The middle of the 19th century was full of both social and technological change throughout Europe. In the Semmering region of Austria, the building of the train line across the mountains and freeing the farmers from serfdom came together only 40 years after Napoleon came through. Bauer Polleros, who had been active in harrying the French, tries the same methods on those building the train line and changing the established order of society, but the modern age comes anyway.

This is a well written novel about the period. This novel should only be attempted by those who have some aquaintance with Austrian dialects. All dialogue is written more as less as it would have been spoken. "I red', wann i will. Da steh' i; kömmts her, wann eunch was nit paß. Und g'fragt hat den dort ah koan Mensch!" or "Moanst? So müasset ja alles wieder auf'n selben Fleck z'ruckkömma? Und däs is g'wiß nit wahr!" No dictionary is going to help with this, but if you can read it, the book is well worth reading. (And then take a train ride across the Semmering to see it all.) ( )