Reviews

I liked how Mingarelli built the characters and how all story threads came together in the end, but there was also this overly long middle section when the soldiers tried to start a fire in order to cook that goddamn semolina that just felt like filler content. Maybe it would have worked better as a short story?

ultreaux's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

triplecitrus's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

gagnedouze's review against another edition

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4.0

A slow but beautifully written novella about three German soldiers amidst WWII in Poland. May feel small and slight in your hands but packs a big, powerful punch in your mind.

06/06/23 re-read
Was as good second time round. A very simple, direct novella with the hanging dread of horror and hatred. Beautifully translated that feels very adaptable to the stage.

margaret21's review against another edition

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3.0

An account of three German soldiers whose task on a bitterly cold winter day is to hunt down Jews in hiding and bring them back to the Polish concentration camp where they are based, for an inevitable end. This unenviable task is better than the alternative: staying in camp to shoot those who were found the previous day. They talk - about the teenage son of one of them - and they find just one Jew. Is he their enemy, deserving his fate, or is he just like them, a young man doing his best to survive? What if they return to camp with nobody to show for their day's hunting? As the men retreat to an abandoned cottage to prepare a meagre meal, their hatred and fear jostle with their well-submerged more humane feelings to provide the rest of the drama for this short, thought provoking book.

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