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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Enjoyed this story but the writing was a little repetitive.
I’m no historian by any means, but I have a deep appreciation for a well researched piece of historical fiction. Even when I know very little about a time period, I think that when an author does her homework, it shows. This is especially essential when the subject matter is one about which many readers already have formed opinions — in this case, the Nazi (National Socialist) Party and Adolf Hitler. I was excited, but a little wary, to see how Anne Blankman would approach such a delicate topic. I knew the protagonist starts the book very close to Hitler, but surely she couldn’t actually like Hitler? Surely the author wouldn’t dare paint Hitler as a nice guy who’s been horribly misunderstood?
I needn’t have worried. While, yes, protagonist Gretchen Müller is very fond of Hitler when we meet her, referring to him as Uncle Dolf, I found PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG very thoughtful in its approach to her beliefs and her interactions with the infamous Führer. I could see how this young, intelligent girl would have been won over by Hitler’s charisma and propaganda. It was clear a lot of care had been put into Hitler’s portrayal, and Gretchen’s perception of him, and I found it extremely believable.
It was chilling to see characters that truly seemed like good people embrace Hitler’s horrifying ideals. Some of the Nazi characters in this book were, indeed, monsters, but many were otherwise decent folk who didn’t seem to see how wrong their beliefs and actions truly were. One by one, they all turn against Gretchen when they realize she’s pulling away from the Party, in a series of events that becomes more and more terrifying as Gretchen sees how deep Hitler’s poison has sunk into the hearts of her German friends and neighbors. Watching as Gretchen slowly has the wool pulled from her eyes was both compelling and heartbreaking, especially when I considered that this story takes place before World War II, which meant opposing Hitler would only become more difficult for Gretchen.
The murder plot is exciting, but I have to admit, it wasn’t much of a mystery. The reveals that shocked Gretchen I found somewhat predictable, but I didn’t mind, because I wasn’t really reading to learn who killed Gretchen’s father. The answer was interesting — and tied brilliantly into a real historical event — but the aspect of the story that gripped me the most wasn’t the ten-year-old crime, but how Gretchen would survive once she knew the truth.
Likewise, I loved watching Gretchen’s interaction with Jewish reporter Daniel. It was fascinating to watch Gretchen grow from someone who mindlessly accepted that Jews were subhuman into someone who understood the value and humanity in all people. The love story was sweet, but much like the murder mystery, it was secondary for me. I was mostly invested for Gretchen’s internal change and growth. It’s rare to read a book where the protagonist wholeheartedly buys into the rightness of society’s harmful ideals, and then is forced to change her mind and heart completely when she is faced with the truth. I thought PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG handled that transformation wonderfully.
As I mentioned before, the attention to historical detail in this story is commendable. While Gretchen, Daniel, and several other important characters are fictitious, many of the characters in this book were real people, in addition to Hitler himself. Similarly, many of the events and locations referenced also were based on true historical accounts. I thought Anne Blankman’s thorough research and her thoughtful portrayal of history helped the fictional events leap off the page, and gave her story a real air of believably. I don’t think anyone should pick up a historical fiction novel expecting a 100% educational experience, but I do think PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG helped shed a light on a period of history that isn’t often taught in schools, and did so with a lot of care and respect to the time period. The plot of the story may be fictitious, but the backdrop was real, and I thought the balance between the two was wonderful.
Overall, I found PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG a fascinating read, full of compelling characters and challenging questions, set in one of the most intriguing and terrifying periods of history. If you enjoy well-written, thoughtfully researched historical fiction, or simply great characters making hard choices against overwhelming odds, I highly recommend you give it a try.
I needn’t have worried. While, yes, protagonist Gretchen Müller is very fond of Hitler when we meet her, referring to him as Uncle Dolf, I found PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG very thoughtful in its approach to her beliefs and her interactions with the infamous Führer. I could see how this young, intelligent girl would have been won over by Hitler’s charisma and propaganda. It was clear a lot of care had been put into Hitler’s portrayal, and Gretchen’s perception of him, and I found it extremely believable.
It was chilling to see characters that truly seemed like good people embrace Hitler’s horrifying ideals. Some of the Nazi characters in this book were, indeed, monsters, but many were otherwise decent folk who didn’t seem to see how wrong their beliefs and actions truly were. One by one, they all turn against Gretchen when they realize she’s pulling away from the Party, in a series of events that becomes more and more terrifying as Gretchen sees how deep Hitler’s poison has sunk into the hearts of her German friends and neighbors. Watching as Gretchen slowly has the wool pulled from her eyes was both compelling and heartbreaking, especially when I considered that this story takes place before World War II, which meant opposing Hitler would only become more difficult for Gretchen.
