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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Amazing book. One that will stay with me for years...Deserving of a 5+
I wanted to like this book, but for some reason, I never felt the characters come to life.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
sad
*SPOILERS*
This book got me sucked in within a few pages of reading it. I loved how it wasn't just one POV but had three. Marianne being the commander of wives and children. protecting the women and children after the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler. Benita a young beautiful girl of nineteen a wife of Connie a resistor and the mother of Martin. Ania a woman with a secret. I love this book! planning on reading other books of Jessica Shattuck soon!
This book got me sucked in within a few pages of reading it. I loved how it wasn't just one POV but had three. Marianne being the commander of wives and children. protecting the women and children after the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler. Benita a young beautiful girl of nineteen a wife of Connie a resistor and the mother of Martin. Ania a woman with a secret. I love this book! planning on reading other books of Jessica Shattuck soon!
" There is so much gray between the black and the white... and this is where most of us live, trying, but so often failing to bend toward the light.
This is a compelling story about the lives of three widowed women and their children whose lives become intertwined after WWII in Germany. Completely different from so many other WWII stories I have read, this is told mostly from the perspective of Marianne appointed from the men as "The Commander and Cheif of the Women and Children." Marianne's husband and dearest friend are part of the unsuccessful assassination attempt of Hitler. After their death, she takes it upon herself to gather the women and children together at Burg Lingenfels, a castle belonging to her family. It is a story of friendship, trust, and how to find happiness in the worst of times.
This is a compelling story about the lives of three widowed women and their children whose lives become intertwined after WWII in Germany. Completely different from so many other WWII stories I have read, this is told mostly from the perspective of Marianne appointed from the men as "The Commander and Cheif of the Women and Children." Marianne's husband and dearest friend are part of the unsuccessful assassination attempt of Hitler. After their death, she takes it upon herself to gather the women and children together at Burg Lingenfels, a castle belonging to her family. It is a story of friendship, trust, and how to find happiness in the worst of times.
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got 2/3 of the way through this book and gave up. Love WWII fiction, but this one did not grab me. I didn't like any of the characters; the closest I came was a slight appreciation for Marianne's practicality, but that was about it. The writing was just not that good, and I really hated the switching back and forth and in between time periods - lent itself to a very choppy reading experience, and I could not keep up with the characters' stories. I never felt any real tension during the story, either.
I am a WWII fiction aficionado, and this would not be in my canon. Pales in comparison to All The Light You Cannot See.
I suppose a good screenwriter could take this mess and turn it into a good movie, but until then, I'm out, as the Shark Tank people would say.
I am a WWII fiction aficionado, and this would not be in my canon. Pales in comparison to All The Light You Cannot See.
I suppose a good screenwriter could take this mess and turn it into a good movie, but until then, I'm out, as the Shark Tank people would say.