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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I thought for sure that a book about the reconstruction of Germany after WWII would be incredibly interesting, so I was horribly disappointed that this book didn't capture me or draw me in at all. The main characters are all pretty boring. Nothing much seems to happen until the last 20 pages of the book. There were no characters that I particularly liked. The writing itself was very beautiful, however, so that's why i gave it 2 stars instead of 1.
I really appreciated the insight into the effects of the rise and defeat of Nazi Germany on the country's youth. It is a topic I haven't read much about in novels set around World War II.
Many historical fiction novels have their setting as World War II. Unlike many that I have read, this one takes place in Germany in the period immediately following the war. Colonel Lewis has been sent as part of a British contingent to oversee the rebuilding of the city of Hamburg. The home of architect Stefan Lubert is requisitioned for Lewis and his family. Instead of sending the widower Lubert (his wife a casualty of the war), and his daughter Freda to a camp, Colonel Lewis invites them to stay on in their home along with his wife Rachael and their remaining son Edmund. But raw, turbulent emotions seethe just underneath the gentile façade as can be expected in the aftermath of war. Aftermath juxtaposes the victors and the vanquished, love and hate, loss and hope in a satisfying and eloquent fashion. Amy O.
This is a historical novel about the reconstruction of Germany after the second world war in the year 1946, in which British military have requisitioned many houses and the German civilians are reduced to clearing rubble in the city of Hamburg.
The story itself was quite interesting and I was easily drawn into the lives of the characters. We meet two families, one German and one British, and a host of secondary characters who struggle to make sense of what is left after the war. It was an interesting concept to see the way Germans dealt with the aftermath of the war. Detailed and quite expertly written, this novel gives the reader a second look at the German people who claimed they knew nothing of the atrocities of the Holocaust while going about their lives. Meanwhile Hitler's armies terrorized and invaded many European countries in der führer's mad mission to conquer the entire European continent.
The story itself was quite interesting and I was easily drawn into the lives of the characters. We meet two families, one German and one British, and a host of secondary characters who struggle to make sense of what is left after the war. It was an interesting concept to see the way Germans dealt with the aftermath of the war. Detailed and quite expertly written, this novel gives the reader a second look at the German people who claimed they knew nothing of the atrocities of the Holocaust while going about their lives. Meanwhile Hitler's armies terrorized and invaded many European countries in der führer's mad mission to conquer the entire European continent.
Hamburg 1946. RAF Colonel Lewis Morgan assumes command. War weary when his wife and son arrive, he is consumed with work and the marriage suffers. Rachel is still in mourning from the death of her son, killed during a German bombing raid. A decent man, rather than oust the German architecht whose home he is to occupy, Lewis shares it with the man and his daughter. Some inevitable things happen. The descriptions of the city and the plight of civilians are strong. Orphans run in a gang and anti-British activities ... well, it's a good read apparently based on the author's family history. I didn't think the ending worked well.
2 and a half stars, not 3 if truth be told.
Started out with such promise but sadly didn't live up to expectations. The pace was slow until we reached the very end when the novel was concluded in a rush. Several strands to the story which, although they did come together, didn't do so seamlessly. Sudden volte face on a major scale of one of the characters. The interpreter? What was her raisin d'être? And Lewis, whilst his qualities were admirable, was just too unbelievable. The dénouement? The picture being hung? The 'happy family' being spied on by the street-children? The other family - what's happened to them? Too many holes.
Started out with such promise but sadly didn't live up to expectations. The pace was slow until we reached the very end when the novel was concluded in a rush. Several strands to the story which, although they did come together, didn't do so seamlessly. Sudden volte face on a major scale of one of the characters. The interpreter? What was her raisin d'être? And Lewis, whilst his qualities were admirable, was just too unbelievable. The dénouement? The picture being hung? The 'happy family' being spied on by the street-children? The other family - what's happened to them? Too many holes.
I had just finished a book that I loved before I started this one and so it seemed incredibly slow to start. Once I gave the book a chance and about 50 pages I didn't want to put it down.
Exactly the kind of historical novel I needed to read when I had a bad cold and nothing else kept my interest. Reminded me a bit of Atonement and The Painted Veil.
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!
I chose this for a book club at work and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, despite it not being my usual kind of read. As the title suggests it focuses on a lot of the "after" that followed WWII in Europe, from international economics and politics to broken families and futures. The writing is excellent and the characters beautifully realized.