An intriguing historical novel that tells the story of the famous doctor Mesmer and his treatment of the young blind musician Maria Theresia von Paradis. I bought this book in a new year sale purely on the strength of the cover, and it was the distinctive Maclehose Press spine that caught my eye first. While not by any means a masterpiece, it is a book that deserves a wider audience.

The book does not attempt to tell Mesmer's life story - it is a much more elliptical study of one critical moment in his life, admittedly the one that led to him leaving Vienna under something of a cloud. He used his controversial theories of animal magnetism in an attempt to cure Maria's blindness - this was a partial success but it upset her ability to play the piano, and her parents stopped the treatment, after which her blindness returned.

The story is mostly true, in fact when I looked up the two main characters in Wikipedia, I was reminded that I had previously read a shorter fictional account of the same episode, namely Julian Barnes' Harmony, which appears in Pulse. Perhaps the reason I did not recognise it immediately is that in the Barnes story, the surnames of the protagonists are masked, as M--- and P---, as is the city of V---.

The German original was called "Am Anfang war die Nacht Musik", which loosely translates as "In the beginning was (the) night music" and for me this conveys the essence of the book rather better than the simplistic Mesmerized. It is a reflection on music, psychology and the expectations of eighteenth century society at least as much as it is about Mesmer's rather dubious scientific achievements.little-known-gems modern-lit read-2017 ...more33 s Kerry1,502 66

This is a book for lovers of writing that caresses a story into existence and mesmerizes(!) the reader. The writing and the story echo the the themes found within it. What a lovely tale, absent of sensationist plot, bereft of scandal and sex (mostly)--it simply has no use for these devices. It chooses a pace that is harmonious and relaxing, Mesmer's glass harmonica. The descriptions of human senses and interpersonal relationships are light as air and, at the same time, absolutely vivid. While some parts of the story must be left up to interpretation, this effect is part of its charm rather than a source of frustration, as such a device can be if used poorly. There was nothing heavy-handed, long-winded, or insultingly obvious about this book. It's clear Walser believes in the sensitivity of her readers and wants to offer an alternative to much of the writing produced today--her style coaxes the reader's imagination into life rather than beating it over the head with explicit contrivances and cliches.

Once I got past the excessive use of sentence fragments and the indistinct boundaries between dialog and narrative (due, in part, to the absence of quotation marks), I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this book. I even began to these devices given how well they fit within the overall rhythm and nimbleness of the writing. literary3 s Iris51 163 Read

[Review copy from the publisher. Review originally published here.]

A few years ago, I took a course called “Psychology of Religion”. During that course we discussed several psychological theories on religion or religious phenomena. We discussed early developers of psychology, including Freud, and one of his predecessors: Franz Anton Mesmer. Even though I am not a particular fan of Freud, I found the introductory information about Mesmer fascinating. Here a few of my interests came together: the mysterious power of “animal magnetism” (often understood in terms of charisma and hysteria later on, though Mesmer would call it decidedly scientific), the history of science, and gender.

Can you imagine my joy when I received a review copy of this historical fiction novel on this very topic? Mesmerized tells the story of Mesmer’s quest to be recognised by his medical colleagues. It does so by tracing his treatment of the blind musical prodigy Maria Parradis, the daughter of the Imperial Court Official. A successful treatment may give Mesmer the chance to enter the higher circles, while it might enable Maria to become an internationally famed pianist. Shifting between the perspectives of Mesmer and Maria, Mesmerized allows us to learn about the struggles of both to be recognised as people in their own right, about the appeal and rejection of animal magnetism as a valuable treatment for disorders, and the scandal that soon starts to circulate about Maria and Mesmer’s presumed relationship.

The interesting thing about Mesmerized is that it manages to pack so much into a relatively short novel (250 pages). In a subtle manner Walser interweaves Mesmer’s animal magnetism theory as one of the first steps to a recognition of an understanding of something mental illness. She also references the fine line between what we would now call hardcore science and the mystical that was less distinct during the emergence of science, by focusing on Mesmer’s belief in a natural force, animal magnetism, that could be transferred between animate and inanimate objects, and his quest to get it recognised as science instead of suggestion. At the same time, she manages to hint towards the later understanding of Mesmer’s treatments as resulting from his own influence over the patients, and the resulting state of hypnosis as well as hysterical episodes. Reading between the lines you can see how Mesmer’s patients calm down in his presence, might have fits when they want more attention from him, or lose their faith in the progressive treatment when they lose sight of him.

However, this is just the context for the specific story being told: that of Mesmer’s treatment of Maria. I was not entirely sure if I remembered correctly while reading the book, but wikipedia told me I was right in assuming Mesmerized is the retelling of a famous episode in Mesmer’s life:

The scandal that followed Mesmer’s attempt to treat the blindness of an 18-year-old musician, Maria Theresia Paradis, led him to leave Vienna in 1777. Miss Paradis had been blind from the age of four. Under Mesmer’s care her sight was partially restored. Her parents were at first overhelmingly grateful; but later, they insisted that Mesmer cease treating her. Bitter disputes followed, and the patient’s vision again deteriorated.

In effect, this is the story that Walser tells. But she does so in a way that gives us both the story from the imagined point of view of Mesmer, and Maria. Moreover, and something that I particularly appreciated, Mesmerized does not choose to favour one explanation of the events. Walser does not interpreted Maria’s treatment as a love affair, though there are hints that the novel could be read this way. Nor does she favour an overtly favourable portrait of Mesmer, because his ambition might make him forget about Maria’s needs from time to time. Neither is Maria reduced to a helpless or obstinate girl; by giving her her own voice, she tells us about her insecurities, the entrappedness she feels in the company of her parents, and her quest for safety and a life of her own, which is in part dependent on Mesmer and her parents. Maria’s contemplations of her maid Kaline’s fate adds an extra layer to the understanding of opportunities and marginalisations in the society of late eighteenth century Vienna.

It was Maria’s story I appreciated most, and identified with, while Mesmer’s at times failed to capture my interest. Overall, I particularly enjoyed Walser’s subtle but convincing interpretation of Maria’s life in Mesmer’s environment. The prose was often effective and at times beautiful and moving. Unfortunately, it did not always affect me as much as I had hoped, leaving me to feel a little detached at all times. Nevertheless, I am very happy to have read Mesmerized. A fictional interpretation of a historical episode that is fascinating in itself often makes me want to find out more. And that is exactly what this novel did. I rather wonder if rereading the book after a more thorough introduction to Mesmer’s world might not reveal even more layers.2 s Evalitera549 5

Die Autorin ist die Tochter des Autors Martin Walser. Mir gefiel die Art und Weise, wie es geschrieben ist sehr und es geht um die Anfänge der Hypnose und um Mesmer. Der nach ihm benannte Mesmerismus. Der menschliche Magnetismus die Anziehungskraft
Damals wurde Mesmer sehr berühmt. Er heilte ein Mädchen von dessen Blindheit, die dabei aber die Fähigkeit Klavier zu spielen einbüsste.
Spielt zur Goethe Zeit.

Magnetismus und Experimente um Menschen zu heilen.2013-20151 Ben Payne362 7

A lovely gentle read about Doctor Mesmer in Mozart's Vienna, and his attempt to cure a blind girl through use of magnets. Unusual writing style which is almost poetic, strong characterisations. This book is more a painting than a traditionally-plotted story. I enjoyed it.1 Marnie22 6

Man kommt schnell durchs Buch, was definitiv ein Pluspunkt ist. Was mich doch am meisten gestört hat, war die manchmal sehr gestelzte Verkopftheit des Romans, die zu keiner wirklichen Schlussfolgerung kommt. Mit dem gewöhnungsbedürftigen Schreibstil und der Tatsache, dass auf die Zeichen der wörtlichen Rede (") verzichtet wird, kann das schon mal verwirren. Auch, wenn das sicherlich bewusste Entscheidungen der stilistischen Gestaltung waren.
Wenn man mehr über Mesmer in Form einer fiktiven Darstellung erfahren möchte, macht man mit diesem Buch aber nicht viel falsch. Almrausch81 1 follower

Ein Roman über den Arzt Franz Anton Mesmer, seine alternative medizinische Theorie des animalischen Magnetismus und eine blinde Pianistin, Maria Theresia Paradis, die er versucht zu heilen. Dazwischen die Stimmung des 18. Jahrhunderts in Wien und später in Frankreich. Es wird sehr gut geschildert, wie Alternativmedizin aus Verzweiflung angenommen wird, wie sie Abhängigkeiten sowie absolute Ablehnung mit sich bringt, wie sie zu starken Konflikten führt. Sehr schöner Roman mit historischem Hintergrund.autre Rhonda364 3

Translated from German. A blind, brilliant pianist is taken by her parents for treatment to a specialist in the hope his revolutionary new approach to bodily and mental health will return her sight. The writing is deceptively simple but characters and events vividly drawn. Worth reading.translation Judith14

Roman waarin de ziektegeschiedenis wordt beschreven van een blinde pianiste die behandeld wordt door Mesmer. In deze roman wordt Mesmer opgevoerd als een arts met goede intenties die daadwerkelijk in zijn behandeling gelooft. Mooi verhaal dat inzicht geeft in behandeling in die tijd.psychosomatiek Camilla P.90 117

Prima di leggere questo romanzo non avevo mai sentito parlare di mesmerismo e di magnetismo animale: trattasi di teorie mai accettate dalle scienze mediche, che si basano sull’esistenza di un “fluido” (identificato con la forza magnetica) atto a regolare il corretto funzionamento del corpo umano, in armonia con quello universale.

In questo libro, tuttavia, non si segue tutto lo sviluppo di questi studi: quella che viene narrata è solo una parentesi della vita di Mesmer. Il passato e il futuro dell’uomo, così come di Maria Theresia, sono lasciati alla curiosità del lettore.
Un vero peccato, perché onestamente la storia è l’unica cosa che rende piacevole la lettura di questo romanzo.

Mi spiace ammettere, infatti, che per il resto il libro è privo di qualità degne di nota: lo stile di questo autrice non è proprio nelle mie corde. Nonostante alcuni punti lirici e piacevoli da leggere, il testo avanza in modo confusionario, “saltellante”; l’argomento, già piuttosto intricato di suo, ne risulta danneggiato. Persino la successione cronologica degli eventi va a singhiozzo e dubito che la confusione fosse un effetto voluto dall’autrice, visto che viene specificata la data all’inizio di ogni capitolo.
La descrizione delle terapie e della passione del dottore per la glassarmonica (uno strumento molto particolare, azionato dal movimento di componenti di vetro) sono un poco più chiare, ma non approfondite quanto avrei voluto. E’ stato interessante vedere come Mesmer tentava di utilizzare i magneti e la musica, ma non essendo il romanzo focalizzato su questo aspetto, non ho ottenuto tutte le risposte che cercavo.
Anche le polemiche contro le sue cure, per quanto presenti, non sono state affrontate in modo tale da rendere abbastanza importante, emotivamente parlando, il conflitto tra il protagonista e i suoi detrattori. Sono accuse che leggiamo, ma di cui non sentiamo il peso.

Il centro del libro sembrerebbe essere la psiche del dottore e della giovane paziente. Anche questo punto, però, non mi è sembrato sviluppato del tutto. L’introspezione è praticamente assente, come se l’autrice si fosse limitata a scalfire la superficie dei suoi personaggi: l’unico di cui si può immaginare la vita interiore, in effetti, è il dottor Mesmer. E’ un vero peccato, perché questo svolgimento (che definirei sulla soglia della sufficienza) presagisce un carattere dalle molte facce. Anche Maria Theresia, con il terrore e il desiderio di riacquistare la vista, la paura del mondo e la sua passione per la musica, si sarebbe potuta distinguere e amare. Invece di lei cogliamo la fragilità, l’inconsistenza, per cui non possiamo fare a meno di compatirla, ma non riusciamo a darle un’anima tutta sua.
Credo che questa mancanza sia dovuta, in particolar modo, alla gestione piuttosto strana dei dialoghi e del punto di vista della narrazione. I primi sono, per la maggior parte, riferiti col discorso indiretto: così non solo la Walser esclude il lettore – scelta che potrebbe essere stilistica e che potrei comprendere – ma appiattisce molto i suoi personaggi, rendendo poco approfondita la caratterizzazione, come ho già detto.
I secondi sono troppo variabili e lasciano una sensazione di disorientamento.

Insomma, la prima parola che mi viene in mente pensando a questo libro è “confusionario”. Penso che l’autrice si sia lasciata prendere dal furor e non sia riuscita a rendere fruibile una storia che, di per sé, è incredibilmente interessante. Per lo meno, si percepisce la documentazione notevole e approfondita che la Walser ha raccolto per scrivere questo libro – avrei solo voluto che riuscisse a renderla in maniera più piacevole.

Come nota finale, mi preme segnalare che l’edizione Neri Pozza è davvero gioiellino. Mi piace molto questo casa editrice, trovo che sappia curare l’oggetto-libro in maniera magnifica. Oltretutto, dev’essere stato un libro complesso da tradurre (per i discorsi indiretti improvvisi e i campi repentini dei punti di vista di cui ho detto), quindi ci tengo a fare i complimenti al traduttore, Riccardo Cravero.

Sommando pro e contro, gli assegno una sufficienza, anche se un po’ stiracchiata. Penso proverò a cercare qualche saggio sulla Vienna dell’epoca e sul mesmerismo, mentre credo che io e questa autrice difficilmente ci incontreremo di nuovo. Francesco15

Dialoghi difficili, ingarbugliati e poco accattivanti. Trama scarsa . Interrotta la lettura prima della metà Ancora una pagina191 2

Questo romanzo, tratto da una storia vera, è una lunga, sottile ed infinita prosa che raccoglie i pensieri di Mesmer e Maria, i protagonisti, intrecciandoli e sciogliendoli come se loro due fossero una cosa sola, divisa in due corpi da modi di fare es estrazione sociale diversi.
E' la visione romanzata di un uomo che ha scoperto un nuovo modo di rapportarsi con i pazienti, il mondo e la natura, curando mali in modo molto alternativo per l'epoca in cui si trova a vivere. Il mondo non è ancora pronto per le sue teorie, che non riesce a mettere per iscritto con parole abbastanza soddisfacenti, e viene combattuto ed etichettato come ciarlatano ed imbroglione.
La Walser è riuscita a dare voce ai pensieri di un uomo nel suo momento di maggior gloria interiore, ovvero quando finalmente capisce e riesce a far capire ad una sua paziente, il suo modo di guarire, anche se questa paziente, alla fine, fa esattamente quello che la sua famiglia si aspetta da lei, vivendo nella menzogna e deludendo l'unico uomo che provava qualcosa di sincero e non in linea con ciò che la società provava, il tutto per l'effimero piacere di essere acclamata come musicista dalle più alte sfere di quella società per bene.
Mi è piaciuto davvero molto anche perché, effettivamente, tutti noi, qualche volta, lasciamo i pensieri a briglia sciolta e risultano esattamente come quelli che vengono scritti in questo romanzo. Passati, presenti, ipotetici, caotici e veri. Elsje586 43

Voor mijn leesgroep las ik Nachtmuziek van Alissa Walser. Niet mijn keuze, maar ja, de meerderheid van de stemmen telt (het is een heel democratische leesgroep ;-)). Oordeel: best aardig, maar het haalt het niet bij de roman van Per Olov Enquist, 'De vijfde winter van de magnetiseur', waar het me erg aan deed denken.

