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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 shocked that it seems only recently that serious attention has been paid to this forgotten corner of WWII history. This is certainly a timely read, what with the upcoming film adaptation and, more importantly, the recent discovery of dozens of works of art in the house of a man in Bavaria, all of which had previously been classified as "missing." How this larger story of "The Monuments Men" got lost somehow in the nearly 70 years since the end of WWII is beyond me, but in any case I am glad it is here now.
As for the book itself, it's quite readable, even if certain passages do drag interminably longer than others. While the book focuses primarily on 4 or 5 main characters, the "Cast of Characters" listed in the front lists around 10 and at least a couple of these are mentioned seemingly only as an afterthought. I was left wondering why they were included at all. As the author mentioned in his prologue, Italy and it's stolen treasures aren't dealt with in this book, (saved for a recently released sequel) and neither is Russia's, as I had been hoping for a juicy nugget on the evacuation of the Hermitage in the days before the Leningrad stand-off. Instead, this book focuses primarily on artworks stolen from or recovered in France, Belgium, and Germany. The prose, as mentioned earlier, does on occasion seem to drag but never to the point that this reader lost interest completely.
I am not well-versed in many art forms nor do I appreciate or understand classical art as well as I should, but this book gave me a much better understanding and appreciation for works which, on some occasion, I have had the chance to see but which, following this reading, require a second viewing.
I am curious to see whether the film does justice to the source material, making for more of a "Docu-drama" or whether it goes an Indiana Jones-esque art thriller route. Regardless, the source material should most definitely be given a read, if for no other than to educate readers on this woefully underreported chapter in history. An excellent story which, to my knowledge, has never been fully told before despite the over-saturation of books and films dealing with WWII in the last 20 or so years.
As for the book itself, it's quite readable, even if certain passages do drag interminably longer than others. While the book focuses primarily on 4 or 5 main characters, the "Cast of Characters" listed in the front lists around 10 and at least a couple of these are mentioned seemingly only as an afterthought. I was left wondering why they were included at all. As the author mentioned in his prologue, Italy and it's stolen treasures aren't dealt with in this book, (saved for a recently released sequel) and neither is Russia's, as I had been hoping for a juicy nugget on the evacuation of the Hermitage in the days before the Leningrad stand-off. Instead, this book focuses primarily on artworks stolen from or recovered in France, Belgium, and Germany. The prose, as mentioned earlier, does on occasion seem to drag but never to the point that this reader lost interest completely.
I am not well-versed in many art forms nor do I appreciate or understand classical art as well as I should, but this book gave me a much better understanding and appreciation for works which, on some occasion, I have had the chance to see but which, following this reading, require a second viewing.
I am curious to see whether the film does justice to the source material, making for more of a "Docu-drama" or whether it goes an Indiana Jones-esque art thriller route. Regardless, the source material should most definitely be given a read, if for no other than to educate readers on this woefully underreported chapter in history. An excellent story which, to my knowledge, has never been fully told before despite the over-saturation of books and films dealing with WWII in the last 20 or so years.
I'm glad I listened to this as an audio book*, as it seems like it would have been a long slog to read 473 pages of. As it was, I bumped up the audio to double speed so I'd have to concentrate and actually listen - on regular speed my mind kept wandering and I'd miss things.
That isn't to say the story wasn't interesting. It was one of those books, though, where there were interesting nuggets amid long stretches of background information and character description. (SO MUCH character description, yet I couldn't keep people straight, anyway, because there were so many of them.)
*The audio reader did have his drawbacks. Most noticeably he adopted terrible accents when reading dialog. His "southern" (US) accent and German accents were particularly awful.
That isn't to say the story wasn't interesting. It was one of those books, though, where there were interesting nuggets amid long stretches of background information and character description. (SO MUCH character description, yet I couldn't keep people straight, anyway, because there were so many of them.)
*The audio reader did have his drawbacks. Most noticeably he adopted terrible accents when reading dialog. His "southern" (US) accent and German accents were particularly awful.
Listened to the audiobook.
What an interesting story!
What an interesting story!
It took me a while to listen to this book, because it's packed with details, stories and information, possibly too packed. That having been said, it held my interest enough that I finished it, and I'm glad I did. It's full of fascinating stories about a part of WWII that doesn't normally get talked about: the cultural treasures that had to be rescued and saved. There were times when it felt a bit weird to care about this story. So many millions of lives were lost, and yet these men were dedicated to saving art? At the same time, however, it was fascinating, both to learn about the men who saved the art, and also about the various Nazis who wanted to either hoard or destroy it.
An incredible account of how hard a handful of Allied men worked to save the cultural treasures of Europe. Both from the destruction by warfare and collateral damage, and maybe more importantly recouping the artworks stolen by the Nazis destined for Hitler's planned and beloved Fuhrermuseum at Linz. What makes it so extraordinary a story is how much they accomplished with so little manpower and resources despite being given orders by Eisenhower. So little help was given as saving monuments and art were low down on the list of priorities of Generals who were still battling out the last resisting German forces and facing untold dangers.
It is a fascinating true story and shows some incredible still shots of the amazing work they did. A truly remarkable read. If you're a fan of art, history, war history and human determination, this is for you.
It is a fascinating true story and shows some incredible still shots of the amazing work they did. A truly remarkable read. If you're a fan of art, history, war history and human determination, this is for you.
What an amazing story--and an amazingly tedious way of telling it! There were many times I almost gave up trying to finish this book. Moments of greatness (not the writing, but the story itself) kept pulling me back. I was, and still am, fascinated by the story but a more wordy, frequently dull text simply could not be produced. The only reason I gave this book three stars was due to the remarkable work of the men and women it features and the importance of sharing their story. Otherwise, it would receive a one or two star rating. Curious to see how the movie compares.
I'm giving up on this book. It's an interesting piece of our history, but the book jumps around too much. An interesting, but difficult read. I don't like giving up on books, but this is one I just can't finish.
I listened to this in audio. A little dry, but a fascinating subject.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced