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rafacolog's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Suicide, Murder, Xenophobia, and Genocide
pershie13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was clever, witty, and hilarious! It had me laughing out loud from the beginning, which no book has ever made me do, and I loved how well it referenced back to historical locations and events from a modern perspective. When Hitler wakes up in 2011 Germany, he is utterly confused and acting as if it is still 1945. Watching him try to navigate the modern world was quite funny, and I was intrigued to see what he was going to do and how he would react to a modern Germany that was far different than the one he would have envisioned. Vermes wrote many fantastic one-liners throughout this book, and some of the situations that Hitler was put in had me cracking up. It did take me longer than I anticipated to read this book due to my busy schedule, so I did have some issues with picking it back up and remembering some of the characters and the plot line. As a result, I got to the end and felt a bit confused about how the story wrapped up. I also struggled with some of the long tangents in the middle of the book and probably would have done better with a bit faster pace. However, after reading some summaries, I was able to understand some of the later scenes in the book and tie together the irony of how the book ended. This book was both funny and brought out some enlightening themes about how people can be oblivious to what is right in front of them. (Edit, Dec. 15, 2023: After reading some more reviews of this book, I also am coming to appreciate the darker side of the book more. This is the part that I overlooked a lot while reading, as I found the plot confusing due to starting and stopping too many times. Looking at the portrayal of Hitler in this book both shows some funny moments in the fictional aspect of the world he is in while also showing him as the madman he was and causing the reader to think twice about how easily Nazism and other extremist movements can come about.) I would love to read this book again in the future to fully appreciate it, but I thought it was brilliant overall and an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Minor: Gore, Medical content, Violence, Body shaming, Death, Alcohol, and Gaslighting
bookwormcat's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The idea of Hitler being alive in the modern world made me squirm. The book being told from his perspective made me deeply uncomfortable. However, this was satire, and at times even made me chuckle. As it went on, however, it made me think more and more about the cult of celebrity, the power of the internet, and how people can use "humour" as a vehicle for more extremist content. It made me consider how people hear what they want to, and excuse the rest as "joking". This book really made me think a lot about so-called "cancel culture", freedom of speech, and how easily things can get very, very bad, very quickly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, Genocide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Suicide
ishouldbereading's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It had hilarious parts, mainly in the first half but you need to know fair amount of German history and culture to understand the references. It's also kind of reflective and philosophical at times which I didn't like. It's stretched out a lot and very slow paced. I really didn't like the end and the message behind this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism and Xenophobia
Minor: War, Murder, and Violence
samchase112's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
But with superior morale, with an unwavering, fanatical spirit, everything is possible!
What would Hitler say? Vermes takes a rather literal approach to this question when he drops Adolf Hitler into the 21st century. What ensues is a novel filled with satire and uncomfortable laughing - should I really be enjoying Hitler's antics this much? It's interesting to see our world through the eyes of someone from a previous century, let alone a notorious monster. What was most frightening about it was the way the book ended, as Hitler begins to work his "magic" upon the public once more and rise in power and influence. It really has me thinking whether or not Hitler could actually accomplish everything again. While the novel got a little repetitive after a while - I can only hear the same reactions to Hitler's insistence that yes, this was his real name so many times - Vermes had obviously done a great deal of research and I enjoyed how authentic everything felt. Be warned - a lot of knowledge of contemporary German culture as well as Nazi knowledge is required here in order to find pretty much anything funny. In the end I honestly flew through the pages, and while it's not a novel I would've chosen for myself, it's certainly an experience I won't soon forget.
And really, the Jews are no laughing matter.
What would Hitler say? Vermes takes a rather literal approach to this question when he drops Adolf Hitler into the 21st century. What ensues is a novel filled with satire and uncomfortable laughing - should I really be enjoying Hitler's antics this much? It's interesting to see our world through the eyes of someone from a previous century, let alone a notorious monster. What was most frightening about it was the way the book ended, as Hitler begins to work his "magic" upon the public once more and rise in power and influence. It really has me thinking whether or not Hitler could actually accomplish everything again. While the novel got a little repetitive after a while - I can only hear the same reactions to Hitler's insistence that yes, this was his real name so many times - Vermes had obviously done a great deal of research and I enjoyed how authentic everything felt. Be warned - a lot of knowledge of contemporary German culture as well as Nazi knowledge is required here in order to find pretty much anything funny. In the end I honestly flew through the pages, and while it's not a novel I would've chosen for myself, it's certainly an experience I won't soon forget.
And really, the Jews are no laughing matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicide and Violence
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