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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
I’m glad I read this book as I’m currently living in Germany and it gives me one more layer of WWII knowledge of the places I am encountering in my travels. That said, I’m usually a pretty fast reader but this book felt like a chore to get through. Many of the anecdotes caught my attention but as a whole the book felt repetitive and a bit of a slog.
This is a brilliantly researched book about a few men (and even fewer women) who were charged with preserving and restoring European art and culture during WWII. The first part of the book is quite dense with names and places, but after becoming acquainted with the characters, one is able to read more easily throughout the rest of the book. While I am not an art scholar or incredibly knowledgeable about Nazi Germany, this was an amazing and touching read.
Throughout it, I felt impressed by the generous spirit and bravery of these men. They hated the war, were sick in their heart over the atrocities committed by the Nazis, and hated by most of the people they were liberating; yet always they were determined to preserve as much of Germany's culture as possible. With limited resources and man power these Monuments Men did the impossible.
My absolute favorite parts were the excerpts from the letters home that these soldiers sent. Simple, yet intelligent and moving, these documents truly showed the valiant and courageous spirit these men had. It made me weepy in several places.
If you enjoy history in general, art, or biographical accounts of WWII, this would be the book for you.
Throughout it, I felt impressed by the generous spirit and bravery of these men. They hated the war, were sick in their heart over the atrocities committed by the Nazis, and hated by most of the people they were liberating; yet always they were determined to preserve as much of Germany's culture as possible. With limited resources and man power these Monuments Men did the impossible.
My absolute favorite parts were the excerpts from the letters home that these soldiers sent. Simple, yet intelligent and moving, these documents truly showed the valiant and courageous spirit these men had. It made me weepy in several places.
If you enjoy history in general, art, or biographical accounts of WWII, this would be the book for you.
I'm glad I read this and wished (like so many other times) that I had read the book first then watched the movie. There are so many things that I don't know about and am so excited to learn and see. I loved reading about the guys in the MFAA and their personalities throughout all the hardships and accomplishments.
Someday I will come back and finish this book, and hopefully sooner rather than later. At the time of my first attempt I was just super put off by the tone? style? ...something. Of the writing. I liked the story, I liked the subject matter, and I liked the guys. I just didn't like the words. Buuut then I watched the movie and now I would really like to revisit, not only because of my interest in art and its preservation but also because I'm pretty sure I quit right before all the good stuff started happening.
I never realized how much went into what these men did, I thought they where just searching for nazi stashes, it didn't occur to me they were there to protect historic buildings as well as protect unseized artworks and find the things that were already stolen.
Read as an audiobook, narrator has a good animated voice and he does a few accents as well.
Read as an audiobook, narrator has a good animated voice and he does a few accents as well.
This is really more like a 4.5 for me, but I'll go ahead and give it the benefit of the doubt because the history is fascinating and eye-opening.
I read the book in large part because the upcoming movie looks interesting, and I always prefer the book. The story describes the handful of soldiers--each with backgrounds and experience in various artistic fields--who participated in the front-line effort to preserve the artistic and architectural history of the nations impacted by the World War II. And one of the things that struck me is just how apt a description "handful" is. Though the movie trailers seem to show seven or eight Monuments Men apparently working together, the truth is that while the war was raging, there were only about a dozen (or fewer) Monuments Men in an army of 1.3 million, and they were often working alone, with little or no institutional support from the Army. What these men accomplished, despite falling bombs, few material resources, and frequent language barriers, is astounding and would be enough alone to merit this read.
But there is even more to the book. The authors do an excellent job of describing the surrounding events of the war to give color and context to the Monuments work. And they also tell the stories of the local heroes that risked their lives to save artwork that had been stolen by the Nazis and that, in some cases, would otherwise have been destroyed in the war. We're talking about sculptures by Michelangelo, paintings by Vermeer, and centuries-old cathedrals, among many, many others.
The book is well-written and, especially towards the end, takes on a thrilling pace as the Monuments Men race against time to rescue caches of stolen art from theft or destruction. Highly recommended.
I read the book in large part because the upcoming movie looks interesting, and I always prefer the book. The story describes the handful of soldiers--each with backgrounds and experience in various artistic fields--who participated in the front-line effort to preserve the artistic and architectural history of the nations impacted by the World War II. And one of the things that struck me is just how apt a description "handful" is. Though the movie trailers seem to show seven or eight Monuments Men apparently working together, the truth is that while the war was raging, there were only about a dozen (or fewer) Monuments Men in an army of 1.3 million, and they were often working alone, with little or no institutional support from the Army. What these men accomplished, despite falling bombs, few material resources, and frequent language barriers, is astounding and would be enough alone to merit this read.
But there is even more to the book. The authors do an excellent job of describing the surrounding events of the war to give color and context to the Monuments work. And they also tell the stories of the local heroes that risked their lives to save artwork that had been stolen by the Nazis and that, in some cases, would otherwise have been destroyed in the war. We're talking about sculptures by Michelangelo, paintings by Vermeer, and centuries-old cathedrals, among many, many others.
The book is well-written and, especially towards the end, takes on a thrilling pace as the Monuments Men race against time to rescue caches of stolen art from theft or destruction. Highly recommended.
As Beth said, an interesting topic but it could have been written better.
okay i'm going to be honest here... i really had high expectations for this book. and it wasn't bad. the material overall is super interesting to me. but i felt at some points in the book were focused a lot on numbers and statistics when i am much more of a description lover. i feel that maybe if i hadn't been rushed to finish this before i had to return it to the library that i might have taken forever to gain the motivation to finish it.
I'm sure it's a great book...just couldn't get through it.