Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque. Short summary

5 seconds

Three friends who survived the war and in peacetime are always ready to come to each other’s aid. One of them falls in love, and the friend’s girlfriend quickly becomes another comrade in the friendly company.

1 minute

The novel is set in Germany in the late 1920s. Otto Kester, Robert Lokamp and Gottfried Lenz have been friends since high school. The three friends, who have survived the First World War, work together in a small car repair shop.

One day the friends meet a charming girl, Patricia Holman. A romantic relationship develops between Robert and Patricia. Robert’s comrades accept Pat into their community.

The lovers go on vacation to the sea. One evening Pat suddenly feels weak, and the next day she begins to bleed. It turns out that Pat has tuberculosis. The doctor insists on treatment, and Robert sends Patricia to a sanatorium.

The friends begin a series of financial mishaps. Strikes and riots rage in the city. Gottfried is killed in an accidental shooting. Then one day Robert receives a telegram from Pat asking him to come.

The two friends go to a sanatorium and learn that the girl does not have long to live. Robert spends his remaining days with her.