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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This book was one I've been itching to read for a very long time. The story and plot amazed me for it was real, emotional and tragic. The characters were diverse and the main character Gretchen was strong and bold. The dynamics she had with Hitler and her family were strange yet mind blowing. This book takes you into the heart of Germany and shows you the truth of what really happened there. I was in awe of the beautiful writing and this is one story I will never forget.
I did a re-read of this from midnight to 3 AM and I have no regrets
"In the 1930s, Hitler's power was starting to rise. During that time, his honorary niece, Gretchen, was growing up as one of his favorite people. She loves her uncle Dolf dearly, the man her father died supposedly protecting. When a Jewish journalist, Daniel, tells her a different version of her father's death, Gretchen slowly learns the truth about her uncle. Together, the two try to find the truth though finding it may cost them their lives." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=44207
This book has made me stupid giddy and reignited within me a long thought dead passion for both tales of World War II and historical fiction. Blankman's prose is riveting and Gretchen's story is full of danger, intrigue and of course star-crossed romance.
Review also published on my blog StudentSpyglass
Source: Review copy from Edelweiss
Plot: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Readability: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
The Story
Gretchen Muller lives in 1930s Munich, the daughter of a martyr who died to save her Uncle Dolf – Adolf Hitler. She worships her Uncle Dolf, the charismatic man with the voice like chocolate, the man who always looks out for her and the one adult she knows she can trust. When a Jewish reporter seeks her out, telling her that her father was in fact murdered, Gretchen is still shaken up from watching a brutal beating of a Jew, and just about unsure enough to listen to what he has to say. From that moment on, Gretchen begins to see things in a different light and to wonder about the views of a man she has always loved and followed.
Now first of all, I have to say I’m not a huge history buff, and I don’t speak a word of German, so in terms of technical accuracy, I couldn’t comment. What I can say is that I loved the characters and the plot, and the writing took a story that could have been dark and depressing to twisted but gripping.
There are a lot of different threads to this book, but it never felt cluttered. Obviously, the story follows Adolf Hitler, and Gretchen’s slow doubt of his manifesto. As well as that, there’s a budding romance, the mystery surrounding the death of Gretchen’s father and the difficult relationships Gretchen faces at home. The threads flowed seamlessly throughout the book, and there was no one thread that dominated – I was curious about them all! My only complaint about Prisoner of Night and Fog was that I felt the resolution of Gretchen’s father’s death was a bit anti-climactic.
The Characters
There’s quite a cast of characters, and they aren’t all likeable but they are all fascinating. Gretchen Muller, our protagonist, is a feisty young girl who has been through her father’s death and a difficult home life but is fundamentally a survivor. Daniel Cohen is the dedicated young Jewish journalist, determined to root out the truth. As well as those two, we also have Gretchen’s mother, her cruel elder brother, her best friend Eva and Hitler’s niece Geli. The characters are a mixture of real historical figures and fictional, but the two blend together seamlessly.
Blankman’s portrayal of Hitler is brilliantly done. Although you know the reality, the beginning of the book manages to portray him as Uncle Dolf, the charming, devoted family friend Gretchen loves. As Gretchen slowly begins to question him, more and more of his other side is revealed, and the way his portrayal changes is fascinating. Although in this case we’re reading about a character who thinks of moving away from Hitler, the slow gradual way this is done makes it easy to imagine in reverse.
Final Thoughts
Prisoner of Night and Fog is not exactly a beach read – although the writing makes it very easy to caught up, the story is still fundamentally dark and creepy. A sense of fear, mystery, and urgency permeate the writing, and had me flicking through quickly, desperate to reach the end. Although I raced through it on first read, I can imagine re-reading it more slowly, really savouring the story and looking more carefully for key moments.
Source: Review copy from Edelweiss
Plot: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Readability: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
The Story
Gretchen Muller lives in 1930s Munich, the daughter of a martyr who died to save her Uncle Dolf – Adolf Hitler. She worships her Uncle Dolf, the charismatic man with the voice like chocolate, the man who always looks out for her and the one adult she knows she can trust. When a Jewish reporter seeks her out, telling her that her father was in fact murdered, Gretchen is still shaken up from watching a brutal beating of a Jew, and just about unsure enough to listen to what he has to say. From that moment on, Gretchen begins to see things in a different light and to wonder about the views of a man she has always loved and followed.
Now first of all, I have to say I’m not a huge history buff, and I don’t speak a word of German, so in terms of technical accuracy, I couldn’t comment. What I can say is that I loved the characters and the plot, and the writing took a story that could have been dark and depressing to twisted but gripping.
There are a lot of different threads to this book, but it never felt cluttered. Obviously, the story follows Adolf Hitler, and Gretchen’s slow doubt of his manifesto. As well as that, there’s a budding romance, the mystery surrounding the death of Gretchen’s father and the difficult relationships Gretchen faces at home. The threads flowed seamlessly throughout the book, and there was no one thread that dominated – I was curious about them all! My only complaint about Prisoner of Night and Fog was that I felt the resolution of Gretchen’s father’s death was a bit anti-climactic.
The Characters
There’s quite a cast of characters, and they aren’t all likeable but they are all fascinating. Gretchen Muller, our protagonist, is a feisty young girl who has been through her father’s death and a difficult home life but is fundamentally a survivor. Daniel Cohen is the dedicated young Jewish journalist, determined to root out the truth. As well as those two, we also have Gretchen’s mother, her cruel elder brother, her best friend Eva and Hitler’s niece Geli. The characters are a mixture of real historical figures and fictional, but the two blend together seamlessly.
Blankman’s portrayal of Hitler is brilliantly done. Although you know the reality, the beginning of the book manages to portray him as Uncle Dolf, the charming, devoted family friend Gretchen loves. As Gretchen slowly begins to question him, more and more of his other side is revealed, and the way his portrayal changes is fascinating. Although in this case we’re reading about a character who thinks of moving away from Hitler, the slow gradual way this is done makes it easy to imagine in reverse.
Final Thoughts
Prisoner of Night and Fog is not exactly a beach read – although the writing makes it very easy to caught up, the story is still fundamentally dark and creepy. A sense of fear, mystery, and urgency permeate the writing, and had me flicking through quickly, desperate to reach the end. Although I raced through it on first read, I can imagine re-reading it more slowly, really savouring the story and looking more carefully for key moments.
***slight spoilers***
I picked up this book because I like historical fiction and it was getting a lot of pretty high reviews. I saw someone compare it to The Book Thief (which really can we all agree to stop comparing books to The Book Thief because nothing can hold up to it??? Sorry 'bout it) but honestly I was underwhelmed.
There were elements of it that I liked - I think it was really well researched and blended fact with fiction in a really seamless way but if I'm honest some of it fell flat to me.
Listen I KNOW that the point is that Gretchen is on the side of the nazis and then learns that its bad and it's SUPPOSED to explore how Hitler was very devious and crafty in hiding his true intentions and so on and so forth. But just this idea of the "noble, clueless, and well meaning nazi" is just...not my vibe tbh. I kind of hoped Gretchen would be more of an anti-hero. I feel like too much time was put into redeeming her and her family (other than her brother)
Also I just want to say that I find it quite gross that this girl realizes Jewish people aren't disgusting because she falls in love with one???? Like ok....no. A love interest, regardless of gender, is not a tool for the main character to use to reform their shitty ways and seem like less of an evil person. It's a trope that I'm just really not into. It'd be a lot better if her and Daniel were just good old pals I think.
Anyway, definitely not my favourite historical fiction but does a good job integrating the history so not a complete flop.
I picked up this book because I like historical fiction and it was getting a lot of pretty high reviews. I saw someone compare it to The Book Thief (which really can we all agree to stop comparing books to The Book Thief because nothing can hold up to it??? Sorry 'bout it) but honestly I was underwhelmed.
There were elements of it that I liked - I think it was really well researched and blended fact with fiction in a really seamless way but if I'm honest some of it fell flat to me.
Listen I KNOW that the point is that Gretchen is on the side of the nazis and then learns that its bad and it's SUPPOSED to explore how Hitler was very devious and crafty in hiding his true intentions and so on and so forth. But just this idea of the "noble, clueless, and well meaning nazi" is just...not my vibe tbh. I kind of hoped Gretchen would be more of an anti-hero. I feel like too much time was put into redeeming her and her family (other than her brother)
Also I just want to say that I find it quite gross that this girl realizes Jewish people aren't disgusting because she falls in love with one???? Like ok....no. A love interest, regardless of gender, is not a tool for the main character to use to reform their shitty ways and seem like less of an evil person. It's a trope that I'm just really not into. It'd be a lot better if her and Daniel were just good old pals I think.
Anyway, definitely not my favourite historical fiction but does a good job integrating the history so not a complete flop.
Prisoner of Night and Fog is exactly why I love historical fiction. The story fascinated me so much that I kept going online to look up the characters and time period while I was reading, because I wanted to learn more. In fact, all but a handful of the characters in this book were real people. But this story also completely frightened me. In many ways, it was scarier than reading a book categorized as horror, because this evil was real.
Prisoner of Night and Fog takes place in 1931 in Munich, Germany near the beginning of Hitler's conquest. And unlike most book villains, we know he won't be vanquished at the end of this story. It won't be for almost 15 more years before Hitler is defeated in 1945, and already his influence is trickling out in an increasingly wider arc. Germans struggling to survive after their WWI defeat are desperate for relief, and willing to believe whatever he tells them, including that Jews are to blame for their troubles. What's even scarier is how many people are able to ignore the details of his message, in favor of his promises.
Gretchen Müller's father fought with Adolf Hitler in the last war, only to become a hero when he died saving Hitler's life in an event that took place 8 years ago. Since then Gretchen and her mother and brother have been protected by the National Socialist Party (NAZI). Gretchen trust and admires Hitler, whom she calls "Uncle Dolf," and he dotes equally on her. She sees him as the savior of her family, and believes in his mission. That is until she meets Daniel Cohen, a reporter for an anti-NAZI newspaper and Jew. Daniel tells Gretchen that the events of her father's death may not be what they seem. Meeting Daniel, and then seeing other cracks in the world view she's always held, causes Gretchen to start questioning everything she's been taught to believe.
Even so, it takes Gretchen sometime to work her way out from Hitler's influence. It was tough to watch her struggle through that, especially watching from a future history perspective and knowing what many of these characters would become. But I felt sympathy for Gretchen from the beginning, and a whole lot of fear as she begins to drop the rose colored view of her life, and face what is really happening in her city. But I also very much came to admire her desire for truth and unwillingness to give up.
One of the elements in this book that both surprised me, and I very much enjoyed, was exploring the psychology of Hitler. Psychoanalysis was a big movement in the early 1930s and a lot of doctors tried to figure out Hitler's personality. Seeing him and other characters through this light was chilling. Apparently, Hitler surrounded himself at with a lot of people who were similar to him, and one of them was the second villain in this book, who was just as scary, and in some ways more dangerous to Gretchen.
The romance between Gretchen and Daniel is sweet. Although I wish we'd gotten to know Daniel a little better, I really liked him as a counter to Gretchen. He is self assured and determined to speak the truth. Through his example and the way he challenges her, Gretchen begins to make decisions about her own beliefs. The resolution/revelation of the mystery that Daniel and Gretchen set out to uncover wasn't a completely surprise, but the process by which Gretchen gets there made for a great story.
Prisoner of Night and Fogis part of a series, but thankfully, this book ends in a settled place. Even still, it's hard to feel peace for these characters, knowing the events they will have to weather in the future. But I know that neither Gretchen nor Daniel will stop fighting, and I can't wait for more of their story. The end of this book does give a sense of where the next one will begin, and it will continue to incorporate real events and people.
Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Low - part of a series. Next book picks up at a specific point a bit later, which you will find out when you finish this one.
Find this and other reviews on my blog Love is not a triangle
Prisoner of Night and Fog takes place in 1931 in Munich, Germany near the beginning of Hitler's conquest. And unlike most book villains, we know he won't be vanquished at the end of this story. It won't be for almost 15 more years before Hitler is defeated in 1945, and already his influence is trickling out in an increasingly wider arc. Germans struggling to survive after their WWI defeat are desperate for relief, and willing to believe whatever he tells them, including that Jews are to blame for their troubles. What's even scarier is how many people are able to ignore the details of his message, in favor of his promises.
Gretchen Müller's father fought with Adolf Hitler in the last war, only to become a hero when he died saving Hitler's life in an event that took place 8 years ago. Since then Gretchen and her mother and brother have been protected by the National Socialist Party (NAZI). Gretchen trust and admires Hitler, whom she calls "Uncle Dolf," and he dotes equally on her. She sees him as the savior of her family, and believes in his mission. That is until she meets Daniel Cohen, a reporter for an anti-NAZI newspaper and Jew. Daniel tells Gretchen that the events of her father's death may not be what they seem. Meeting Daniel, and then seeing other cracks in the world view she's always held, causes Gretchen to start questioning everything she's been taught to believe.
Even so, it takes Gretchen sometime to work her way out from Hitler's influence. It was tough to watch her struggle through that, especially watching from a future history perspective and knowing what many of these characters would become. But I felt sympathy for Gretchen from the beginning, and a whole lot of fear as she begins to drop the rose colored view of her life, and face what is really happening in her city. But I also very much came to admire her desire for truth and unwillingness to give up.
One of the elements in this book that both surprised me, and I very much enjoyed, was exploring the psychology of Hitler. Psychoanalysis was a big movement in the early 1930s and a lot of doctors tried to figure out Hitler's personality. Seeing him and other characters through this light was chilling. Apparently, Hitler surrounded himself at with a lot of people who were similar to him, and one of them was the second villain in this book, who was just as scary, and in some ways more dangerous to Gretchen.
The romance between Gretchen and Daniel is sweet. Although I wish we'd gotten to know Daniel a little better, I really liked him as a counter to Gretchen. He is self assured and determined to speak the truth. Through his example and the way he challenges her, Gretchen begins to make decisions about her own beliefs. The resolution/revelation of the mystery that Daniel and Gretchen set out to uncover wasn't a completely surprise, but the process by which Gretchen gets there made for a great story.
Prisoner of Night and Fogis part of a series, but thankfully, this book ends in a settled place. Even still, it's hard to feel peace for these characters, knowing the events they will have to weather in the future. But I know that neither Gretchen nor Daniel will stop fighting, and I can't wait for more of their story. The end of this book does give a sense of where the next one will begin, and it will continue to incorporate real events and people.
Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Low - part of a series. Next book picks up at a specific point a bit later, which you will find out when you finish this one.
Find this and other reviews on my blog Love is not a triangle
So here's the thing: I really liked this book. But it also totally squicked me out. But it was totally compelling. But it was also icksville and I kind of wanted to barf. Basically, I finished this on the bus this morning, and I kind of loved it but I also felt really...off...all day as a result of things that happened in the story.
I think part of the reason why it squicked me out so much is that it humanises Adolf Hitler. Not in a way that excuses anything he did, mind you. His actions are never excused, never justified. But we see him as the young, charismatic leader, as the doting uncle, as the man of the people. Seeing the way that people react to him, the devotion they have to him, is horrifying. You just want to shake some sense into Gretchen, to make her see through the bullshit and understand the horrifying lies she's been fed over the years.
That said, I liked Gretchen. Even when I wanted to shake her. She's believed what she's been told by people she trusts, she's never had any reason to question it until she takes things into her own hands. I *was* a little unsure about why Daniel would agree to spend so much time helping Gretchen look into her father's death. Sure, there was potential pay off that might discredit Hitler. But it was a long shot.
Some parts of the story felt a little info-dumpy, and kind of like they were recreating the Wikipedia introductions on places in Munich or people in the Nazi party. But on the whole, I'm really glad I read it. Even though it squicked me out.
I think part of the reason why it squicked me out so much is that it humanises Adolf Hitler. Not in a way that excuses anything he did, mind you. His actions are never excused, never justified. But we see him as the young, charismatic leader, as the doting uncle, as the man of the people. Seeing the way that people react to him, the devotion they have to him, is horrifying. You just want to shake some sense into Gretchen, to make her see through the bullshit and understand the horrifying lies she's been fed over the years.
That said, I liked Gretchen. Even when I wanted to shake her. She's believed what she's been told by people she trusts, she's never had any reason to question it until she takes things into her own hands. I *was* a little unsure about why Daniel would agree to spend so much time helping Gretchen look into her father's death. Sure, there was potential pay off that might discredit Hitler. But it was a long shot.
Some parts of the story felt a little info-dumpy, and kind of like they were recreating the Wikipedia introductions on places in Munich or people in the Nazi party. But on the whole, I'm really glad I read it. Even though it squicked me out.
8/10
This was such a good book! Great premise, for-the-most-part twisty turny fast plot, wonderful historical elements.
This was such a good book! Great premise, for-the-most-part twisty turny fast plot, wonderful historical elements.