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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I received a free copy from the publisher via edelweiss.
4.5
Prisoner of Night and Fog follows the life of Gretchen Müller who grew up with the support of the National Socialist Party and her 'Uncle Dolf', as she refers to him as. Gretchen's father gave up his life for Hitler's and now Gretchen sees him as a second father, following his every command and believing every lie. When Gretchen meets Daniel, a Jewish reporter, she falls unexpectedly in love even though she has been raised to despise him. As the two investigate her father's death, Gretchen questions everything she's ever known and she must choose between her old life or uncover the truth.
I was originally drew to Prisoner of Night and Fog because of the cover because it's gorgeous. Then I read the synopsis and decided I needed it. So when I requested it and got accepted I was thrilled. Beyond thrilled, actually. Being a fan of young adult historical fiction, I was instantly drawn into the book. I'll begin with the plot. It was intricate with many twists and turns and I was captivated from the beginning. Adolf Hitler is shown, on the surface, as a kind caring man who has the good of Germany at his heart. Yet, even though we know what a cruel man he was, Gretchen is slowly exposed to the disturbing truth. Hitler wants to destroy the Jews, exterminate them. He wants to wage wars and he's not working for the ordinary man. I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil it, but when Gretchen discovers the truth, about her brother Reinhard aswell, she must choose between two paths. Does she stay in her old life as the privileged girl under the wing of Adolf Hitler, or does she run and not look back?
The characters were a strong point of the story and I think that Blankman did a fantastic job interweaving her own characters in with real ones, the dynamic between them all felt flawless. Gretchen was a great protagonist and I admired her loyalty, yet found her admirable in her quest to uncover the truth. She was evidently intelligent and determined, and brave. Brave for questioning the life she had grown up with, and brave for falling in love with a Jew in 1930s Germany, and then proud for falling in love with a Jew in 1930s Germany. Another character I really enjoyed was Daniel Cohen. Can I have a Daniel Cohen? Please? He was fearless, loyal to Gretchen, intelligent and intent on finding the truth, yet sarcastic and fun loving. I loved the development between Daniel and Gretchen and I found they had great chemistry. Reinhard was an incredibly well developed and intriguing character, yet I seriously despised him, along with 'Uncle Dolf'. The secondary characters, such as Eva and Geli, were also well developed and a great addition to the story.
Whilst the atmosphere didn't feel as genuine as other historical novels I have read, it did not lessen my enjoyment of the story and I think that Blankman did a very good job and was very historically accurate.
I would recommend to fans of historical fiction, and fans of books like [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1)|Elizabeth Wein|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388161911s/11925514.jpg|16885788] and [b:The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390053681s/19063.jpg|878368].
4.5
Prisoner of Night and Fog follows the life of Gretchen Müller who grew up with the support of the National Socialist Party and her 'Uncle Dolf', as she refers to him as. Gretchen's father gave up his life for Hitler's and now Gretchen sees him as a second father, following his every command and believing every lie. When Gretchen meets Daniel, a Jewish reporter, she falls unexpectedly in love even though she has been raised to despise him. As the two investigate her father's death, Gretchen questions everything she's ever known and she must choose between her old life or uncover the truth.
I was originally drew to Prisoner of Night and Fog because of the cover because it's gorgeous. Then I read the synopsis and decided I needed it. So when I requested it and got accepted I was thrilled. Beyond thrilled, actually. Being a fan of young adult historical fiction, I was instantly drawn into the book. I'll begin with the plot. It was intricate with many twists and turns and I was captivated from the beginning. Adolf Hitler is shown, on the surface, as a kind caring man who has the good of Germany at his heart. Yet, even though we know what a cruel man he was, Gretchen is slowly exposed to the disturbing truth. Hitler wants to destroy the Jews, exterminate them. He wants to wage wars and he's not working for the ordinary man. I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil it, but when Gretchen discovers the truth, about her brother Reinhard aswell, she must choose between two paths. Does she stay in her old life as the privileged girl under the wing of Adolf Hitler, or does she run and not look back?