The murder plot is exciting, but I have to admit, it wasn’t much of a mystery. The reveals that shocked Gretchen I found somewhat predictable, but I didn’t mind, because I wasn’t really reading to learn who killed Gretchen’s father. The answer was interesting — and tied brilliantly into a real historical event — but the aspect of the story that gripped me the most wasn’t the ten-year-old crime, but how Gretchen would survive once she knew the truth.
Likewise, I loved watching Gretchen’s interaction with Jewish reporter Daniel. It was fascinating to watch Gretchen grow from someone who mindlessly accepted that Jews were subhuman into someone who understood the value and humanity in all people. The love story was sweet, but much like the murder mystery, it was secondary for me. I was mostly invested for Gretchen’s internal change and growth. It’s rare to read a book where the protagonist wholeheartedly buys into the rightness of society’s harmful ideals, and then is forced to change her mind and heart completely when she is faced with the truth. I thought PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG handled that transformation wonderfully.
As I mentioned before, the attention to historical detail in this story is commendable. While Gretchen, Daniel, and several other important characters are fictitious, many of the characters in this book were real people, in addition to Hitler himself. Similarly, many of the events and locations referenced also were based on true historical accounts. I thought Anne Blankman’s thorough research and her thoughtful portrayal of history helped the fictional events leap off the page, and gave her story a real air of believably. I don’t think anyone should pick up a historical fiction novel expecting a 100% educational experience, but I do think PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG helped shed a light on a period of history that isn’t often taught in schools, and did so with a lot of care and respect to the time period. The plot of the story may be fictitious, but the backdrop was real, and I thought the balance between the two was wonderful.
Overall, I found PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG a fascinating read, full of compelling characters and challenging questions, set in one of the most intriguing and terrifying periods of history. If you enjoy well-written, thoughtfully researched historical fiction, or simply great characters making hard choices against overwhelming odds, I highly recommend you give it a try.
Very occasionally a book comes along that makes you truly stop and focus on something you think you've understood and makes you look at it in a whole different way. Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman is just one such book, one worthy of so much more than just 5 stars in a review because you know it's story will stay with you beyond the closing of the pages.
I found this book in the teen section of our local library whilst supervising my 3 year old who was searching for Peppa books. It's cover was immediately engaging and the back of the book compelled me to read it. It's the story of 16 year old Gretchen Muller who lives in Munich with her mother and older brother Reindhard. After the death of her father her family have been taken under the wing of her "Uncle Dolf" whom the rest of the world know as Herr Hitler.
She has been brought up within the shadow of the National Socialist party in Munich and is held up as the poster child of what Hitler views as a good German girl. He had taught her about art, music and culture and she believes fully his beliefs that Jews are dangerous and should be removed from Germany.
That is until she witnesses her brother beating up a Jewish man in the street and sees that he is scared and not dangerous at all. In trying to help the man she is brought to the attention of Jewish journalist, Daniel Cohen, who recognising her tells her he has information about the death of her father. Through their investigations she begins to realise that "Uncle Dolf" isn't being honest about his plans for resettling Jews outside Germany and instead has a much more dangerous plan.
This book is a wonderful blend of reality and fiction, mixing real historical figures such as Hitler and Eva Braun with fictional ones such as Gretchen and Daniel. It's got a murder mystery mixed amongst the historical teachings about the National Socialists in Germany before their election to power and the battles between Socialism and Communism.
It takes us into the world of Hitler outwith the party, his strange behaviours in his own homes, his habits and appetite for young girls. It gives a glimpse of a man on his way to power in Germany and the people who tried and failed to stop what would reshape the world.
I absolutely loved the blending of real and fiction and the lead character was wonderfully well written. A really special book which makes you stop and consider what it must have been like to move in circles close to such beliefs and the danger you could incite by daring to question them.
There is a sequel to this book planned for early 2015 and I absolutely cannot wait to spend more time with Gretchen. I wasn't ready to slip into Christmas book mode quite yet and needed something a bit more fulfilling after the fluff of my last book and this was a wonderful joyful delight. I am now feeling compelled to read more of a similar feel and may delve into The Book Thief which I've been saving.
