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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
The pace could have used work - the beginning took a long time to get into, and the ending felt a bit rushed. I ended up loving the characters and the plot was exciting! Will definitely read the next book.
Wow...
Elizabeth Wein was the reason I read PoNaF. I’m going to say nothing more because that would spoil Code Name Verity but I will now read any book that Elizabeth Wein blurbs (Front Lines by Michael Grant) because she has great taste in historical fiction.
It was the wierdest thing. Reading about Hitler being caring towards her and calling her his “little sunshine” and his “favorite child”. It was so disconcerting because the Hitler we all learned about was a monster. Maybe he got worse as time wore on because it’s only 1932 but it was so wierd. As the novel went on and Gretchen started realizing that he wanted to kill all of the Jews we started seeing the Hitler that we all learned about, and a side of him that we didn’t.
One of my favorite things about this book was that it was really thought provoking. There is of course the mystery of her Dad’s death but there is also Hitler and this novel brings into question things like his mental health and the mental stability of those around him as well as if a certain death was really a suicide or not. I also really like how the romance wasn’t a prominent storyline and it took a back seat to the action. We all know I don’t particularly like romance so that was definitly a plus.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Amazing! Go read it!
(Full review here: https://comfyreadingcorner.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/prisoner-of-night-and-fog-book-review-uncle-dolf-really/ )
Elizabeth Wein was the reason I read PoNaF. I’m going to say nothing more because that would spoil Code Name Verity but I will now read any book that Elizabeth Wein blurbs (Front Lines by Michael Grant) because she has great taste in historical fiction.
It was the wierdest thing. Reading about Hitler being caring towards her and calling her his “little sunshine” and his “favorite child”. It was so disconcerting because the Hitler we all learned about was a monster. Maybe he got worse as time wore on because it’s only 1932 but it was so wierd. As the novel went on and Gretchen started realizing that he wanted to kill all of the Jews we started seeing the Hitler that we all learned about, and a side of him that we didn’t.
One of my favorite things about this book was that it was really thought provoking. There is of course the mystery of her Dad’s death but there is also Hitler and this novel brings into question things like his mental health and the mental stability of those around him as well as if a certain death was really a suicide or not. I also really like how the romance wasn’t a prominent storyline and it took a back seat to the action. We all know I don’t particularly like romance so that was definitly a plus.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Amazing! Go read it!
(Full review here: https://comfyreadingcorner.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/prisoner-of-night-and-fog-book-review-uncle-dolf-really/ )
I don't think this book is perfect in the sense of plot or even characters but what I love about it was how detailed and thrilling it was. It gave young readers insight into Hitler and his early years. It examined early roots of anti-semetic tension in Germany and its desperate economic climate.
The reason I didn't find the writing to be 100% perfect is that the beginning was dry as a bone. It takes the reader a few 100 pages to warm up to and then suddenly everything is rushed. I understand she was trying to build a back story and a climate to set the story in but the book felt lopsided.
My favorite part was the psychoanalysis into multiple members of the Nazi party and what drove their murderous motivations. I thought this book was highly educated and perfect as a teaching tool for teens and adults. Combined with her Authors Note and extensive bibliography I was pleased to see how much knowledge was poured into this book.
Interesting read for those history nerds like myself!
The reason I didn't find the writing to be 100% perfect is that the beginning was dry as a bone. It takes the reader a few 100 pages to warm up to and then suddenly everything is rushed. I understand she was trying to build a back story and a climate to set the story in but the book felt lopsided.
My favorite part was the psychoanalysis into multiple members of the Nazi party and what drove their murderous motivations. I thought this book was highly educated and perfect as a teaching tool for teens and adults. Combined with her Authors Note and extensive bibliography I was pleased to see how much knowledge was poured into this book.
Interesting read for those history nerds like myself!
This was amazing! I love how much the author researched Hitler's inner circle. Although the main character, her family, and Daniel are all fictional, many of the characters in this book were real people, and Blankman does a great job providing a mix of fiction and fact. I love when historical fiction teaches you something! I need to buy the sequel ASAP.
Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review!
Gretchen Müller's father is considered a martyr for the National Socialist Party; he darted in front of Hitler and took the bullets. Since then, the Müller family is Hitler's favorite, and he's especially fond of Gretchen. She stands by his beliefs and hopes for a better Germany. But when Jewish reporter Daniel suggests her father was murdered, Gretchen's world is turned upside-down. She watches her brother beat others mercilessly, makes connections between his behavior and Hitler's, discovers incongruities in her father's history, and pieces together Hitler's darkest intentions for the Jews. Gretchen must face her most difficult decision of all: side with the people she's been molded to hate, or follow a man intent on genocide.
When I began Prisoner of Night and Fog, I thought I would encounter a I'm-supposed-to-hate-you-but-I-love-you-anyway YA historical love story. That the only interesting thing was that it was set before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. I was completely wrong. This book is intense, a major psychological page-turner, with mystery, terror, and violence. Yes, there's a romance, and the way it blooms is stunning -- but this is first and foremost a third-party observation and psychological study on Hitler.
It was oddly thrilling to be in the mind of a young Nazi girl. Gretchen is afraid of her brother, but is most frightened of him when he beats people without guilt. She watches him beat a Jewish man, and is torn between wanting to save this "monster" she's been trained to dislike, and wanting to turn the other way. She is shocked to find humanity in the Jew. And she's bothered even more when she meets Daniel and finds that he does not have any tricks in seducing her, does not transfer viruses, does not turn into a monstrous creature. Hitler's brainwashing went so deep into her mind that when she realizes on her own that the Jews are innocent humans, she feels terrible for believing in such horrors and supporting the Fuhrer. She's on edge, uncomfortable, tip-toeing around the whole Party. But most of all, she's iron-willed and determined to find out the truth about her father's death, even if it means putting her and Daniel on the line.
There is plenty of fiction available for victims of WWII. We have the perspectives of the women at home, from the soldiers across the world, from the Jews in the camps and in Siberia. But there are very few perspectives from the Nazi side, and even fewer from before the war when Hitler's party was one of many attempting to take control of Germany. Gretchen's independent transformation, coupled with the trust and understanding with Daniel, makes for a fascinating, frightening, and exciting read.
Scribbles & Wanderlust
Gretchen Müller's father is considered a martyr for the National Socialist Party; he darted in front of Hitler and took the bullets. Since then, the Müller family is Hitler's favorite, and he's especially fond of Gretchen. She stands by his beliefs and hopes for a better Germany. But when Jewish reporter Daniel suggests her father was murdered, Gretchen's world is turned upside-down. She watches her brother beat others mercilessly, makes connections between his behavior and Hitler's, discovers incongruities in her father's history, and pieces together Hitler's darkest intentions for the Jews. Gretchen must face her most difficult decision of all: side with the people she's been molded to hate, or follow a man intent on genocide.
When I began Prisoner of Night and Fog, I thought I would encounter a I'm-supposed-to-hate-you-but-I-love-you-anyway YA historical love story. That the only interesting thing was that it was set before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. I was completely wrong. This book is intense, a major psychological page-turner, with mystery, terror, and violence. Yes, there's a romance, and the way it blooms is stunning -- but this is first and foremost a third-party observation and psychological study on Hitler.
It was oddly thrilling to be in the mind of a young Nazi girl. Gretchen is afraid of her brother, but is most frightened of him when he beats people without guilt. She watches him beat a Jewish man, and is torn between wanting to save this "monster" she's been trained to dislike, and wanting to turn the other way. She is shocked to find humanity in the Jew. And she's bothered even more when she meets Daniel and finds that he does not have any tricks in seducing her, does not transfer viruses, does not turn into a monstrous creature. Hitler's brainwashing went so deep into her mind that when she realizes on her own that the Jews are innocent humans, she feels terrible for believing in such horrors and supporting the Fuhrer. She's on edge, uncomfortable, tip-toeing around the whole Party. But most of all, she's iron-willed and determined to find out the truth about her father's death, even if it means putting her and Daniel on the line.
There is plenty of fiction available for victims of WWII. We have the perspectives of the women at home, from the soldiers across the world, from the Jews in the camps and in Siberia. But there are very few perspectives from the Nazi side, and even fewer from before the war when Hitler's party was one of many attempting to take control of Germany. Gretchen's independent transformation, coupled with the trust and understanding with Daniel, makes for a fascinating, frightening, and exciting read.
Scribbles & Wanderlust
This book surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. A book like this can either turn out really good or really bad; luckily this one turned out excellent. I thought the characters were well developed and the book had a good plot. It kept me on the edge of my seating wanting to know what'll happen. It is full of action, romance, and history. A very well written book as well. I will definitely be reading the sequel win it comes out. This book is a must read for anyone who likes WWII books.
For so long she had believed in Hitler's lies, seeing shadows where there should have been light.Prisoner of Night and Fog is one of my most anticipated reads for 2014 - maybe even the most anticipated read of the year for me - and I am happy to say that it does not disappoint.
Not anymore. Not ever again.
Anne Blankman weaves together a tale about a young girl named Gretchen Müller, a girl who has grown up under the wing of her adoptive "Uncle" Dolf, who happens to be none other than Adolf Hitler himself. Gretchen believes and takes to heart everything he says. Yet, when she meets a handsome Jewish reporter named Daniel and eventually falls in love with him, Gretchen realizes that everything she thought she knew has been a lie.
One of the best aspects of Prisoner of Night and Fog is the research behind it. Just from reading the story, the massive amount of time Blankman has put into researching this story is quite evident. Each little detail is inserted into the story with pinpoint accuracy, from the details about Hitler’s rise to power to simply the atmosphere of Gretchen’s small German town, and as someone who loves history I absolutely ate it up. Even more clever is the way Blankman manages to hide small historical references within the story (like cleverly making Gretchen's best friend Eva Braun).
Gretchen is a character that is strong and believable. She starts off as Hitler's pet, his golden girl: naïve, trusting, dutiful; but by the end of the story she is someone entirely different. She became someone who stuck up for what she believed was right, and actively tried to fix what wasn't.
One of the book's flaws, however, is the romance. Daniel and Gretchen meet and fall in love; yet for some reason I never truly felt any true sparks behind them. I really liked the concept of their romance - a Jew and Hitler's golden girl falling in love is quite a unique idea for a forbidden romance - but, unfortunately, I never truly felt the connection between them.
In the end, I felt the concept was a bit stronger than the execution. The writing was a bit dull and monotonous throughout, but I was fully engrossed in the story and the wonderfully researched historical aspects regardless, and am definitely excited to see what happens to Gretchen in the sequel.
"Gretchen exhaled a shaky breath. The Jew is my eternal enemy. Those words had guided her heart for twelve years, thanks to her honorary "uncle" Dolf. She owed him so much. He had taught her about art and music, all the things that her father hadn't understood and her mother found dull." Prisoner of Night and Fog, 6
Gretchen Müller is a 17 year old German who sees Adolf Hitler as an uncle. Her father died saving Hitler's life, giving Gretchen and her family a special place within Hitler's ranks. Gretchen has been taught to hate Jews her whole life but when a (cute) Jewish reporter, Daniel, makes contact, her whole life is flipped upside down. He insists that her father was murdered. As she explores this possibility with Daniel, she starts to realize that what she took as facts may indeed be lies.
"She saw the truth now. The man she had loved as a father was a fraud. He kissed the backs of her hands and advocated war; he ruffled her hair and preached death; he had played with her on the carpet with toy soldiers, and all along he had been planning the extinction of an entire people." Prisoner of Night and Fog, 215
This was a very moving story and beautifully written. Most of the stories written about this time period are told from a Jewish perspective, now we have a German view. The way this story is told is realistic, and yes, some of the things said and done by other Germans are crude and inhumane. I appreciate that Blankman didn't sugarcoat things and depicted life as it would have been.
I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. It will appeal to those that like mysteries and it does have a romance too :)
It seems that this will be book 1 in a series and I will be continuing Gretchen & Daniel's journey whenever Blankman decides to write it!
See this review and other YA book reviews over on myblog.
Rating - ☆☆☆
Review:
I wasn't too sure on this one as it was historical fiction and it's not my kind of thing, but I actually enjoyed it.
Gretchen Muller is a normal little girl who does normal things, her brother is awful to her and tries to get her into trouble as every opportunity.
She is brought up inside the National Society Party and her favourite person in the whole world is her uncle Dolf.
Unfortunately for Gretchen uncle Dolf is no other than Adolf Hitler!
Gretchens father was shot while protecting Hitler at a rally for the NSP but after speaking to a young Jewish boy she finds out all is not as it seems.
This was an interesting read as it is before Hitler really came into power and the man we know today, and also how he manipulated people into his way of thinking.
Review:
I wasn't too sure on this one as it was historical fiction and it's not my kind of thing, but I actually enjoyed it.
Gretchen Muller is a normal little girl who does normal things, her brother is awful to her and tries to get her into trouble as every opportunity.
She is brought up inside the National Society Party and her favourite person in the whole world is her uncle Dolf.
Unfortunately for Gretchen uncle Dolf is no other than Adolf Hitler!
Gretchens father was shot while protecting Hitler at a rally for the NSP but after speaking to a young Jewish boy she finds out all is not as it seems.
This was an interesting read as it is before Hitler really came into power and the man we know today, and also how he manipulated people into his way of thinking.