The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler is a simple and tender but insightful and authentic read. Infused with melancholy.

Robert Simon has worked around the market but when the opportunity to take on a cafe presents itself he grasps it. With a quiet dignity, and the help of Mila, who comes looking for work, he turns it into the heart of the community.

This is a gentle story full of humanity but not shying away from the bad as well as the good.

This is one of those books that is deceptively simple with it's restrained characters - as if playing a B&W movie.

Plain simple human interactions over coffee or beer, the cafe bears silent witness of the private lives of it's regulars in 1960s Vienna after the war. The timeline allows a city rebuilding itself from WWII to have characters who are eager to restart and yet muted in demeanor.

The book is largely atmospheric, as it, chapter after chapter, plays out slice of life scenes from the lives of the regulars and the characters. Other than Simon, the cafe owner and Mila his staff, the other characters stroll in and out of the story. Some leave an impact, like the butcher next door or the widow who rents her apartment to Simon, while most others don't.

I don't know if it's just me, but I felt the characters devoid of any emotion even through the most harrowing experiences. There seems to be a stoicism at play, that feels repetitive and maybe even distant.

If you ask me, I would rather be an investor in the cafe than invest in the lives of the people who visit the place.

Robert makes his wishes come true by taking over a cafe in Vienna in 1960s.

This marks the start of our warm and witty journey with the frequenters of the cafe and the people in its neighbourhood.

I enjoyed Seethaler’s prose to a large extent. I only expected a bit more; more layers, more plot, more to discover.

Opening in 1960s Vienna, The Café with No Name follows Robert Simon, an orphan and market handyman, whose dream is to run a bar, against a backdrop of a social change as Vienna picks itself up after the war. He opens his doors on the first day to a steady stream of customers, many of whom will become regulars over the years. Before long he’s busy enough to take on practical, no-nonsense Mila who becomes virtually indispensable. As the years roll by, happiness is embraced, small tragedies play out, the occasional drama flares up, all commented on by the two ladies who like to share a drink together every day.
Seethaler excels at writing about everyday life from the perspective of ordinary people. Nothing much happens in his novels, yet they are full of rich detail, humanity and humour for which a café offers the perfect setting. Some of his cast of regulars come to the fore – the butcher frets about yet another child on the way, quickly coming round to the idea with joy; Mila picks herself up after a terrible loss which will never leave her. Others like Harald, the war veteran who likes to remove his glass eye and roll it across the table, remain in the background. The occasional chapters in which the two ladies pass comment and remember their past were a particular delight. My expectations were high for this one and were more than fulfilled.

The Café with No Name is a beautifully melancholic gentle tale of a small café- it's owner and the locals who visit it .

This is Vienna in the 1960s - a city that is recovering and changing from its past.

Robert Simon has dreamed of owning a café and when the opportunity arises to take over a property near a busy market he seizes the chance
With the support of Mila- a barmaid- together they establish a place of joy, refuge, comfort and a community is established.

This is a somewhat gentle and wistful read- ( but never hiding from the hardships of life) telling the story of Robert and his landlady - The Widow ; Mila and her boxing husband Rene and weaving in the lives of other residents and frequent visitors.

Katy Derbyshire's translation captures the mood of the time and the place - a new world approaching but haven for people can be found within the four walls of the café.

Robert Seethaler's novel has been a big success and this translated version should bring new readers into The Cafe with No Name.
A book to gently savour and enjoy.

Quotes:
I do love the sound of ice cubes in the glass. That alone makes everything worth it.

This is such a beautiful novel.

Robert buys a run down cafe and rebuilds it, while doing so he meets people from all walks of life and all of whom contribute to this wonderful tale.

It has characters who warm your heart with their life stories and I immersed myself in this book.. It was as if I sat down with a coffee and watched these people live their lives and make them my friends.

I loved the emotions this book evoked and I especially loved the Viennese setting.

The Cafe with No Name is a captivating read and I defy any reader not to love it..

3.5 stars


I was drawn in by the praise from Strout.
So glad I was.
It was heartwarming, and sad, and just lovely.
A gentle tale, that has some great characters.
Lovely.