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A review by chautona
My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Lost Love by Amanda Barratt
5.0
My Dearest Dietrich: Is It My Favorite Book of the Year?
Well, the year isn’t over, so I can’t say unequivocally, but my tentative answer is a decided yes.
How’s that for wishy-washy? Sorry, can’t help it.
If you don’t know the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his work to bring down Adolf Hitler, it would be best to read up a little on him before reading the book. Readers unfamiliar with him might find the book unsatisfactory, otherwise.
But My Dearest Dietrich offers what I love best in good fiction—heroism, self-sacrifice, faith, and love shown in action rather than effusive protestations of affection.
And she did it without yielding to the temptation to create a fast-paced, “whirlwind” style story. That sort of “it’s a war so let’s rush the narrative to give the illusion of tension and speed” would have destroyed this book’s greatest strength. It flows at the natural pace of a couple who must wait, watch, and trust for the Lord’s timing to their lives, and all without prompting the drumming of fingers.
The attention to historical detail couldn’t be more impressive. It became most obvious only when I realized I hadn’t noticed it in the narrative. It’s woven so delicately and deliberately through the story that instead of being slapped over the head with setting, facts, and figures, Barratt simply immerses you into a tale you hope never to emerge from.
And yet, when the story ends, you realize that for it to be the deeply moving, powerful, and life-changing story that it was, it couldn’t have been told any other way. It had to end when and where it did. True stories work like that, and instead of trying to make a true story fit the romantic tropes that the genre demands, Ms. Barratt simply told their tale as God wrote it.
How could it be any better than that?
Recommended for lovers of history, WWII buffs, and for those who cherish the memory of a German theologian who loved Jesus even more than his beloved Maria.
About the book:
A staggering love illuminating the dark corners of a Nazi prison
Renowned German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is famous for his resistance to the Nazi regime and for his allegiance to God over government. But what few realize is that the last years of his life also held a love story that rivals any romance novel.
Maria von Wedemeyer knows the realities of war. Her beloved father and brother have both been killed on the battlefield. The last thing this spirited young woman needs is to fall for a man under constant surveillance by the Gestapo. How can she give another piece of her heart to a man so likely to share the same final fate? Yet when Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an old family friend, comes to comfort the von Wedemeyers after their losses, she discovers that love isn't always logical.
Dietrich himself has determined to keep his distance from romantic attachments.
There is too much work to be done for God, and his involvement in the conspiracy is far too important. But when he encounters a woman whose intelligence and conviction match his own, he's unprepared for how easy it is to give away his heart.
With their deep love comes risk--and neither Dietrich nor Maria is prepared for just how great that risk soon becomes.
Based on detailed historical research, this true love story is at once beautiful and heartrending. My Dearest Dietrich sheds new light on a world-famous theologian . . . and the woman who changed his life.
Well, the year isn’t over, so I can’t say unequivocally, but my tentative answer is a decided yes.
How’s that for wishy-washy? Sorry, can’t help it.
If you don’t know the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his work to bring down Adolf Hitler, it would be best to read up a little on him before reading the book. Readers unfamiliar with him might find the book unsatisfactory, otherwise.
But My Dearest Dietrich offers what I love best in good fiction—heroism, self-sacrifice, faith, and love shown in action rather than effusive protestations of affection.
And she did it without yielding to the temptation to create a fast-paced, “whirlwind” style story. That sort of “it’s a war so let’s rush the narrative to give the illusion of tension and speed” would have destroyed this book’s greatest strength. It flows at the natural pace of a couple who must wait, watch, and trust for the Lord’s timing to their lives, and all without prompting the drumming of fingers.
The attention to historical detail couldn’t be more impressive. It became most obvious only when I realized I hadn’t noticed it in the narrative. It’s woven so delicately and deliberately through the story that instead of being slapped over the head with setting, facts, and figures, Barratt simply immerses you into a tale you hope never to emerge from.
And yet, when the story ends, you realize that for it to be the deeply moving, powerful, and life-changing story that it was, it couldn’t have been told any other way. It had to end when and where it did. True stories work like that, and instead of trying to make a true story fit the romantic tropes that the genre demands, Ms. Barratt simply told their tale as God wrote it.
How could it be any better than that?
Recommended for lovers of history, WWII buffs, and for those who cherish the memory of a German theologian who loved Jesus even more than his beloved Maria.
About the book:
A staggering love illuminating the dark corners of a Nazi prison
Renowned German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is famous for his resistance to the Nazi regime and for his allegiance to God over government. But what few realize is that the last years of his life also held a love story that rivals any romance novel.
Maria von Wedemeyer knows the realities of war. Her beloved father and brother have both been killed on the battlefield. The last thing this spirited young woman needs is to fall for a man under constant surveillance by the Gestapo. How can she give another piece of her heart to a man so likely to share the same final fate? Yet when Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an old family friend, comes to comfort the von Wedemeyers after their losses, she discovers that love isn't always logical.
Dietrich himself has determined to keep his distance from romantic attachments.
There is too much work to be done for God, and his involvement in the conspiracy is far too important. But when he encounters a woman whose intelligence and conviction match his own, he's unprepared for how easy it is to give away his heart.
With their deep love comes risk--and neither Dietrich nor Maria is prepared for just how great that risk soon becomes.
Based on detailed historical research, this true love story is at once beautiful and heartrending. My Dearest Dietrich sheds new light on a world-famous theologian . . . and the woman who changed his life.