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gemmaduds's review against another edition
5.0
A cold, bleak novella about 3 German soldiers during WWII who are sent out into Poland in the winter to find Jewish people to bring back to camp.
This short moment in time is written well, capturing the character’s personalities, the tension between them, their moral complexities - in very few words.
It’s not a story that can be forgotten easily - powerful for something that can be read in one sitting.
This short moment in time is written well, capturing the character’s personalities, the tension between them, their moral complexities - in very few words.
It’s not a story that can be forgotten easily - powerful for something that can be read in one sitting.
kristine_9's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the writing; it was simple but effective, with imagery that never felt out of place. Also the way cold and hunger were described reminded me of stories about gulags written by people who experienced it themselves, so I thought that was very well done.
I also enjoyed the characters, the bonds and the tension between them.
My only issue is I don't know enough to determine how realistic the novella is. However, I think either way it brings important questions to mind whilst reading. For me this meant thinking about compliance and accountability.
I also enjoyed the characters, the bonds and the tension between them.
My only issue is I don't know enough to determine how realistic the novella is. However, I think either way it brings important questions to mind whilst reading. For me this meant thinking about compliance and accountability.
_dunno_'s review against another edition
4.0
(4,5*) What a surprise! Most likely underrated given that its author is a YA writer.
Short, but vivid.
Simple, yet morally complex.
Short, but vivid.
Simple, yet morally complex.
chaberland's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rjmc's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
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
3.5
milesjmoran's review against another edition
5.0
This is a brief but starkly chilling book. Mingarelli could have easily extended this, detailing the lives of its handful of characters, but instead opts to withhold this sort of information, compacting everything you need to know into the one day in which the story is set. Everything about this book is minimal apart from the emotion and its impact. I really love the fact it is from the perspective of the characters who are usually depicted as the antagonists (the ones doing the hunting and killing) and it humanizes them perfectly. Mingarelli is extremely tactful and clever in his writing of these characters (the soldiers, the Polish man, and the Jew) and it is just an absolutely beautiful book.
tommooney's review against another edition
4.0
A MEAL IN WINTER by Hubert Mingarelli.
This is a skillful, subtle French novel which will make uncomfortable reading for many people.
It is a simple story of three soldiers on a mission in the bitterly cold coutryside who stop at an abandoned cottage and cook a meal. All sounds nice enough.
However, these are Nazi soldiers, they have a Jewish captive in tow and the cottage is in Poland.
Mingarelli's approach is so human, his touch so light, that you read page after page, enjoying the story, sympathising with the tough life of the soldiers, completely forgetting you are reading about one of the most horrific events in modern history.
The humanization of Nazis is hugely controversial and the kind of thing authors don't often get away with in the UK. But it is necessary and, as much as we may hate it, true. The soldiers express horror at what is happening in the camps, they have sympathy with the captured Jew. They worry about family members back at home. They crave a hot meal. They are human.
But are they evil? Is it possible to participate in evil acts and simultaneously regret them? Is it possible that good people can be swept up in shocking, brutal crimes? How much did average Nazi soldiers believe in what was ordered from above?
This is a book full of uncomfortable truths and uncomfortable questions, especially for British readers, who have long been exposed to the simple rhetoric of good vs evil, right vs wrong, when it comes to World War 2.
Mingarelli has done such a powerful job with this short, spare but important novel. It will stay with me for a long while.
This is a skillful, subtle French novel which will make uncomfortable reading for many people.
It is a simple story of three soldiers on a mission in the bitterly cold coutryside who stop at an abandoned cottage and cook a meal. All sounds nice enough.
However, these are Nazi soldiers, they have a Jewish captive in tow and the cottage is in Poland.
Mingarelli's approach is so human, his touch so light, that you read page after page, enjoying the story, sympathising with the tough life of the soldiers, completely forgetting you are reading about one of the most horrific events in modern history.
The humanization of Nazis is hugely controversial and the kind of thing authors don't often get away with in the UK. But it is necessary and, as much as we may hate it, true. The soldiers express horror at what is happening in the camps, they have sympathy with the captured Jew. They worry about family members back at home. They crave a hot meal. They are human.
But are they evil? Is it possible to participate in evil acts and simultaneously regret them? Is it possible that good people can be swept up in shocking, brutal crimes? How much did average Nazi soldiers believe in what was ordered from above?
This is a book full of uncomfortable truths and uncomfortable questions, especially for British readers, who have long been exposed to the simple rhetoric of good vs evil, right vs wrong, when it comes to World War 2.
Mingarelli has done such a powerful job with this short, spare but important novel. It will stay with me for a long while.
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
This novella is set in the midst of a harsh Polish winter. Three German soldier are part of a company whose role is the execution of Jewish captives. They manage to avoid the detail which none of them like by getting the task of going out to hunt hiding Jews in the countryside. When they capture a young Jewish man they find shelter in a small Polish house and try to keep warm and make soup before they are joined by a Pole who also takes shelter. It is an interesting view of the German soldiers carrying out the horrific act of genocide but also racism of the native people and how that moderates the soldiers feelings. Are the ordinary soldiers the greater monsters who appear to have no particular hatred of the Jews yet still carry out orders or the ordinary Pole who is outwardly anti semitic. For a very slight book it carries a lot of weight and leaves the reader with interesting questions.
gal33's review against another edition
3.0
I felt as if this book was trying to forcefully be groundbreaking. It wasn't.
The thing is, if you're going to write through the point of view of Nazi soldiers, you have a very tricky job in front of you. On the one hand, your characters need to be relatable. On the other, you cannot underestimate the horrors of what they did.
But I feel like this book failed to do that. I couldn't connect with the characters, none of them, the writing was bland at best and not even the plot was captivating. And the thing that bothered me the most was the portrayal of the killing. The killing is described as something that harms just our narrators, they're poor souls who have been forced into murdering these people. Eye roll.
The only attempt of compassion our narrator shows, when he talks about feeling sorry for the victims' mothers, feels so forced and sudden, it's just not honest.
If you want a good book that is through the eyes of the 'bad guys', I suggest you just go read [b:All Quiet on the Western Front|355697|All Quiet on the Western Front|Erich Maria Remarque|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441227765s/355697.jpg|2662852] instead of this and do yourself a favor.
The thing is, if you're going to write through the point of view of Nazi soldiers, you have a very tricky job in front of you. On the one hand, your characters need to be relatable. On the other, you cannot underestimate the horrors of what they did.
But I feel like this book failed to do that. I couldn't connect with the characters, none of them, the writing was bland at best and not even the plot was captivating. And the thing that bothered me the most was the portrayal of the killing. The killing is described as something that harms just our narrators, they're poor souls who have been forced into murdering these people. Eye roll.
The only attempt of compassion our narrator shows, when he talks about feeling sorry for the victims' mothers, feels so forced and sudden, it's just not honest.
If you want a good book that is through the eyes of the 'bad guys', I suggest you just go read [b:All Quiet on the Western Front|355697|All Quiet on the Western Front|Erich Maria Remarque|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441227765s/355697.jpg|2662852] instead of this and do yourself a favor.