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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It is the last winter of World War 2 and the people in Holland are cold and hungry. Their country has been devastated by the occupying German forces. For Michiel Van Beusekom, the war is about to get much more dangerous, and now, at 15, he feels ready to actively work against the Germans.
And it looks liked his chance quickly arrives in the form of his neighbor and friend Dirk Knopper. Michiel knows Dirk is in the Dutch Resistance, and Dirk knows he can trust Michiel. On evening, Dirk tells him there is going to be a raid on a distribution center in order to obtain ration cards and identify papers for people in hiding. He give Michiel a letter and tells him to make sure he give it to another Bertus Van Gelder, another friend and resistance member, if anything goes wrong.
And everything does go wrong. Dirk is arrested with his two companions, as is Bertus Van Gelder. Puzzled at how the Gestapo knew what was going on and who was involved, Michiel doesn’t know what to do with the letter. He finally decides reads the letter himself. Inside are instructions for finding a hiding place in the woods, in which Dirk has hidden an injured British pilot named Jack.
Michiel finds the hideout and Jack, and promises to bring him food every other day. But Jack’s injuries are not healing well, so Michiel is forced to let his older sister Erica, a nurse, in on his secret. He didn’t want to expose Erica to any danger, especially since so many things were going wrong lately.
Meanwhile, when the body of a dead German soldier is discovered, it is assumed by the Gestapo that he was killed by one of the Dutch residents of the village of Vlank. They demand that the person come forward and confess, but when that doesn’t happen, they change tactics. They round up a group of 10 random people, including Michiel’s father, the Mayor of Vlank, and announce that they would be publicly hung if the culprit didn’t come forward. When there was still no confession of guilt from anyone, five people are released, but five are shot to death, including Michiel’s father.
While Winter in Wartime is essentially a coming of age story, it is also a suspenseful and tense story that realistically depicts the dangers many people in Nazi occupied countries faced. Although Michiel willingly takes of the resistance activities of a grown man, he does have his moments of question. For example, his plan for sneaking an elderly Jewish man and his son past the Germans guarding a river crossing works brilliantly, until innocent victims are made to pay the price. And yet what becomes clear in this story is also the willingness of people to risk their lives to help those who are even more oppressed and despised, no matter what.
The book was originally published in Dutch in 1972, and issued in translation in 1976. In 2008, an apparently not very good movie (I haven’t seen it yet) was made, also in Dutch, with English subtitles. And in early 2011, the novel Winter in Wartime was re-released. Oddly enough, I cannot find the translators name. The translation is a little awkward and a little abrupt at times, but it certainly does not diminish the quality and impact of this book.
The author, Jan Terkouw, was born in 1931, son of a clergyman. I am sure that many of his experiences in the war are included in Winter in Wartime. The vivid impressive portrayal of the cold, bleak winter weather, the constant stream of people wandering the roads in search of food to bring back to their children, and the difficulty of riding in it on a bicycle with wooden wheels could only come from experience. I was also impressed that I was surprised by the ending, which I never would have suspected.
This book is recommended for readers age 12 and up
The book was a received as an E-ARC from NetGalley.com.
And it looks liked his chance quickly arrives in the form of his neighbor and friend Dirk Knopper. Michiel knows Dirk is in the Dutch Resistance, and Dirk knows he can trust Michiel. On evening, Dirk tells him there is going to be a raid on a distribution center in order to obtain ration cards and identify papers for people in hiding. He give Michiel a letter and tells him to make sure he give it to another Bertus Van Gelder, another friend and resistance member, if anything goes wrong.
And everything does go wrong. Dirk is arrested with his two companions, as is Bertus Van Gelder. Puzzled at how the Gestapo knew what was going on and who was involved, Michiel doesn’t know what to do with the letter. He finally decides reads the letter himself. Inside are instructions for finding a hiding place in the woods, in which Dirk has hidden an injured British pilot named Jack.
Michiel finds the hideout and Jack, and promises to bring him food every other day. But Jack’s injuries are not healing well, so Michiel is forced to let his older sister Erica, a nurse, in on his secret. He didn’t want to expose Erica to any danger, especially since so many things were going wrong lately.
