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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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:
Yes
In Harris’s version of history, Germany discovers we’ve broken Enigma, so is able to starve us out. Edward VIII comes back to the throne with Wallace as his queen. The USA defeats Japan but Hitler forces it to a ceasefire by sending a V3 over New York, which could have been nuclear.
For transport nerds the verdict is nuanced: a disappointingly brief mention of the Breitspurbahn (a proposed 3-metre gauge double-deck railway network that would have given Ryanair a run for its money). And an error in the junctions on the Berlin motorway box I'm afraid.
Worth watching the HBO film.
For transport nerds the verdict is nuanced: a disappointingly brief mention of the Breitspurbahn (a proposed 3-metre gauge double-deck railway network that would have given Ryanair a run for its money). And an error in the junctions on the Berlin motorway box I'm afraid.
Worth watching the HBO film.
This is another one of those books that I probably wouldn’t have read if it wasn’t for Goodreads. Just somehow stumbled upon it and days later couldn’t get it out of my mind. So I had to read.
This might be one of those times where you first get your hopes up and the outcome fails to meet your expectations. Because I expected a lot from this book but it disappointed me.
The first thing that annoyed me and gave away the book’s lack of quality was the exposition which just felt forced. Another was that all the time I kept wondering how was this alternative world different from ours that allowed the Nazis to win? Wikipedia had a list of subtle winks but I certainly never caught them. So here I am complaining about too much exposition and a lack of it. I think the book should have had a prologue explaining the differences between the worlds and so avoid the messes of the book.
Another problem is that it lacks the feel of realness. It is similar to 1984, Fahrenheit 451 or heck even the Hunger Games. All of them have Fight the Evil Empire element but I feel a book like this should have been more grounded in reality.
Problem the third was that Xavier March is somewhat of an asocial character. I won’t give away much of the plot here but to be short he has drifted away from most people, including his family. He doesn’t believe in Nazism, as is typical of main characters in dystopian tales, nor does he seem to like anything about his world. There’s nothing really German about him.
Now I don’t like criticizing books for what they aren’t but I think it would be far more interesting to watch someone who to some degree believed in the Nazi mythology try to come to terms with his country’s dark past.
As for the mystery it wasn’t that bad, nothing really can be said against it.
Overall I wouldn’t call Fatherland a bad book but there’s just nothing really special about it, nothing to put it above average.
Well, that would conclude the spoiler free part of the review. And now for more specific complaints.
As the plot progresses we learn that there is some great secret connecting all the murdered people. It has to do with the Jews. And then our heroes learn about the holocaust. Well colour me shocked, who could have foreseen that? Sarcasm aside, the whole idea doesn’t sound bad but doesn’t work in reality. We already know the mystery, it’s one of the most well known facts of World War II. So the plot isn’t exciting it’s just dull waiting for the heroes to get it.
Another thing is something I already mentioned before – March’s disconnectedness from his world. When the time comes that he must leave his country forever he doesn’t even think twice, it’s a complete non-issue. Honestly if the book had been about Max Jaeger it would have been far more interesting.
Problem three – USA! USA! USA! Of course Charlotte is like no other woman he ever met. Of course the leak is not in the American embassy. Of course it’s the Land of the Free and the Awesome and whatnot. I think that it should have been avoided.
And then there is the ending. As in it just ends. There’s no explanation about what happens to March, did Charlotte actually manage to leave Germany and what impact they had on the world? What was the outcome of all this? None of that is explained, it just simply ends.
So overall I would call the book unsatisfying.
This might be one of those times where you first get your hopes up and the outcome fails to meet your expectations. Because I expected a lot from this book but it disappointed me.
The first thing that annoyed me and gave away the book’s lack of quality was the exposition which just felt forced. Another was that all the time I kept wondering how was this alternative world different from ours that allowed the Nazis to win? Wikipedia had a list of subtle winks but I certainly never caught them. So here I am complaining about too much exposition and a lack of it. I think the book should have had a prologue explaining the differences between the worlds and so avoid the messes of the book.
Another problem is that it lacks the feel of realness. It is similar to 1984, Fahrenheit 451 or heck even the Hunger Games. All of them have Fight the Evil Empire element but I feel a book like this should have been more grounded in reality.
Problem the third was that Xavier March is somewhat of an asocial character. I won’t give away much of the plot here but to be short he has drifted away from most people, including his family. He doesn’t believe in Nazism, as is typical of main characters in dystopian tales, nor does he seem to like anything about his world. There’s nothing really German about him.
Now I don’t like criticizing books for what they aren’t but I think it would be far more interesting to watch someone who to some degree believed in the Nazi mythology try to come to terms with his country’s dark past.
As for the mystery it wasn’t that bad, nothing really can be said against it.
Overall I wouldn’t call Fatherland a bad book but there’s just nothing really special about it, nothing to put it above average.
Well, that would conclude the spoiler free part of the review. And now for more specific complaints.
As the plot progresses we learn that there is some great secret connecting all the murdered people. It has to do with the Jews. And then our heroes learn about the holocaust. Well colour me shocked, who could have foreseen that? Sarcasm aside, the whole idea doesn’t sound bad but doesn’t work in reality. We already know the mystery, it’s one of the most well known facts of World War II. So the plot isn’t exciting it’s just dull waiting for the heroes to get it.
Another thing is something I already mentioned before – March’s disconnectedness from his world. When the time comes that he must leave his country forever he doesn’t even think twice, it’s a complete non-issue. Honestly if the book had been about Max Jaeger it would have been far more interesting.
Problem three – USA! USA! USA! Of course Charlotte is like no other woman he ever met. Of course the leak is not in the American embassy. Of course it’s the Land of the Free and the Awesome and whatnot. I think that it should have been avoided.
And then there is the ending. As in it just ends. There’s no explanation about what happens to March, did Charlotte actually manage to leave Germany and what impact they had on the world? What was the outcome of all this? None of that is explained, it just simply ends.
So overall I would call the book unsatisfying.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Very clever book and still Harris's best out of an impressive body of work. A whodunnit with the conceit that Hitler won the war. This leads to some interesting historical speculation that is an entertaining backdrop to a really good crime novel.
Entertaining romp in an alternative 1964 and "good man trying to do good in a bad system" novel. Not as realistically grim as Phillip Kerr but satisfying nevertheless. Particularly liked the ending.
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Enjoyed that a lot but tiny bit disappointed by the ending. Would have given it 4.5 stars if I could.
It took me a couple of attempts to 'get into' this book - but I'm glad I persevered. A gripping thriller set in an alternative reality with twists and turns that I could imagine played out in my mind's eye like a James Bond or Indiana Jones-esque movie.
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes