Reviews

At the Wolf's Table by Leah Janeczko, Rosella Postorino

lonelyasfranz's review against another edition

2.0

Good, but it could have been better. There were too many unnecessary loose ends that should have been tied up. I understand why some things were left ambiguous, and I agree that they should have been, but there were certain subjects (Rosa’s desire for children, Ernst, Maria and Stauffenberg, Ziegler, Gregor’s parents), that would have been better with more clarification. The ending was extremely underwhelming for this reason. It ought to have made more things clear, but instead it gave us insignificant information that went nowhere with no elaboration. It didn’t even bother to expound on Rosa’s feelings or give us even the smallest morsel of information about her new life, it just talked about what she did. There was none of the beautiful prose or development of the rest of the book present. The very last scene could have been so much more impactful with added detail. The book was about Rosa, but the ending was just about Gregor (who is a terrible person and should have died at the front). We could not care less about Gregor or Agnes or Margot. We care about Rosa!

valperricone76's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

elicchi's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

daameliiie's review against another edition

2.0

che noia...

carolyn0613's review against another edition

4.0

This was a very interesting story about a group of women who are tasters for Hitler in case his food is poisoned. Many Germans were starving during the war so having sufficient to eat was unusual but the fear of eating poisoned food hung heavily over the women. The story goes into the personal lives of the women and how their friendships develop.

I really liked the writing, the story and the historical setting. Very good.

mimstery's review against another edition

3.0

i found it impossible to connect with Rosa, the character of the book, la gouteuse.
This book could have been so much more, but it seems like the author only wanted to barely touch the surface of these women who tasted the food before Hitler did.
Also, very little is said about what went on in the kitchen, except a small interaction with the chef for a few pages.
This book is more of a story about Rosa who happened to have tasted Hitler's food for a while during the war.

marilupignetta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

halesnbooks's review against another edition

4.0

the writing is absolutely beautiful and its such an interesting read but i do NOT understand the ending whatsoever. well i understand what happens, but there are so many loose ends that are not tied up i feel lost. super super lost. anyone else?

i also took for-freakin- ever to read it bc im slow but i actually really like the book!!

giadafroio_44's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-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? No

3.25

crlttpstrn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

devo essere sincera, è decisamente un libro slow burn nel senso che sembra che nella prima parte non succeda granché. seconda e terza parte decisamente più movimentate e a mio parere più interessanti da leggere, ho trovato un coinvolgimento emotivo maggiore. il finale è molto bello e intelligente diciamo, è un cerchio che si chiude come si suol dire.
Rosa è la protagonista apparentemente ma di pari passo credo che lo sia anche il corpo e tutto quello a lui legato: fame, istinto di sopravvivenza, sentimenti ecc.