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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Although this was definitely not a page turner, I really enjoyed the author's writing. While writing a novel about the assassination of Heydrich, he inserted himself into the novel to discuss research and the process of writing.
Meta-historical 'novel', 'infranovel', facts or fiction? Binet injects his struggle with historical accuracy into the story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the butcher of Prague, by Czech paratroopers in 1942.
The writing is sharp, the story is fast paced, detailed and filled with tension. It's a wonder, therefore, that Binet felt the need to inject himself so completely into it.
Binet's storytelling is crisp, and he builds the suspense nicely as the story reaches climax on the day that two protagonists await their quarry. Heydrich, in his hubris, commutes daily through occupied territory that he has subdued by mass murder, terror and enslavement, in an open car. His doom awaits at the hands of partisans, trained in England, dropped into their own country to be aided by the locals. We meet all of the major players on both sides as they move toward the inevitable collision on May 28th 1942.
The story's narrator, however, is unreliable, as he mixes, in short bursts, his own doubts about the facts he is relating, into the text.
He obsesses about the color of Heydrich's car; about the details of dialogue and whether he can trust his sources as he struggles to add details to the story he is telling.
I found the style and the meta-context to be utterly distracting to an otherwise well told tale. The ultra short chapters were an annoyance as well. As history HHhH was great, as a novel, not so much, thus 3 stars only.
The writing is sharp, the story is fast paced, detailed and filled with tension. It's a wonder, therefore, that Binet felt the need to inject himself so completely into it.
Binet's storytelling is crisp, and he builds the suspense nicely as the story reaches climax on the day that two protagonists await their quarry. Heydrich, in his hubris, commutes daily through occupied territory that he has subdued by mass murder, terror and enslavement, in an open car. His doom awaits at the hands of partisans, trained in England, dropped into their own country to be aided by the locals. We meet all of the major players on both sides as they move toward the inevitable collision on May 28th 1942.
The story's narrator, however, is unreliable, as he mixes, in short bursts, his own doubts about the facts he is relating, into the text.
He obsesses about the color of Heydrich's car; about the details of dialogue and whether he can trust his sources as he struggles to add details to the story he is telling.
I found the style and the meta-context to be utterly distracting to an otherwise well told tale. The ultra short chapters were an annoyance as well. As history HHhH was great, as a novel, not so much, thus 3 stars only.
Although certain quirks of the writer's style annoyed me immensely, I can say in all honesty that I rather enjoyed the book (if one can "enjoy" a book with a subject like that). I could do without the personal remarks about the writing process and the author's struggles, and I didn't really appreciate the uber-short chapters, but all in all, in the end, strangely enough, I actually liked the final result, and I'll definitely be on the watch for more of Laurent Binet's work. He managed to give life to history, to his protagonists, to Prague, to give us a feeling of what it meant to be living through these war years, which is no mean feat, coming after so many books written on the subject. Maybe HHhH was not the masterpiece I expected it to be (damned great expectations!), but it was still a great book.
ik heb hier nog nooit meer gedaan dan enkele sterren toewijzen teneinde mijn recommendations zinvol te houden.
dit echter, is, qua vorm, een van de beste boeken die ik ooit las. ondanks de materie slaagt de schrijver er ook in me meermaals luidop te laten lachen, wat uiterst zeldzaam is in mijn geval.
Dit boek is, de onsterfelijke klassiekers buiten beschouwing gelaten, vanaf vandaag mijn go-to aanrader.
lees dit, en begin er zeker nooit over te praten tegen me, want ik zou je waarschijnlijk vreselijk vervelen met een lang en veel te lyrisch betoog over waarom dit boek op zoveel vlakken zo belangrijk is.
dit echter, is, qua vorm, een van de beste boeken die ik ooit las. ondanks de materie slaagt de schrijver er ook in me meermaals luidop te laten lachen, wat uiterst zeldzaam is in mijn geval.
Dit boek is, de onsterfelijke klassiekers buiten beschouwing gelaten, vanaf vandaag mijn go-to aanrader.
lees dit, en begin er zeker nooit over te praten tegen me, want ik zou je waarschijnlijk vreselijk vervelen met een lang en veel te lyrisch betoog over waarom dit boek op zoveel vlakken zo belangrijk is.
The more I hear about those Nazis, the more I dislike them.
The narrative of the book swings between the author talking of his own research efforts and life and back to the various protagonists. I enjoyed the build up, the description of the people and the final shootout in a church in Prague sounded legendary.
The narrative of the book swings between the author talking of his own research efforts and life and back to the various protagonists. I enjoyed the build up, the description of the people and the final shootout in a church in Prague sounded legendary.
Brilliant book about an assassination during WWII, the process of writing the book, and lesser know characters and stories told with wit, humor, outrage, and reverence. Unique. Fabulous read.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all, what I would say is that I resent how much this book made me enjoy a world war "fiction". (I normally avoid WW1/2).
But this book was spoke to me so deeply in its reflection of what historical fiction is, and can be, and should be. Although, ultimately, I don't agree with the author's "definition" of historical fiction (if we can speak of such), but it really expanded my view of what it is, and what it can be.
Also: genuinely got a bit emotional at the ending.
But this book was spoke to me so deeply in its reflection of what historical fiction is, and can be, and should be. Although, ultimately, I don't agree with the author's "definition" of historical fiction (if we can speak of such), but it really expanded my view of what it is, and what it can be.
Also: genuinely got a bit emotional at the ending.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Przeczytałem w trzy dniówki.
Binet pisze tyleż o Heydrichu i zamachu na niego, ile o sobie i próbie opisania zamachu.
Czyta się świetnie, chociaż - powiedzmy sobie szczerze - najbardziej pamiętam sceny zrekonstruowane - szkolenie, rozmowa z dowódcą, prezydentem, wreszcie - zamach.
To, co pomiędzy - drobiazgowość opisu tego co autor wie, a w zasadzie - jak wiele nie wie - to może się czytelnikowi, przyzwyczajonemu do epickich fresków wojennych (tu-wstaw-ulubiony-tytuł) wydawać trochę dziwnym zabiegiem stylistycznym.
Koniec końców nie po to autor napisał tyle stron, żeby teraz Heydrich nie przyjechał.
Doskonałe!
Binet pisze tyleż o Heydrichu i zamachu na niego, ile o sobie i próbie opisania zamachu.
Czyta się świetnie, chociaż - powiedzmy sobie szczerze - najbardziej pamiętam sceny zrekonstruowane - szkolenie, rozmowa z dowódcą, prezydentem, wreszcie - zamach.
To, co pomiędzy - drobiazgowość opisu tego co autor wie, a w zasadzie - jak wiele nie wie - to może się czytelnikowi, przyzwyczajonemu do epickich fresków wojennych (tu-wstaw-ulubiony-tytuł) wydawać trochę dziwnym zabiegiem stylistycznym.
Koniec końców nie po to autor napisał tyle stron, żeby teraz Heydrich nie przyjechał.
Doskonałe!