Secure A Copy Conditions Put Together By Christoph Fischer Ready In Digital Version

afraid to explore the most difficult of challenges facing mere mortals, Christoph Fischer is a reader's writer,

This book, like all of his books immediately draws you into the lives of Charles and Tonytwo brothers seemingly irreparably split apart by past grudges, Charles' "condition", and present resentments about inheritances due to their mother's death.


The story Fischer weaves is rife with colorful characters with their own "conditions" making the reader question "What is 'normal' anyway" The best and the worst of human qualities are displayed as the story moves from the mother's death to her funeral, then finally to the aftermath of reading the will.


The dialogue is what carries the story forward and makes each character come to life, Fischer is brilliant with dialogue!

Because he writes using multiple points of view, the reader is able to get inside the head of each character.
I felt I had an intimate relationship with everyone from Elaine Charles' somewhat psychicsomething friend to Tony's shrewish wife.


This book covered a great deal of human territory: mental illness, domestic abuse, homosexuality, marital discord, the paranormal, greed, gossip, guilt, jealousy, gambling addiction.
. . I'm sure I missed other issues, The point is that Charles' condition is what everyone talked about just as having a diagnosed mental illness is socially stigmatizing.
But what about those of us who are not labeled with a mental illness but still have social ills in need of attention This question is at the heart of what this fine novel explores.


If you are curious about the human condition, then "Conditions" is for you! Christoph Fischer has written another wonderful, heartfelt story.
This time, he explores the effects of bipolar disorder through the eyes of a family, Charles and his illness is painful to read, You can just imagine how difficult his life is, but he somehow pushes forward through his mother's death and funeral.


Charles' brother Tony, however, chooses to think Charles is lazy because of the way their mother treated the both of them growing up.
Sadly, this comes to a head with his wife being obsessed with finances,

Charles' group of friends are very interesting, but out of them all, I really want to know what makes Simon tick.


I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mental illness, wonderful stories, and a love for literature.
Delves into the Fragility of the Human Spirit
This is the kind of book that one reads in two or three sittings at most, it flows with ease and as a reader I wanted to hold the hand of the characters, help them and see what happened.

The choice of title is very clever as the book deals with Charles and his Illness or Condition, The author is very clever and uses in his storyline every form of condition except for weather conditions, anyone could imagine.

I had fun looking up synonyms of the word because I really enjoyed how the title of the book could be applied to so much in the storyline, here are a few so I dont ruin the story for would be readers.

Circumstances those conditions are used in exploring each character and the circumstances of their life, how they became who they are, this is done with clever descriptions, actions and the help of a psychic character.

Situations the author explores through setting and environment a wide variety of situations, by giving the protagonist Charles an array of very unique and disconnected friends, all of whom are linked simply by their relationship to Charles.

Stipulations the conditions in a will or contract through the storyline affect the relationship between different characters,
I found the writing captivating as Christoph Fischer gave a storyline with stormy relationships, exploring the fragility of the human spirit from such different angles by giving the characters their own set of shortcomings.

Every character in their own way tugged at my heartstrings, I really enjoyed this read, And I wish I had more than FIVE STARS TO GIVE! This story grabbed my interest from the start, There is an excellent cast of mostly well portrayed characters, and good pacing kept me guessing about them, I was persuaded to think deeply about these people and about our own tendency towards pigeonholing, often based on misconceptions and prejudice.
We are all guilty of it to some extent and it is good to be reminded in a nonjudgmental way that we should care more for each other, whatever our faults.


I mentally removed a half star from the rating for several reasons, The book is about two brothers but we spend relatively little time with Tony so dont really get to know him before he starts seeing Charles in a different light.
Tonys wife, Clare, is very one dimensional, which could have been avoided if wed spent more time with the couple.
I also felt the story was incomplete as the two brothers did not actually make the promised reconciliation, or even start on that process.
It would perhaps benefit from another chapter in which they sit down together and start getting to know each other properly.
Throughout the book I felt this lack of balance between the two brothers stories whilst I realise the whole situation is generated by Charles problems, it reaches this point because of Tonys abiding feelings of anger and rejection that he has carried since childhood.
Overall, though, I had to round the rating up rather than down, Charles is a fascinating character, both difficult and rewarding to have as a friend, This story gives a good insight into what it means to have this kind of mental health issue, It was lovely to see him gradually revealed as someone with a strong moral compass,

That said, why did it lose a star from my rating It seems that the days of a publishing house taking pride in what they publish are over.
It used to be the case that a publisher would assign editors and proof readers to assist the author with producing a polished final copy.
This version is marred by a multitude of typos and small grammatical errors scattered over every single page, There is even an invented word: irresponsive unresponsive, There were two editors and the publisher involved, never mind the author himself is it too much to expect at least one of them to notice this final draft needs its prepublication polish A run through with a spelling and grammar checker would have found most of the errors so there is no excuse for such irritating sloppiness.

