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615 reviews for:
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History
Robert M. Edsel
3.73 AVERAGE
615 reviews for:
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History
Robert M. Edsel
3.73 AVERAGE
Interesting coverage of a little known part of the history of WW2. Lacks an overall narrative thread but still quite good.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I absolutely loved this book. I was never aware of the extent of the Nazi art smuggling during WWII and to what great lengths the Allies went to to save art's greatest works. I definitely want to read similar things and learn more about this!
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
This is one of my favorite books ever. This time I listened to it and I really enjoyed the background sounds and being able to look at the pieces of art while they were being read about. If you haven’t learned about the monuments men and women it is one of the most fascinating and heartbreaking but rewarding stories of World War II.
Fascinating even if a little dry. Too bad the Iraq invasion didn't include a team such as this one - would have saved us a lot of expense as well as ill-will. George Clooney will be excellent in this.
This book was super intriguing! I love learning about aspects of history that are overlooked or simply forgotten and this is a prime example of WWII material that was left out of most text books!
Robert Edsel sets the stage with an odd assortment of characters, a bunch of middle aged museum curators and art officials who have been assembled to become the Monuments Men, destined to save European art from nototiously bad looting Nazis during the second World War. They quickly discover that no one is in charge there is no budget, no supplies, few men, and a nearly impossible task to complete. It's chaos. But amidst all their hardships they work together to carry out one of the most amazing and under appreciated jobs in the war, saving priceless artifacts, artworks, archives, and monuments, from destruction, not only from the Germans but from the Allies as well.
The story is amazing, finding Rembrandts and Vermeers hidden in mines, thousands of works of art hidden in railcars, saving historic cities from Allied bombbings and more. It's just incredible. The monuments men saw and cared for more priceless works of art than most people even see or hear of in a lifetime of museum visits. They rescued and discovered works that most curators and art afficiandos would sell their souls to see.
It's an amazing story and I can't wait to see the movie version coming out this spring. My only complaint is that the story wasn't the most fluid reading ever. It was good, but lagged in the beginning and then some parts were confusing or overexplained. Still worth a read though!
Robert Edsel sets the stage with an odd assortment of characters, a bunch of middle aged museum curators and art officials who have been assembled to become the Monuments Men, destined to save European art from nototiously bad looting Nazis during the second World War. They quickly discover that no one is in charge there is no budget, no supplies, few men, and a nearly impossible task to complete. It's chaos. But amidst all their hardships they work together to carry out one of the most amazing and under appreciated jobs in the war, saving priceless artifacts, artworks, archives, and monuments, from destruction, not only from the Germans but from the Allies as well.
The story is amazing, finding Rembrandts and Vermeers hidden in mines, thousands of works of art hidden in railcars, saving historic cities from Allied bombbings and more. It's just incredible. The monuments men saw and cared for more priceless works of art than most people even see or hear of in a lifetime of museum visits. They rescued and discovered works that most curators and art afficiandos would sell their souls to see.
It's an amazing story and I can't wait to see the movie version coming out this spring. My only complaint is that the story wasn't the most fluid reading ever. It was good, but lagged in the beginning and then some parts were confusing or overexplained. Still worth a read though!
The Monuments Men is an interesting segment of World War II history that hasn't been over-analyzed and subjected to countless mediocre documentaries. The preservation and restoration of art during war has not been given the same consideration as famous battles or the infamous atrocities. Having watched the recent film fictionalizing the Monuments Men and finding it largely disappointing, I sought out the book that inspired it. I did receive a better version of the tale, at least, but still came away wanting something a little more substantive.
The biggest problem of the book is that the author tries too hard to create a narrative. Each Monuments Man is given backstory, which is often repeated every time they are mentioned. Unfortunately, these backgrounds are often too brief to be interesting or give substance, and often have no bearing on the actual history being presented. Dialogue, both spoken and inner, is often added to scenes that becomes distracting. The writing itself is often clumsy while trying to be clever, and beyond the first chapters there is little analysis of the inherent issues with preserving art at the possible expense of human lives.
Still, the story of the Monuments Men is interesting enough to make even a mediocre book worth reading. It's a decent gateway into a fascinating segment of history, though it might take a little effort to get through some of the more sentimental passages.
The biggest problem of the book is that the author tries too hard to create a narrative. Each Monuments Man is given backstory, which is often repeated every time they are mentioned. Unfortunately, these backgrounds are often too brief to be interesting or give substance, and often have no bearing on the actual history being presented. Dialogue, both spoken and inner, is often added to scenes that becomes distracting. The writing itself is often clumsy while trying to be clever, and beyond the first chapters there is little analysis of the inherent issues with preserving art at the possible expense of human lives.
Still, the story of the Monuments Men is interesting enough to make even a mediocre book worth reading. It's a decent gateway into a fascinating segment of history, though it might take a little effort to get through some of the more sentimental passages.