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.

This is a gentle story about the owner of a small cafe and it's visitors. Set in 1960s Vienna, the writing creates real atmosphere and, although not much seems to happen in the story, it paints a picture of a town recovering from it's past and is deceptively simple. Robert rents a room from an elderly widow. They often share company over breakfast and he describes his ambition to open a small cafe one day. This soon becomes a reality and the small cafe with no name soon becomes a feature of the village and an important part of many lives. This is a tale about ordinary people, told in moving and compassionate description.

A cafe, which rose from the dusty streets of post war Vienna. A place where people can gather any day of the week, except Tuesdays, to either forget the mess around them or to talk through it all. A cafe with a good punch, basic but honest food and warm spot on a cold winter’s day to rest and escape. For regulars or for travellers. That is the place Robert Simon creates with a bit of encouragement from the butcher next door and help from Mila. And the place thrives and works and it becomes better and better with time until it is time for the end because things never stay the same.

This is a slow and quick read at the same time: a gentle pace but the book itself isn’t long. It tells the story of 1960s Vienna, through the lives of Robert, Mila and her boxing husband René, the butcher and his ever expanding family, Robert’s landlady and all the highs and lows that come with living. It captures a changing world and the need for a safe haven like the café in that world because we all need some sort of security and safe space to cope with all that life can throw at us.

This was such a gentle read where nothing really happens but it doesn’t matter. Set in Vienna in the 1960w, we follow Robert Simon, a gentle, unassuming man who lives a simple life, lodging with a war widow and working as a sort of handyman in the local market. Then he decides to open up a cafe and he even employs a young woman, Mila, who used to work in the local factory to help him .He has no real business plan, he just thinks it would be a good thing to do. He doesn’t even give the cafe a name. But the locals visit, they become regulars and over the course of the book, over the course of the years we get to know these characters, we get glimpses into their lives and through these little snapshots we see the kindnesses within this small community as the city recovers from the war. I particularly enjoyed the odd little chapters that are interspersed where two ladies are just talking together about anything and everything, jumping around from one thing to another as we all do when we are with friends. The author even references the collapse of the Reichsbrucke. There is a sense throughout that the future is uncertain, and the ending is quite melancholy, but on the whole this is such a gem of a book which reminds me of Marzahn Mon Amour which also was full of little vignettes about ordinary people with ordinary lives. A gentle and tender read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Robert Seethaler for this ARC!

This was a quick but impactful read for me. There’s a real sense in this book of how beautiful mundanity can be in the face of hardship and how some of the most poignant moments can come from the calm amongst the chaos. This was so sad at some points but there was a real beating heart at the centre of this book.

Robert Seethaler treats us to snapshots of the lives of the residents of 1966 Vienna, through the microscope of a corner cafe. Factory workers, market traders, a wrestler, elderly ladies and the local butcher are just some of the people who frequent the cafe and share their stories and secrets. From everyday gripes and gossip to devastating events, we see all aspects of life and the human condition pass through Robert Simon’s cafe.

The writing is quiet, without exaggeration or ceremony, which makes the sad moments all the more cutting. The words may be sparse but the emotion is abundant. Whilst the atmosphere at times is melancholic, there is hope in the characters lives and dreams and I was reluctant to leave them.

I really enjoyed this one, it felt like people watching in book form. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading about everyday lives and human emotion, it will definitely appeal to fans of Elizabeth Strout and Anne Tyler.

I‘d read The Tobacconist by this author and enjoyed it so when this popped up on NG I thought I‘d give it a try.

This is a quiet, contemplative book, following a number of years in the life of a café, its owner Robert, and many of the customers.

Just a delightful relaxing read - perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon!

What a fantastic novel! Set in a café opposite a bustling market in postwar Vienna, we hear hundreds of disjointed stories, snapshots of the lives of the characters who frequent the Café. We learn of the desperate lives of ordinary people trying to make a living in the crumbling remains of a once beautiful city. Some of the lives intertwine, but the main focus is always based around the hard-working and lonely character Robert Simon who has opened the café, his landlady, who is the closest he has to family, and his waitress.
The book reads as overheard conversations, as if you were there passing between the tables in the café, a marvellous literary device.
An absolutely fascinating moment in history, recreated to give us an idea of lives of the Viennese at the time. An excellent translation too, I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Set in 1960s Vienna, The Café with No Name is the deceptively simple story of mild-mannered Robert Simon. He rents a room from an elderly widow with whom he often shares breakfast, providing each with quiet companionship. He harbours an ambition to open a café and one day comes across a property on the edge of the local market. It’s a bit rundown but he’s not afraid of hard work and sets to work refurbishing it. Unable to decide on a name for the cafe, it remains without one.

Customers start to come to the café. They drink a coffee, a beer or a glass of wine – possibly more than one – and eat the cafe’s simple food offering of bread and dripping. At the suggestion of the widow he adds hot punch to the menu – with great success – and thanks to his friend, the butcher across the street, he acquires a barmaid, Mila.

Some customers of the café sit alone, some strike up conversations with other customers, others join friends for a game of cards. There are regular patrons, including traders from the market. Others are simply passers-by. The café is the scene of assignations, quarrels and gossip. It’s a place to unburden yourself or just to sit in quiet reflection. It’s everything Robert hoped the café would be. ‘[He] couldn’t help smiling at the thought of all the lost souls who came together in his café every day.’

Gradually we learn more about the lives of some of the café’s customers. There are moments of joy and sadness, of hope and despair. I found certain scenes intensely moving but I also enjoyed the touches of humour, chiefly provided by two female customers whose gossipy conversation the author allows us to eavesdrop on periodically.

Change is in the air as Vienna continues to rebuild after the war. And for Robert and the café, as in life, it’s time to move on. The Café with No Name explores the lives of ordinary people with an engagingly deft and compassionate touch.

I would give this book 4.5⭐️ if I could.
A charming story of the everyday life of a small Viennese cafe. Robert Simon achieves his dream and takes over an empty cafe opposite the market in 1960s Vienna. Over the next ten years we meet many of the customers, some fleetingly, and follow Simon as he builds his business and watches his customers come and go.
Beautifully written a lovely quiet book to enjoy. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

This is nostalgic story which captures a period of time from one small but powerful perspective, that of a cafe with no name, in 1960s Austria. This is a charming story which tells the story of a changing time. All the characters have a special charm about them too as we hear their stories. This is a beautifully told story.

This was one of those gentle reads that shouldn't really work as there's not much going on, but it does because of the quality of the writing and the strength of the characters created!

Set in Vienna in the 1960's we follow a man, who lives a very simple life and opens up the local cafe with no real plan but he's just driven to do so. And the locals flock to this hub and that's where we are introduced to a variety of characters and the impact they have on the cafe owner, and he on them.

I really loved the simplicity of this story. Setting it in Vienna during changing times, we see the impact of recent history on the people, and the different characters allow us to see them all facing different challenges.

The story is told over a number of years, and it is a wonderful look at characters and the smallest details make the biggest impact on you as a reader. I can see why it's been so successful over the years in Europe and this wonderful translation should now extend that success here!

A gentle story about Simon and his cafe. Set in Vienna shortly after the war. Nothing much happens, but we hear the stories of Simon’s customers and his assistant Mila, who much prefers working in his cafe than in the bar and factory where she’s worked before.

It’s 1960s Vienna and we meet Robert Simon about to sign a lease for a cafe with no name and it remains with no name. He employs Mila to help him with catering for his eclectic mix of customers. There is no plot to this book just the stories of his customers lives and how they interact with each other.
It’s a little gem of a book allowing us an insight into a community and how they cope with change together. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for a copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed this, especially at the beginning when Robert and everyone were younger and full of hope. The characters are very well drawn as is the cafe and that area of Vienna. I particularly like the short in between chapters which were the ladies talking about various things and jumping from one topic to another, I thought that was very realistically done.

The book is full of emotion, quiet friendships, unlikely relationships, respect for everyone no matter their circumstances. a regret for the past and uncertainty for the future. I must say though, that the melancholy tone increases as the book goes on and by the end, I found it almost all too much. The ending was really very sad but, I suppose, realistic.

I imagine that I will think about the characters and wonder what lay in store for them all but overall, it is just too sad to read again.

A restful read, set in Vienna during the 1960s. It slowly examines the minutiae of the lives of the people who frequent The Cafe with No Name. Its owner, Robert Simon, observes its derelict state, decides to rescue it, and seeks to establish a warm and welcoming environment for the local community to gather in.

The cafe is simple in design and purpose, and in the menu that is offered there, yet it’s made inviting by the warmth of the characters and the way they help and support one another. Their lives have a mix of the marvellous and the mundane, with the ordinary made extraordinary by what happens to them.

What sings out loud and clear in this quiet rendering of small lives is the indomitable quality of the human spirit in overcoming adversity and pulling together when trouble strikes. There is gentle humour laced with dark circumstances as love and loss and friendship coexist together.

This is a charming, character driven, comforting little book which hones in on the highlights and lowlights of life with a photographic eye that sees and reveals the beauty in each tiny snapshot of time. No discernible plot, just lots of observational detail to warm the heart. Grateful thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for the eARC. I loved it!