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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
NetGalley provided me with this book in exchange for an honest review.
If I wasn't a history teacher, I would likely have given this book three stars. I gave it an extra star for the historical value of the book. As a casual reader, though, I think I would have found this to be a very slow book. There was a lot of minutiae that felt really slow to get through. I WAS listening to the audio, which might have made a difference in how slow it felt. That said, I do think Ludwig's story is an important one, and it's important to remember that not everyone on the enemy side in a war is bad. Ludwig's story shows how little most Germans knew of what was really going on during WWII. I think it's common to ask "Why didn't the German people do something about the concentration camps?" but most Germans were unaware of them. It was interesting to see the inner workings of the Hitler Youth Camp, and especially interesting to learn about the years AFTER the war, when the Soviets took over east Germany. So while this may not have been the most exciting book to read, I do see a lot of educational and historical value in it, and may use it or portions of it for curriculum in the future.
If I wasn't a history teacher, I would likely have given this book three stars. I gave it an extra star for the historical value of the book. As a casual reader, though, I think I would have found this to be a very slow book. There was a lot of minutiae that felt really slow to get through. I WAS listening to the audio, which might have made a difference in how slow it felt. That said, I do think Ludwig's story is an important one, and it's important to remember that not everyone on the enemy side in a war is bad. Ludwig's story shows how little most Germans knew of what was really going on during WWII. I think it's common to ask "Why didn't the German people do something about the concentration camps?" but most Germans were unaware of them. It was interesting to see the inner workings of the Hitler Youth Camp, and especially interesting to learn about the years AFTER the war, when the Soviets took over east Germany. So while this may not have been the most exciting book to read, I do see a lot of educational and historical value in it, and may use it or portions of it for curriculum in the future.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was interesting in the sense it is a memoir of WWII and life on the soviet side of Germany. It is also written by a Winnipegger (vet at Birchwood Clinic). However I do have to admit that I struggled to get through it. Great in parts, but maybe too much detail or not quite compelling enough to consistently keep my attention. I read it over Remembrance Day though, so found that very fitting.
If you love WW2 historical fiction, “The Willow Wren” might be right up your alley. And it’s likely a story that you’ve rarely heard about.
We meet Ludwig Schott, a young German boy who grows up during the 1930s and 40s. Unfortunately, his philandering father is a pro-Nazi militant. And Ludwig is sent to a Hitler youth camp as a young boy. (They groom them early).
The writing by Philipp Schott is wonderful as is the audiobook narrator, Brian Webber. It’s actually a story of Schott’s father. The problem was that I didn’t love the content and found myself biased knowing the horrors that were being carried out by the Germans. Did I not allow myself to connect to the story? Was I being judgmental during the listening process? Absolutely. I’m a horrible book reviewer in this regard because I’m bringing my bias into the picture.
That said, I did learn what life was like “on the other side.” German families were brainwashed with extreme, fear-based propaganda and also had issues with poverty, food deprivation and migration challenges from the East to the West.
Thank you to ECW Press Audio for a listener copy via the NetGalley app. This is my honest review.
We meet Ludwig Schott, a young German boy who grows up during the 1930s and 40s. Unfortunately, his philandering father is a pro-Nazi militant. And Ludwig is sent to a Hitler youth camp as a young boy. (They groom them early).
The writing by Philipp Schott is wonderful as is the audiobook narrator, Brian Webber. It’s actually a story of Schott’s father. The problem was that I didn’t love the content and found myself biased knowing the horrors that were being carried out by the Germans. Did I not allow myself to connect to the story? Was I being judgmental during the listening process? Absolutely. I’m a horrible book reviewer in this regard because I’m bringing my bias into the picture.
That said, I did learn what life was like “on the other side.” German families were brainwashed with extreme, fear-based propaganda and also had issues with poverty, food deprivation and migration challenges from the East to the West.
Thank you to ECW Press Audio for a listener copy via the NetGalley app. This is my honest review.
This was a different read for a WWII novel, as it was written from the perspective of a young boy who had no choice, and was enrolled in the Hilter Youth camp along with his older brother. Ludwig’s mind was a little different than other, he took notice of nature and things surrounding him, and often his questions got him in trouble with his father.
Ludwig’s father is a senior Nazi, and true believer in Hitler and the goals he ultimately has in mind. Germany can and will succeed there is no doubt about that, and so this story is told through Ludwig who lived through seeing his father belong to a part of these people who were hurting others, his mother who was not blind to it all and often questioned their father on right and wrong of what was happening and the kids stuck in the middle.
Ludwig and his older brother had to quickly grow up, and were sent off to the Hitler Youth Camp as soon as could be, as family did not have room for them, and the allied bombings has denigrated their house. Wilhelm as too busy always working for the Nazi, and that left his mother to fend for herself and all the kids. Doing what she thought was best, the two boys went off to become part of training for what their father believed, would be the future generations running Germany.
This was an interesting novel, based on the true story of a family and boys who lived this. Where they were sent to the Hitler Youth Camp, and managed to survive after the war. It was a different perspective than a lot of the WWII novels, and I greatly enjoyed reading about the war through the eyes of a child who had parents that were on opposite sides. A lot of people did not like to talk about what they saw and the war after, and I am glad that Ludwig shared his stories with is family, grandkids and so on so it could eventually be told.
Thank you to the author, and the ECW Press for the free book.
Ludwig’s father is a senior Nazi, and true believer in Hitler and the goals he ultimately has in mind. Germany can and will succeed there is no doubt about that, and so this story is told through Ludwig who lived through seeing his father belong to a part of these people who were hurting others, his mother who was not blind to it all and often questioned their father on right and wrong of what was happening and the kids stuck in the middle.
Ludwig and his older brother had to quickly grow up, and were sent off to the Hitler Youth Camp as soon as could be, as family did not have room for them, and the allied bombings has denigrated their house. Wilhelm as too busy always working for the Nazi, and that left his mother to fend for herself and all the kids. Doing what she thought was best, the two boys went off to become part of training for what their father believed, would be the future generations running Germany.
This was an interesting novel, based on the true story of a family and boys who lived this. Where they were sent to the Hitler Youth Camp, and managed to survive after the war. It was a different perspective than a lot of the WWII novels, and I greatly enjoyed reading about the war through the eyes of a child who had parents that were on opposite sides. A lot of people did not like to talk about what they saw and the war after, and I am glad that Ludwig shared his stories with is family, grandkids and so on so it could eventually be told.
Thank you to the author, and the ECW Press for the free book.
The Willow Wren is an interesting narrative that took place in Nazi Germany and follows up to the fall of the Nazi regime. This novel tells a fictionalized account of the author’s grandfather who grew up in Nazi Germany. Ludwig’s father is a devout supporter of the Nazi party, but the rest of the family does not support the Nazis. It was a different account of World War II and the Russian occupation of Germany than I have read before.
Ludwig was an interesting character and the way he was written was interesting. We get to see a moment in which he appears to experience sensory overload and in multiple instances he is mentioned and shown to be very sensitive to loud noises. He also has a great love of nature.
The Willow Wren is a story of resilience. From Ludwig’s story, we witness the extremism of the Nazis and the grooming of young boys in the Hitler Youth and into their military. There are also terrible things that happened to some of the boys that were in the Hitler Youth at the hands of their fellow boys. Overall, this was a different read for me. It follows Ludwig’s story as he grows up in Nazi Germany and the Russian occupation. It was an interesting account of resilience.
I would like to thank ECW Press for providing me with an ARC.
Ludwig was an interesting character and the way he was written was interesting. We get to see a moment in which he appears to experience sensory overload and in multiple instances he is mentioned and shown to be very sensitive to loud noises. He also has a great love of nature.
The Willow Wren is a story of resilience. From Ludwig’s story, we witness the extremism of the Nazis and the grooming of young boys in the Hitler Youth and into their military. There are also terrible things that happened to some of the boys that were in the Hitler Youth at the hands of their fellow boys. Overall, this was a different read for me. It follows Ludwig’s story as he grows up in Nazi Germany and the Russian occupation. It was an interesting account of resilience.
I would like to thank ECW Press for providing me with an ARC.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley & ECW Press for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
This was a stunningly beautiful book, even as it described in great detail the horrors of war. I often found myself getting lost in the language and the phrasing that Philipp Schott used, going back over sentences and paragraphs; reading them out loud to my husband just so I could share them with someone.
This isn't your typical WWII novel, and whereas I don't think the synopsis does the reader a disservice, necessarily, it is worth mentioning that the novel is a lot less of the thrilling escape that it seems it will be. It's more of an intricate look into the depths of human nature that coincides with a family leaving Germany (past the 90% mark).
There is a lot of introspection and descriptive writing in this book (including almost an entire chapter on the particulars of mushroom foraging in wartime, which I found fascinating but which admittedly will not be everyone's cup of tea). I found it incredibly well written and loved the author's note at the end - while it's not the type of WWII novel I normally find myself reading, I think it was all the better for it.
I would definitely recommend this to other readers of WWII Historical Fiction, especially if you like learning more about the historical aspects.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault