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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I liked, but didn't love, this book. It is historical fictional based on the attempted plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and the aftermath of the war, told from within Germany. That is a unique perspective. Most stories I've read about WWII are set in Britain or France and told from the perspective to the people in those countries. It was interesting to read the thoughts of the German possibility, and the collective shame some of them felt in the aftermath. I'd heard about that through the year, but never read about it. But as interesting as the story was, there were times I felt it bogged down, and I had to force myself to keep reading. The main character, Marianne, is judgmental, sometimes cold even to her own children, and very often not understanding to other people. Without spoiling anything, I can say that I was particularly disappointed in what happened to the character Benita. That really affected my opinion of the book. Another thing that made the book a difficult read is that I felt at times there was not enough distinction between the characters of Ania and Benita. Something would happen to one, and I'd get confused and have to go back and read an earlier section to remember which was Ania's story and which was Benita's story.
This book would be a great pick for book clubs with plenty to discuss. It was an interesting look at how Hitler came to have so much power, scapegoating a group of people and turning one group against another. How culpable were the German people in just ignoring the warning signs that all was not as Hitler led them to believe. This could lead to an interesting discussion. Other topics to discuss include the responsibility of those blindly followed orders. What obligation did they have to resist, risking their own lives in the process. A discussion the aftermath of the war—of how some German people had difficulty leaving the war behind, due to the guilt they felt, while others went about life as if the war had never happened. This is an intersting story that will be made even better with discussion!
This book would be a great pick for book clubs with plenty to discuss. It was an interesting look at how Hitler came to have so much power, scapegoating a group of people and turning one group against another. How culpable were the German people in just ignoring the warning signs that all was not as Hitler led them to believe. This could lead to an interesting discussion. Other topics to discuss include the responsibility of those blindly followed orders. What obligation did they have to resist, risking their own lives in the process. A discussion the aftermath of the war—of how some German people had difficulty leaving the war behind, due to the guilt they felt, while others went about life as if the war had never happened. This is an intersting story that will be made even better with discussion!
I found it to be an easy read and enjoyed the book.
This beautiful story really made me think about what I would do if in the position of these women. Marianne, oscillating between being powerless and powerful, sometimes makes questionable choices but she is a strong and interesting character. I would recommend this book.
It was eye opening to be able to read about this time in the world through varying points of view. It brought a new life to my own understanding of this period in time. It shows, as the author said, that there is so much gray between the black and white.
Gut-wrenching and beautiful. Yet another important story from World War II.
Never really connected with the characters. Near the end someone said another character had been her dearest friend and I was completely surprised - how had I missed that? Moral questions interesting but somehow I couldn’t focus.
I liked the book because it put the diverse and sometimes irreversible decisions and sentiments of women at center stage. The charcaters were well developed and the story fascinating and spanning 20 years of history. A really good read!
I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting to get a whole new side to WWII, the resister's wives.
3.5. I am not sure what to think of this book. I thought it was very good and an interesting story however at the same time it leaves me with unpleasant thoughts and I know the subject of the book should as it is about WWII and Hitler's reign of shall we say terror. I know what happened during those years was horrible and that many of the people that survived both the war and the Holocaust do not or did not (for those that have passed on) talk about what had happened during that time or what they went through.
However I will say the book was well written and the story was interesting.
However I will say the book was well written and the story was interesting.
| after sleeping on it, i’ve decided to dnf this book @ page 256. i was just not enjoying this book and it did not live up to my expectations. i love historical fiction, but this was just not a well-executed book in my opinion.
the characters that we were supposed to care about felt cold and flat. the time skips made the story feel choppy and incomplete, it felt like i missed out on so much of the character development because of how the chapters skipped from year to year. this could have been a great book if the author had really focused on the women’s time in the castle, their backstories, and their connections to one another. with the way the book was going, i really don’t think the last half would redeem anything, so i’m stopping while i’m ahead.
the characters that we were supposed to care about felt cold and flat. the time skips made the story feel choppy and incomplete, it felt like i missed out on so much of the character development because of how the chapters skipped from year to year. this could have been a great book if the author had really focused on the women’s time in the castle, their backstories, and their connections to one another. with the way the book was going, i really don’t think the last half would redeem anything, so i’m stopping while i’m ahead.