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rrule's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
marleah_a's review against another edition
4.0
"Sixteen-year-old narrator Erich Linden is fleeing to Venezuela with his war widow mother, Helga, and effeminate younger brother, Zeppi, after the fall of the Reich. They've been sent for by Erich's uncle Klaus, who intends to marry Helga as part of a plan to change his identity to evade prosecution for war crimes. Once they arrive and are rebranded as the Brandt family, they head inland to their new home, but their plane crashes, leaving them stranded in the Amazon, where they are welcomed by members of the Yayomi tribe, who believe the Brandts are dolphins in human form, as prophesied by a tribesman's dreams."
The cover of this book is what first caught my eye, and then the plot sounded intriguing as well. One review describes it as a cross between the TV show LOST and "Life of Pi," which I loved. Erich, the teenage narrator, has an engaging voice that convinces you of the outrageousness of the events in the story. I'm less than 100 pages into it, but I'm hooked.
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Update: Ok, I really enjoyed this book. It can be pretty dark in places (you are dealing with obscure medical conditions, piranhas, morphine addiction, and a former SS officer, after all), but it was really good. I like that it is Erich's coming-of-age story as well, and you get to see these things from a youthful, open perspective. Throughout the book, he reconciles his feelings about the death of his father, his attitude toward his mother, and his thoughts about Nazi Germany and the war. Very good!
The cover of this book is what first caught my eye, and then the plot sounded intriguing as well. One review describes it as a cross between the TV show LOST and "Life of Pi," which I loved. Erich, the teenage narrator, has an engaging voice that convinces you of the outrageousness of the events in the story. I'm less than 100 pages into it, but I'm hooked.
---
Update: Ok, I really enjoyed this book. It can be pretty dark in places (you are dealing with obscure medical conditions, piranhas, morphine addiction, and a former SS officer, after all), but it was really good. I like that it is Erich's coming-of-age story as well, and you get to see these things from a youthful, open perspective. Throughout the book, he reconciles his feelings about the death of his father, his attitude toward his mother, and his thoughts about Nazi Germany and the war. Very good!
remssa's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
blevins's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this one was hard to put down once you are 150 pages or so in. Kind of an adventure tale set in the Venezuelan jungles right after WW2. A mother marries her Nazi brother-in-law after her husband is killed fighting Russians. They all head to Venezuela where he has work as a doctor in the wilds. Their plane goes down. They are taken in by the natives who think they are dolphins in human form.
The story is told by one of two German kids who is 16 or 17 when the plane crashes. He's innocent and then toughens up as the book goes on. The book has all kinds of pleasing elements to it. Reminded me some of The Mosquito Coast as I was reading it due to the surviving in the jungle elements. It also has raving Nazis, jungle survival, violence, sex, suspense, action, severe weather and the hope for escape.
I'll be checking out Krol's Callisto soon. Very soon.
The story is told by one of two German kids who is 16 or 17 when the plane crashes. He's innocent and then toughens up as the book goes on. The book has all kinds of pleasing elements to it. Reminded me some of The Mosquito Coast as I was reading it due to the surviving in the jungle elements. It also has raving Nazis, jungle survival, violence, sex, suspense, action, severe weather and the hope for escape.
I'll be checking out Krol's Callisto soon. Very soon.
thrifty_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
A little heavy-handed with the overarching analogy, but a really compelling read. The protagonist is a 16-year-old German boy who, during the reign of the Nazis, finds himself stranded on an island with his new step-father, mother, younger brother, and the indigenous people (as well as a sociologist who has pretty much become a native himself). What follows is the Germans' quest to assimilate with the natives and, maybe, escape.
A unique, enjoyable read.
A unique, enjoyable read.
anatomydetective's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those rare occasions where I can't think of several crucial editorial revisions that could have greatly improved this book. NB: That does not mean that this brutal, disturbing story, just that it is a brilliantly done one.
msdebruin's review against another edition
1.0
I read this book forever ago. But I still remember it SO CLEARLY. Because DAMN for me this was hardcore horror and I expected a calm survival story.
(The cover and back reminded me of scheepsjongen by John Boyne. I expected something similar. IT WAS NOT)
Sorry. Maybe this is harsh but the mind and imagination of the writer is f****** messed up.
I think I was around 14 years old when I read this. I wasn't ready and now at 26 years old I am still not ready and I think I will never ever be ready for this.
(The cover and back reminded me of scheepsjongen by John Boyne. I expected something similar. IT WAS NOT)
Sorry. Maybe this is harsh but the mind and imagination of the writer is f****** messed up.
I think I was around 14 years old when I read this. I wasn't ready and now at 26 years old I am still not ready and I think I will never ever be ready for this.