Meanwhile, when the body of a dead German soldier is discovered, it is assumed by the Gestapo that he was killed by one of the Dutch residents of the village of Vlank. They demand that the person come forward and confess, but when that doesn’t happen, they change tactics. They round up a group of 10 random people, including Michiel’s father, the Mayor of Vlank, and announce that they would be publicly hung if the culprit didn’t come forward. When there was still no confession of guilt from anyone, five people are released, but five are shot to death, including Michiel’s father.
While Winter in Wartime is essentially a coming of age story, it is also a suspenseful and tense story that realistically depicts the dangers many people in Nazi occupied countries faced. Although Michiel willingly takes of the resistance activities of a grown man, he does have his moments of question. For example, his plan for sneaking an elderly Jewish man and his son past the Germans guarding a river crossing works brilliantly, until innocent victims are made to pay the price. And yet what becomes clear in this story is also the willingness of people to risk their lives to help those who are even more oppressed and despised, no matter what.
The book was originally published in Dutch in 1972, and issued in translation in 1976. In 2008, an apparently not very good movie (I haven’t seen it yet) was made, also in Dutch, with English subtitles. And in early 2011, the novel Winter in Wartime was re-released. Oddly enough, I cannot find the translators name. The translation is a little awkward and a little abrupt at times, but it certainly does not diminish the quality and impact of this book.
The author, Jan Terkouw, was born in 1931, son of a clergyman. I am sure that many of his experiences in the war are included in Winter in Wartime. The vivid impressive portrayal of the cold, bleak winter weather, the constant stream of people wandering the roads in search of food to bring back to their children, and the difficulty of riding in it on a bicycle with wooden wheels could only come from experience. I was also impressed that I was surprised by the ending, which I never would have suspected.
This book is recommended for readers age 12 and up
The book was a received as an E-ARC from NetGalley.com.
Set in occupied Holland in the winter of 1944-45, Europe’s bleakest winter of WWII, this children’s chapter book, winner of the 1973 Best Dutch Juvenile Literature prize, tells the story of fifteen-year-old Michiel and his family. Through a series of circumstances, Michiel becomes responsible for an injured British pilot who has been hidden by resistance members.
Although there are some heroic deeds performed, the author does not lose sight of the reality of war.
“(H)is father had once said: (. . .) Don’t think that it is only the Germans who are guilty. The Dutch, the British, the French, every nation has murdered without mercy and perpetrated unbelievable tortures in times of war. That is why, Michiel, you shouldn’t allow yourself to be misled by the romance of war, the romance of heroic deeds, sacrifice, tension and adventure. War means wounds, sadness, torture, prison, hunger, hardship and injustice. There is nothing romantic about it.”
While this is a children’s book, it is also suitable for adult readers. Even though it’s not overly graphic, the author still brings to life the desperation and pain of daily life: the cold, the hunger, the fear, the uncertainty of whom to trust, the death. As such, it is probably suitable for children 11 or older.
Read this if: you’re looking for a WWII story that doesn’t touch on the Holocaust; or you want to introduce your adolescent reader to what life is like for ordinary citizens in time of war. 4 stars
Although there are some heroic deeds performed, the author does not lose sight of the reality of war.
“(H)is father had once said: (. . .) Don’t think that it is only the Germans who are guilty. The Dutch, the British, the French, every nation has murdered without mercy and perpetrated unbelievable tortures in times of war. That is why, Michiel, you shouldn’t allow yourself to be misled by the romance of war, the romance of heroic deeds, sacrifice, tension and adventure. War means wounds, sadness, torture, prison, hunger, hardship and injustice. There is nothing romantic about it.”
While this is a children’s book, it is also suitable for adult readers. Even though it’s not overly graphic, the author still brings to life the desperation and pain of daily life: the cold, the hunger, the fear, the uncertainty of whom to trust, the death. As such, it is probably suitable for children 11 or older.
Read this if: you’re looking for a WWII story that doesn’t touch on the Holocaust; or you want to introduce your adolescent reader to what life is like for ordinary citizens in time of war. 4 stars
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
3,5 stars
La novela se sitúa en Holanda, 1944-1945, un país que se encuentra bajo la ocupación nazi y una Alemania que está a punto de perder la guerra. Holanda se encuentra devastada y su gente pasa hambre. Cuando parte de la resistencia planea el asalto a un local de distribución, una tarea importante se le confía al joven Michail: entregar una carta en caso de que algo salga mal durante dicho saqueo. Eventualmente las cosas salen mal y la carta nunca logra llegar a destino, deberá ser Michail quien, con solo 16 años, se haga cargo del contenido de la misma con todo lo que ello implica.
