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districtreads's review against another edition
4.0
Lately, I’ve been pretty tired of WW2-period historical novels - but luckily THE VANISHING SKY takes a different angle on the time period. Based on journals from the author’s family, this debut novel explores the life of a German family, the Hubers. One son is a shell-shocked soldier on leave, while another son attends a school for Hitler Youth. The book explores their mother Etta’s deep love, the darkness and damage of war and how it changes innocents, and a look at everyday German citizens’ participation and complacency during the Nazi regime.
I appreciated the sensitivity towards the topic, and the in-depth character development each member of the Huber family undergoes. The father, while nationalistic, is also suffering from dementia. Etta, the Huber family matriarch, will do anything to protect her children from the Nazis - culminating in a moving ending I honestly didn’t see coming.
My favorite character was Georg, the youngest Huber, who becomes a reluctant soldier amidst the discovery that he is gay. He struggles with the ongoing nationalism, dreams of becoming a magician, and makes a poor soldier.
In case you’re worried, there is no sympathy for the Nazis in this book, which doesn’t flinch from the horrors of war, genocide, famine and indoctrination. Yet, it’s written with a dreamlike quality, with Binder deftly painting dark scenes into beautiful, grim tableaus.
I found the entire novel heartbreaking, a compelling and sensitive look at a part of history that is underrepresented, and would recommend it to history buffs, those who enjoyed All The Light We Cannot See, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
I appreciated the sensitivity towards the topic, and the in-depth character development each member of the Huber family undergoes. The father, while nationalistic, is also suffering from dementia. Etta, the Huber family matriarch, will do anything to protect her children from the Nazis - culminating in a moving ending I honestly didn’t see coming.
My favorite character was Georg, the youngest Huber, who becomes a reluctant soldier amidst the discovery that he is gay. He struggles with the ongoing nationalism, dreams of becoming a magician, and makes a poor soldier.
In case you’re worried, there is no sympathy for the Nazis in this book, which doesn’t flinch from the horrors of war, genocide, famine and indoctrination. Yet, it’s written with a dreamlike quality, with Binder deftly painting dark scenes into beautiful, grim tableaus.
I found the entire novel heartbreaking, a compelling and sensitive look at a part of history that is underrepresented, and would recommend it to history buffs, those who enjoyed All The Light We Cannot See, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
lizzyzo's review against another edition
2.0
The Vanishing Sky is an ambitious book. How else can you describe a book written about WWII about a German family where both sons and the father are fighting for the Third Reich? Binder works hard to give the characters depth and stir empathy for them, but all of them are pitiful creatures in their own rights. I find the idea of writing a story about Germany during WWII and only alluding to the Nazi atrocities to be insulting, at best. Yes, Mutti and Josef and Georg and Max refer to people who are taken away, but not acknowledging where they were going--and continuing the facade that the German people didn't know what was going on--is a slap in the face to the 6 million people who died during the Holocaust.
I think the book had potential. I understand Binder's goal was to write about an average German family just trying to survive WWII, but basically ignoring the overarching issues around WWII is ridiculous. The writing was lovely, and Binder was able to really flesh out the characters and the misery of living in a war-torn country with great detail. While I enjoyed Binder's prose, I can't give it more stars because the lack of discussion about the social, political, economic, issues that were overwhelmingly prevalent at the time, and continue to be relevant today.
I received an early copy from Net Galley.
I think the book had potential. I understand Binder's goal was to write about an average German family just trying to survive WWII, but basically ignoring the overarching issues around WWII is ridiculous. The writing was lovely, and Binder was able to really flesh out the characters and the misery of living in a war-torn country with great detail. While I enjoyed Binder's prose, I can't give it more stars because the lack of discussion about the social, political, economic, issues that were overwhelmingly prevalent at the time, and continue to be relevant today.
I received an early copy from Net Galley.
bookishbulletin's review against another edition
3.0
Initially, I was sceptical about reading this book. For one thing, it's a story being told from a German perspective. So I expected that this could easily go wrong in so many ways. And yes, there were multiple issues that the narrative deals with where the author could have floundered but managed not to. Reading this book and all its dramatic descriptions, I was swept back to a war-stricken Germany - with rubble on the streets and ash-covered fences. I heard the rumbling of planes and felt the suppressed pangs of hunger in my belly. Short sentences and shorter chapters made this book a quick read. Read the full review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMmjjh7LYyP/?igshid=1miwayi6ae3oz
tpanik's review against another edition
3.0
A unique addition to the WWII fiction genre, as the story is told from a German perspective. War is stark and haunting, no matter where the line is drawn.
joannasbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
The Vanishing Sky follows an ordinary German family during WWII. One son comes back from the war with PTSD and another son is a member of Hitler's youth. It was very interesting seeing each of their experiences from different viewpoints during the war. While I appreciated that this book provided a different perspective than most other WWII books, this book fell flat for me. There were many different story lines and I found myself turning back often so that I could attempt to understand what was going on.
ashleyschomer's review against another edition
3.0
I was very excited to read The Vanishing Sky. I love WW2 historical fiction, and am always looking for perspectives from every type of person, from all different countries. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. I liked that it humanized Germans, but I feel that the book tried to do too much. There was a lot of representation and diversity (dementia, LGBT, and PTSD/mental illness) , but I think that none of them were developed as much as they could be. Honestly, it took me a long time to read this book, which was disappointing. I do think that there are readers out there who will enjoy this story!
talewis219's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
This book did not hold my interested and I could not get past the first 50 pages. WWII is one of my favorite parts of history and I was really looking forward to reading it from a different perspective. But I just couldn’t get into it.
