This is a calming, uncomplicated novel about a small cafe in Vienna. We follow the owner of the cafe, Robert Simon, from his first days as a cafe owner, through to the cafe’s final days. Along the way, we hear tales of the cafe’s regular customers as they experience life’s ups and downs. This book is pure escapism, a reading experience reminiscent of sitting in a quiet bar, listening to the conversations of customers and watching the world go by. I loved every moment of it.

Engaging beyond my expectations, beautifully written (I suppose translators good too) this story of a likeable local figure who starts as orphan but by virtue of his opening a cafe, he becomes sort of central to a community going through stages of transition historically.. colourful, astutely characterised people show how community weaves together ... nothing dramatic occurs but unnecessary as the story of everyday works out .. very satisfying historical fiction approach!

A heartfelt and beautiful portrait of a community going through profound change. I loved the vignettes of the various characters - this is very much ordinary lives rendered extraordinary through evocative writing.

A sad poignant book. Different characters all facing their own hardships in life, some kinder than others. Not much depth to the characters, just their daily lives playing out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Gentle yet absorbing cosy lit
—
In a distinctly Viennese take on the uplifting shop genre, Seethaler recreates 1960s Vienna, following the unambitious Robert Simon as he takes on a disused shop near the market where he oddjobs and turns it into the beating heart of the neighbourhood.

The political and historical events of the period barely intrude, leaving the characters to shine. There is not a spare word in this short novel, giving a real sense of the turmoil post-war and the optimism of the coming decades. All is predictable but so charmingly and winningly written that there is more to glean from an instant re-reading.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. It intrigued me as the title leaves a lot of guesswork. I found it quite hopeful to begin with and Robert Simon's quest to build something new for himself post-war seemed a beacon of hope in a time and place that would have seemed quite bleak.

Simon forges a number of friendships through his willingness to serve his community. He seems a good natured man with a desire to just belong and get on with his life. His relationship with the widow intrigued me and I found it both sad and endearing that they took care of each other, particularly at the end.

Mila is an interesting character too and it was nice to see her find her place although things weren't always positive for her.

Definitely an quirky bunch of characters. It's sad at time but gives a glimpse into the realities of community life and how things work out sometimes.

Thanks to NetGalley, Canongate, and Robert Seethaler for the chance to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. The Café With No Time is set in Vienna in the 1960’s post World War 2. Robert Simon takes over an aging vacant café near the market where the community congregate over the years. The story tells of his and regular attendees of the café life stories and how finding each other and the safe space of the café and Robert’s warmth help to change their lives.

It was so interesting to read the book from other characters perspectives on their own lives in Vienna, without taking from Robert’s perspective in the café. I found the novel heart-warming, eye-opening and poignant.

I would highly recommend this novel and I would be interested in future works from the author.

Vienna in the 1960s is just starting to recover from WW2 and bustle with life again. Businesses are thriving, new buildings are going up and the markets are back in business with produce to sell. Moreover, there is a sense of hope again in the air after the dark past. Robert Simon, a jack of all trades in the market has his sights set on re-opening a run down café in the market, somewhere for people to stop by for a coffee or glass of wine or beer.

The café proves a great success with the market traders, local factory workers and others who live and work in the area. Friendships are formed, stories are told and ordinary lives are lived. Mila, an out of work seamstress finds a job as a waitress there, love affairs will blossom or die and women will exchange gossip as people go about their daily lives. The café with no name becomes a little shelter from daily life for people to enter for a few hours, leaving their everyday troubles outside its walls.

In many ways this is a nostalgic, slightly melancholic gently told literary novel. The translation seems fluid and Its atmosphere feels redolent of the time and place, capturing the essence and mood of the people. Robert’s own life is not easy. He works hard and loves the success of the café, but never meets the right person to share his life with, but his care for his elderly widowed landlady is touching. An unusual but interesting book, often moving with touches of humour.

A heart warming story about ordinary people set in 1960s Vienna. Robert Simon takes over a run-down cafe near the market and this novel tells the story of the cafe, staff and customers from the day Robert takes it over until its final days. Thoughtfully written, it captures the thoughts and conversations that the cafe sees on a daily basis and is completely charming from start to finish.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

It is Austria in 1966 and Robert Simon, former market odd job man, opens a cafe on the edge of the marketplace. And here begins a gentle story of a community. A very mixed community- the cafe was inclusive before its time. The regulars, those who pop in occasionally, bartended Mila, and Robert himself create the perfect environment. Mila listens to people, Robert caters for them. Workmen, elderly ladies, shopkeepers, an artist, the homeless - all are welcome. We hear their stories, often in the way Mila would hear and told verbatim with no ascribed text to a character. It's effective. Robert SImon goes home at night to his rented room in a widow's flat, the nearest thing he has to family. Ten years pass of everyday stories and life. A beautiful read. #netgalley #thecafewithnoname

Working class Vienna from the mid-60 to the mid-70s seen through the prism of a café, its owner and the clientele. Normal life, ordinary people, though not without its drama. Typical unputdownable Seethaler.

This book gave me a sense of melancholy and an intricate portrait of ordinary people living quietly extraordinary lives in a time of rebuilding and change.

It felt like a novella in its brevity and my preference is always to delve deeper into characters lives. But it was a beautiful read, poignant and original.

I don’t know what I was expecting but this was different to it. It’s more like a series of anecdotes, casually told and with no real purpose, so I guess in a way you might catch up with acquaintances you meet in a cafe regularly. But that style is a bit weird to sustain over a whole novel and as sweet as parts of this were, it was also a bit weird..

Vienna, 1966. Robert Simon has worked several odd jobs since the end of the war, most around the market, but never settled to anything in particular. A café in the market closes down and Robert decides to take a chance and apply for the lease.
An unpromising prospect, the café has been neglected for some time, although still has a working kitchen, but Simon gets to work cleaning and restoring. He opens the business, and soon customers come.
A delightful observation of life and characters. Thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a charming novel set in Vienna during the 1960's. The main character Robert Simon takes a gamble and quits his job in the market to open a cafe in a nearby building. In his new venture he encounters all sorts of people and challenges which he has to deal with.

It is a wonderful story that I found entertaining and enjoyable.

I got lost in this slice of life novel set in 1960s Vienna. It’s a relatively short book at around 200 pages but it’s not one you’ll want to rush through, and its unhurried pace only adds to its immersive quality.

Simon Robert had a difficult childhood and adolescence, and lives with a war widow in a small apartment in central Vienna. Having worked for years at the Karmelitenmarkt, Simon has saved up enough money to take on the lease for a cafe in a working class Viennese neighbourhood.

The book follows Simon’s life and the life of the cafe (with no name), as it draws in characters from the locale with its relaxed and welcoming ambience and ordinary fare. Don’t expect a huge amount of plot but do stay for the well drawn characters, the precise writing and the beautifully authentic sense of time and place - a Vienna 20 years after the war when possibility abounds.

There are perhaps many to whom this will not appeal, but I found it thoroughly lovely, gentle and bittersweet, and with Seethaler having been previously longlisted for his novel A Whole Life, we might see this on the International Booker longlist. For fans of Elizabeth Strout or Marzahn Mon Amour. 4/5⭐️

Wonderful translation by Katy Derbyshire, the original was a bestseller in Austria. Many thanks to Canongate books for the arc via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to the author, Robert Seethaler, @netgalley, and the publisher, Cannongate, for an advance digital copy of this book, which is published in the UK on 25 February.

The book is set in Vienna in the sixties, a city full of change. Robert Simon does odd jobs around the Karmelitermart, but when a lease comes up for the nearby cafe, he takes the opportunity to start his own business. He has clear ideas about what he wants the cafe to be like, but no idea what to call it, so “the cafe with no name” is born. We follow the story of Robert and the cafe's regulars throughout the next decade as they fall in love, fight, fall ill or suffer losses, right up until it shuts.

I was interested in reading this as I've seen so much praise for A Whole Life. However, I'm coming to realise that I'm generally underwhelmed by 'slice of life' books about ordinary people. I can see why others appreciate it, but personally, I need a bit more of a hook, whether that's in terms of a dramatic plot, or elevated style, or interesting narrative voice. Instead, The Cafe with No Name is written in a very simple, direct, dispassionate style, with no linguistic flourishes and little insight into characters' thoughts. Events happen to the characters, sometimes significant, at other times, less so.

The book has been a huge success across Europe and I'm sure the English edition will do well, but it's not really the novel for me.

This is the fourth of Austrian novelist Robert Seethaler’s books to be translated into English, the first three by Charlotte Collins and this latest by Katy Derbyshire.  The first “A Whole Life” (2015) was shortlisted for the Booker International Award.  I read his second “The Tobacconist” (2016) and was impressed by its poignancy, the sense of yearning and its setting at a time of immense change in Vienna in the late 1930s.

Vienna is the setting once again but it begins around 30 years later but also has a small commercial enterprise at its core.  We first meet main character Robert Simon, aged 31 and working as a market porter on the cusp of realising a long-held dream to have his own café.  One has become available opposite the market and this is the story of that café spanning around the next decade.

If anything, this is even a quieter novel than “The Tobacconist”.  Robert is devoted to the venue and just wants to get on with things.  We meet the characters who visit for coffee, for bread, dripping and gherkins, beer or wine but there’s not that much drama going on in the café itself, it’s seen for some as an escape from their everyday life.  Robert is generally calm and reliable, when tragedies occur, things just move on.  There is kindness and support, the occasional flare of temper but the quiet tenderness which permeated “The Tobacconist” may be even more in evidence here.

Some characters flit in and out of the narrative, some stay for the duration.  They are all well-drawn.  Robert is the man who has realised his dream but he seems happy to settle for a pretty unadventurous life once he signs the lease.  The narrative is interspersed with occasional chapters of dialogue between two lady customers which provides some variety but doesn’t add greatly to the plot.

I enjoyed reading it, coming in at just under 200 pages it took me a couple of days, you might get through it much quicker.  I didn’t feel the need to rush through to see what would happen because I knew that not much would.  I saw it as a kind of palate-cleanser from the books I’ve been reading recently -a chance to re-set.  There’s a timeless quality about it.  Just occasionally the 60s and 70s intrudes but these Viennese lives go on without too much awareness of the world going on around them and I think that’s why I preferred “The Tobacconist” which saw the build-up of events leading to war through the perspective of a young character.  If you enjoy under-stated fiction this is worth looking out for.

The Café With No Name is published by Canongate on 13th February.  Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

This is the story of a man who starts up a café in Vienna in 1966 it’s a primary character driven novel focusing on the lives of the people he meets while setting up and running this café
The author is the master of the big picture description there is a fantastic description of people sitting around in the sunshine in the park . This was beautifuly romantic and lovely to read it’s like reading an old master painting if that makes any sense to anyone
I found the novel somehow quite timeless. It could’ve been set at any period of time from perhaps at war days onwards with the exception of the war years. There’s something quite old-fashioned about the café that is central to the Story which makes 1966 Feel like an even further Back period of history.
The author has a talent in describing people in and their intricacies and the way that they make relationships I found his characters real three-dimensional and interesting.
This is a novel where nothing much happens, but I love spending time with the characters that we met.
I didn’t really understand the end I felt that the novel finished quite abruptly
I read an only copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 13th of February 2025 by CannonGate.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com . It will also appear on Amazon UK.

Having been a Robert Seethaler admirer from almost the first minute I picked up a copy of A Whole Life, anything by him is a must read for me. Just as delicately crafted, gently plotted and beautifully translated as all his previous works, I loved watching the lives of Robert Simon, Mia and all those connected with the Café with No Name unfold before me. Subtle, immersive and told with both compassion and insight, I really enjoyed this sketch of mind-century Viennese life.