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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
3.5
Definitely kept my attention, but I never felt a huge sense of urgency or fear or connection to the characters or what they were experiencing. Lots of things seemed glossed over. Not a bad book, but not my favorite of this genre.
Definitely kept my attention, but I never felt a huge sense of urgency or fear or connection to the characters or what they were experiencing. Lots of things seemed glossed over. Not a bad book, but not my favorite of this genre.
I primarily listened to the audiobook for this story. I wasn't quite sure what to expect picking this book up. I love WWII historical fiction, but I'd never read a story where the main character was a close family friend of Adolf Hitler. It seemed like a story that could either be really good or really bad. Fortunately, this fell into the former category for me, as I ended up really enjoying this story.
What I liked:
1. The concept and the setting. Again, I love stories that take place around the time of WWII. This book is actually set in the early thirties, just as Hitler was coming into power. Our main character is Gretchen. Gretchen's father was killed several years before protecting Hitler from an attack. This has made him a martyr and Gretchen's family close personal friends of Adolf Hitler. I haven't read many historical fictions from this perspective, and thought it was interesting.
2. The characters. I liked Gretchen, although I did think it took her a long time to come to terms with the fact that this person she's idolized her whole life is a legit monster. I get that when you are taught something from a young age it sticks with you and in this case it was very much a brainwashing type of situation, but she keeps going back to him far longer than she should.
I wish Daniel had been a bit more fleshed out. The story is told in third person, but solely from Gretchen's perspective, with the exception of one small passage. I wish we could've had both of their perspectives as they go around doing all of these things and getting to know each other.
3. The audiobook. I thought the narrator did a wonderful job with this book. She uses a German accent, which sounded pretty good to my admittedly untrained ear. Also, her characters (especially all her female characters) had distinct voices. I hate when I listen to an audiobook with a lot of dialogue and you can't tell who is speaking because the voices all sound the same.
What I didn't like:
1. There were times that dragged a bit for me, where the pacing seemed a little off. There isn't really much of a plot in this book. Gretchen and Daniel are trying to figure out exactly what happened to her father the day he was killed, and trying to stay safe as Gretchen begins to see the flaws in Hitler's views...within that there were some events that seemed to get a bit repetitive.
2. Reinhard and his ability to show up everywhere Gretchen was. Especially the last couple scenes they have together. It just didn't feel plausible, which is kind of important in a story like this, if you ask me.
I will definitely be picking up the sequel to PONAF soon. I need to know what happens next!
What I liked:
1. The concept and the setting. Again, I love stories that take place around the time of WWII. This book is actually set in the early thirties, just as Hitler was coming into power. Our main character is Gretchen. Gretchen's father was killed several years before protecting Hitler from an attack. This has made him a martyr and Gretchen's family close personal friends of Adolf Hitler. I haven't read many historical fictions from this perspective, and thought it was interesting.
2. The characters. I liked Gretchen, although I did think it took her a long time to come to terms with the fact that this person she's idolized her whole life is a legit monster. I get that when you are taught something from a young age it sticks with you and in this case it was very much a brainwashing type of situation, but she keeps going back to him far longer than she should.
I wish Daniel had been a bit more fleshed out. The story is told in third person, but solely from Gretchen's perspective, with the exception of one small passage. I wish we could've had both of their perspectives as they go around doing all of these things and getting to know each other.
3. The audiobook. I thought the narrator did a wonderful job with this book. She uses a German accent, which sounded pretty good to my admittedly untrained ear. Also, her characters (especially all her female characters) had distinct voices. I hate when I listen to an audiobook with a lot of dialogue and you can't tell who is speaking because the voices all sound the same.
What I didn't like:
1. There were times that dragged a bit for me, where the pacing seemed a little off. There isn't really much of a plot in this book. Gretchen and Daniel are trying to figure out exactly what happened to her father the day he was killed, and trying to stay safe as Gretchen begins to see the flaws in Hitler's views...within that there were some events that seemed to get a bit repetitive.
2. Reinhard and his ability to show up everywhere Gretchen was. Especially the last couple scenes they have together. It just didn't feel plausible, which is kind of important in a story like this, if you ask me.
I will definitely be picking up the sequel to PONAF soon. I need to know what happens next!
I'm usually not one to read historical fiction. I think it's boring. This story, however was really good. Go read it.
This book was great, it was a pretty quick read and got me out of an extremely long reading slump. I absolutely love historical fiction and despite the copious amounts of WW2 historical fiction that exists this is one of my favorites. The story line is much different then any other WW2 historical fiction book that I've read. I can't wait to read the second book!
The Short Version:
Plot: 20/20
Characters: 18/20
Writing: 18/20
Originality: 20/20
Entertainment: 10/10
Recommendation: 10/10
Total: 96/100
Review:
I have to say, I read this book a while ago. I don't remember the whole storyline (which happens to me all the time) but I do remember that I had such a hard time putting this book down.
It has been a while since I have found a YA historical fiction that sounded appealing to me. But then Prisoner of Night and Fog came out and I kept seeing glowing reviews for it. I put it on hold from the library, and it was finished less than twenty four hours from the time I checked it out.
The whole premise of this story is wonderful. I loved how the fiction was mixed in there with places, people, and events that actually happened. Obviously, I have no idea if Blacnkman's history is correct, but if it is - WOW... you learn lots of things about the Nazi party and Hitler.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good YA historical fiction. You won't be disappointed. I can't wait for the second book to come out next year!
Plot: 20/20
Characters: 18/20
Writing: 18/20
Originality: 20/20
Entertainment: 10/10
Recommendation: 10/10
Total: 96/100
Review:
I have to say, I read this book a while ago. I don't remember the whole storyline (which happens to me all the time) but I do remember that I had such a hard time putting this book down.
It has been a while since I have found a YA historical fiction that sounded appealing to me. But then Prisoner of Night and Fog came out and I kept seeing glowing reviews for it. I put it on hold from the library, and it was finished less than twenty four hours from the time I checked it out.
The whole premise of this story is wonderful. I loved how the fiction was mixed in there with places, people, and events that actually happened. Obviously, I have no idea if Blacnkman's history is correct, but if it is - WOW... you learn lots of things about the Nazi party and Hitler.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good YA historical fiction. You won't be disappointed. I can't wait for the second book to come out next year!
Ever since Hitler’s full atrocities become known throughout the world, the question of how an entire country could blindly follow one madman persists. Prisoner of Night and Fog uses original sources and other careful research to show how it happened through Gretchen’s front-row view of his growing power. It is a book as chilling as it is relevant, as history always finds a way to repeat itself no matter how diligent society is in trying to prevent it.
There may be some readers who believe Gretchen to be naïve and weak because she blindly follows Hitler’s pronouncements about the Jewish populace being diseased non-humans and buys into the propaganda about a supreme race. It takes no stretch of the imagination, however, to realize that Gretchen symbolizes the entire country, and that nothing is quite as simple as it seems. It is a brilliant ploy by Ms. Blankman to get readers to understand Gretchen’s world before she draws aside the curtains and starts showing the true man behind the podium. Her family’s total reliance on the National Socialist Party is the only thing preventing them from succumbing to abject poverty. Their need to believe in a future powerful and restored country is the one thing keeping their hopes alive when life is at its grimmest. Hitler gives the Müller family courage to keep surviving when the end of World War I and the ensuing depression all but decimated them. Most importantly, he gave them someone to blame for all of their problems. Through Gretchen’s growing realization of the truth, readers get a crystal-clear understanding of the vulnerabilities of the German people and how easy it was for Hitler to manipulate them to follow his every lead. It is both frightening and fascinating.
Similarly, Daniel Cohen and other characters are Ms. Blankman’s answer to the criticism that no one did anything to try to stop Hitler’s rise to power and subsequent genocide. Through Daniel and his fellow journalists, as well as the political upheaval throughout all of Munich in the 1930s, readers see people who were desperately trying to make a difference, to open the eyes of the general populace and get them to see the truth. The fact that Ms. Blankman models Daniel after a real journalist from the time and his actual newspaper really drives home the point that there were people who tried to stop Hitler’s momentum. Unfortunately, Daniel also shows readers how little power one man had against the National Socialist machine.
Within Prisoner of Night and Fog there are some truly interesting debates on mental illness, psychological profiles and generic human behaviors. Psychology is just beginning to become a recognized field of study, and Ms. Blankman takes advantage of that to educate both Gretchen and the reader about various mental illnesses and behavioral disorders. The attempt to label Hitler is particularly mesmerizing because his erratic behaviors defy any one definition.
The lessons to be learned from Hitler’s rise to power are just as important now as they were after the end of World War II, and Prisoner of Night and Fog makes sure that readers continue to guard against similar situations. Ms. Blankman’s research is thorough and precise, and it shows in her narrative. Her insertion of fictional characters into the real-life historical situations is seamless, making it easy to forget that the novel is ultimately a work of fiction, albeit heavily based in historical fact. Gretchen is a fully-realized character that blends so well within Hitler’s network of friends and acquaintances, but her doubts and inability to act on them without endangering her entire family drives home the point of just how thorough Hitler was in stirring up nationalist sentiment. It also shows how compelling he really was and how hypnotizing his speeches could be. Prisoner of Night and Fog is one of the better imaginings of Hitler’s rise to power and a fabulous glimpse into depression-era Germany.
