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susanlbussey's review against another edition
4.0
1946 post war Hamburg.
An English officer is assigned housing and duties in Hamburg just after the war. Instead of asking the German owner of the requisitioned house to leave, he asks the family to stay, both families living on different floors of the house.
This is a story about how Germans, English, Americans, and Russians thought of one another just as the war ended, and how their way of thinking and their way of life was changed.
A very captivating book about a specific time in history that I had not read about.
Can't wait to see the movie.
An English officer is assigned housing and duties in Hamburg just after the war. Instead of asking the German owner of the requisitioned house to leave, he asks the family to stay, both families living on different floors of the house.
This is a story about how Germans, English, Americans, and Russians thought of one another just as the war ended, and how their way of thinking and their way of life was changed.
A very captivating book about a specific time in history that I had not read about.
Can't wait to see the movie.
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I saw the movie version of this book first, and I didn't find it that great. Now it seems like the movie cut out a bunch of interesting bits from the book that really needed to be in there. I appreciated the historical part of this book, and I thought the writing was quite good. The movie was kind of a neat little bow, but this book had more of a ragged edge, which made it feel more realistic. Will probably revisit this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Child death, Death, Murder, War, Toxic friendship, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Car accident, Drug use, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Alcoholism, and Bullying
Minor: Gun violence and Pregnancy
vanderyle's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
spicysteph's review
5.0
I never knew how much I loved historical fiction until this book. I learned so much about the happenings in Germany and Britain post war and that Germans were viewed of so poorly because of what they had done for Hitler prior. I felt like all the chapters were important and were all useful to the book. When it got to the romance part, it was dull for a reason. But one day, something changed for one of the protagonists "Rachael". My heart was actually beating for her and it kept me want to read even more to see what would happen. I would read this book again in a heartbeat... I loved it so much!
lola425's review against another edition
3.0
This book fell somewhere between a 3 and a 4. The premise was interesting and well-executed, but something left me kind of flat and I did not connect to the characters the way I expected to. I think this would make a good book group read, however, because there are a lot of things to discuss: how war changes people (or makes them more themselves), the nature of marriage, the effect of war on children. The biggest one for me: how do people manage when a war ends and your "enemies" turn back into people a lot like yourself?
hksmith's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If you enjoyed the film, the book is similar but sufficiently different to be enjoyable and engaging
kath61's review against another edition
3.0
A well written book with solid themes of grief and reconciliation, about a period in German history that I knew nothing about. However, I did not really become engaged with the characters, hence 3 stars for my enjoyment rather than for the quality of the book.
thefearlessfrock's review against another edition
I just gradually lost interest. I didn't have a specific reason, this book might be just the right one for some, but for me it was far too dull. It's intended to be more of an emotional journey than a war story, but it stayed on the surface for that. (Or at least that was my impression.)
lola_mayan07's review
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5