The characters were a strong point of the story and I think that Blankman did a fantastic job interweaving her own characters in with real ones, the dynamic between them all felt flawless. Gretchen was a great protagonist and I admired her loyalty, yet found her admirable in her quest to uncover the truth. She was evidently intelligent and determined, and brave. Brave for questioning the life she had grown up with, and brave for falling in love with a Jew in 1930s Germany, and then proud for falling in love with a Jew in 1930s Germany. Another character I really enjoyed was Daniel Cohen. Can I have a Daniel Cohen? Please? He was fearless, loyal to Gretchen, intelligent and intent on finding the truth, yet sarcastic and fun loving. I loved the development between Daniel and Gretchen and I found they had great chemistry. Reinhard was an incredibly well developed and intriguing character, yet I seriously despised him, along with 'Uncle Dolf'. The secondary characters, such as Eva and Geli, were also well developed and a great addition to the story.
Whilst the atmosphere didn't feel as genuine as other historical novels I have read, it did not lessen my enjoyment of the story and I think that Blankman did a very good job and was very historically accurate.
I would recommend to fans of historical fiction, and fans of books like [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1)|Elizabeth Wein|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388161911s/11925514.jpg|16885788] and [b:The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390053681s/19063.jpg|878368].
4.5 stars
The .5 star is because I hated the main character in the first half of the book. So weak, so gullible. But that was the point.
Not completely historically accurate but a fantastic read.
The .5 star is because I hated the main character in the first half of the book. So weak, so gullible. But that was the point.
Not completely historically accurate but a fantastic read.
So good! I loved the fiction story in a very real non-fiction setting. It was very hard for me to read from Gretchen’s POV when she was talking about Hitler in a very nice and loving way but I quickly got past it, remembering that she had her reasons. The plot was amazing and kept me hooked. Not one time was I bored when reading this book which is always a good thing. Gretchen’s deducing skills and her endurance through everything she went through in this part of her life are honestly admiring. And of course, a love story always makes things better. Overall I loved this story and can’t wait to read the sequel!
Review originally posted on my book blog: https://afrolicthroughfiction.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/we-could-all-have-been-a-prisoner-of-night-and-fog-by-anne-blankman/
If you like historical fiction, read this book.
Sure, it’s historical FICTION, but the amount of things I learnt about history while reading this actually surprised me. I love history, so books like this are sort of like a comfort to me. To be able to relate to a fact that I already know, however small…that somehow brings me closer to the story.
I was gripped by this book straight away, purely out of wonder. I found it so strange to see Hitler described the way he was in the beginning, and I just had to keep reading to understand what on earth was going through the character’s minds. I mean, we know him as this awful man that caused the death of thousands and was pretty much the definition of tyranny. But in this book we see him idolized by many – just like he would have been during the time. And it just really helped me see that side of the story, however horrifying I found the idea of it.
And then the whole mystery is triggered. I felt like Gretchen (the main character). I wanted to solve the mystery just as much as she did. Though luckily for me, while she encountered a huge number of dangers on this journey, I got to experience it from the comfort of my own room. There was many a time I forgot that I was reading, and felt like I stood beside Gretchen as she went through the story. And that’s how you know you’re reading a good book.
Speaking of Gretchen, I loved her! She was so intelligent, wary, brave…and you could rally see how her personality develops with each event that happens. I would honestly love to be like her. Plus, there was one thought from her that really stuck with me:
Maybe she didn’t matter enough to the Brauns, certainly not enough to her mother and Uncle Dolf, and definitely not at all to Reinhard. But she mattered to herself. And that was all that needed to be true.
I just can’t help but think that is such an empowering message.
I know that one thing that might put people off this book is the German setting. Now, I don’t mean people don’t like Germany. What I mean is the language. So many German words – place names, objects etc – were used throughout this book. Now, I had absolutely no issue with this, since it just made the setting so much more realistic. But when it came to pronunciation, I did have to stop and really think about it. So just bare that in mind. But like I said, it doesn’t really take anything away from the story…it actually just encourages the setting.
You really see that power is everything through history. This book is such a perfect example of that. There’s so much tension built up through these pages. The amount of times I felt like I had a little ball of anxiety in my gut while reading this story…UGH. It was insane.
It made me wonder what sort of world we would live in today if history went the other way. But I already know the answer to that. We would all be a prisoner of night and fog.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
For all the good things that i loved about the book: http://spraypaintedtunnels.blogspot.in/2014/05/gretchen-muller-is-thedaughter-of-man.html
The writing was very dull. There could have been a lot of German woven into the writing, but there is none, save for the “Fraulein's” and “Herr's” and the occasional “Heil Hitler's”. The writing style was simply a medium to tell the story, nothing more. And the world building involved could be likened to that found in a history textbook – this is where he lived, that is where she danced, this is where he was killed.
But this is a really good story, trust me. Shame on you if you pass up on this one.
For all the good things that i loved about the book: http://spraypaintedtunnels.blogspot.in/2014/05/gretchen-muller-is-thedaughter-of-man.html
The writing was very dull. There could have been a lot of German woven into the writing, but there is none, save for the “Fraulein's” and “Herr's” and the occasional “Heil Hitler's”. The writing style was simply a medium to tell the story, nothing more. And the world building involved could be likened to that found in a history textbook – this is where he lived, that is where she danced, this is where he was killed.
But this is a really good story, trust me. Shame on you if you pass up on this one.
Originally posted here
I need to start this review with the obvious about me: I have my undergrad degree in History, with my thesis in World War II and France, which I gave to my advisor just as Inglourious Basterds came out. This is all to prepare you for the fact I’m fairly picky about World War II fiction. After a full year of nothing but World War II non-fiction books, I required a break from them. Prisoner of Night and Fog is the first one I remember wanting to read. I mean, Uncle Dolf? I AM HERE FOR THIS.
And I was here for this, and then I was disappointed that I was here for this. It is not that Prisoner of Night and Fog is a bad book, because it is not bad at all! It is a really solid book, but it was not the amazing book that I was expecting from my friends’ reviews. What Blankman does well, however, is to humanize Hitler. That is, what Hitler used to win over people was be charming, and lovely, and be this human that everyone wanted to be friends with. Throughout Prisoner of Night and Fog, I felt for Hitler. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’s an asshole, but that is how well Blankman humanized him. In real life, he was awkward, small, and often uncomfortable and that came across continuously throughout Prisoner of Night and Fog. What was interesting was the shift in the main character. Gretchen has spent most of her life under Hitler’s influence. Her father died protecting Hitler, and to Gretchen, he is Uncle Dolf, her lovable yet quirky, popular uncle. Slowly however, Gretchen finds out that her life is not what she was lead to believe and her life is full of very uncomfortable situations.
Her brother is an asshole, her mother is under the thumb of her brother, and her father may have not saved Hitler, but been gunned down instead while being used as a martyr. The whole world that Gretchen knows is gone, she feels she can trust no one, and now wants to know what really happened to her father. And while the plot was fascinating, I never felt connected to the characters. When Gretchen was worried, I was bored. When Gretchen was in love, I was bored and confused. I didn’t get Daniel’s appeal, I also didn’t fully understand Daniel’s interest in Gretchen. When Gretchen did…well, almost anything, I was bored. There had to be more! The plot was so intriguing that the book got better, right?
Sadly, no. While I finished it, my lack of connection made it hard to want to. It took me over two weeks to read this book which is never a good sign for me. I am interested in what Blankman does next, if research is involved, it will be a fleshed out book.
I need to start this review with the obvious about me: I have my undergrad degree in History, with my thesis in World War II and France, which I gave to my advisor just as Inglourious Basterds came out. This is all to prepare you for the fact I’m fairly picky about World War II fiction. After a full year of nothing but World War II non-fiction books, I required a break from them. Prisoner of Night and Fog is the first one I remember wanting to read. I mean, Uncle Dolf? I AM HERE FOR THIS.
And I was here for this, and then I was disappointed that I was here for this. It is not that Prisoner of Night and Fog is a bad book, because it is not bad at all! It is a really solid book, but it was not the amazing book that I was expecting from my friends’ reviews. What Blankman does well, however, is to humanize Hitler. That is, what Hitler used to win over people was be charming, and lovely, and be this human that everyone wanted to be friends with. Throughout Prisoner of Night and Fog, I felt for Hitler. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’s an asshole, but that is how well Blankman humanized him. In real life, he was awkward, small, and often uncomfortable and that came across continuously throughout Prisoner of Night and Fog. What was interesting was the shift in the main character. Gretchen has spent most of her life under Hitler’s influence. Her father died protecting Hitler, and to Gretchen, he is Uncle Dolf, her lovable yet quirky, popular uncle. Slowly however, Gretchen finds out that her life is not what she was lead to believe and her life is full of very uncomfortable situations.
Her brother is an asshole, her mother is under the thumb of her brother, and her father may have not saved Hitler, but been gunned down instead while being used as a martyr. The whole world that Gretchen knows is gone, she feels she can trust no one, and now wants to know what really happened to her father. And while the plot was fascinating, I never felt connected to the characters. When Gretchen was worried, I was bored. When Gretchen was in love, I was bored and confused. I didn’t get Daniel’s appeal, I also didn’t fully understand Daniel’s interest in Gretchen. When Gretchen did…well, almost anything, I was bored. There had to be more! The plot was so intriguing that the book got better, right?
Sadly, no. While I finished it, my lack of connection made it hard to want to. It took me over two weeks to read this book which is never a good sign for me. I am interested in what Blankman does next, if research is involved, it will be a fleshed out book.
I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed by this book. I'm not saying that it is not good, mind you. I just had high expectations and I feel like there's a few things missing to the story. I would have liked more action and such but, anyway.
I also feel like Gretchen and Daniel's love story was a bit rushed. I feel like Gretchen's feelings for him came out of the blue and it kind of bothered me. They didn't have to be in a relationship, I think I would have liked it better if they had only been really good friends. But since there is romance, I think it would have been better if we had known more about Gretchen's thoughts and feelings and about the way she came to fall in love with Daniel, the way she fought with her inner self because he was a Jew but she still liked him because he was who he was; a good person, and how she realized being a Jew was not necessarily bad.
Also, I really, really liked the way Hitler was depicted in the book. I have to admit that in the beginning, I thought Hitler was good, well, not good per say but I thought he had the ability to be kind to those close to him. And as Gretchen investigates her father's death, we get to see Hitler as his true self. We realize that he is manipulative, cruel and really complex. I think Anne Blankman did a really good job at showing the way people were brainwashed into thinking Hitler was a savior.
Anyway, it a good book overall but as I said, I am a bit disappointed. I still plan on reading the second book but not in the near future.
I also feel like Gretchen and Daniel's love story was a bit rushed. I feel like Gretchen's feelings for him came out of the blue and it kind of bothered me. They didn't have to be in a relationship, I think I would have liked it better if they had only been really good friends. But since there is romance, I think it would have been better if we had known more about Gretchen's thoughts and feelings and about the way she came to fall in love with Daniel, the way she fought with her inner self because he was a Jew but she still liked him because he was who he was; a good person, and how she realized being a Jew was not necessarily bad.
Also, I really, really liked the way Hitler was depicted in the book. I have to admit that in the beginning, I thought Hitler was good, well, not good per say but I thought he had the ability to be kind to those close to him. And as Gretchen investigates her father's death, we get to see Hitler as his true self. We realize that he is manipulative, cruel and really complex. I think Anne Blankman did a really good job at showing the way people were brainwashed into thinking Hitler was a savior.