This book did not hold my interested and I could not get past the first 50 pages. WWII is one of my favorite parts of history and I was really looking forward to reading it from a different perspective. But I just couldn’t get into it.
katieg4's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Netgalley and was intrigued to read a World War II story from the perspective of a German family.
The story follows the Huber family in the latter part of World War II. Etta and Josef's oldest son Max has come home from the front a changed man, spending his days wandering around town and often rambling nonsense. Their younger son Georg, barely 15, is deployed with his group of Hitler Youth to build a wall to try to keep the British and American soldiers at bay. Etta struggles with the changes she sees in Max and does her best to keep her family intact, even traveling to the city to try to bring Max home when he is taken from his bed by the local doctor and sent to a psychiatric hospital. Georg begins to see the futility in what they are doing and makes the decision to run from his unit, a decision that could very well cost him his life.
I struggled at times reading this book due to the constant shifting in perspective between the characters. There were no chapter headings or any other indication of the shift, so it sometimes took a little bit to orient myself to what was going on. With the story centered on a German family, I was expecting more on what the average German at the end of the war might have been facing. While there were references to the lack of things like chocolate, sugar, or milk, I felt like this was glossed over in favor of Etta trying to deal with Max. This was also an area of the story that could have been fleshed out so much more - what was it like for the people at home when their loved ones came back changed because of their experiences in the war? I felt like the author was trying to deal with too many issues and left a few loose ends in the story.
The story follows the Huber family in the latter part of World War II. Etta and Josef's oldest son Max has come home from the front a changed man, spending his days wandering around town and often rambling nonsense. Their younger son Georg, barely 15, is deployed with his group of Hitler Youth to build a wall to try to keep the British and American soldiers at bay. Etta struggles with the changes she sees in Max and does her best to keep her family intact, even traveling to the city to try to bring Max home when he is taken from his bed by the local doctor and sent to a psychiatric hospital. Georg begins to see the futility in what they are doing and makes the decision to run from his unit, a decision that could very well cost him his life.
I struggled at times reading this book due to the constant shifting in perspective between the characters. There were no chapter headings or any other indication of the shift, so it sometimes took a little bit to orient myself to what was going on. With the story centered on a German family, I was expecting more on what the average German at the end of the war might have been facing. While there were references to the lack of things like chocolate, sugar, or milk, I felt like this was glossed over in favor of Etta trying to deal with Max. This was also an area of the story that could have been fleshed out so much more - what was it like for the people at home when their loved ones came back changed because of their experiences in the war? I felt like the author was trying to deal with too many issues and left a few loose ends in the story.
thenarrative's review against another edition
3.0
The Vanishing Sky By L. Annette Binder
Rating 3 / 5 Stars
Publication Date - 7/21/2020
** Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury, and of course, L. Annette Binder, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Hubers - Etta, Joseph, Max and Georg. An average German family trying to survive at the end of World War II. It’s 1945 and Germany is at its final strength of War War II. With one son suffering from PTSD and Schizophrenia after serving on the front line (Max) to the other deep into the culture of the Hitler Youth, Etta and James must put their own struggles aside to help them. It does not help that Joseph is showing signs of Dementia.
While the historical fiction (specifically in regards to World War II) market is incredibly oversaturated, Binder does a good job of making a novel which might stand out on the shelves for its difference. By focusing on a family, this novel echos tones of We Were The Lucky Ones. It had the potential to be a great novel, and I do think it is pretty solid. I believe the reasoning I am giving this book 3 out of 5 is due to that exact oversaturation in the market. I would love to see Binder dive into a different era as I did enjoy her writing! :)
Rating 3 / 5 Stars
Publication Date - 7/21/2020
** Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury, and of course, L. Annette Binder, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Hubers - Etta, Joseph, Max and Georg. An average German family trying to survive at the end of World War II. It’s 1945 and Germany is at its final strength of War War II. With one son suffering from PTSD and Schizophrenia after serving on the front line (Max) to the other deep into the culture of the Hitler Youth, Etta and James must put their own struggles aside to help them. It does not help that Joseph is showing signs of Dementia.
While the historical fiction (specifically in regards to World War II) market is incredibly oversaturated, Binder does a good job of making a novel which might stand out on the shelves for its difference. By focusing on a family, this novel echos tones of We Were The Lucky Ones. It had the potential to be a great novel, and I do think it is pretty solid. I believe the reasoning I am giving this book 3 out of 5 is due to that exact oversaturation in the market. I would love to see Binder dive into a different era as I did enjoy her writing! :)