There may be some readers who believe Gretchen to be naïve and weak because she blindly follows Hitler’s pronouncements about the Jewish populace being diseased non-humans and buys into the propaganda about a supreme race. It takes no stretch of the imagination, however, to realize that Gretchen symbolizes the entire country, and that nothing is quite as simple as it seems. It is a brilliant ploy by Ms. Blankman to get readers to understand Gretchen’s world before she draws aside the curtains and starts showing the true man behind the podium. Her family’s total reliance on the National Socialist Party is the only thing preventing them from succumbing to abject poverty. Their need to believe in a future powerful and restored country is the one thing keeping their hopes alive when life is at its grimmest. Hitler gives the Müller family courage to keep surviving when the end of World War I and the ensuing depression all but decimated them. Most importantly, he gave them someone to blame for all of their problems. Through Gretchen’s growing realization of the truth, readers get a crystal-clear understanding of the vulnerabilities of the German people and how easy it was for Hitler to manipulate them to follow his every lead. It is both frightening and fascinating.
Similarly, Daniel Cohen and other characters are Ms. Blankman’s answer to the criticism that no one did anything to try to stop Hitler’s rise to power and subsequent genocide. Through Daniel and his fellow journalists, as well as the political upheaval throughout all of Munich in the 1930s, readers see people who were desperately trying to make a difference, to open the eyes of the general populace and get them to see the truth. The fact that Ms. Blankman models Daniel after a real journalist from the time and his actual newspaper really drives home the point that there were people who tried to stop Hitler’s momentum. Unfortunately, Daniel also shows readers how little power one man had against the National Socialist machine.
Within Prisoner of Night and Fog there are some truly interesting debates on mental illness, psychological profiles and generic human behaviors. Psychology is just beginning to become a recognized field of study, and Ms. Blankman takes advantage of that to educate both Gretchen and the reader about various mental illnesses and behavioral disorders. The attempt to label Hitler is particularly mesmerizing because his erratic behaviors defy any one definition.
The lessons to be learned from Hitler’s rise to power are just as important now as they were after the end of World War II, and Prisoner of Night and Fog makes sure that readers continue to guard against similar situations. Ms. Blankman’s research is thorough and precise, and it shows in her narrative. Her insertion of fictional characters into the real-life historical situations is seamless, making it easy to forget that the novel is ultimately a work of fiction, albeit heavily based in historical fact. Gretchen is a fully-realized character that blends so well within Hitler’s network of friends and acquaintances, but her doubts and inability to act on them without endangering her entire family drives home the point of just how thorough Hitler was in stirring up nationalist sentiment. It also shows how compelling he really was and how hypnotizing his speeches could be. Prisoner of Night and Fog is one of the better imaginings of Hitler’s rise to power and a fabulous glimpse into depression-era Germany.
Captivating novel, very different from other historical fiction novels. Gives you a perspective of Hitler's inner circle.
This book jusy spoke to me! It surrounds a topic that very much fascinates me and it thoroughly captured the enigma that is Adolf Hitler. The author's weaves a story that is so palpable that I was literally moved to tears not once, but TWICE. Something that rarely occurs when I'm reading a book. I haven't had much luck delving into YA, but this book blew me away and I cannot wait to read the sequel.
I have read A LOT of books set in Nazi Germany and the war and dealing with the Holocaust. Where this one was different is that 1) it was set AS Hitler was gaining more popularity and power, not when he was in power and 2) it’s POV is from a young girl whose family (and her own beliefs) are Nazi through and through aka Adolf Hitler is a family friend (until she starts questioning things). Normally the books I pick up are from the POV of the people being persecuted or people who are helping them (aka The Book Thief the family is German but they don’t believe the Nazi agenda).
I love watching the main character question everything she’s ever been told/believed as she’s faced with some truth that changes her whole life and she gets close with Daniel who is Jewish…who she’s been told to hate and fear. It was SO interesting to see Hitler as a person — he’s called Uncle Dolf and she’s super fond of him. There was still no good feelings towards him from me but it was an interesting thought how he might have looked to family and friends. This book got REALLY intense and I could NOT put it down. As she started looking into things that went against EVERYTHING she and her family stood for, the stakes got higher. Loved her and thought she was so brave — for how she handled it but also I think it takes a courageous person to stand up to everything you believed even when it means you’ll probably lose everything you had before. Can’t wait to read the conclusion (it’s a duology I’ve been told).
I love watching the main character question everything she’s ever been told/believed as she’s faced with some truth that changes her whole life and she gets close with Daniel who is Jewish…who she’s been told to hate and fear. It was SO interesting to see Hitler as a person — he’s called Uncle Dolf and she’s super fond of him. There was still no good feelings towards him from me but it was an interesting thought how he might have looked to family and friends. This book got REALLY intense and I could NOT put it down. As she started looking into things that went against EVERYTHING she and her family stood for, the stakes got higher. Loved her and thought she was so brave — for how she handled it but also I think it takes a courageous person to stand up to everything you believed even when it means you’ll probably lose everything you had before. Can’t wait to read the conclusion (it’s a duology I’ve been told).
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes