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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 wary of history books that assign personal povs but this was an adventure from beginning to end.
I'm not sure I thought the book was a 4 star book; but the story itself was fantastic. Interesting, loooooong read but worth the time once I got through the first 50% of the book.
This historical facts are fascinating that this book talks about. I knew that hitler "collected" art from all across Europe abut I never knew that there were troops of people that tried to save and salvage those stolen pieces. I mean of course where were, it makes sense, but I guess I never thought about it and so those parts of the book were fascinating and interesting.
The problem is that the rest was just...not?
The writing was okay but rather boring and dry and it felt like a really hard task to read this book. And the author really enjoyed repeating some parts of the story. Over and over and over and over and over again. Which just completely goes on my nerves.
And while the author might have tried to make the characters have personalities, I think he tried to hard to keep the story real and with the facts and so some characters had actual character, but most felt like historical figures you read about in a history textbook. You know they were real people but you only know he basic facts so there is no emotional connected of real interest for those people.
So while the actual historical moments of having all those people having the sole purpose of saving priceless art that we can still go and see today is wondeful, the author sadly did not mange, at least to me, to actually bring those people alive and make the book an intersting read.
I think sometimes it is better to stray just a little from the actual facts and create a real character for a book instead of staying too true to the actual documents you have and make all characters dull and lifeless and uninteresting.
Overall?
Nice try, but sadly it didn't really work for me personally.
The problem is that the rest was just...not?
The writing was okay but rather boring and dry and it felt like a really hard task to read this book. And the author really enjoyed repeating some parts of the story. Over and over and over and over and over again. Which just completely goes on my nerves.
And while the author might have tried to make the characters have personalities, I think he tried to hard to keep the story real and with the facts and so some characters had actual character, but most felt like historical figures you read about in a history textbook. You know they were real people but you only know he basic facts so there is no emotional connected of real interest for those people.
So while the actual historical moments of having all those people having the sole purpose of saving priceless art that we can still go and see today is wondeful, the author sadly did not mange, at least to me, to actually bring those people alive and make the book an intersting read.
I think sometimes it is better to stray just a little from the actual facts and create a real character for a book instead of staying too true to the actual documents you have and make all characters dull and lifeless and uninteresting.
Overall?
Nice try, but sadly it didn't really work for me personally.
Really loved learning about this part of history. It's amazing what these men and women did during WWII for art. I'm still new at reading history so I did get a bit bogged down with names, dates, places, and battles that I didn't know anything about.
I think I would have given it 3 stars, had I not started reading this book with the expectation of action and excitement. I've seen the trailer for the movie and assumed the book would include Monuments Men sneaking behind enemy lines to save precious art. Instead, they seemed hindered by bureaucracy and attempted to halt further destruction of historical locations *after* the battles were already completed.
However, I acknowledge and praise the work they accomplished in tracking down the places where Germans were hiding stolen pieces of art. It took great effort to track down where they belong and go through everything. Nevertheless, I was still disappointed there wasn't more adventure.
However, I acknowledge and praise the work they accomplished in tracking down the places where Germans were hiding stolen pieces of art. It took great effort to track down where they belong and go through everything. Nevertheless, I was still disappointed there wasn't more adventure.
First, a confession. I started this book in March 2014, so let's just say it's not a gripping read. That said, it IS an interesting, if dry, read.
The Monuments Men were a small group of men, part of the U.S. military in the latter stages of World War II, who were tasked with locating and, whenever possible, preserving works of art, archives and architecture in war-demolished Europe. Part of their job was traveling along with or just behind the front lines troops, trying to locate non-destroyed structures and keep them from being further damaged by Allied troops. Increasingly, their job became about finding and protecting the literally thousands of art treasures looted by the Nazis from all over Europe. Those treasures had been stored in castles, salt mines, bunkers, and all sorts of caves inside Nazi Germany.
The adventures in the book are fascinating. The idea of trying to protect and remove hundreds of works of art from mines multiple stories below ground, with spotty electricity (oh, and often stored with a huge stash of various munitions) and sometimes passages only barely wide enough for two people, was both impressive and more than a little horrifying. (I should admit that I have no fondness for caves at all.)
I appreciate Edsel for giving due credit to Rose Valland, a French national who provided priceless information to the Monuments Men, gleaned from her time working as a spy posing as a mild-mannered secretary to the Nazis.
The writing, sadly, is not as riveting as some of the stories. It's still a good read if you're interested in World War II or art history.
The Monuments Men were a small group of men, part of the U.S. military in the latter stages of World War II, who were tasked with locating and, whenever possible, preserving works of art, archives and architecture in war-demolished Europe. Part of their job was traveling along with or just behind the front lines troops, trying to locate non-destroyed structures and keep them from being further damaged by Allied troops. Increasingly, their job became about finding and protecting the literally thousands of art treasures looted by the Nazis from all over Europe. Those treasures had been stored in castles, salt mines, bunkers, and all sorts of caves inside Nazi Germany.
The adventures in the book are fascinating. The idea of trying to protect and remove hundreds of works of art from mines multiple stories below ground, with spotty electricity (oh, and often stored with a huge stash of various munitions) and sometimes passages only barely wide enough for two people, was both impressive and more than a little horrifying. (I should admit that I have no fondness for caves at all.)