Anyway, it a good book overall but as I said, I am a bit disappointed. I still plan on reading the second book but not in the near future.
I didn't know what to expect going into Prisoners of Night and Fog, but I was intrigued by the premise. I got an egalley because of my interest, then one of my favorite editors sent me a package of some of her 2014 books, including an ARC of this, so I knew reading it had to come sooner rather than later. It was an excellent life choice. Everything about this book was stunning.
The story was incredible. There were high stakes by the very nature of dealing with Hitler. Things progressed slowly in the story since so much of it was Gretchen coming to terms with the truth and finding evidence, but every step was dangerous and had to be well thought out. That constant threat made for a thrilling page turner that was hard to put down.
The characters were probably my favorite part. It was a rich cast filled with die-hard Hitler supporters to the most fervent dissenters with fascinating dynamics. Hitler's relationship to everyone was incredibly interesting. Hitler became an almost likable character at times - just a charismatic human looking out for his country - but the menace was underneath his words and actions. Gretchen was built in a way that you could understand how Germans fell for Hitler - why she did. She was never unlikable, just naive and grateful and desperate for solutions to her families problems that Hitler was providing. Watching her discover the truth and unravel the world she knew was how we watched her develop into an extraordinary and brave woman.
Then there was Daniel. He may be in my Top 5 Swoony Boys list because I have weird standards of swoony. He was dedicated and loyal, intelligent and kind. He cared so much about the truth and helping to stop Hitler - but he also cared about Gretchen so much. He cared about getting her the truth and making her see the light and doing what was best for her. Their romance was the greatest and I just adored him and their plot line.
The writing was beautiful and vivid. It was a gorgeous read and I could really picture so much of it. I could see this Germany in my head, which doesn't happen that often. It was magnificent and I'm dying for more of Anne's words, especially knowing that the next words will be the sequel to Prisoners of Night and Fog.
Basically, this is a gorgeously written, thought provoking, intricate historical fiction YA with an amazing romance. If you can tell me none of that interests you, my reviews might not be for you. I fell in love with this book so hard that it's easily one of my top reads of the year and I will preach it ALL OVER THE PLACE. Seriously. Go acquire this book pronto. I'll wait for you to thank me.
The story was incredible. There were high stakes by the very nature of dealing with Hitler. Things progressed slowly in the story since so much of it was Gretchen coming to terms with the truth and finding evidence, but every step was dangerous and had to be well thought out. That constant threat made for a thrilling page turner that was hard to put down.
The characters were probably my favorite part. It was a rich cast filled with die-hard Hitler supporters to the most fervent dissenters with fascinating dynamics. Hitler's relationship to everyone was incredibly interesting. Hitler became an almost likable character at times - just a charismatic human looking out for his country - but the menace was underneath his words and actions. Gretchen was built in a way that you could understand how Germans fell for Hitler - why she did. She was never unlikable, just naive and grateful and desperate for solutions to her families problems that Hitler was providing. Watching her discover the truth and unravel the world she knew was how we watched her develop into an extraordinary and brave woman.
Then there was Daniel. He may be in my Top 5 Swoony Boys list because I have weird standards of swoony. He was dedicated and loyal, intelligent and kind. He cared so much about the truth and helping to stop Hitler - but he also cared about Gretchen so much. He cared about getting her the truth and making her see the light and doing what was best for her. Their romance was the greatest and I just adored him and their plot line.
The writing was beautiful and vivid. It was a gorgeous read and I could really picture so much of it. I could see this Germany in my head, which doesn't happen that often. It was magnificent and I'm dying for more of Anne's words, especially knowing that the next words will be the sequel to Prisoners of Night and Fog.
Basically, this is a gorgeously written, thought provoking, intricate historical fiction YA with an amazing romance. If you can tell me none of that interests you, my reviews might not be for you. I fell in love with this book so hard that it's easily one of my top reads of the year and I will preach it ALL OVER THE PLACE. Seriously. Go acquire this book pronto. I'll wait for you to thank me.