You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
This book was lent to me by a friend quite a while back. I think I started reading it then, but for whatever reason I never finished it and gave it back. It took me to find the paperback edition of the 20th Anniversary reprint earlier this year before I wanted to give it a go again.
It starts innocuously enough - a police procedural crime novel set in a parallel universe where Germany won the second world war. But as it goes on, things get nastier and you soon realise that our Cop, Xavier March, is mixed up in something far bigger than it initially seems.
It was about half way through that I realised that the names of the people March was investigating were familiar. To make sure, I googled a movie I had seen on the subject - Conspiracy, starring Ken Brannagh, and it all clicked into place - who these men were, and what conspiracy the state were trying to hide.
At the start I thought the book was average, but once I realised what it was about it all fell into place. Had the Germans won the war, they would have quashed the story of The Final Solution, and perhaps even, as this book speculates, attempt to dispose of the people who knew the truth.
I also like the ambiguity of the ending - we don't know if the information actually got out, and whether March's sacrifice was worth it. An awesome read, much much better than I had assumed it would be. I think had I not worked out what the secret was I might not have enjoyed it do much - but then someone who knew the history better than I did would have spotted it as soon as the first name was revealed. So I think I was the perfect reader - I knew enough to not get it straight away, but enough to work it out before the end of the book.
Cracking.
It starts innocuously enough - a police procedural crime novel set in a parallel universe where Germany won the second world war. But as it goes on, things get nastier and you soon realise that our Cop, Xavier March, is mixed up in something far bigger than it initially seems.
It was about half way through that I realised that the names of the people March was investigating were familiar. To make sure, I googled a movie I had seen on the subject - Conspiracy, starring Ken Brannagh, and it all clicked into place - who these men were, and what conspiracy the state were trying to hide.
At the start I thought the book was average, but once I realised what it was about it all fell into place. Had the Germans won the war, they would have quashed the story of The Final Solution, and perhaps even, as this book speculates, attempt to dispose of the people who knew the truth.
I also like the ambiguity of the ending - we don't know if the information actually got out, and whether March's sacrifice was worth it. An awesome read, much much better than I had assumed it would be. I think had I not worked out what the secret was I might not have enjoyed it do much - but then someone who knew the history better than I did would have spotted it as soon as the first name was revealed. So I think I was the perfect reader - I knew enough to not get it straight away, but enough to work it out before the end of the book.
Cracking.
Set in a world where the Germans won World War 2. We follow an SS detective Xavier March in 1960s Berlin. When a dead body is found floating in the river, spotted by a passing jogger, March is sent to investigate. What initially seems like a straightforward case, Xavier soon unravels a tale that could shake Nazi Germany to its foundation.
A work of fiction with plenty of facts intertwined. This book does a tremendous job of setting the scene for what the world would look like if the second war had ended differently. Written so well it allows modern-day readers a slight peek into what a totalitarian Germany was like.
With many characters based on real-world people, Robert Harris, did a good job of have them appear almost as despicable as their real-life counterparts. When it came to introducing new characters Harris shined once again. Creating engaging and enjoyable personalities that accompany the story perfectly.
The story took many turns, but once you’re on the home straight it is impossible to put down. Starting with a murder mystery, it takes a little while to get going, but once it does, you as the reader will be invested and waiting to see the finale.
Overall, Fatherland was a great read, an atmospheric masterclass, with an engaging and interesting story. This book is one I highly recommend. My only drawback would be how long it took to get going.
A work of fiction with plenty of facts intertwined. This book does a tremendous job of setting the scene for what the world would look like if the second war had ended differently. Written so well it allows modern-day readers a slight peek into what a totalitarian Germany was like.
With many characters based on real-world people, Robert Harris, did a good job of have them appear almost as despicable as their real-life counterparts. When it came to introducing new characters Harris shined once again. Creating engaging and enjoyable personalities that accompany the story perfectly.
The story took many turns, but once you’re on the home straight it is impossible to put down. Starting with a murder mystery, it takes a little while to get going, but once it does, you as the reader will be invested and waiting to see the finale.
Overall, Fatherland was a great read, an atmospheric masterclass, with an engaging and interesting story. This book is one I highly recommend. My only drawback would be how long it took to get going.
I'm a sucker por WWII themes e thrillers ou policiais, portanto este Fatherland parecia reunir tudo o que mais gosto num só livro. E de facto, a exploração de um mundo em que a Alemanha Nazi ganhou a guerra e, em 1964, a grande celebração é o 75º aniversário de Hitler, era algo que nunca tinha lido antes e me interessava bastante. E, nesse aspecto, Robert Harris foi extremamente capaz de nos levar para uma Berlim cinzenta e sem alma, policiada e controlada em todos os aspetos enquanto, ao mesmo tempo, envia para os outros países uma imagem de sociedade serena e próspera.
Contudo, acho que a parte thriller/policial do livro ficou aquém. Xavier March, o personagem principal, é um homem justo, mas cínico: vive num ambiente nefasto e sabe que é errado, mas não faz grande coisa para mudar isso. Não me inspirou nenhuma lealdade, e isso nunca é bom num personagem principal. Além disso, o plot de mistério que dá aso a uma investigação de homicídio à volta da qual gira todo o livro soou um bocado text book: até o Dan Brown resolvia melhor o problema.
3* pelo tema e pela francamente boa descrição desta sociedade distópica, mas vou guardar as 2* restantes para outras histórias.
“Anyone found not enjoying themselves will be shot.”
Contudo, acho que a parte thriller/policial do livro ficou aquém. Xavier March, o personagem principal, é um homem justo, mas cínico: vive num ambiente nefasto e sabe que é errado, mas não faz grande coisa para mudar isso. Não me inspirou nenhuma lealdade, e isso nunca é bom num personagem principal. Além disso, o plot de mistério que dá aso a uma investigação de homicídio à volta da qual gira todo o livro soou um bocado text book: até o Dan Brown resolvia melhor o problema.
3* pelo tema e pela francamente boa descrição desta sociedade distópica, mas vou guardar as 2* restantes para outras histórias.
“Anyone found not enjoying themselves will be shot.”
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I remember when Fatherland first came out in the early 90s. You could hardly miss it; it was prominent on bookshelves everywhere. But for something that surely would have been something that I would have jumped at, for some reason it totally fell off my radar for decades.
Once it resurfaced on my radar, given the nutty state of our planet these past years, it needed to wait until I was in the right frame of mind for it. As I was last week and so I dove in.
I must say that ultimately the book wasn't much of an impact on me after all. It held great promise, sure. I really got taken in with the setting of the new Europe with Germany's conquered lands, and the murder mystery in the forefront was interesting for the most part.
The big letdown for me was that there was absolutely no involvement with the 75 year-old Adolf Hitler. Germany's politics and secret police served as a backdrop for this mystery (which wasn't much of a surprise to anyone who knows WWII history) and that was about it.
I was under the misconception that this would be a novel that would bring the old monster to life, and I mean why wouldn't I be?
Harris created a totally alternate history which would give total free artistic license to involve the reader with Hitler as an old man, his secrets, his policies, etc. and how his German population are affected. Like really, wouldn't you deep dive this if you were him? What a missed opportunity.
I finished the book and said, "you've got to be kidding me."
So two stars. It was written okay (with the exception of our hero realizing the extent of his injuries after being beaten up. The narrative notes that "Every limb ached, yet they couldn't have worked him over for more than five minutes." So the author regards a five minute beating as something minimal. I'm not sure whether to be impressed or amused.), but overall a letdown because I expected something much more than this police story.
Once it resurfaced on my radar, given the nutty state of our planet these past years, it needed to wait until I was in the right frame of mind for it. As I was last week and so I dove in.
I must say that ultimately the book wasn't much of an impact on me after all. It held great promise, sure. I really got taken in with the setting of the new Europe with Germany's conquered lands, and the murder mystery in the forefront was interesting for the most part.
The big letdown for me was that there was absolutely no involvement with the 75 year-old Adolf Hitler. Germany's politics and secret police served as a backdrop for this mystery (which wasn't much of a surprise to anyone who knows WWII history) and that was about it.
I was under the misconception that this would be a novel that would bring the old monster to life, and I mean why wouldn't I be?
Harris created a totally alternate history which would give total free artistic license to involve the reader with Hitler as an old man, his secrets, his policies, etc. and how his German population are affected. Like really, wouldn't you deep dive this if you were him? What a missed opportunity.
I finished the book and said, "you've got to be kidding me."
So two stars. It was written okay (with the exception of our hero realizing the extent of his injuries after being beaten up. The narrative notes that "Every limb ached, yet they couldn't have worked him over for more than five minutes." So the author regards a five minute beating as something minimal. I'm not sure whether to be impressed or amused.), but overall a letdown because I expected something much more than this police story.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoy alternative-history novels. While this is not the best one I've ever read, it is built around an interesting premise: what if Germany had won WW II? How would the world be different? Would we have ever found out about the Holocaust, or could its horrors have been successfully hidden from not only the world, but from the average German citizen? It's a difficult thing to imagine. But imagine it, this book does. It's based on solid research and a clever imagination. You'll likely figure out the ending before you get there, but it's an interesting journey.