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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
Over rated book. Did not see where the hype came from.
A must read if you're fascinated by this time frame, as I am. Slow to get into, but I was absolutely hooked at the end!
I'm not great with history, dates, and places, but this is a good read. Even with my limitations, I found the history of the Monuments Men intriguing. Having seen movies like Schindler's List and visited WWII monuments in Italy, I found my stomach turning with some parts of the book, as I was able to visualize the atrocities described occasionally. I think this book is a definite must-read. It has been made into a movie and I'm curious to see how well it "translates" onto the screen.
Fascinating! WWII from a different angle. Also interesting statements/quotes about why art is important.
Que gran historia, no me extraña que Clooney la esté llevando al cine. Es casi un milagro que una unidad de expertos tan pequeña pudiera salvar tantas obras maestras.
I can't believe this all occurred and I'd never heard about it prior. I knew the Nazis had taken art but not to this extent. I did not rate it higher as the author could've done more with the material. I will definitely recommend this to others though.
I can't believe this all occurred and I'd never heard about it prior. I knew the Nazis had taken art but not to this extent. I did not rate it higher as the author could've done more with the material. I will definitely recommend this to others though.
Fantastic read about the little-known work of "The Monuments Men" (and women) who set out during and after World War II to find and return art to original owners and countries of origin. I wish there had been better character development--some of the men and women are fully fleshed out but many are not leaving them still in the shadows of what they did and who they were. Would love to go back to Europe now and visit some of the museums with new eyes focused on their preserving histories.
As someone who loves learning about history and culture, I am always excited to come across a book which discusses the "forgotten" pieces of history. Many of these ignored accounts allow incredible insight into the time period and allow us to develop a new view and understanding of what truly happened. The book "The Monuments Men" is no different.
This non-fiction text which is written in a novel format gives a detailed account of the actions taken by the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) division during WWII. These men and women were tasked with doing their best to preserve years of culture and history within European cities and towns that had been ravaged by war. There job - part war, part treasure hunt - was not only dangerous, but filled with excitement and mystery. These men and women are responsible for saving and preserving many of the famous European monuments and works of art that tourists from around the world enjoy today.
Getting the opportunity to learn and read about the MFAA impacted my perspective of the war. Having spent a brief time in Europe, I was incredibly impressed by the culture and history that just radiates from the buildings themselves. Though many places have been modernized, they have preserved cultural and historical artifacts, some dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. As an American who was born and raised on the west coast walking among these sites was incredible. Never in my life have I been in a place with so much history. So, thinking of how many of these places were impacted by war and the task that was set before the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division is quite sobering. They truly are unsung heroes.
I have a hard time getting invested in non-fiction, but definitely enjoyed this book due to its novel-like format. Edsel did a wonderful job following the stories of the men and women who served in this branch of the military and told the stories of an often forgotten aspect of Nazism - the looting and destruction of cultural objects. Though this is much less horrific than the Holocaust, it shows the cruelty and selfishness of Hitler in a different aspect of his life.
My reason for not giving this book five stars is simple: it was repetitive. It felt like the first half or so of the book was spent detailing extremely similar events over and over again. While this would have been fine in the sense that it allowed the reader to see these things were happening all over Europe, they were not presented in a fashion which made them feel "unique". Instead, it seemed the same language and tone was used, making the events in the first section somewhat blend together.
Thank you to Edsel and Witter for shining a light on these men!
This non-fiction text which is written in a novel format gives a detailed account of the actions taken by the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) division during WWII. These men and women were tasked with doing their best to preserve years of culture and history within European cities and towns that had been ravaged by war. There job - part war, part treasure hunt - was not only dangerous, but filled with excitement and mystery. These men and women are responsible for saving and preserving many of the famous European monuments and works of art that tourists from around the world enjoy today.
Getting the opportunity to learn and read about the MFAA impacted my perspective of the war. Having spent a brief time in Europe, I was incredibly impressed by the culture and history that just radiates from the buildings themselves. Though many places have been modernized, they have preserved cultural and historical artifacts, some dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. As an American who was born and raised on the west coast walking among these sites was incredible. Never in my life have I been in a place with so much history. So, thinking of how many of these places were impacted by war and the task that was set before the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division is quite sobering. They truly are unsung heroes.
I have a hard time getting invested in non-fiction, but definitely enjoyed this book due to its novel-like format. Edsel did a wonderful job following the stories of the men and women who served in this branch of the military and told the stories of an often forgotten aspect of Nazism - the looting and destruction of cultural objects. Though this is much less horrific than the Holocaust, it shows the cruelty and selfishness of Hitler in a different aspect of his life.
My reason for not giving this book five stars is simple: it was repetitive. It felt like the first half or so of the book was spent detailing extremely similar events over and over again. While this would have been fine in the sense that it allowed the reader to see these things were happening all over Europe, they were not presented in a fashion which made them feel "unique". Instead, it seemed the same language and tone was used, making the events in the first section somewhat blend together.
Thank you to Edsel and Witter for shining a light on these men!
I think the story of the Monuments Men could have been very interesting. This version was disappointing to me.
I had a hard time getting engaged in the writing and information if I had less than an hour to read at a time (and I'm used to reading more in 10-15 minute chunks I'm able to carve out of the day).
Also, I found much redundancy throughout the book.
Then there was the organization - or lack thereof. I couldn't figure it out. It was neither chronological nor by area (although maybe loosely) nor by person. So the lack of flow made it challenging to get invested.
All that said, I did still have my eyes open to a part of WW II history I knew nothing about.
I had a hard time getting engaged in the writing and information if I had less than an hour to read at a time (and I'm used to reading more in 10-15 minute chunks I'm able to carve out of the day).
Also, I found much redundancy throughout the book.
Then there was the organization - or lack thereof. I couldn't figure it out. It was neither chronological nor by area (although maybe loosely) nor by person. So the lack of flow made it challenging to get invested.
All that said, I did still have my eyes open to a part of WW II history I knew nothing about.