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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
krebs and march shouldve been endgame
Didn’t realise this was more of a crime story than an alt-history, but I think it worked pretty well together. Romance sub-plot that may have threatened my enjoyment but it didn’t end up being the ultimate goal of the protagonist, refreshing for the genre. Biggest personal gripe was not keeping tabs on the differences in the German titles (despite speaking German) - wish I’d written them for reference early in the novel as there’s only so many compound Oberschatzbahnfurhers (or whatever) I can distinguish. Came for the alt-history, enjoyed the detective novel.
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I can't believe a book about nazis feels relevant today, mere 80 years after the end of the war. It's terrifying.
That said: I love the authenticity, attention to detail, historical accuracy, and the general storyline. The characters, however, are fairly flat. The main character is a bad nazi --a good person, which is a bit of a missed opportunity; he lacks the depth his upbringing could've added to him, and his journey of discovery is less earth-shattering than it should've been. Obviously he had to be a decent person (otherwise: why would he even care?), but even decent people have their internalized prejudices they have to work through when challenged.
Similarly, the American journalist Charlie and the nazi got along a bit too well from the get-go. Sure, they didn't trust each other at first, but the progression of their relationship was fast and surprisingly frictionless.
To summarize my experience: the story was intense, but the writing lacked emotion. With a very emotional premise, I was expecting more nuance, but it ended up being more of an action movie made into a novel rather than anything deeper.
The bit aboutthe hair was excellent, though. It was the only moment that came close to making me feel the absolute horror and revulsion any empathetic human being would feel when learning of the ruthless efficiency of the Final Solution for the first time.
That said: I love the authenticity, attention to detail, historical accuracy, and the general storyline. The characters, however, are fairly flat. The main character is a bad nazi --a good person, which is a bit of a missed opportunity; he lacks the depth his upbringing could've added to him, and his journey of discovery is less earth-shattering than it should've been. Obviously he had to be a decent person (otherwise: why would he even care?), but even decent people have their internalized prejudices they have to work through when challenged.
Similarly, the American journalist Charlie and the nazi got along a bit too well from the get-go. Sure, they didn't trust each other at first, but the progression of their relationship was fast and surprisingly frictionless.
To summarize my experience: the story was intense, but the writing lacked emotion. With a very emotional premise, I was expecting more nuance, but it ended up being more of an action movie made into a novel rather than anything deeper.
The bit about
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia
Minor: Suicide, Vomit
This was probably a lot better around the time of publication. The character work was alright, plotting fine, and prose serviceable. It was fairly predictable and felt like a retread of ground, but it was readable.
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes