Reviews - The Edelweiss Pirates

23 reviews for:

The Edelweiss Pirates

Dirk Reinhart

4.12 AVERAGE

riale's review

4.0

dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

justjacq's review

2.75

adventurous inspiring tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Usually, when I buy a book because the cover catches my eye, it ends up being a story I enjoy. I did enjoy this one, but I also should have done a little more research before picking it for its cover - I thought it was non-fiction, but it was fiction inspired by real-life events. The true Edelweiss Pirates are certainly inspiring in their refusal to conform to and be part of the Nazi regime, but this story, and the style in which it was written, was really lacking. The writing comes off as young adult. The characters are likeable, but I also didn't feel like they had much depth. The alternating timeline and the relationship between Daniel and Mr. Gerlach is odd and, again, just lacks depth and background. The connection discovered at the end almost felt like an afterthought and didn't make me feel anything more for the story. The diary chapters are long, and the present day chapters were tiny - I wished there had been more balance.
2.75/5⭐️s

cantsaybreakaleg's review

3.75

emotional hopeful informative sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

grace_cr1's review

3.75

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

lenadena's review

DID NOT FINISH: 17%

The premise of a German perspective of WWII was enticing but the execution felt unfinished.

The journal entry sections took up 75% of the book and rambled about the same thing for multiple pages.

I learned a lot but didn’t enjoy reading.

glass123banan's review

4.5

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

The Edelweiss Pirates by Dirk Reinhardt explores the story of a nazi resistance group (The Edelweiss Pirates) that arose among youths during WWII. The main storyline is told through a diary format by a former member of the youth resistance group.

This story highlights a lesser known aspect of the Second World War, youth resistance, which gives the reader a fresh insight on how civilians in Germany were affected by the war and the regime. This premise is perfect for every history-nerd out there who are looking for a fresh take on the Second World War.

What I found to be very beautiful with this story was how the different relationships between people were portrayed: the relation between Daniel and Josef, the relation between Josef and his brother, and the relation between Josef and Tilly. I think my heart shattered during most of the conversations between Josef and his brother.

Thus, despite this story being about a well known historical event, the plot is laced with elements that are largely unknown by the general public. The book can best be summarized as a gripping tale about the adventures of teenage rebels.

A huge thanks to NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy!

dorset_daisy's review

4.25

adventurous dark emotional hopeful

A really interesting look into Germany at the period of time, speaking about a young group of people who have kind of been forgetten about. It really shows up the whole position of people not really knowing about the Nazis and not being able to stand up against them.

It might well have begun as almost harmless youthful recalcitrance, but the Edelweiss Pirates had the courage and decency to stand up against an unjust regime, and they would not be thrown off that course, even by brutal persecution. They were part of the other, better, Germany. We should not stop telling their story.