I appreciate Edsel for giving due credit to Rose Valland, a French national who provided priceless information to the Monuments Men, gleaned from her time working as a spy posing as a mild-mannered secretary to the Nazis.
The writing, sadly, is not as riveting as some of the stories. It's still a good read if you're interested in World War II or art history.
Robert M. Edsel documents, in very moving prose, the struggle of the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives) division of the United States Army during World War II as they tried to save, salvage, and recover works of art, architecture, and archives.
Almost all Americans know about D-Day and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, but few know of the brave men than risked so much to save the art, culture, and heritage of the countries devastated by World War II. They worked tirelessly, often with no sanctioned transportation or equipment, to locate art looted by the Nazis and to restore it to its rightful country and owners. Their efforts saved thousands upon thousands of works of art from being destroyed.
Edsel has done a fantastic job with this book. He has compiled the stories of rescue from journals, books, and personal letters to tell a remarkable tale that will not soon be forgotten. The personal letters and memos that he includes add the right amount of personal touch to each member of the MFAA team, but also show you glimpses into the Nazi mind that are rather chilling.
The best part about this book is the fact that it is shown as good versus evil - the MFAA men, outnumbered, with little to no resources, were able to take back what the evil Nazis had stolen. However, this book also makes the wonderful distinction between what appears to be evil and what is evil itself. We rejoice in one Nazi official who worked exceptionally hard in France to stop the looting that was going on by applying Hitler's decree to an almost fanatical extent. We then are incredibly angry when we read of another Nazi district leader who was going to blow up a mine where thousands upon thousands of works were held because the was sure that was what Hitler wanted, even when given a memo stating that it wasn't. You weep for the men who gave their lives for their country, but also for the men who gave their lives trying to give back to other countries what had been taken from them. Their sacrifice is just as reverenced and appreciated.
This book is well worth a read, and a re-read, and to be owned as a reminder of what we all should do in the effort to protect what is ours while still being magnanimous to other peoples and nations. We should never let the evil that happened occur again. But if it does, we all should stand up and do our part to make sure that what has been protected before, will be protected again.
Almost all Americans know about D-Day and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, but few know of the brave men than risked so much to save the art, culture, and heritage of the countries devastated by World War II. They worked tirelessly, often with no sanctioned transportation or equipment, to locate art looted by the Nazis and to restore it to its rightful country and owners. Their efforts saved thousands upon thousands of works of art from being destroyed.
Edsel has done a fantastic job with this book. He has compiled the stories of rescue from journals, books, and personal letters to tell a remarkable tale that will not soon be forgotten. The personal letters and memos that he includes add the right amount of personal touch to each member of the MFAA team, but also show you glimpses into the Nazi mind that are rather chilling.
The best part about this book is the fact that it is shown as good versus evil - the MFAA men, outnumbered, with little to no resources, were able to take back what the evil Nazis had stolen. However, this book also makes the wonderful distinction between what appears to be evil and what is evil itself. We rejoice in one Nazi official who worked exceptionally hard in France to stop the looting that was going on by applying Hitler's decree to an almost fanatical extent. We then are incredibly angry when we read of another Nazi district leader who was going to blow up a mine where thousands upon thousands of works were held because the was sure that was what Hitler wanted, even when given a memo stating that it wasn't. You weep for the men who gave their lives for their country, but also for the men who gave their lives trying to give back to other countries what had been taken from them. Their sacrifice is just as reverenced and appreciated.
This book is well worth a read, and a re-read, and to be owned as a reminder of what we all should do in the effort to protect what is ours while still being magnanimous to other peoples and nations. We should never let the evil that happened occur again. But if it does, we all should stand up and do our part to make sure that what has been protected before, will be protected again.
Fascinating bit of history little known until recently - but the writing makes it a slog nonetheless. History - 4 or 5 stars. Writing - 2 stars. Still worth the read.
Muy bueno. Como muchas de mis lecturas, me enteré de su existencia porque se trata del nuevo proyecto cinematográfico de George Clooney. Se trata de una historia muy interesante: ¿Quién cuidó de que los monumentos y obras de arte en Europa no fuesen destruidos o se perdieran en la Segunda Guerra Mundial?. Fue un esfuerzo muy poco conocido y valorado. Los Monuments Men fueron un grupo de entusiastas del arte que formaban parte de los ejercitos aliados y que hicieron un esfuerzo por preservar y recuperar las obras de arte durante la guerra. Una historia muy interesante. El libro de hace cansado por momentos debido a que el autor hace un esfuerzo por darle coherencia y emoción a toda la historia, que es un poco difícil de seguir y de contar, pero por si misma resulta muy atrayente. El esfuerzo de estos hombres fue tan grande, que este libro se dedica sólo a lo que respecta a Francia y Alemania, existe otro libro que habla de lo que pasó en Italia.
I couldn't get through this one. I got about part way through and was bored. Entirely. For one who loves books on art history, war, and history this should have been a sure win. Well it was a far cry. I've been using this as a quick and sure way to get to sleep as fast as possible.
Dry and stale.
Dry and stale.