Christoph Fischer has become one of my favorite authors, I was first attracted to his Three Nations Trilogy because of the subject matter it deals with war and Central European families, which is something I have an affinity for.
But his last two books A Time To Let Go and now Conditions are a bit of a departure for him and I'm happy to say that I enjoy his contemporary dramas as much as his historical ones.
This author writes about families in a lucid and complex manner, He doesn't oversentimentalize, and as a result I find my own emotions coming to the surface, Sometimes in ways that surprise me, In Conditions, CF takes on mental illness among other "conditions, " I found myself being more charitable to Charles, who suffers bipolar disorder, than I have been with people in my own life who are afflicted with various "conditions.
" I attribute that to the talent of this author, Highly, highly recommended. Loved this read and have to say the blurb above does not do the book sufficient justice, I found this a remarkable piece of contemporary drama, It is a book where little happens on the surface but underneath massive shifts of understanding are taking place, The "action" takes place around Rose's funeral, mother to two sons who have not spoken for years,
Many reviewers have commented on the contribution this book makes to understanding mental health which indeed it does, Instead of repeating those comments I will add the author has got right to the heart of family relations that have gone wrong, the grudges that fester for years and the assumptions people make to prove their prejudiced position.

The conversations and attitudes between Charles' house guests reflect so much about real friendships and cover a vast range of relationship issues and attitudes.

Great writing, dialogue and characterisation make this a fabulous book with universal appeal, The wonderful privilege we have as readers is to step into any kind of world of our choosing, There are no boundaries, as in the real world we can go backward or forward in time, be amongst aliens or zombies.
We can be in war or on a desert island or in a world of high finance,
Then there are stories like 'Conditions', This book is simply about family in all its diversity and how the death of a mother brings together people bound by birth and family ties but burdened by prejudgment and misunderstanding.

The story centres around Charles and his brother Tony as they come together for their mother's funeral, Tony is full of bitterness and resentment at what he perceives as his unfair 'lot' growing up in a household where one child was 'normal' and the other suffered from mental illness.
I could empathise with that, parents must go through this dilemma all the time when one child has special needs be it physical or mental.

But times move on and Tony is still burdened by his perceptions whilst Charles has found some kind of freedom in his condition.

I have personal experience of mental illness with a family member and it can be hard not to feel resentment and a weariness at the sacrifices inevitably made.
I could not condone Tony's attitudes but I could understand them,
Into the story the author introduces a smattering of interesting peripheral characters family members and friends all with their own opinions and flaws.
Even with the boundaries of time and space set by the author it made for a very diverse and ultimately satisfying read.



We try, as humans, living in an information society, to organize our lives via thought processes, norms, culture and physical parameters.
It just doesn't always happen, Our world, society and even family are diverse entities that guarantee tough sailing at varying points in our lives, At the blink of an eye, things change and meaning and bond of family is challenged, Conditions is the story of Tony and Charles, two very differently wired brothers who are experiencing life after the death of their mother.
In Christoph Fischer's newest novel, "Conditions" it becomes quite clear that things are never going to be the same, Per his usual style, the author pulls us in with masterful description of emerging change, trauma and chaos while continuing to challenge us with the "what if" and "maybe" of the evolving story.
Fischer's style is reflective, pensive, and gripping, The characters are well drawn, visual and salient, The research is intact and well done and the author superbly highlights the uniqueness of man, family, and life, An amazing read, am always looking forward to this writer's books,
When Charles and Tony's mother dies the estranged brothers must struggle to pick up the pieces, particularly so given that one of them is mentally challenged and the other bitter about his place within the family.


The conflict is drawn out over materialistic issues, but there are other underlying problems which go to the heart of what it means to be part of a family which, in one way or another.
has cast one aside.

Prejudice, misconceptions and the human condition in all forms feature in this contemporary drama revolving around a group of people who attend the subsequent funeral at the British South Coast.


Meet flamboyant gardener Charles, loner Simon, selfless psychic Elaine, narcissistic bodybuilder Edgar, Martha and her version of unconditional love and many others as they try to deal with the event and its aftermath.
Christopher Fischer creates a cast of emotionally charged quirky characters to pull us into a very wellcrafted and complex tale on accepting the human condition.


Brothers Tony and Charles have never been close, At best they have been distant housemates, Tony, the oldest son, as a teen is a wellrounded, gifted athlete, who has dreams of becoming a professional football soccer player.
His parents focus their time and funds helping their other child, Charles, He has a condition. He's bipolar.

Caught up in a world of blaming, as time passes, Tony perceives Charles as the cause for all that goes wrong in his life.


Eventually, with the death of their mother their father long since dead the brothers must deal with her funeral.
What would normally be an emotionally fraught experience becomes highly charged, when illusions disintegrate and truths must be faced,

Charles is supported by friends who have their own conditions, whether it be fear of letting the past go, fear of loss of control, fear of being hurt again.
Tony is supported by his wife and friends, who see Charles through the lens he has painted,

A remarkably brilliant book! Beyond a compelling and consuming tale, Mr, Fischer's writing flows beautifully. Writers would be wise to study his sentence structure, One of a handful of books that I've read recently where I see and feel what is happening, versus being told what is occurring.


A personal nod to Mr, Fischer for having Charles be a gifted landscape designer, As a Landscape Architect, I have an added passion for books that bring design into them, If someone asked me to write a book like this, honestly, Id go running for the hills, Its one of the hardest things to do, No special effects. No big explosions. No fastpaced action and chapters ending with our hero a hairs breadth from death, Though you might think Im talking about the movies, formula fiction novels too rely on an Astory thats fast moving and knuckle biting with a Bstory romance that honestly is just there so the reader can catch his breath before returning to the excitement.
Lets not forget playing for the hugest possible stakesthe world in the balance! I cant tell you why it works, or rather why it continues to work, as the formulas are as old as storytelling and youd think people would just get tired of them.


So take away all of that and what have you Usually the term “literary” comes to mind, Thats what we call books that dont really fit any categories, any genres, to which its just hard to put a label of any kind on.
If theres still genius buried in them there pages we might throw a Pulitzer at it in hopes we can still talk someone into reading it, because, after all, genius is a terrible thing to waste.
Often times these books are a tedious chore to read they feel like homework, as some way of cleansing the soul, or paying for the sins of that high fat diet loaded with chocolates and rich deserts that constitutes our traditional reading fare.
Every once in a while we have to choke down a “healthy” salad, Maybe the reason I dont write these things is I can barely stand to read them,

But every once in a while someone comes along to challenge all my notions about literature, That, for one, maybe it can be literary, Christoph Fischer is one of those people, In Conditions, he puts a bunch of people together who havent seen each other in agesand for good reasonthey didnt really get along when they did.
That set up alone reminded me of The Big Chill, one of my favorite movies in this class with William Hurt and Jeff Goldblum.
Even there, the director didnt have the courage to do a film like this without a whole lot of humor to take the edge off.
Christoph has the braveness of heart to stick with straight drama, as opposed to comedy drama, Though theres no denying the comic appeal of these characters and how they play off

of one another, they certainly dont intend to be funny.


With little more than sharp, poignant characters that leap off the page and dialogue every bit as punchy, the author manages to keep your attention riveted and keep you turning the pages.
Not that there isnt a solid plot here there is, its just not whats driving the story the characters are.
Christoph brings the drama of life into sharp focus in ways that everyday life just cant surrounded by the same people day in and day out, after a while those relationships lose their sheen and we fail to see not only the humor and wonder in life, but just fail to really see one another at all.
Its like were seeing our own lives through a fish bowl, Writers in this class help us to really engage with life again they help us to snap out of the trance weve slipped into thats rather like driving through thick fog with the high beams on, scattering the light even more and reducing nearzero visibility to absolute zero.
That distance Conditions gives us on ourselves, simultaneously gives us a renewed connection with our life purpose, with what were really about, and with those around us that has needed renewing for a long time.


Even after the family has gathered together for the funeral, the author continues to weave an intricate web of time around the present moment as he takes us in and out of each of their lives at pivotal moments to show how things really come together as they do.
The crises forced on them is of course created by the characters themselves and their inability to escape their own natures, to gain the kind of perspective that might drive higher consciousness, and spiritual renewal in the absence of crisis.
And even with several crises pending at once, you wonder if even that is enough to awaken these people so they can see at once how insufferable and how beautiful they are.


If youre a student of psychology and of the human condition, and youre looking for real literary magic, as opposed to Hollywood razzmatazz magic that is more smoke and mirrors and illusions than the real thing, give Conditions a read.
You wont regret it. I began this one the way I begin most literary affairs, with a silent prayer of, “please dont hurt me” followed by “please dont waste my time I have so little of it.
” I was delighted when my silent prayers were answered,
.