Helpful Score: 28
Wow. This book was well written, beautiful, haunting, melancholy, tragic,
incredible. I give it five stars. The best book I've read in a while. It is a
story of a mother and daughter who come from Germany after the end of WWII to
live in Minnesota. It has chapters that are in their current life where the
daughter is grown-up and a professor and chapters that are when she was a small
child with her 23 year old mother in Germany at the break-out of WWII through
'til the end of the war.
I especially liked it because it gives you a view of what it could have been
like being a German citizen who was not involved in the SS/Nazi regime and
trying to survive. I never really thought about what it could have been like for
the average German citizen. Whenever I think of Germany during that time I've
usually thought something along the lines of "Why didn't they do anything?
Didn't they see what was happening with the Jews? Why didn't they help them?"
Etc. This book made me go deeper and ask myself new questions: "What would I
have done? Would I have stayed silent to keep my own life or the lives of those
around me safe? Would I have helped the Jews that went into hiding knowing that
it would put myself and loved ones in peril? Would I have "entertained" an SS
officer to keep us alive, all the while hating myself? It is one thing to say
that I would do this or that if it were just me--but what about when you have
children?"
A very interesting and eye-opening read.
incredible. I give it five stars. The best book I've read in a while. It is a
story of a mother and daughter who come from Germany after the end of WWII to
live in Minnesota. It has chapters that are in their current life where the
daughter is grown-up and a professor and chapters that are when she was a small
child with her 23 year old mother in Germany at the break-out of WWII through
'til the end of the war.
I especially liked it because it gives you a view of what it could have been
like being a German citizen who was not involved in the SS/Nazi regime and
trying to survive. I never really thought about what it could have been like for
the average German citizen. Whenever I think of Germany during that time I've
usually thought something along the lines of "Why didn't they do anything?
Didn't they see what was happening with the Jews? Why didn't they help them?"
Etc. This book made me go deeper and ask myself new questions: "What would I
have done? Would I have stayed silent to keep my own life or the lives of those
around me safe? Would I have helped the Jews that went into hiding knowing that
it would put myself and loved ones in peril? Would I have "entertained" an SS
officer to keep us alive, all the while hating myself? It is one thing to say
that I would do this or that if it were just me--but what about when you have
children?"
A very interesting and eye-opening read.
Helpful Score: 24
Wow!
This may well be the most powerful book I've ever read. Hard to read, for sure, since it shields you from none of the horrors of the time period... but gripping.
This may well be the most powerful book I've ever read. Hard to read, for sure, since it shields you from none of the horrors of the time period... but gripping.
Helpful Score: 17
This book is a historical fiction novel. It is set in WWII Germany. This book is a book that will leave a lasting impression on you. Anna the mother and one of the main characters in the book survives by being a mistress to a Nazi officer. She sees others and their children starving. I think she is a mistress because she wants to survive and she is haunted in the book by her choice to survive. One of the few books I give a 5 star rating to. In order for me to give a book 5 stars it has to be an UNFORGETTABLE read.
Helpful Score: 8
Absolutely heartbreaking. Characters who don't understand each other and don't know why, secrets that must be kept, tough do-what-you-have-to choices. I loved this book, even as it tore me apart inside.
Helpful Score: 6
Thought-provoking and wonderfully written. This book makes you think about what you would do for those you love and what makes you love someone. Fabulous.