I found this book in the teen section of our local library whilst supervising my 3 year old who was searching for Peppa books. It's cover was immediately engaging and the back of the book compelled me to read it. It's the story of 16 year old Gretchen Muller who lives in Munich with her mother and older brother Reindhard. After the death of her father her family have been taken under the wing of her "Uncle Dolf" whom the rest of the world know as Herr Hitler.
She has been brought up within the shadow of the National Socialist party in Munich and is held up as the poster child of what Hitler views as a good German girl. He had taught her about art, music and culture and she believes fully his beliefs that Jews are dangerous and should be removed from Germany.
That is until she witnesses her brother beating up a Jewish man in the street and sees that he is scared and not dangerous at all. In trying to help the man she is brought to the attention of Jewish journalist, Daniel Cohen, who recognising her tells her he has information about the death of her father. Through their investigations she begins to realise that "Uncle Dolf" isn't being honest about his plans for resettling Jews outside Germany and instead has a much more dangerous plan.
This book is a wonderful blend of reality and fiction, mixing real historical figures such as Hitler and Eva Braun with fictional ones such as Gretchen and Daniel. It's got a murder mystery mixed amongst the historical teachings about the National Socialists in Germany before their election to power and the battles between Socialism and Communism.
It takes us into the world of Hitler outwith the party, his strange behaviours in his own homes, his habits and appetite for young girls. It gives a glimpse of a man on his way to power in Germany and the people who tried and failed to stop what would reshape the world.
I absolutely loved the blending of real and fiction and the lead character was wonderfully well written. A really special book which makes you stop and consider what it must have been like to move in circles close to such beliefs and the danger you could incite by daring to question them.
There is a sequel to this book planned for early 2015 and I absolutely cannot wait to spend more time with Gretchen. I wasn't ready to slip into Christmas book mode quite yet and needed something a bit more fulfilling after the fluff of my last book and this was a wonderful joyful delight. I am now feeling compelled to read more of a similar feel and may delve into The Book Thief which I've been saving.
Ik vond dit boek echt heel goed. De schrijfstijl was een beetje formeel en ouderwets soms, dus ik moest er even inkomen. Het verhaal zelf vond ik echt heel goed. Ik heb nog nooit een boek gelezen waar je zo dicht bij Hitler komt, en hem op zo'n manier bekijkt, als familie. Dat vond ik heel bijzonder, en het was ook nog informatief. Ik vind het ook mooi dat Gretchen langzaamaan haar beeld van Hitler en de Nazi's veranderd, net als dat van de Joden. Dit boek is zeker een aanrader, en ik ben nu erg benieuwd naar andere boeken over Hitler en de 2de wereldoorlog. Ook kan ik niet wachten op deel 2. Een zeer goed boek!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
This is not in any way horrible, but it just wasn't that good either and I'm not just saying that because I don't like world war settings.
Prisoner of Night and Fog seemed like it would be great, but I was hesitant because it was during too during World War II years. I just don't like reading about it. It was horrible and what's going to be said about this time period has been said a million times over and some authors seem to use it simply for the emotional string pulling, I thought Prisoner of Night and Fog would be different since it was in Gretchen's PoV, 'Uncle Dolf's favorite niece'.
The good things: Blankman obviously did her research in regards to facts, names and events, which was nice, although at times it did feel a bit too much, we don't have to know every single detail about a person that's just been introduced. So the historical aspect was very well done. Check.
Another good thing was the relationships. More specifically the dynamics of Gretchen's family. Having to read about her psycopathic brother and how her mother just went along with whatever he said and did to Gretchen or herself was hard. It also pissed me off that Gretchen wasn't more careful. You do not play around with psycopath and just sneak into his room, multiple times, without some serious preparation and help, specially after she got caught the first time. I also liked how Blankman showed both coins of a psycopath, the charming, brilliant one and the cold, calculating quiet one.
Now what I didn't like. The mystery? Laughable. It was obvious what had happened and what the doctor had said about Hitler so long ago. At one point I thought the doctor had said something different because of all the mystery surrounding it, but not it was what I thought. Disappointing. The amount of writing time the plot actually got was barely 30% in total the rest was just Gretchen sneaking around with Cohen and having her eyes opened.
I also didn't like Gretchen. Look I know she was Hitler's favorite niece and that Hitler was obviously quite charming and persuasive, but for someone who was with him so often and spoke privately with him, she just came across as an airhead. She obviously couldn't read between the lines, like she had absolutely no mind of her own. And she didn't even start questioning everything because things started clicking in her mind, no it was because Cohen just told her and she went along with it. It wasn't till the very end when she started truly seeing him for what he was and started analyzing their previous encounters. I even understood Geli and Eva more than Gretchen's naivety.
The romance. Wasn't really feeling it. At first I was proud of Gretchen for at least thinking of bringing a weapon, but honestly Cohen came off as a major stalker and while my curiosity would have been peeked I would not have approached him as Gretchen did. She was again entirely too trusting and naive.
The ending. This right here was what really disappointed me. The ending was one coincidence after another that lead to Gretchen and Cohen being saved. It was absolutely absurd. Even Gretchen points out how lucky they were. It wasn't. It was just ridiculous and unbelievable. Done only so the next two books could be possible.
Looking around at the reviews I'm in the minority about how I feel about this book, so I guess if you like historical YA novels you should still give this one a try.
Prisoner of Night and Fog seemed like it would be great, but I was hesitant because it was during too during World War II years. I just don't like reading about it. It was horrible and what's going to be said about this time period has been said a million times over and some authors seem to use it simply for the emotional string pulling, I thought Prisoner of Night and Fog would be different since it was in Gretchen's PoV, 'Uncle Dolf's favorite niece'.
The good things: Blankman obviously did her research in regards to facts, names and events, which was nice, although at times it did feel a bit too much, we don't have to know every single detail about a person that's just been introduced. So the historical aspect was very well done. Check.
Another good thing was the relationships. More specifically the dynamics of Gretchen's family. Having to read about her psycopathic brother and how her mother just went along with whatever he said and did to Gretchen or herself was hard. It also pissed me off that Gretchen wasn't more careful. You do not play around with psycopath and just sneak into his room, multiple times, without some serious preparation and help, specially after she got caught the first time. I also liked how Blankman showed both coins of a psycopath, the charming, brilliant one and the cold, calculating quiet one.
Now what I didn't like. The mystery? Laughable. It was obvious what had happened and what the doctor had said about Hitler so long ago. At one point I thought the doctor had said something different because of all the mystery surrounding it, but not it was what I thought. Disappointing. The amount of writing time the plot actually got was barely 30% in total the rest was just Gretchen sneaking around with Cohen and having her eyes opened.
I also didn't like Gretchen. Look I know she was Hitler's favorite niece and that Hitler was obviously quite charming and persuasive, but for someone who was with him so often and spoke privately with him, she just came across as an airhead. She obviously couldn't read between the lines, like she had absolutely no mind of her own. And she didn't even start questioning everything because things started clicking in her mind, no it was because Cohen just told her and she went along with it. It wasn't till the very end when she started truly seeing him for what he was and started analyzing their previous encounters. I even understood Geli and Eva more than Gretchen's naivety.
The romance. Wasn't really feeling it. At first I was proud of Gretchen for at least thinking of bringing a weapon, but honestly Cohen came off as a major stalker and while my curiosity would have been peeked I would not have approached him as Gretchen did. She was again entirely too trusting and naive.
The ending. This right here was what really disappointed me. The ending was one coincidence after another that lead to Gretchen and Cohen being saved. It was absolutely absurd. Even Gretchen points out how lucky they were. It wasn't. It was just ridiculous and unbelievable. Done only so the next two books could be possible.
Looking around at the reviews I'm in the minority about how I feel about this book, so I guess if you like historical YA novels you should still give this one a try.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Its more of a 4.5, but there isn't a point five option. So good! Very much recomend!
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
This has been on my TBR for years! I love the time period it takes place in, female lead, and right before Hitler takes presidency. Make sure to read the Author’s Note after you finish the book. Blankman really did her research in mixing fiction with history.
The only reason why it isn’t a 5 star is
My favorite character was Daniel. During the 1920-30’s men were taught to be masculine, and to treat women as... objects instead of people. Daniel treated Gretchen as an equal, and that helped her character development.
The only reason why it isn’t a 5 star is
Spoiler
because Gretchen was very submissive until she was finally cornered. I wish she had more... guts? But, she redeemed herself by the end. It was just hard to get through some scenes tbh.My favorite character was Daniel. During the 1920-30’s men were taught to be masculine, and to treat women as... objects instead of people. Daniel treated Gretchen as an equal, and that helped her character development.