Reviews

At the Wolf's Table by Rosella Postorino

marilupignetta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

halesnbooks's review

4.0

the writing is absolutely beautiful and its such an interesting read but i do NOT understand the ending whatsoever. well i understand what happens, but there are so many loose ends that are not tied up i feel lost. super super lost. anyone else?

i also took for-freakin- ever to read it bc im slow but i actually really like the book!!

giadafroio_44's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

crlttpstrn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

devo essere sincera, è decisamente un libro slow burn nel senso che sembra che nella prima parte non succeda granché. seconda e terza parte decisamente più movimentate e a mio parere più interessanti da leggere, ho trovato un coinvolgimento emotivo maggiore. il finale è molto bello e intelligente diciamo, è un cerchio che si chiude come si suol dire.
Rosa è la protagonista apparentemente ma di pari passo credo che lo sia anche il corpo e tutto quello a lui legato: fame, istinto di sopravvivenza, sentimenti ecc.

raru26's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

missywinesalot's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Very weird book. Didn't like the main character. I've never felt so odd after finishing a book. 
Skip this one.

alice_18's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

missbookiverse's review against another edition

2.0

Das Essen mit Hitlers Vorkosterinnen war meine schlechteste Mahlzeit seit Langem. Vielleicht weil ich mir unter den Gerichten etwas anderes vorgestellt hatte, nämlich, dass es viel mehr um die verschiedenen Frauen geht, die in der Wolfsschanze jeden Tag zusammenkommen und ihr Leben für den Führer riskieren müssen. Ich dachte, auf den Tisch kämen verschiedene Loyalitäten (Hitler gegenüber und untereinander) und wechselnde Gruppendynamiken, aber stattdessen wurde mir serviert, wie Protagonistin Rosa durch ihren neuen Alltag stolpert und sich der Frage der (Mit)schuld stellt. Dabei hat es lange gedauert bis Rosa für mich überhaupt greifbar wurde und als es endlich soweit war, musste ich feststellen, wie unsympathisch sie mir aufgrund ihrer selbstbezogenen Art ist.

Mein größtes Problem war allerdings der Schreibstil (möglicherweise auch die Übersetzung aus dem Italienischen). Ich hatte ständig das Gefühl, die Autorin hätte da etwas zubereitet, für das ich keine ausgebildeten Geschmacksknospen besitze. Manche Gedankengänge konnte ich partout nicht nachvollziehen: Wie kommt Rosa darauf? Wie meint sie das? Wieso denkt sie so? Viele Sätze und Szenen wirken abgehackt und leicht zusammenhangslos. Dazu tummeln sich die unnötig bedeutungsschweren letzten Sätze, bei denen ich oft nur ihre Dramatik gespürt, ihren Inhalt aber nicht verstanden habe. Mit Vorliebe beschreibt die Autorin außerdem Geschehnisse so vage, dass ich denke, ich hätte etwas überlesen, dabei führt sie es mit Absicht erst ein paar Absätze später genauer aus. Und dann wechselt ab der Hälfte plötzlich immer wieder die Fokalisierung zu anderen Figuren, obwohl wir uns in Rosas etablierter Ich-Perspektive befinden. Soll das bedeuten, dass Rosa sich deren Gedanken nur vorstellt oder soll das als Kunstgriff durchgehen?

Ich will gar nicht sagen, dass At the Wolf’s Table generell schlecht gewürzt (oder schlecht übersetzt) ist. Ich glaube aber, dass es nur einen ganz gewählten Geschmack anspricht, dem ein anspruchsvoller, künstlerischer Schreibstil der speziellen Sorte mundet.

bioarla's review against another edition

3.0

Romanzo storico molto introspettivo, Le Assaggiatrici è ambientato nella Germania nazista negli ultimi anni della Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Hitler è ormai schiavo della sua paranoia, teme di essere avvelenato: per scongiurare questo pericolo alcune giovani donne, le “assaggiatrici”, vengono forzatamente reclutate nella Wolfsschanze per assaggiare tutti i pasti del Fuhrer in maniera da rilevare l'eventuale presenza di veleno. Tra queste donne c’è la protagonista e voce narrante di questo romanzo, Rosa Sauer, che si era rifugiata nel piccolo villaggio dove vivevano i genitori del marito Gregor. Attraverso gli occhi e i pensieri di Rosa siamo testimoni delle contraddizioni vissute dalle assaggiatrici: da un lato il vantaggio di ricevere un’alimentazione più ricca e sana in tempo di guerra; dall'altra parte il senso di colpa per il ruolo connivente con il regime nazista, le scelte – che oggi magari facciamo fatica a comprendere – di persone spinte al limite dagli orrori e privazioni causate dalla dittatura e dalla guerra.
Se la premessa è interessante, la resa è un po’ deludente: è difficile empatizzare con una protagonista fredda e spesso egocentrica, e si rimane in costante attesa di un epilogo o una risoluzione che, quando arriva, non convince.

cstaude's review

5.0

This novel goes down as the best thing I have read thus far in 2019. Ms. Postorino has created such a compelling story in Rosa, one of a small group of ten women forced into servitude as food tasters for Adolph Hitler.

The complexity of Rosa’s relationships with her husband, in-laws, and fellow tasters contrasts starkly with the simplicity of her day-to-day routine. Go to work/taste, survive that meal, return in the late afternoon, and repeat the process. I found myself literally holding my breath every time she took a bite!

The relationships between the women were drawn with a deft hand. These women risked death together each day, but remained “intimately detached” from each other. It is a weird thing but understandable all at the same time.

As WW2 fiction goes, I found this an interesting departure as Rosa was German and anti-Nazi and we are not immersed in Holocaust scenarios in this work. The Final Solution is touched upon, but it is not the central issue and Rosa’s feelings of compassion and love for her Jewish fellow citizens is one that we don’t always get to see in novels.

I highly recommend this novel- and the discussions it will spark would be wonderful reading group material!!