Het verhaal
In het Wenen aan het einde van de 18e eeuw woont een arts, Mesmer, die er nogal onorthodoxe geneeskundige methodes op nahoudt. Hij is namelijk magnetiseur. Als hij de blinde dochter van een hofsecretaris van de keizerin onder behandeling krijgt, weet hij dat hij door haar te genezen toegang zal krijgen tot het keizerlijk hof. Het meisje is een uitzonderlijk begaafde pianiste. Maar op het moment dat hij haar inderdaad lijkt te genezen, verlaat haar muzikale gave haar. Dan wordt de gewetensvraag gesteld: wat willen haar ouders liever: een blind wonderkind of een ziend maar middelmatig begaafde pianiste? Het eerste. En dus wordt de naam van Mesmer bezoedeld en kan hij zijn boeltje wel pakken.

In het begin irriteerden de korte zinnetjes me enorm, maar halverwege raakte ik daaraan gewend. En toen was het een easy read tot het eind. Zal geen blijvende indruk achterlaten.irl-leesgroep read-2011 Govhini22

One thing I have to tell about this book is... WOW! I love it. I love how the concept worked out so well and that everything goes smoothly. It suits so well with the background and when everything became so timid, I just couldn't stop flipping the pages. I had to know what happened. My expectations ran through the pages. But there were some parts which had me hard to understand and confused me a little. Other than that, I was off hooked. Beautiful and pictured so gracefully without a scratch. Mesmerized... The beautiful story which captivates anybody who reads this book. Historical and wonderful atmosphere. I would have given a full 5 stars if there was no barriers of confusion. But emotions of mine have awoken by the time I hit this book. Truly recommended!!! :)

I'll be posting my full review in my blog. Here's the link.

http://geniebooksandstories.blogspot....in-shelf Deborah511 40

This is a novel about Mesmer and his attempt to restore the sight of a blind musical prodigy at the request of the Empress. Mesmer was the initiator of the use of magnets for healing. He is successful but that is really only the beginning of the story. We also see the reaction from his peers and how the media can affect the fortunes of a new idea in medicine.
I had been really looking forward to reading this book but for some reason found it very difficult to get into. The novel has been translated from the German and this is the author’s first book although she has written several short stories previously for which she has won awards. For me the story just never took off and I found it a constant struggle. I am sure there are many that would enjoy this book as a personal read and there are many fascinating discussions to be had if it was chosen by a book group.
For Books' Sake210 289

"The novel’s female protagonist, the 18-year-old blind pianist Maria Theresia Paradis - a contemporary of Mozart, who composed a concerto for her - is sent to the famous Dr Mesmer in an attempt to restore her sight.

Despite initially taking on the case to win favour with Vienna‘s elite, Mesmer soon finds himself as compelled by his young patient as she is by him." (Excerpt from full review at For Books' Sake). Leggere A Colori437 9

Nonostante vengano scanditi con precisione i tempi e i luoghi (ogni capitolo inizia con una data) pensieri, ricordi e avvenimenti si mescolano rendendo la narrazione disorganizzata e con nessi logici a volte lassi e non sequenziali. I personaggi de´La musica della notte quindi ne escono appiattiti e gli aspetti introspettivi paradossalmente penalizzati. (È la traduzione?).

Continua a leggere su
http://www.leggereacolori.com/letti-e... Jotwe4

It was an easy-read and I d that it was something completely different from my usual crime stories. It plays in Vienna in the 18th century and discusses the problems of a doctor trying to get acknowledged for his new method of magnetism in healing. His most talked about patient is a young, blind girl and the book nicely revolves about the problems of those two and how their lives get entangled.
Nice and easy-to read book that linguistically is more interesting than most books.novels Suzanne267 6

I quite enjoyed this book. I had to get used to the fact that the sentence structure is not the norm. I don't know if that is due to the translation, or if it is author's style. Either way, the writing is lyrical and descriptive - just as I it! Elizabeth4

Beautifully written in a style new to my eyes and ears. Anette194

http://www.thebookbag.co.uk//i...thebookbag-co-uk-review-books Priya455

A thoroughly fascinating story.

Read my review here: http://peskypiksipesternomi.blogspot.... Alena Dausacker3

Very poetic, easy read without being under-complex. Marie-Andree3

I didn't the way it is written, it is hard to distinguish dialogues from thoughts Eiju adnan59

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