Lo que más me gustó de la novela es que rescató un periodo dentro de lo que es la Segunda Guerra Mundial del que no leí tanto, como es, la última parte, cuando Alemania se encuentra avasallada por las fuerzas aliadas; a la vez sitúa la historia en Holanda, uno de los países cuya población civil mayor resistencia opuso a la ocupación nazi. El protagonista de esta historia demuestra con 16 años ser todo un adulto, como ocurría, lamentablemente, con los chicos en aquella fatídica época, a quienes les tocaba de un dia para el otro crecer y dejar de hacer todo aquello que es tan propio de la edad, para poder sobrevivir.
Es un libro que tiene como eje la traición, el peligro, y que no esta contado desde el punto de vista de una familia judía, lo que lo vuelve aun mas interesante. Si bien por momentos sentí que la historia decae o se vuelve algo más tediosa de leer, junto a algunos errores en su traducción, es un libro que pude disfrutar y con el que pude reencontrarme con un género poco visto en literatura juvenil y que considero hace un gran aporte. Si buscan de la historia una trama espectacular que los sorprenda no creo que sea el libro para ustedes, pero si en cambio, la novela histórica les gusta y quieren leer algo distinto, pueden llegar a disfrutar mucho de este libro.
La novela se sitúa en Holanda, 1944-1945, un país que se encuentra bajo la ocupación nazi y una Alemania que está a punto de perder la guerra. Holanda se encuentra devastada y su gente pasa hambre. Cuando parte de la resistencia planea el asalto a un local de distribución, una tarea importante se le confía al joven Michail: entregar una carta en caso de que algo salga mal durante dicho saqueo. Eventualmente las cosas salen mal y la carta nunca logra llegar a destino, deberá ser Michail quien, con solo 16 años, se haga cargo del contenido de la misma con todo lo que ello implica.
Lo que más me gustó de la novela es que rescató un periodo dentro de lo que es la Segunda Guerra Mundial del que no leí tanto, como es, la última parte, cuando Alemania se encuentra avasallada por las fuerzas aliadas; a la vez sitúa la historia en Holanda, uno de los países cuya población civil mayor resistencia opuso a la ocupación nazi. El protagonista de esta historia demuestra con 16 años ser todo un adulto, como ocurría, lamentablemente, con los chicos en aquella fatídica época, a quienes les tocaba de un dia para el otro crecer y dejar de hacer todo aquello que es tan propio de la edad, para poder sobrevivir.
Es un libro que tiene como eje la traición, el peligro, y que no esta contado desde el punto de vista de una familia judía, lo que lo vuelve aun mas interesante. Si bien por momentos sentí que la historia decae o se vuelve algo más tediosa de leer, junto a algunos errores en su traducción, es un libro que pude disfrutar y con el que pude reencontrarme con un género poco visto en literatura juvenil y que considero hace un gran aporte. Si buscan de la historia una trama espectacular que los sorprenda no creo que sea el libro para ustedes, pero si en cambio, la novela histórica les gusta y quieren leer algo distinto, pueden llegar a disfrutar mucho de este libro.
Dit is nou een boek, dat je laat na denken. Je ziet een kant van de oorlog dat je nooit eerder zag. Meestal zie je 't van uit de ogen van een jood of een Duitser, maar nu zie je 't uit de ogen van uit de andere slacht offers. Iemand die je ziet groeien door heen het verhaal, van een kleine jongen die hoopte dat de oorlog lang zou duren tot iemand die indirect vocht tegen de Duitsers.
Ik was helemaal weg van de plot, wie had dat wou verwacht.
Ik ben normaal geen fan van oorlogsverhalen maar nu toon ik er waardering voor.
Ik was helemaal weg van de plot, wie had dat wou verwacht.
Ik ben normaal geen fan van oorlogsverhalen maar nu toon ik er waardering voor.
Dit is een van die Nederlandse boeken die gewoon iedereen gelezen moet hebben. Geweldig plot, geweldige karakters, tja, wat moet ik nog meer zeggen? Lees dit.
Mooi boek. Duurt wel lang voordat het verhaal op gang komt maar het schetst een beeld van die tijd.