "Disgrace," my expectations were high, but "The Pole" left me decidedly disappointed. The book did have its share of cringe-worthy moments, like the quote, "Even in Spanish, getting words to rhyme takes skill. Think of doing it in Polish."

One notable flaw in the book is a factual error regarding Chopin's burial. The author incorrectly states that Chopin's body was moved from France to Poland after his burial. In reality, apart from his heart, which was brought back to Poland, Chopin's body remains buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, contrary to what the book suggests. I wish the author did better research.

In sum, "The Pole" was a disappointing read for me, and regrettably, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it. It explores an intriguing premise, it falls short of delivering a compelling and emotionally resonant narrative.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Beatriz, a socialite from Barcelona, is in charge of socializing and entertaining the concert Chopin pianist, 70-year-old Wittold Walccyzkiecz, during his brief visit to her great city. She is completely unimpressed by his demeanor and not in love with his representation of Chopin. But with a few well-asked, pointed questions she accidentally engraved herself into his heart.

Wittold starts an email correspondence with Beatriz trying to convince her to run away with him and join him on his tour through Europe and South America. Beatriz decided to indulge Wittold by continuing their emails to each other until she finally decided to invite him to her husband's family home in Mallorca.

Once in Mallorca Beatriz decides to continue their friendship on her terms only. After three nights of love-making, which Beatriz does out of pity, she ends their friendship and decides to forget about Wittold.

After several years, Beatriz gets a call from Wittold's daughter and is told that he died and has a box in his apartment in Warsaw waiting for her. Beatriz spends a night in Wittold's old apartment in Poland and realizes that he wrote 80 plus poems about her in Polish, comparing her to Aphrodite, and Dante's love, who was also named Beatriz.

Beatriz gets the poems translated into Spanish and decides to write him letters post-mortem about how his friendship made her feel and that she wasn't the woman for him.

This was a really interesting book and completely outside of my normal realm - but I did really enjoy the story! I enjoyed that it was two much older people forming a friendship and showing that no matter what your age, you can still be found desirable. The narrator, Colin Mace, has an incredible voice and really brought this story to life.

This is a lovely little prosaic novella about love and humanity and communication. Wittold, a septuagenarian Polish pianist, meets Spanish Beatriz at one of his concerts, and he becomes promptly infatuated with her. Beatriz is resistant — she's married, for goodness' sake! — but she whittles away at her own resistance until she and Wittold are spending time alone in Mallorca. As their relationship evolves and then decays, Beatriz continues to be surprised by the tone and extent of not only her feelings, but Wittold's as well.

I loved the communication aspect of this story; Beatriz and Wittold are unable to speak to each other in their respective native languages, so they struggle to find the right words in a shared third language. It's interesting to think about all the nuance and meaning you might be missing, with all the translation required in this chain, not to mention the struggle to be truly understood the way you want to be. I also enjoyed the comparison of Beatriz to Dante's muse of the shared name, because there is certainly a similarity in their "unattainable" quality.

Coetzee's prose is lovely, and the exploration of the various relationships in this book was surprisingly deep, given the short length of the story. I enjoyed it a great deal, and I found the closing bit to be especially lovely in sentiment.

Thank you to J.M. Coetzee, Liveright, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for my advance audio copy.

I both read this story in print and listened to it performed by Colin Mace. Wow. The narration is stunning, and the story has really affected me. The interior life of Beatriz was so beautifully wrought. I was stunned by this story, how something so simple as this story can be so full of melancholy and light.

I am usually bored by other people's sex lives. Thankfully, this book had a decisive protagonist. No time wasted on moral quandaries or "Do I *really* like him?" etc. The book cuts to the chase. Decisions are made. The protagonist is honest about her motives (or lack thereof). Aging as a strength, aging as a weakness; the desire to be desired, the repulsion of feeling overly desired...these and other ambivalences come and go, touched on but not beaten to death.
Thank you W. W. Norton, Netgalley and RB Media for the ALC.

This is a short and concise novella by JM Coetzee that explores the nature of love, seen to be a central pillar of all that it is to be human. I listened to this on audio, ably narrated by Colin Mace and is 5 hours and 45 minutes long, it held my attention, engaging me in the thought provoking themes. Love here is open to interpretation and misinterpretation, lost in translation by the use of global English by the protagonists, the differences between them, gender and personalities, not to mention the large age gap between them. Additionally, he is in his seventies, in the twilight years of his life and they come from different cultures and traditions. Beatriz is a banker's wife whose marriage has emotionally withered, she has organised a small Chopin concert in Barcelona.

Beatriz is far from impressed with the performance by the Polish Witold Walcyzkiewicz, failing to connect to his interpretation, nor by the man himself, but she is curious as to his thoughts on Chopin. He is drawn to and obsessed by her, but she does not feel the same, although there is an ambivalence there, she finds herself intrigued as he writes to her, and she mostly ignores him. Over the years they meet on occasion, an odd relationship developing between them, with Beatriz reflecting on him but she continues to maintain a distance between them. For Witold who expresses himself through poetry, this is an epic unattainable love, retaining a purity that echoes Dante's love for Beatrice, who spoke not one word to him.

Thoughts and feelings on love are invariably likely to snag the interest of many readers whilst Coetzee is always going to be a writer worth reading, and I can definitely recommend either listening to or reading this novella. Many thanks to RB Media for an ALC.

while I did not love the "love story" told, as it felt desperate and a bit aggressive, I appreciated Coetzee's writing.